Friday, May 22, 2015

Good-Bye Florida Keys

 

Wesley Chapel, Florida (high 92, low 72)

 

We left the Keys on Wednesday morning, spent the night in Naples at the Club Naples Rv Resort, and made our way back to Tampa/Wesley Chapel yesterday. 

When we left the Keys, the winds had calmed down and the seas were flat calm.  Just like we like it!  It sure made it hard to leave.

good bye Keys

We had an uneventful trip, which is always a good thing, especially after seeing all the recent pictures on Facebook showing so many catastrophic Rv accidents.

 

We took our time getting ready to leave.  It was so darn hot that anything that needed to be done outdoors was a real struggle.

The boat is covered, and taken to it’s summer home.  Most people “winterize” their boats, but we “summerize” ours.

You have to place a tent like structure under the cover to prevent water pooling and that takes a little time to get it right. 

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We think we have snagged a canal space to keep our boat next winter.  It’s behind our site and up a few spaces, so it’s not too far from home.  If nothing changes, we will be able to keep the boat in the water instead of having to trailer it every time we want to use it.   Yay!   The only issue there, is that we will probably have to get the bottom painted, otherwise we’ll end up with a hull full of barnacles.

The following picture is what they look like.

barnacles

 

Before we left, we took a day trip up to Islamorada.  The water is always to pretty and blue up there and it’s always a nice drive.

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Overseas Hwy

There were a lot of people out enjoying the water.

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We took a walk on one of the fishing bridges. This is the bridge left over from the old Flagler Railroad.  I love the architecture of these old bridges.

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The Royal Poinciana were in full bloom and could be seen all along the Overseas Highway.

Royal Poinciana

 

We made a stop at Robbie's Marina to watch the tarpon feeding.  Robbie's is a must see for a Keys visit.

Tarpon feeding at Robbies

A fisherman was cleaning his catch and throwing the carcasses in the water, which in turn attracted quite a crowd.

Tarpon feeding at Robbies

Tarpon feeding at Robbies

 

Southern Stingrays

southern stingray at Robbies

5-6 nurse sharks came by to check things out, but unfortunately the fisherman (typical) threw such large pieces into the water that no one could eat it.

 

Tarpon feeding at Robbies and sharks

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We see a lot of these creatures, but I’m not sure exactly what it is.  It looks similar to a jellyfish, but kind of like a nudibranch, or maybe even an anemone. 

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We sure had a fun time in the Keys this year.  Since we bought our new RV lot, we are much close to Key West and now it’s a lot closer. It’s always fun in Key West!

Good-bye Keys, we will see you next year. 

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10 comments:

  1. That sure looks like a lot of fun. Our last visit to the Keys was in 1989 (pre-RVing days). A world unto its' own.

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  2. WE love the keys. And we adore Club Naples. Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. That's sad that the water was so calm and beautiful just as you're leaving. Talk about perfect boating water. Hope you get the boat site - that would be so much easier for you. Have a good visit with your Mom.

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  4. We're crying with ya' leaving the Keys... :c(

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  5. We're missing the Keys as much as you are but to make it worse we know we won't be back there next year.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  6. How do the boats withstand the Hurricanes when they are parked, as yours is now, compared to being in the water as you hope it will be next year???

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    1. Well Dave, we are sure hoping there won't be any hurricanes this summer, but if there are, it's insured. Neither option would be a good option should a hurricane come through.

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  7. Glad that you had a good time there, safe travels.

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  8. Really sorry you have to leave the keys. You have such a good time there. See you "next year" seems so far away. Glad I don't do facebook if you've seen a lot of RV accidents. LOVE your header picture. The inconsiderate fishermen not so much.

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