After a restful night aboard Dream Chaser, we awoke to a warm and sunny Monday morning.
Today, our plans are to go kayaking with Dave Railsback, our new friend. We met Dave and Arla on the Pigeon Key Bridge during our evening walk. Bob and Karen, the renters in their downstairs apartment, also from Wisconsin joined us.
About 10:30 am, Dave pull into the marina parking lot with four kayaks in the back of his Ford truck. We crawled in and headed to Curry Hammock State Park on Grassy Key. So what is a hardwood hammock? It is a dense stand of broadleaved trees that grow on a natural rise of only a few inches above sea level. They are found in the deeper sloughs and marshes common in the Everglades ecosystem.
As you can tell, the water was clear and it was a perfect day for kayaking!
With the area to ourselves, we tied the four kayaks to a paddle shoved in the sand and began walking on the sand bar. The sun was brilliant, the wind was minimal, and the sand was stunning. The tide was just coming in and the water was to our knees and, in other places, up to our hips We walked 3/4 of a mile on the beautiful sand bar while gentle clear waves of sea water splashed against our legs. We searched the ocean bottom and found starfish, sea biscuits, and shells. Four stingrays swam by, a fish about two feet long left the area, and strange "sea snakes" curled up from the sea bottom.
On our return trip to the kayaks, we noticed that a fishing boat had entered the area. It was one of those center console boats, and we could see one man aboard walking around and sitting on the bow. This was a bit strange as a sandbar isn't usually a place to fish, and our second look confirmed that he was in the "buff". I suppose stark naked is a great way of getting a suntan and it eliminates those pesky tan lines! Oh my! No pictures taken of this wild life!
Paddling and peddling back to the kayak launching area, we passed a jellyfish in the water. Very cool, but you don't touch those!
After the kayaks were beached, we found a shaded picnic table over looking the Atlantic. During the heat of the afternoon, we indulged in cold drinks, snacks, and a game of cribbage.
Later in the afternoon, our second kayak trip took us about two miles in a circular trip around Curry Hammock Park. Our path took us along the shore, through a mangrove covered channel (like a magical tunnel), and under a bridge which brought us back to the little bay where we started.
The sun was warm, and as we paddled into another channel, we spotted iguanas sunning themselves on mangrove branches and some lumbering along an old dock. The coolest discovery was a manatee lounging in the channel. We paddled over and gave him a rub down on his back. He sputtered and turned over for a tummy rub. Mary had never stroked a manatee before-A REALLY NEAT EXPERIENCE! This whole area across from Curry Hammock Park belongs to the owner of Bass Pro Shops and is under extensive renovation. When done, it will be impressive!
We paddled by the Blue Goose, a 44 ft. trawler anchored in the little bay. The couple aboard is from Miami (in their early 70's), and they motor down and anchor in this bay each year for a few months.
What a deal...anchorage is free!
After a quick shower on Dream Chaser, we joined Dave and Arla Railsback for dinner at their home in Marathon about 6:30 pm. They live on a quiet channel where manatees visit periodically. Great food (grilled porkchops, potato salad, green beans, applesauce, and banana cream pie). All homemade by Dave! His wife works homeschooling a young boy from a wealthy Michigan family who lives in Marathon through the winter, so Dave is the cook at home.
About 9:30 pm as we returned to Dream Chaser, our neighbor, Jay, was having a dock party and invited us to stop by for steamed lobster. Yum!
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Another perfect day in paradise!
At 1 pm, Joel and Debbie returned with their friend who is visiting from Hawaii to tour Dream Chaser, take a dip in the pool, visit Sparky's Landing during Happy Hour, and experience the sunset at Key Colony Beach. They had so much fun last week, they wanted to return.
Outside Sparky's Landing on Key Colony Beach.
Sunset at Key Colony Beach, followed by the 1812 Overture, and the crowd singing"The Islands of Marathon".
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Today, we are off kayaking with Dave, Bob, and Karen for the day at Bahia Honda State Park which encompasses over 500 acres on Bahia Honda Key and an off shore island. There are reports that rays and sometimes a shark have been spotted off the old historic railway Bahai Honda Key bridge nearby.
At Bahia Honda State Park we found two of the nicest beaches in the keys. Calusa Beach is on the western edge with palm trees and an area for swimming and snorkeling. Across the road is Sandspur Beach which is a mile long and has three nature trails. We put the four kayaks in at this point. It was a wonderful morning through early afternoon of kayaking several miles while enjoying the beautiful clear aquamarine water, brilliant sunshine, pretty shells, and colorful starfish. Steve has a sharp eye for spotting starfish and shells in the water!
What a beautiful conch shell! But, it was still alive, so back it went into the sea!
We had a blast searching for conch shells, but most of them were inhabited. You just reach in the water, grab the big shell, and see if the conch is inside. It is against the law to collect conch shells that are living. Only empty conch shells or ones with hermit crabs residing are allowed to be kept.
We stopped at an island with a small beach to search for more shells and take a rest in the cool shade.
There was a family, also, on the beach looking over their collection of shells. As the mother picked up a large conch shell, a two foot long eel shot out and wriggle in the sand. Boy, was that a surprise! What a spooky, ugly creature!
Not sure Mary would have had such a big smile while holding the conch shell, in the picture above, if she had been aware of the "creatures" that can take up residence in those shells!
We took a break early afternoon under the shade of a roofed picnic area and enjoyed cold drinks, snacks, and conversation. It has been delightful getting to know our kayaking friends, fun sharing stories, and a realization of how privileged we are to be in such a WARM perfect place!
After a nice long walk on the sandy beach, we packed up the kayaks & gear and headed back to the marina for refreshing showers.
Dinner tonight was at the well-known Key Fisheries located on the edge of Florida Bay in Marathon.
After you have placed your order, you choose a wild animal and it will be called when your food is ready. While you are waiting, there is a small gift shop to check out, fish to feed along the docks, and fishing boats coming and going. Go early enough to watch the sunset!
Their famous Lobster Reuben sandwich was delicious! Reports are that the fish dishes, conch chowder, and sweet potato fries are very high on the Top Things to Order list, also. They advertise their Konchwürst, but we weren't adventurous enough to try it. Great place, great friends, great fun!
This dude was just hanging around outside!
He needed more than Konchwürst!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Today, we were off to Miami stopping along the way for needed boat flags (identification flags required by the Bohemian government) and provisions for the trip to the Abacos in the Bahamas.
The Bohemian government requires a yellow quarantine flag to be flown by incoming boats until they have cleared customs and the Bohemian flag is flown as a gesture of goodwill. Also, due to the increased cost of goods in the Bahamas, we are stocking up on many food items and drinking water.
About 7:30 pm, we returned to Marathon and pulled into Grassy Key Outpost (mile marker 58), an island market and grill. We were told by authorities (our friends, Dave & Arla) that this was THE PLACE to get the best calamari! They were RIGHT! We would have a picture of this creation, but we ate most of the tempting dish before we even thought about taking a picture. Darn! Imagine...the first layer in the shallow bowl was sambal aiola (a tasty mayonnaise based chili pepper mixture) with crispy calamari on top. A heaping pile of arugula followed with a drizzle of ponzu (a tangy citrus sauce) on top. Yummy! We had a terrific waitress, Beth, who immediately identified us as Minnesotans due to Steve's comment about "supper". (Apparently, Minnesotans say supper instead of dinner.) Come to find out, Beth is originally from Edina and lived in the Casco Point neighborhood near our hometown. We had a lovely chat. Small world!
The Outpost is a friendly place with great food!
A little history...The Outpost has a long history of being a stopping point for Miami to Key West travelers (including Zane Grey, President Truman, and Jimmy Buffet). Take a seat at the counter with the locals, talk fishing, and listen to stories of the islands' colorful past over great food and a cold.......
soda.
Friday, February 28, 2014
The rain began last night and continued off and on until it stopped about 8:30 am. Today with temps in the 70's, Bob and Martha joined us on our last trip to Key West to see the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Museum at 200 Greene Street. We discovered the history of the Spanish galleons as it came alive through historical artifacts from 17th century shipwrecks, sunken treasures, and hands-on displays.
Mel Fisher was a chicken farmer in Indiana, moved to California, and opened a dive shop. He developed his diving business, and his motto was "Today's the Day!" Fisher became an American treasure hunter and was best known for finding the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, a Spanish galleon wrecked in 1622. This ship was one of 22 in a fleet leaving Havana and headed to Spain with treasures from the New World (including the Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans). Some of the ships sank when an unexpected hurricane drove them off course and onto a reef. In 1985, the discovery of the Atocha by Fisher led to the recovery of the near $450 million cache of coins, Colombian emeralds, silver ingots, and artifacts. He also recover the remains many other ships including those of a slave ship, the Henrietta Marie.
The display on piracy was also fascinating. Pirates (including women) plundered for cargo. Privateers plundered other countries ships and gave their own country a cut of the profits. Buccaneers were pirates of the Caribbean mostly French and English expatriates who plundered the Spanish ships for their own profit.
Bob and Martha, AGLCA loopers, joined us at El Siboney for lunch.
When in Key West, don't miss El Siboney on Catherine St. for authentic Cuban cuisine for lunch or dinner. Tucked away in a neighborhood, this restaurant has friendly staff, spectacular food, huge portions, and quick service. The pulled roast pork, garlic chicken, and conch soup were top on our list! The next best thing to eating in Cuba!
P.S... the cafe con leche... fantástico!
The weather has been beautiful since mid morning, so this afternoon, the pool was inviting...which led to a nap... which led to dinner.
On our return to the marina, our neighbors invited the four of us to board their Grand Banks, and the next hour passed quickly with great conversation and lots of laughs.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Oh...we love these beautiful mornings-sunny, warm, and quiet.
On the list today are errands and activities to prepare us for our departure from Marathon on Monday morning. We will be motoring up the coast towards Miami.
About 10 am, we headed to the Marine Flea Market at Marathon Yacht Club, and found a small anchor for our dinghy. Great find.
At 11 am, spectators, sports fans, and swine lovers gathered
behind the Stuffed Pig Restaurant in Marathon to celebrate
the 6th Annual National Pig Day! And, we were there!
There were all kinds of activities going on but, at 11 am,
the first live pig race was set to start.
Pig racing works up an appetite,
so for lunch, we headed to La Niña,
a Cuban restaurant, in Marathon.
If you blink, you might miss it,
but oh....the food!
Orders are taken at a window outside or counter inside.
Today's special was roasted
pork ribs with rice &
black beans, plantain, yucca,
and a basket of bread for $6.99.
Steve's favorite meal!
Also, great iced cafe con leche! :)
We continued with projects...defrosting the refrigerator and freezer, working on laundry, finding homes for all the snorkel gear, etc. Don't forget to take time for a dip in the pool.
About sunset, we drove to the Sunset Grill (just before the 7 Mile bridge) and enjoyed the sunset.
When we returned to Dream Chaser, our neighbors, Ina and Sal invited us over to hear Sal play his harmonica. We had heard him play, usually in the evening, because our boats shared a dock.
This was a treat! Sal has ten harmonicas and can play anything you can sing. A delightful evening of singing and toe tapping!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Another day of bright sun and temps in the high 70's. Perfect!
We drove to the Vineyard Community Church in Big Pine Key with Dennis and Carol Barkow, AGLCA loopers from Racine, WI. This church serves breakfast in the morning, so we stood in line to choose from scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, sausage, bagels & cream cheese, pastries, toaster strudels, and coffee or tea.
If you are looking for a church during your stay in the Marathon area, we would encourage you to stop by and attend a service. A great music team lead in worship, and then Pastor Steve Lawes shared an inspiring message. First, we are to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you mind and with all your strength." Secondly, in Luke 10: 25-37, we are called to "Love your neighbor as yourself". Who is our neighbor? Everyone! Yes, sometimes it can be a real challenge.
Key Colony Beach Day was today,
so we swung by and enjoyed the
art/craft fair underway.
Under one of the tent, barracuda races were underway and people were lined up to place their bets
on their favorite fish! The fish were positioned, the gates were opened, and the fish swam to the finish line.
This was a very pretty area with
interesting plants all around.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of errands and our last trip to Publix grocery store for provisions before we leave, Steve returning the rental car, and a dip in the pool.
About 6 pm, the marina AGLCA loopers gathered under the tiki hut for a potluck. These are always wonderful times with lots of conversation and great food.
Steve & Mary on Dream Chaser
Dennis & Carol on Reunion
Loretta & Bob on Carol Anne
Curt & Marilyn on Castaway II
So sad to say good-bye to all our friends after five weeks together, but it is time to move on. We hope to see many of them as they move north. Good-bye Marathon!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It has been a very long winter for our friends, Bert and Betty, who were a little too late in moving their sailboat south from Lake Superior. They had planned to join us in the Bahamas, but winter came early and destroyed their travel plans! With positive thinking, they are making the best of their situation! See below.
No comments:
Post a Comment