Florida and beyond - The Keys

Yes, we are still in Ft Pierce and probably will be for another 10 days.

It's been quite a week!  We rented a compact car (and they gave us a convertible for the same price) so WooHoo, we took the Mitsubishi Eclipse and ran with it.  All the way to Key West and back!
                    The biggest problem was not squealing the tires when the light turns green!

This was at our resort in Marathon, FL - a quaint restored 50's type hotel that was really relaxing. 

 This town is about half-way down the Keys to Key West. 

But, first we stopped in Miami for the International Boat Show - the largest in the world!

Miami - too big, too many people, too much traffic and too hard to get around!

I wasn't impressed with the parts of Miami we saw.  But the boat show, now that was something else. Wow, didn't know I could still get that excited!

Lots of big, beautiful boats!

In the water show venue - one salesman we talked to was from Austrailia and the boat he was selling was originally designed and built in Holland (the Netherlands), but now the US version is being built in Holland, MI.

And in the parking lot - Go fast boats, this one displayed on it's side.

And inside the Miami Beach Convention Center, 4 levels of more boats and boat related products!

I think Don got his fill - I know I did!

No, I didn't get my fill.  I could have gone back for a second day, but our marriage was more important.  I never knew until visiting the show how much stuff  we still need for our boat.  It would be less expensive just to buy a 70 ft. yacht.  Actually that may be a good idea.  (But, then on second thought I don't want a divorce.) 

Now, it's on to Key West....

The famous Mallory Square, where the sunset is the main event, every day!

Vendors street muscians and street performers gather just before sunset to entertainthe tourists.

We've actually seen many beautiful sunsets here in Florida -it's always a special time for me!

The Disney cruise ship was docked here when we arrived.  2 other ships docked the next day - they estimate 3,000 people are aboard each ship.  So there were a lot of people there enjoying the sunny, warm weather and sights with us!

   

We toured Mel Fisher's Treasures (Don had read the book about the shipwreck recovered booty).

Here are some of the gold bars that were rescued from the sunken Spanish treasure ships in the early 1700's.  There was also a huge amount of silver bars, coins and other precious jewels.

View of the Botannical Center (which we toured) from the White Street Pier. 

In Key West - they have chickens running everywhere - Why?  Because they used to have them there for the Cock Fights and when they were outlawed, they just let them run free.  You hear this "cockadoodle do" all the time and just before we left we even saw some little chicks with their parents.  We saw many tourists, rode the trolley tour, ate some fresh seafood and just had a great time!

Don was taking some pictures here in Ft. Pierce and here was this peacock, just strutting his stuff!

There were several peacocks running loose just a few blocks from downtown. 

That's all folks - until next week....

Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce, Florida

Actually, we ended up on Hutchinson Island - went right on through Stuart and on up the Intracoastal Waterway to the Ft. Pierce Inlet from the Atlantic Ocean.  It's been a cloudy, rainy week here in Ft. Pierce.  Couldn't even really get a sunset picture. We're not complaining - at least it's not snow and the temperatures are still warm.

        We are at Pelican Yacht Club Marina and plan to have our boat here for a month.  It's close to the grocery, restaurants, pharmacy and hardware store, with lots of bike trails to the Jetty (Atlantic Ocean) and over the bridge to the mainland.  There are lots of huge fishing boats here.

Some of these "ocean going sport fisherman" easily exceed $1 millon.  Just to catch a fish that you unhook and put back in the water!!



                                                  And the U.S. Coast Guard, our neighbor.

Yes, we do ride over this bridge with our bikes - the bike trail is walled off from the traffic.  It is quite windy, though.  We are always glad to get back.

         The pelicans thought Don was cleaning fish and they were begging for the leftovers.

(He was really cleaning a boat fender.)  He's been doing a lot of cleaning, waxing, fixing and maintenance on the boat this week.

                                  
                                                Looks like the prop needs some attention!
             I guess it's hit "bottom" a few times (when straying out of the channel or off the course).



          The blade on the right is missing about 1/2" from it's tip.  Most water in the rivers, bays, and coastal areas around Florida is shallow.  If you stray from the marked channel, particularly at low tide, there is a good possiblity that you'll touch bottom.  Very unpleasant and embarrassing.  Also, can be expensive. 

Now here's one where someone wanted to make sure Don hit the right spot in the urinal!

I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted.

Today was sunny and we ventured over to the Farmer's Market - the best one in the area.  We had some breakfast and it was a fun time - seeing all the produce (and buying some), the arts and crafts and all the people.  We spent some time at the library, too.

Just relaxing a bit on the waterfront at the Farmer's Market. 

We may be running a little late with our Blog next week as we plan to rent a car and go down to the Miami Boat Show and the Florida Keys for the weekend.  But we'll sign in again later.......

YES!! The Miami Boat Show - the king of all boat shows.  Every kind of boat and marine toy imaginable.  Promised Theresa I would leave the checkbook in the car.   But if we had a boat that was just a little bit bigger...............

We had an uninvited guest last week.  A little green frog. Woke up in the morning and he was sitting on the cabin floor just like he owned the place.  He disappeared into the midberth.  Theresa wouldn't go in there for days.  Left the window open in the midberth for a few days and we haven't seen him again.  Boy, could that sucker jump.  Been married for 48 years and never seen Theresa that excited.  Okay, maybe a few times.

Also, had a large turtle (12") come up to the swim platform and beg just like the pelicans do.  Theresa threw him a peanut which he ate, then swam away.  I don't think he liked it.

Looking forward to the Keys.

Mid-Florida: Crossing over to the Atlantic Ocean

Here we are in Mid-Florida, travelling the waterway with lots of birds and wildlife, even found some alligators, cows and horses.

The alligators didn't like the boat, so they quickly submerged and swam away when they felt our wake.  Even so, we saw about 5 or 6 of them.  It was a cloudy, cooler day or we would have seen more.

Pretty horses!

Also saw several cows.  They looked just like Iowa cows but I think they speak Spanish.

Airing out his feathers, I guess...

The High Rise Condos by our marina in Ft. Myers

 

Don in the Dinghy..

Theresa doing dishes (Don does most of the drying)

I want a boat with a built in dishwasher.

Reading and Relaxing by the pool

Or on the patio...

 

When we left Ft. Meyers we traveled east on the Okeechobee Waterway to Lake Okeechobee, across the lake to the St Lucie Canel which comes out on the Atlantic side of Florida at Stuart. This inland canal and lake system allows boats to cross Florida from the Gulf Of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean without having to go around the southern tip of the state.  This route goes thru suger cane country. Some of the fields were being burned off and we got sugar cane ashes all over the boat.

We currently are at Indian Town Marina on the St Lucie Canal about 10 miles from the ocean. 

This is a lock on the Okeechobee Waterway System - they are so small compared to the locks we had been through on the Mississippi/Tennessee Rivers.  In 2 of them here, they just rose about a foot, so to raise the water level they just slowly opened the gates on the other side.

 (That was something new to us.) 

It reminded me though, of all the creaking & cracking, bumping & knocking, water rushing in and trickling, the eirie sounds of the bigger locks.  It made me think it would be good sound effects for a Harry Potter movie.  

Tomorrow we plan to go on to Stuart, Florida and check out the east coast and eventually explore some of the the Atlantic Ocean.

Until next week.....Blessings to all!