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April 16 - 30, 2001
Monday, April 16, 2001 Key West, FL
We slept in this morning and then played tourists for the morning. We went down to the docks and looked at some of the cruise ships that had come in last night. Then we toured the Wrecking Museum. I was unaware of this part of Key West’s history.
Prior to the overwhelming spread of railroads and the development of steam-powered ocean ships, the loss of sailing ships on the reefs along Florida’s Keys was a frequent occurrence. Large sailing schooners delivered merchandise from New England to New Orleans by sailing through the Florida Straights and turning north into the Gulf of Mexico just past Key West. The lack of weather forecasts beyond what the eye could see, and the proximity of the reefs in this area resulted in the grounding of 50-70 ships per year during heavy storms.
The residents of Key West became both lifesavers and looters as they recognized the salvage opportunity in the foundering ships. Soon laws were established that defined the rights and roles of the wreckers/salvagers, and what percentage of the recovery could be kept. This legitimized the industry in Key West and made the town the richest city (per capita) in the country at that time.
After a quick lunch we returned to Fort Taylor Beach for another three hours of splendid beach bumming. We even took in some swimming on this visit. Having had enough sun yesterday, neither of us ventured far from our spots in the shade.
We returned to our RV with time for showers before joining Lane and Dixie for a seafood dinner. Then back to Schooner’s Wharf for a nightcap.
Tuesday, April 17, 2001 Key West, FL
We had to set our alarm clock last night for the first time of our travels. The ferryboat wanted us on board at 7:30 for an 8:00 departure to the Dry Tortugas. We awoke with our alarm at 7:00 and packed our backpacks for the full day trip there and back. We were scheduled to return to Key West at 5:30. The tour served a continental breakfast aboard the boat, making our first half hour a bit less taxing.
The ferryboat was the two-year-old Yankee Freedom II. At 100 feet long, it is a clean and fast motored catamaran. The dual-hull catamaran design makes it very stable for ocean travel. We covered the seventy miles in just under two and a half hours, at almost 30 knots. That’s pretty fast for a large ferryboat. The trip there was a bit rough as heavier winds preceding a weather front were kicking up some seas. Many of the one hundred passengers stayed out on deck breathing fresh air to combat seasickness. That went for me as well.
The trip there was beautiful as we glided over shallow shoals of green water. We docked at Fort Jefferson on Garden Key, one of the seven islands comprising the Dry Tortugas. Originally named Las Tortugas (The Turtles) by explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513, these islands soon became known as “Dry Tortugas” on mariners’ charts to show that they had no fresh water.
Construction of Fort Jefferson began in 1846 and became the largest of the America’s coastal forts, and still stands today as the largest single brick structure. The fort’s construction and use continued for thirty years until the development of new rifled canons that rendered the fort indefensible. It was never finished and abandoned on the 1880’s. The fort suffered abuse from hurricanes and salvagers until it was finally put under protection by FDR in 1935. Today the fort is part of the Dry Tortugas National Park, and is being preserved and maintained.
Our tour of the fort was very interesting. Most of the fort is open for self exploration. After our tour of the fort, we were served a very satisfying lunch by our tour guides on the picnic tables outside the fort. After eating and digesting, Christine and I donned our bathing suits and snorkel gear (provided by the tour operators) and began exploring the waters. The windy conditions made the swim out to the reef a bit too intimidating. There were also a lot of jellyfish in the area, so instead we swam around the remains of some old docks that were abundant with sea life.
This was Christine’s first time at snorkeling. She was pretty apprehensive about the undertaking, confessing that she had never before opened her eyes under water. Nonetheless, she quickly picked it up and was breathing through her mouthpiece and kicking through the water. We saw large tarpon (four to five feet long) and plenty of mangrove snapper. The names of the numerous small colorful fish were unknown to me. There were a limited amount of coral growing on the remaining dock pilings, but sea grasses were abundant.
With less than an hour remaining before departing for our return trip to Key West, Christine and I easily spent it strolling around the fort. By 3:00 we were back aboard the ship and underway. The return trip was much smoother with the seas calmed by a break in the wind. Many of us were out on deck for much of the trip watching for loggerhead turtles. The collective effort resulted in seeing over thirty swimming turtles. A high count by most measures.
I neglected to comment about the birds. The Tortugas serve as layover for many migrating birds, as well as breeding and nesting for many sea birds. My limited interest in ornithology keeps me from remembering the names of the many birds. The reputation for bird-watching in the Tortugas is so strong that many trips there are organized specifically for that purpose.
Back in Key West, we showered and dressed for a final evening out with Lane. We had a great meal at one of Key West’s oldest restaurants, Pepe’s. The food and atmosphere were perfect. And the cool dry air being brought by the weather front warranted long pants. We took our leave of Lane and turned our thoughts to life after the Keys. We are heading out tomorrow. We just can’t afford the cost of visiting in the Keys for more than a few days.
By Christine: Joe covers our days so completely, that I don’t often have anything to add, but I just wanted to add a note on what a perfect day it was today. I really enjoyed the Dry Tortugas. The colors of blue and green were vibrant today. The fort was interesting and I liked the snorkeling. It still amazes me, a year after the Lasik surgery what a wonder life it is without contacts or glasses. It has been great to see Lane again, and as we leave the Keys, I hope to see him again before the next 4 years pass.
1) What a great picture of the Dry Tortugas; 2) The fort as seen from the boat; 3) The inside of the fort; 4) Christine and Lane.
Wednesday, April 18, 2001 Everglades National Park, FL
We were awoken by the storms passing through in the night, but it was dry and clear this morning. We dragged our feet a bit as we finally began our journey back northward. We stopped for a posed shot of the RV next to the Southernmost Point before moving on. It was a peaceful drive as we agreed to catch brunch at a place recommended to us on Marathon Key. The morning’s peace was rudely interrupted about thirty miles north of Key West.
Much of Highway One along the Florida Keys is still a simple two-lane road with speed limits between 45 and 55 mph. We were on one of these two-lane stretches when an oncoming car steered across the centerline directly toward us on an intercept course. Having not had my coffee yet, I had only enough awareness to avoid the collision. I had no reserve capacity to alert the car with the honk of my horn. I quickly swerved the RV all the way onto the right-hand shoulder of the road as the car passed me completely in my lane. The narrowness of our escape was too close for comfort.
The small pick-up truck following me was not as fortunate. With no view ahead of me, all he saw was my big RV swerve off the road. He wisely followed my lead without hesitation and escaped with just having the oncoming car clip the rear of his truck. In my side view mirror I could see the resulting spinout of the errant car as it nearly ended up in the water. I pulled over so Christine and I could make sure everyone was all right. As soon as I jumped out of the RV I spotted a patrol car in the oncoming traffic. I signaled her to stop. This off-duty officer quickly took control and within a couple minutes several emergency vehicles were on the scene. The rapid response was remarkable.
The errant driver ended up being uninjured and none of the many other vehicles following me got caught in the spinout. The driver spoke no English, but appeared sober and lucid. The Florida Highway Patrol officer that took my statement said that it was hard to surmise what happened, but most likely the guy zoned out or got distracted by something. It didn’t take long before he was in harm’s way. We all considered ourselves fortunate that the damage was so minimal.
Christine and I got back underway and kept our scheduled plans to have brunch at the Wooden Spoon in Marathon. After a little grocery shopping we drove on up to the mainland and turned into Everglades National Park for the evening. The weather is still cool and dry making the idea of camping in the Park’s “No Hook-up” campground seem suitable. Boy were we surprised.
We chose a spot in the nearly empty campground and were overwhelmed by swarms of the largest flies I have ever seen. As big as bumblebees, but less clumsy, they assaulted our RV. I have no idea what the attraction was. When outside the RV, they seemed only marginally interested in us, but the RV was under constant bombardment by these annoying mammoths. Just as we were beginning to adapt to the repeated drumming of these flies as they bounced off the RV’s shell, a new swarm of smaller flying pests joined in the RV assault. They rudely interrupted a very tasty meal that Christine had just finished preparing. Dinner was stretched out as I kept taking breaks to execute the many smaller pests that were making their way through gaps in our screened door.
With the breach of our defenses worsening, we finally agreed to cease use of the screen door, and go ahead and button the RV up for the evening. This required going back outside to unlatch the door being held open. As I made my quick exit to perform this task, the smaller pests immediately clung to me. They were crawling all over me by the time I got ten feet from the RV. I hastily dashed back in their assault zone to unlatch the door. My effort was short from being a success. As I closed the door, it bounced back open pulling the screen door open with it. This allowed a swarm to invade the interior of our RV. I ran back over slamming the door shut with Christine on the inside. I saw little opportunity for me to get back in without bringing in a body full of bugs with me.
After taking a walk to shake off the creeps, I came back and made a stealth entrance through my driver side cab door. Christine had valiantly defended the RV’s interior from the onslaught, and mercilessly took no prisoners. The rest of our evening is being spent trying to unwind.
The southern most point.
Everglades Animals.
Thursday, April 19, 2001
Fort Lauderdale, FL
We slept very well as the nighttime temperatures had dropped to 60 degrees, and low humidity. The bugs were slow to return to their assault on our RV. We drove over to the Royal Palm Visitor Center in Everglades National Park and explored the Anhinga Trail along Taylor Slough. This is a short developed trail that is part pavement and mostly boardwalk through the marsh. The current dryness of the season has encouraged the greater concentration of wildlife into the area of the slough. Christine and I were amazed at the quantity of alligators that were occupying the small space around the trail. We had to have seen at least 100 different alligators in our brief visit there. There were many spectacular viewing of birds as well. We saw great white and blue herons, anhingas, purple gallinules, and others. The weather was perfect for lingering in the swamp area, which would usually be oppressively hot.
We drove on into the Miami area and attempted to visit the grave of my recently departed grandfather. The groundskeeper at the cemetery pointed out the grave location, but there was no marker … no gravestone. With much consternation I persisted in finding out what happened. After about an hour and a half of checking files and crossing language barriers we discovered that the grave did have a marker. It’s just that the marker had been buried under 4-6 inches of sod when a new grave was dug nearby. The groundskeeper found the stone by probing the area with a metal spike until it hit something solid. He then dug a way all the sod and dirt that had covered it. With relief, I paid my respects and moved on.
From there we drove on over to Miami Beach and cruised along A1A for a while. The construction was so bad that our pace rarely exceeded that of a walk, but the weather was great and we enjoyed the level of activity. We cruised north along the beach to a campground in Fort Lauderdale for the evening.
Friday, April 20, 2001 Mims, FL
We spent the morning in Fort Lauderdale getting some business done. I dropped Christine at the main library while I went and got the oil changed on the RV. Then in early afternoon we hit I-95 north to the Cape Canaveral area. We intend to visit the Space Center tomorrow.
By Christine: It really is amazing the differences in libraries around the country. Most are very nice, comfortable places and the Main Fort Lauderdale library even had a really upscale deli where people around the area eat lunch. But bless them, they all have Internet access!
Saturday, April 21, 2001 New Smyrna Beach, FL
We hadn’t expected to spend the whole day at Cape Canaveral, but at $25 per adult ticket, we stayed to get our money’s worth. I hadn’t expected such a ‘theme park’ approach. We ended up really enjoying ourselves as we took in most of the exhibits. The bus ride out to the launch complex, assembly building and Apollo/Saturn V center was the best part. There is also an interesting new exhibit about the new International Space Station currently under construction. We left the Kennedy Space Center late in the afternoon and picked up some groceries before heading up the road a short stretch to a campground just south of Daytona Beach.
1) Rocket Garden; 2) Transport Crawler (carries the shuttles to the launch pad); 3) An actual piece that will be part of the International Space Station. They construct the pieces on earth and then transport them up to be connected to the Space Station.
Sunday, April 22, 2001 Crooked River State Park, GA
We slept in this morning in honor of my birthday. We then cruised into Jacksonville for a little library time. Downtown Jax is really in a nice setting with the St. John’s River bisecting the city. After library time we walked down to the riverfront and enjoyed bloody mary’s in the lazy river breeze of this Sunday afternoon. We have had such great weather since we left Key West. The temperatures have topped out most days at 80 or lower, and the humidity has been kept in check.
Leaving Jacksonville, we said goodbye to Florida and headed toward Georgia’s Golden Isles. We settled into a campground near Cumberland Island National Seashore. Operated by the National Parks System, Cumberland Island is preserved as a primitive undeveloped sanctuary. No vehicular traffic is permitted on the island. A park-operated boat ferries visitors over on a limited basis. And camping is only permitted by advanced reservation. I hope we might get to visit Cumberland tomorrow.
We settled into the heavenly looking campground at Crooked River State Park, located adjacent to the US Navy’s Kings Bay Submarine Base. It was a beautiful setting, but a wicked surprise lurked within that tranquility. We were eagerly welcomed into Georgia’s coastal area by one of nature’s most unrelenting pests, the no-see-um. For those unfamiliar with this part of the country, a no-see-um is a very small biting gnat that moves in so stealthily that you can’t see them (thus, no-see-um). Their activity is greatest in the early morning and late afternoon. Most window screens provide too much room for the no-see-um to crawl through, rendering the screens ineffective. This helped us understand why we didn’t see any other campers outside of their vehicles. Nearly all the other RV’s were buttoned up with their A/C’s running. We followed suit as it was already into the evening.
Christine immediately got underway preparing me a birthday meal that most would not consider possible in our little RV kitchen. She started off with baked brie topped with fresh chutney of kiwi, papaya, shallots, and red bell peppers. She followed with a dinner of red snapper poached in white wine with onions, tomatoes, olives and herbs served over rice. She topped it all off with apple strudel made from scratch. This all tells me one thing: my wife must truly love me.
Monday, April 23, 2001 Jekyll Island, GA
We got an early start to try to catch the 9:00 ferry over to Cumberland Island. We quickly found out that we hadn’t thought this through very well. We picked up some more information and decided that we would try Cumberland Island again at some future date, but be more prepared.
Instead we opted for an early campsite at the Jekyll Island Campground. Jekyll Island is one of several beautifully preserved islands that make up the Golden Isles. Jekyll has an interesting past as a private island playground for early industrial magnates like Rockefeller, Vanderbilt and Morgan. Later the State of Georgia took ownership of the island and began preserving the Victorian houses left from that earlier era. The island today stands as one of the few holdouts against over development. The ten miles of beach are so clean and pristine, yet very accessible.
We took the bicycles off and went for a great ten-mile ride around the north half of the island. There are twenty miles of paved bicycle paths on the island that invite exploration. After a lunch break we packed some gear for a late afternoon session of reading on the beach. We slung our chairs over our shoulders and bicycled to the more secluded beach on the north side of the island. There we sat for a couple restful hours of paradise. We were finally ushered back to our bikes by the encroaching high tide.
By Christine: I have been looking forward to visiting the Georgia Coast and I am enjoying the ocean, islands and marshes. This sure is bug season, but we found skin-so-soft. Life is good!
Tuesday, April 24, 2001 Skidaway Island, GA
We enjoyed a pleasant drive up to Savannah along Highway 17. We found a parking place for the RV and spent a couple hours walking around the historic district. We ate lunch outdoors down on River Street then walked several miles across the many squares that give Savannah its unique charm. The weather was nearly perfect for this activity with a steady breeze keeping us from overheating.
Later this afternoon we inched out through the suburbs to Skidaway Island State Park. This is our third stay in Georgia’s State Parks in as many nights. Their parks have been truly satisfying. The sites are always spacious, shaded and in prime locations. There we took in a trail walk over to the park’s observation tower built at the end of a boardwalk out into the marsh overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Georgia State Parks have all had cable TV hookups at no extra charge, so we’ve enjoyed relaxing in the evenings to a bit of television watching the past three nights. It keeps us inside, out of reach from the merciless mosquitoes.
Wednesday, April 25, 2001 Metter, GA
We awoke to the unfamiliar sound of rain on our roof this morning. Florida and Georgia have been so dry that rain is welcomed by all. We totally embraced the ‘rainy-day’ mood being set by Mother Nature. Christine made some French toast for breakfast as we sat around reading and working on an update to our website. The morning was nearly history by the time we rolled out of the campground.
Still raining, we decided to catch a matinee showing of a movie. We chose “Bridget Jones’ Diary.” A cute romantic comedy that gave us each a laugh. From there we turned west on I-16 and found a campground with telephone hook-ups at the site. This was perfect timing, giving us the chance to publish the updates to our website we had been working on. We settled in to the quiet little campground as the rain finally showed signs of easing.
Thursday, April 26, 2001 Alpharetta, GA
It was 52 degrees this morning as the high-pressure system brought in clear blue skies for us today. We both slept so well in the unexpected chill. We quickly cleaned up and hit the road for the drive to Atlanta and a visit with close friends.
In Atlanta we visited a place where I had been formerly employed over ten years ago. I was pleased to see several familiar faces after all these years. After a brief visit we continued on to the home of close friends, Harlan and Anne. We arrived early enough to spend a few hours giving the RV a badly needed bath. We had not washed the exterior since Tempe, AZ. Having the luxury of taking our time with the cleaning, we got the RV its cleanest since we drove it off the dealer lot last year. Previously used coin-operated carwashes required a speedy cleaning that never permitted a detail job. Christine and I were very pleased with the outcome.
Our friends returned from work as we were finishing the RV bath. We settled in for a very pleasant evening with a dinner of grilled chicken on their deck. Spring is a beautiful season to be outdoors in the south. Harlan and I began preparing for a weekend of motorcycling in the mountains with more friends while Christine settled in for a weekend with Anne and the kids, Morgan and Rene.
One less-prepared friend, Kip, discovered this evening that his bike was not up for the trip. Harlan and I went over to Kip’s house to help him get it started only to discover that his clutch had failed. After three unsuccessful attempts to bleed his clutch-line into submission, Plan B discussions began in earnest. With a blessing from Kip’s wife, Plan B became the opportunity to buy a new bike. Kip plans to be at a local bike shop when it opens in the morning.
Friday, April 27, 2001 Lake Powhatan State Park, NC
Kip’s plans to buy a bike this morning were set aback when his choice of motorcycles was not available due to a recall. He ended up renting a BMW cruiser. It all happened so quickly that he had the bike packed with his gear by 10:30 this morning when we finally got underway to the mountains. The rest of the group was Jackie and Mike, familiar names because we skied with them in Crested Butte, Colorado earlier this year.
The weather was beautiful as we rode up familiar roads into the north Georgia mountains. Lunch was a lazy BBQ affair near Morganton, Georgia. This is a ritual for the guys coming out of Atlanta. On previous motorcycle trips I’ve missed this part of the trip since I’d been starting from a different city and then meeting the guys at our destination. But it felt good this year to go the whole distance with friends. We reached our destination in Cruso, NC only to find our favorite campground not yet open for the season. With one more rider expected to join us there, we had to decide on an alternate campsite.
Russ was joining us from Charlotte. I called and left a message on Russ’ voicemail and tacked a note on a tree to alert him of our alternate location, Lake Powhatan. Just outside of Asheville, this state park has been a good alternate for us in the past. Russ finally arrived completing the sextet. We all took advantage of our proximity to Asheville and rode on in to town for a gourmet dinner.
By Christine: It was a very nice quiet day for me. After the guys rode out of the driveway, it was just Maggie (the dog) and I for the day before the girls got home. I worked on the computer doing schoolwork almost all day, taking breaks to wonder downstairs. Multiple rooms were great!
Saturday, April 28, 2001 Lake Powhatan State Park, NC
We managed a reasonable start out of the campground and continued our gourmet inclinations with a hearty breakfast at Waffle House. Then it was all about riding. We rode up to the summit of Mount Mitchell, highest point east of the Mississippi River. The Blue Ridge Parkway was in excellent riding condition. After that we successfully broke out of our old riding patterns to discover some new roads. We scored on a section of US Highway 19W that none of us had ever ridden. This road safely fits in the category of ‘Nearly Perfect’ with respect to motorcycle joy.
Elated with this discovery, we didn’t even notice that we had ridden through the afternoon without stopping for lunch, a true departure from old riding habits. We turned south and back to our campsite. Dinner tonight was satisfying steaks and then another evening of story telling around the campfire.
By Christine: What a day! I was lucky enough to spend the morning with Morgan as Rene had one of the endless birthday parties to attend. This afternoon, Ann treated me to 2 hours in Target with both girls. I needed a nap after that experience! J This evening Ann, Shelly (Kip’s wife), and I had a great dinner complete with Margarita’s in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta.
1) Motorcycling is hard work! 2) Russ, Mike, Harlan, Kip, and Jackie.
Sunday, April 29, 2001 Alpharetta, GA
It was cooler and overcast this morning, but still great for riding. We headed south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Mount Pisgah Inn for a great breakfast. We all said goodbye to Russ there as he separated to return to Charlotte. Jackie and I then made plans to take a longer route to Atlanta while Harlan, Kip and Mike all opted for the more direct route.
Jackie and I put in a day of aggressive riding on some of the best motorcycle roads in the world. My effort may have been much greater than his, due to his much higher skill level and sportier bike. One of today’s riding highlights was the silky smooth ribbon of pavement known as the Cherohala Skyway. This fifty-mile section of heaven runs east-west just below the southern end of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Skyway terminated in Tellico Plains, Tennessee where we turned south toward Georgia.
We got back to Harlan’s house about 4:30 and settled into a very relaxing evening with another great dinner on the back deck.
Monday, April 30, 2001 Dunwoody, GA
We got up with Harlan’s family this morning and said goodbye to Harlan, Anne and the kids. I spent a couple hours tidying up the RV’s garage before putting the motorcycle back inside. We then drove across town to meet up with my aunt and uncle, Judy and Ron.
Mostly retired, Judy and Ron were able to kick back with us for the afternoon. We relaxed on the back deck as we caught up with them on our travels. Ron is an avid BASS fisherman and spoke of plans to go fishing tomorrow. Christine chimed in that our plans were very flexible and that we were available to join him. So we made plans for a bit of fishing tomorrow. Judy and Ron then took us out for a superb dinner at a nearby fish restaurant.
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