This year is ours what will we do with it?
- Leanne Haughian
- Jan 11, 2018
- 5 min read
I nodded off after leaving fort Lauderdale and awoke in Mexico....or Cuba!! The highway leading into Florida City is dotted with tropical plant and orchid farms and produce stands. It was hot and humid! We stopped at a gas station whose first language was spanish. Serving up a buffet of rice and chicken with the sounds of mariachi type music in the background. Contining further down the road was Homestead, again judging by the signs on the buildings was primarily a cuban community. While we have been staying in Florida we have been using Cracker Barrel restaurants regularly to overnight in. Many Wal Marts in Florida don't allow overnight parking. We are seeing many other RVers staying overnight in Cracker Barrel lots, it is tricky in this "sunshine state"to wild camp or park overnight as its a huge tourist state and there are a lot of signs stating no overnight parking. However we don't mind Cracker Barrel. They have a nice washroom and restaurant and gift shop. Its kitchy...but inviting. The staff are friendly and you can often smell the wood stove burning and the voices of many a country singer over the speaker. The porch is decortated very southern country, with its rocking chairs and old whiskey barrels.
Here is the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel one morning, it looks like a campground
We stayed in a Cracker Barrel for a few days while we explored the southern tip of Forida. Everyone who rides a motorbike would say you have to experience the Florida Keys by bike. Since the beginning of the trip we have pin pointed on our map the Keys. We woke up early to head out knowing that it would be a longer day. The highway down to Key West is dotted with small vacation communitites. At points on US HWY 1 only the highway seperates the Atlantic and the Gulf bodies of water. In fact there is a stretch of bridge that extends 7 miles long! For those that have never experienced biking before, and I think one of the reasons people love it so much is that your trip is much richer than car travel because you are right in it! The smells, the sun and air in your face, then road so close below you. We experienced 2 pelicans soaring through the air, no doubt fishing right beside us. They glided beside us for what felt like a 1/4 mile. Instead of getting a sub par picture I decided to just enjoy the moment.
Hurricane Irma was devastatingly apparent. Neither of us have ever been to the Keys before, but I assume that the whole Atlantic coast has been washed away. Some areas look almost untouched and order has been restored, no doubt certain high tourist areas have taken precedence in the recovery process. But other areas the damage is catastrophic! The damage in my eyes is something I have only seen on the t.v. I can't help but be concerned for the ever growing super storms that we are experiencing all over the planet.
The Florida Keys are stunning with the turquoise ocean and white sands, but not the best place for van travellers looking for free overnight camping. Maybe someday we will return to explore more, but we spent just the one day. But before leaving a must is key lime pie!! OMG, this may have been the sweetest most delicious treat I have ever had.
My Uncle Bud and Auntie Sue are snow birds that travel to St. Petersburg for the winter. St. Petersburg is on the Gulf coast, just south of Tampa. They have a trailer in a retirement park just off Tampa Bay. I get excited being able to experience what I think is conventional lifestyles. We will ring in the New Year with Americana Cove retirement community! But first the Everglades....I was wanting to take an airboat tour, but in reading some reviews some are concerned with the ecological damage that these boats create, canoe is recommended. So we decided that driving Morrie all over this country is enough damage!! But we did see many tours going out. As we drove into the Everglades we saw an alligator floating and suntanning in the water. We were so excited it was the closest and biggest wild alligator we had ever seen. So like a typical tourist we crossed a bridge to see if we could get a better view. He saw us coming and went under the water, but we waited for awhile. He did come back to the surface but only his eyes and nostrils. Can you spot him??
Continuing down Tamiami hwy, there is a canal of water that lines both sides of the highway lush with mangroves....and alligators! We thought that first one would be the only gator we would see. Hmmm, nope. We saw maybe 20 or 30 in the canal beside the highway. We pulled over to walk down the shoulder to see if we could see them a little closer. Locals say that alligators are more scared of you especially during this time of year. We saw 4 right away and I ran across the highway to use a washroom and almost stepped on one! Well not really but he surprised me. Its kind of unfortunate that we only had one day to see the keys and the everglades but at least we got to see them.
New Years at Americana Cove
One of the best things when staying with people is the opportunity to get to know them better. People are always so excited to show us around, share stories and tid bits of themselves. Uncle Bud and Auntie Sue have been snowbirding in St. Pete's for around 20 years. You can really get a sense of their years of commitment and effort, and it shows in their pride for their community. They live in a retirement park community that has around 1000 mobile homes. It's just how you would imagine. Golf carts are a common form of transportation. Everyones yard is neat and tidy. Throughout the day it's not unusual to have several retirees and friends stop by to discuss the local news and to catch up.The club house and its organizers set up various clubs and events that keep people around here pretty busy, anything from line dancing to a billiard club to walking classes. There is a well stocked library and a heated swimming pool. Bud and Sue have been involved in the singing club for many years. We were invited to an organizer of the singing groups home for a fantastic supper. Everyone was so warm and inviting and interested in our travels. The men primarily sitting in the "man's den" yelling at the college football game on tv and swapping football stats. The women in the living room roaring with laughter and exchaging photos of their grandchildren and giving updates on their children. It really did seem all american picturesque with the christmas tree in the corner, the crystal bowls containg sweets and the wet bar cart stocked and ready to sample the smell of supper fills the air. You can really feel the closeness and friendship amongst the group. Uncle Bud and Auntie Sue invited us to their club house to celebrate New Years. We had a great time dancing and eating and maybe drinking a little too much champagne. Paul won the 50/50 draw, it was $50! Thanks again Uncle Bud for purchasing the winning ticket. We kept Uncle and Auntie up into the early hours of the night, swapping stories and more laughter. In the 3rd pic Uncle Bud and I smuged the house with a blessing for the New Year! The fi is Frank Sinatra their lovely little cat.
We are planning to find another work away volunteer position in New Orleans. We have selected a few different people to volunteer with. One man did get back to us and we are set to arrive in a few days. He lives in the lower nineth ward, the area hit hardest by hurricaine Katrina.
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