#Summer2023: Day 11 - Key West

There is only one road to Key West, and it is 59 miles from our campground on Grassy Key.  The Jolly Roger is on Mile Marker (or MM) 59.  We all piled into Dad's Honda since parking is much friendlier for disabled persons, which Dad is. 

Upon entering Key West we went to the terminal for the Yankee Freedom to Dry Tortuga's to replace Brandon's lost shirt.  I bought Steph and I short sleeve ones while I was at it.

Then, to Ernest Hemingway's house.  

Hemingway's most productive years were I Key West and his house is a cool history lesson.

At one point Hemingway was gifted a 6-toed cat, and the descendents of that feline are everywher!  This was Sadie's favorite thing.

The we were on the hunt for a pizza place Mom remembered from last time.  We never found it because no one could remember the name, but we had a light lunch at Onlywood on Whitehead St (I think?). It was down a neat little alley, but their Italian sausage pizza was wood fired and excellent.  No pics - too busy eating!

Then some casual shopping and seeing of sights.  

For more pics, see my post from our visit 2 years ago and hopefully, a link to a video visit soon.

Before leaving we had a slice of Key Lime pie (mine had coconut) and we even bought a frozen one to bring back.  So good!  I love the fruit down here.

Then back for a light supper of shrimp and various fruits, a dip in the pool (nice and cool) and another sunset on the beach at Jolly Roger.

#Summer2023: Day 10 - Marathon and Jolly Roger

Stephanie said it best: this is our "happy place!"

We got up and had breakfast, the Sat around with coffee until we decided to go to town to a beach shop and ate at La Nina's for Cuban food.  We are there 2 years ago and is a staple for when we are in Marathon.  We introduced Mom and Dad to it as well.

We had Cuban sandwiches, garlic chicken, both sweet and green plantains.  And of course, Cuban coffee - so strong it comes in shots!

All of it was great!

Then, we bought a Mamey Sapote, some mangos and bananas.  Then back to camp.

We filled up with fuel and I checked the gas mileage on this leg.  Not as good, but still above our 8.5 mpg of our trip 2 years ago.

We have been on the road for over a week and needed to do laundry.  So three loads, a quick dunk in the pool to beat the heat, and back to the camper.  Sadie tried put her paddle board for the first time and was determined to get it down!

Light supper of shrimp and fruit, a few minutes in the pool, and another sunset. It was cloudy so not as dramatic as before, but I love these Caribbean  colors!

There was a storm over the ocean but it didn't affect us.  I love it here.

#Summer2023: Day 9 - To the Keys

We got up early and hit the road. The goal was 7 am but it was closer to 7:15 before rolling out.

Early on it was smooth sailing, but after getting on the Florida Turnpike, closer to Miami, it got more congested and the service plazas were full.  No place for an RV.  We quickly made lunch and rolled on before we were in anyone's way 

The Overseas Highway had backups on it and it was almost 5 pm before we arrived at "our happy place.". But after getting set up they had a free Seafood Paella dinner for us.  Think of it like a rice dish full of seafood including mussels, shrimp and calamari.  So good!  And a very nice touch in that we didn't have to cook.  The shrimp we brought can be cooked tomorrow.

The meal was catered by a restaurant in Miami.

After that we continued our tradition of snagging chairs and putting the sun to bed over the gulf.

We love this place!  Here's to a week!

#Summer2023: Day 8 - St. Augustine

I believe it rains here every day.  At least that has been our experience.

We got off to a fairly early start and piled into Mom and Dad's car for the short distance to St. Augustine and the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument.  We spent several hours there.  Really neat! This fort protected the oldest city in the US and continues to see service until after the Spanish American War.

After that we walked historic St. George Street a d spent too much money on ice cream, coffee and souvenirs.  This quarter has been restored to look like St. Augustine during the colonial period.  

Coffee at City Perks was really good!

Then Shrimp from the Fisherman's Dock market which we grilled up, and rested for a bit until the rains came again.

Before heading out in the morning we needed a few more things from Publix and a full tank of gas.  There was an accident over the bridge to the mainland so I settled more more expensive fuel at the 7-Eleven near the KOA.  

This is a nice campground.  They even provided gas grills at all of the sites.  This is definitely one to return to.

#Summer2023: Day 7 - Arrival in St. Augustine

As of today we have been on the road for a week.

Savannah was a blast, and we only wish we had a bit more time to explore.  But as Traveling Robert says, "We'll be back!". Next time we will budge more time.

We left Savannah South KOA at 10:15 or so, and made good time.  That was a nice KOA and would have been better if we could have camped near family.  There were campers from all over, including Washington State and Ontario and Quebec.

The trip took us on I-95.  Smooth going.

We stopped for a stretch at the Florida Visitor Center, and was soon on the road again, reaching St. Augustine KOA at about 1 pm.

The KOA site was not listed as premium but included a nice table and gas grill.  A storm came up which cooled us off nicely.

To scout the town we all go into the truck and drove to St. Augustine.  We will go to the fort Castillo de San Marcos, which is a national historic site.

After supper we went to Publix, a grocery store we don't have at home.  We bought some staples we needed, then came back to walk, shower, and prepare for another day.

Oh, and our daily MPG figures:

Fuel Update - Savannah

At this point, we are at approximately $450 in fuel.  Between Three Rivers and Savannah we have achieved the best MPG yet 

#Summer2023: Day 6 - Seeing Savannah

Yesterday, upon several recommendations, we bought tickets to take the trolley around Savannah.  It is a get-on, get-off deal.  It was expensive at $30 each, but there is a shuttle from the campground and we don't have to worry about parking. It was convenient and worked out well.  It also appears that by booking at the KOA, the tickets were pretty deeply discounted.

Our driver was Wade and he was very informative.  And as we were the only ones on the shuttle, we got to visit.  It was a 25-30 minute ride to Downtown Savannah 

We rode the tour through once then made the loop a second time to visit some of Savannah's famous squares.  This is a beautiful city!  We enjoyed a bit of walking even if we got caught in the rain

Lunch was on River Street at the Shrimp Factory with Mom and Dad.  Mom actually had fish (Mahi sandwich)! My po' boy was excellent!  Highly recommended.

Back at camp we had drinks and a quiet evening!  I finalized Summer 1 grades, did a few things for Summer 2, and prepared to rest for another travel day.  This one will be shorter.