Still in Boot Key Harbor

We are going to be in Boot Key for a while it seems.  I tried to renew our boat insurance and found that I had lost my discount through West Marine since the company has been sold and they no longer offer discounts.  I was completely unaware of this so now we are spending our days trying to arrange new coverage.  At least we have a few weeks to take care of this.  We face the problem of our boat not being "average" for it's age or make.  Also it's an older boat and we want to travel outside the US coastal waters and we homeport in Florida, all detractors to the insurers.  We're not comfortable leaving and trying to negotiate from the Bahamas so now we wait for a good insurance resolution and another weather window.  This trip is starting to drive me crazy with snafus!!!!  It will all work out but good thoughts and prayers appreciated.

Coming Attractions

In case I don't get to post again for a few days I thought I would share our immediate plans.  There is a short weather window that we are going to try and take advantage of on Friday.  The plan is to leave early and sail Hawk Channel up to Rodriguez Key off of Key Largo.  From there, we sail on Saturday to Bimini.  The weather window snaps shut after that so we will stay put until we can move on to Andros Island.  If we don't have 2 fulls days of reasonable weather we are here in Boot Key for a while longer.  The winds and weather won't be favorable again for at least a week.  In that case, we'll head north and meet our friends Marsha and Ralph in Plantation Key. If you want a more visual idea of our route I'm trying a new program that should link to my travel page.  It is currently working so hope it stays that way.  All I have to do is remember to keep it up as we move along.   Keep us in your prayers!

More of the Park

We walked several nature trails and learned that the park is home to several endangered plant species as well as animals.  There has been a real effort to cultivate and protect plants that attract butterflies and provide essential nutrients for specific types of butterflies to lay their eggs.  There were many fossils along the paths as well.  When we stopped to have our sandwiches, a bunch of ibises came looking for scraps.  They are like the chickens of Key West, everywhere!

The front of the nature center.  They  have a short film on the history of the bridge building, several educational
displays and interactive things for kids to do.  The building looks to be about 50 years old.  

The view of one of the beaches from the old bridge.  You can really see the
color changes as the depth changes.

These are a few of the moocher birds.  The didn't care how close they came but
we knew better than to give them anything.

This old buttonwood was on the Atlantic beach side. We wondered how many
hurricanes this gnarled old tree had survived.

This buttonwood was out by the road.  It's leaves are a gorgeous, slivery/gray.

The tree  gets its name from the seeds which look supposedly like
buttons.  I didn't think they look like buttons but I guess they did to
whomever named the tree.

This has been a great transportation combination for us, bus and bikes.

Waiting on the bus.  Considering the traffic can be heavy, they have never been super late.

I threw this one in just because I want proof that I didn't bring too much stuff
as David likes to claim.  Now this is too much stuff!!!

Sand Art

There are so many talented people willing to share with the public.  Outside the nature center, there was a completed sand art that must have taken quite a while to conceive and execute.The details are just wonderful. I'm not sure what the plan is during this hard rain we're having today.  I wonder if it will be there tomorrow.

The front of the structure.

Rear view of sand art.

Cute crab.

Sassy sun

Adorable manatee.

Bahia Honda

We were able to complete the chores we had to do and make it to the bus stop in time for a quick trip to Bahia Honda State Park.  It is a camper's destination for sure plus it has an historic stretch of the original railroad bridge that was the precursor to Hwy 1 completed around 1912.  We were able to take our bikes with us so besides walking all the trails, we were able to see most of the park.  A nice day made nicer by a sack lunch with an ice cream cone finish!

The bus let us off on the opposite side of the road from the park.  This path took us under Hwy 1 rather than across 4 lanes of traffic.  It gave us a different perspective on the new bridge.  It is so close, they instruct riders to walk instead of
ride their bikes and risk a head injury.

Some talented person or persons decorated the water pipe under the north bound lanes.

The water between the old and the new bridges.

A bit of hisory.

I thought this was a cool shot down the length of the old girders.

That is old concrete and old supports.  Several have been banded and wrapped in vinyl to delay
their ultimate wearing away.

This old pipe isn't going to carry water anymore!

More San Pablo

We made it to church a little early and had a chance to walk on some of the meditation trails before Mass.  It is such a quiet, beautifully landscaped and lovingly arranged space.  It speaks well of all those who have volunteered their time and talents over the years to make this such a special place to come and sit, pray or just be quiet with God.

This area has a gazebo in the middle with a large plaque with all four mysteries of the Rosary.  There are embedded
stones to represent the prayers.  You can actively pray the entire Rosary by moving along. 

The big picture.  

One of the many flowering bushes all along the pathways.

A space dedicated to the Blessed Mother.

This cool, quiet spot perfect for sitting and  visiting.

Our bikes with a guardian angel.

Life Aboard

Sometimes it seems like we spend hours a day doing one or two things.  Actually it is because it takes hours to do one or two things.  Life in the boat is very different.  There are tradeoffs for the freedom to move around.  One is that there is no cable or electric line running out to our anchor.  We have to generate our power with either solar, wind or running the engine.  If we are power hogs with the computer or there is little wind or sun, sometimes it takes all three.  If we are at a dock that is not so much a problem but being high season, there was not a slip to be had when we arrived so we manage.  We have a TV antenna that pulls in on-air stations but in the keys, the stations are on the mainland and the antenna is not that strong.  From what I've seen lately, no big loss.  We do have a Roku stick if we want to stream a show from Netflix but that is not a nightly event.  A few nights ago, a house on shore was having a party and they had hired an awesome band that we enjoyed too.  Of course, on clear nights there is stargazing and enjoying the evening.  All that is energy free!  Also, just getting to the dingy dock is a 15 minute trip each way and just about everything is a few miles away.  Our bikes have made it so much easier to run errands and see the sights.  Washing dishes is also a time consuming task as I have to heat water since the water heater uses a LOT of power.  Then, of course, we have to take the propane tanks to be refilled and get jugs of water but it's all part of the journey, just not the most fun.  It takes a mental adjustment to get used to the lack of immediate anything but then that's a good thing, right?  One thing we both really enjoy is compliments on the boat.  We both worked long and hard to make her look good and more than once we've had folks dingy up and tell us how great she looks.  Now all we have to do is keep her looking good!

One thing we like to do is look at other boats.  This schooner showed up and anchored near us for a few days.  She is beautifully maintained and appeared to have a good sized crew.  We guessed  her to be something over 70 feet.

One thing essential to our lives is coffee.  I like my coffee to be not as strong as
David's so the solution was 2 pots.  These French presses are designed for boat use
and keep the coffee hot for a long time.

To have some air moving at night when it's still, David rigged this low amp fan for us.  The one in the
background moves a lot of air but uses a lot of power so its good if the engine is running or we're on a dock.

A bit of our day is figuring out the weather and what it is going to do to us.  We have Single Side Band Radio (SSB)
and we can pull in weather faxes showing wind, waves, fronts and more.Part of my preparation was getting the
computer and printer set up on the boat.  Silly me, though, I had everything networked and forgot to bring  a cable to
use when we're not pulling in a wifi signal.  Thank goodness there is an Office Depot just a few miles away.

No Name Key

Next to Big Pine key is another interesting spot, No Name Key, also in a lot of Hiaasen books. We were close so we pedaled on over.  We were not disappointed.  We walked a few more trails and saw more key deer.  Well worth the effort.

The bridge from Big Pine to No Name key.

The sign and our welcome committee.  He and David spent some time comparing folding bikes
best for cruising.  You just never know who you're going to meet along the road.

The trail starts off sunny.

Some of the trails were through the middle of dense scrub and trees.

We assumed this was some type of feeding trough for wildlife.  We were warned at the beginning
of this trail that cameras were mounted along it.  The 2 sides seem to have PVC pipe in brackets.
That part we couldn't figure out why.

Anyone identify it's use???

This large pile of brush had been gathered but again, not sure why.

More Big Pine

After the Blue Hole, we rode to the northern end of the island.  A large section of the island is a national wildlife refuge so we saw more key deer along the road as we rode along.  You can walk on the trails but not off of them.  It was well worth the upwind ride!

These multi trunk palms were all over the place but this was was particularly large with all trunks being healthy.

Another shot of the Blue Hole.

This dying mangrove looked sad but the exposed root system was home to a lot of little critters.

This female anahinga held still for a photo.

Another view of the gulf from the end of the trail.

There are these cuts all over the island.  They were once over 6 feet deep and early settlers filled them
with small, mosquito eating fish.  They proved to be a hazard to key deer as the fawns would fall in them and drown.
They were subsequently filled into a depth of 2 feet.  Now spraying is used to control the flying pests.

This land bridge was built up in the middle of this swamp.  If you look closely you can see
remnants of the rotting timbers used as a crude bridge.

The swamp.  We were glad for the strong breeze.  Even though it made bike riding
a bit sporty, it did blow the bugs away.

Big Pine Key and Key Deer

Besides working around the boat and being lazy, we took our bikes on the bus to Big Pine Key.  This was on my list because it is a frequent setting in Hiaasen novels.  You only see a small fraction of it from Highway 1 so I wanted to see more and the bikes were the way to do it.  First we stopped at the visitors center and got the scoop on where to go and things to see.  We've always read and heard that the Key Deer are extremely elusive and rare.  This must have been our lucky day as we saw them all over the north end of the island.  In one spot,they were so used to humans that we were able to get just a few feet away.  Sadly, these pretty creatures are endangered and are currently experiencing a screwworm infestation that is causing their numbers to decrease further. Since my own recent encounter with a parasite, I feel their pain.

A sign at the Blue Hole.  This is an abandoned quarry that has filled with rain water over the years.
During one of the hurricanes in the 90s, it was overwashed by the tidal surge and 2 tarpons have managed to survive.

Across the Blue Hole from the overlook.  There was a park ranger there who was very
informative about the area and the pond habitat in particular.

The trail around the hole.

In one of the depression around the park, you can see this tangle of white mangrove roots.

A tiny key deer.  This is not a fawn but a full grown doe.

She is trying to decide if I'm ok.

She decided I was and went on with her grazing.