Sand sculpting

High winds across the St George's beach left some interesting miniature sandscapes as each shell obstructed the wind flow and created a beautiful tail.

Apalachicola!

Try saying that quickly! Apala-chi-cola... while on St George Island which is on the southern tip of the Florida panhandle we heard about a farmers market and parade so we dashed over the two 5 mile long bridges to check it out. We picked up a bunch of seafood, oysters, shrimp, smoked tuna fish dip and grouper for a couple of feasts in our camp site. Like many other fishing ports they claim to be the oyster capital of the world but I had to make do with some excellent Texas oysters since there were none of the locals available!

St George’s Island

A flurry of attractive and colorful developer houses built on the seashore at St George Island. Someone did the math and figured a couple dozen very narrow houses would turn a better profit!

St George Island State Park

One of the outstanding state parks and campgrounds we have ever been to! Twenty miles of uninhabited soft white sand beach, a grove of palms and pines with camp sites well separated and in pristine conditions! You have to admire Florida's department of parks and the excellent quality experience they provide for the public.

Cedar Key

Low Key Hideaway looks great on the web and it still looks good if the camera is pointed in the right direction at the right time. The campground of only ten sites is squeezed between the main highway into Cedar Key and one of the lagoons!

Black Spire Outpost

Creatures for sale at the rebel Black Spire Outpost at Galaxy's Edge....

Chewbacca checking us out!

Rise of the Resistance

Got to Galaxy's Edge around 7 am for a 8 am park opening and the ability to join a virtual group for this activity. As the doors opened we were assigned group 101 which is high up but not impossible! More likely to happen late afternoon or early evening and we would have forsaken our dining res at Citricos! However fate conspired against us and mechanical breakdowns and safety halts ruined the day with only some 30 groups going through! A lot of time, energy and money all pretty much wasted! The failures on this activity are very significant both in Florida and California Disney parks...

Indiana Jones

Checked out the Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark action adventure. Saw this some 30 years ago and they still do it the same way!

Galaxy’s Edge

Storm troopers patrolling the streets around the outpost. It's a mixed bag as the Star Wars story line and reality of a theme park mix of characters come together. Chewbacca and Darth Vader, droids and a mix of unusual characters abound!

Millennium Falcon

Arrived at WDW Galaxy's Edge and joined a long line for a short ride on the Millennium Falcon! Quite exciting! The rebel outpost is a masterful creation and the rough looking location plays right into the role!

Cypress Creek Preserve

A huge area of wilderness east of Tampa is set aside by SW Florida Water Management for flood protection and as a water source. Only six free camping sites are offered and we were the only ones here today! The two mile trail into the site guarantees you total silence and a combination lock provides very limited access....

Lovers Key

Which hike to choose in this coastal state park? We'd chosen one that promised manatees and eagles, but first we checked out the beach. It was too perfect: mid-tide, nearly deserted, light wind off the land, 65 degrees. Our discoveries on our 4mile walk: a jolly sandman and a driftwood tree decorated with shells. Another hike another time!

Koreshan State Park

Beautiful setting in a palm tree grove with lots of space between sites.... Formerly a turn of the century (that's the 1900 turn!) utopian religious sect community that built a village here on the Estero River. We enjoyed two nights here and have put it on our 2021 schedule for a longer stay while in the Naples area. Low cost and so much nicer than the KOA!

Boca Raton visit

Our little bit of fun with our annual catching up with Lindy in Boca Raton Florida.... and taking a photo that replicates our meeting in Madrid Spain some 52 years ago when we were all 21 year old and no idea where life would take us! Margaret and Melinda on their way back from Lisbon Portugal were returning to their university at Aix-en-Provence and I convinced them to hang out in Madrid for a few days and such is the turning point in our lives.....

Last morning at Geiger Key

Bizarre punishment for daring to leave this morning! Just showing us the sheer beauty of this spot!

Sunset Cruise

Classic schooner sunset cruise out of Key West on board America 2.0. Beautiful evening with 8 to 10 knots of wind, temps in low 70's, smooth sailing and cocktails!

Anniversary!

Celebrating our 49th by doing something special each day this week...

Kim and Kate

Both retired from the US NPS Park Rangers, Kate and Kim camped their Airstream close by at Geiger Key Marina this last weekend. We had the pleasure of making their acquaintance on the Cajun Country Caravan last spring and it was a special treat to catch up with them again!

The Perfect Campsite!

It's called the backside of paradise with good reason! A unique spot in the Florida Keys overlooking the Florida Straits, Cuba some 60 miles away, temperature in the 70's, great ocean breeze, manageable humidity.... just have to handle the US Navy F-18 Hornets operating out of Boca Chica NAS from 8 am to 6 pm!

Airstreamers Catching Up!

We met Paul and Brenda on the South West Adventure caravan back in the fall of 2016 and we have been catching up over lunch every year in the Keys! Airstreamers leave winter behind in Tennessee and head for their usual snowbird haunt of the Jolly Roger in Marathon. We had fish camp lunch of grilled or blackened grouper- always a delight!

Key West Orchids

Just walking around town you come across houses with the most beautiful sidewalk gardens....

Coolish in Key West

It may be an unseasonable 64F In Key West but it's still the warmest place in the US!

Key West Specials

We did the KW house tour with our visiting Airstream buddies Joe and Ronnie we met on the Cajun caravan and subsequently in Cannes last summer. We found the perfect Toad (as in towed vehicle) for their Airstream Interstate... complete with coconuts in the roof rack... we finished our two mile tramp around the KW historic houses and off to Lola for splendid Branzino fish followed by pistachio ice cream, flourless chocolate and espresso martini for dessert at Roostica!

Theater night!

We usually check all the goings on in KW for our month in paradise and reserved front row seating for a 90 minute non stop one act 2 actor romantic comedy piece called Talley's Folly. A bonus pleasant touch was the small dinette table shared by seat pairs, a glass of Chardonnay and a Glenlivet to sip during the performance....

KW favorites!

Almost an annual ritual getting together with Leigh and Debbie our Tappahannock RV buddies at Louie's Backyard to watch the sunset at 5:50 pm and having a splendid fresh fish dinner on the outside terrace. Even had our same waiter JR from previous celebratory occasions here! Life is good in KW!

Key West Historical Society

Professor Bramson, who is America's single most-published Florida history book author, has written five histories of and about America's most exciting railroad THE FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILWAY. Seth will regale us on that incredible railway line's history, the life of it's founder and builder, Henry M. Flagler, and, of course, the story of the Key West Extension. Seth is the only person in the country who bears the official title of Company Historian with an American railroad.

Key West Farmers Market

Interesting collection of exotic fruits on sale..

Yoga time

Great location under the Tiki hut for an hour of yoga this morning....

Our cruise ship again!

The infamous Viking Sky showed up in Key West today.... this is the ship from our Greece and Israel Med cruise in the fall of 2018, also subject of emergency evacuations by helicopter in Norway when it lost all its engines. Our traveling companions are scheduled to board this summer in Iceland... undoubtedly a beautifully designed and elegant cruise liner with around 1,000 passengers.

Reached the end of US Rt 1 road....

Finally reached the end of US Route 1 in the Keys and pulled into to Geiger Key. Backed up to the water's edge.... after the mangroves it's the Atlantic Ocean till you reach Africa...