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  • 1/22-1/28/2025, Wednesday-Tuesday - Explored Key West

    We drove through the Florida Keys expecting a lot of cool stuff, but nothing really called to us until we got to Key West. Of course, the cold dreary weather could have had something to do with it. There was no point stopping in at the bars that are great for sunsets when there is no chance of seeing it through the grey skies. "Fred the Tree" who clings to the dilapidated former railroad bridge that is now not used for anything. A nice mural between our parking spot and Duval Street. First glimpse of Duval Street. Checking out Duval Street, which was a common thing for us to do throughout our week in Key West. There were free roaming chickens and roosters EVERYWHERE in Key West. The iconic Sloppy Joe's Bar, which had been a favorite hangout of Ernest Hemingway and other famous people back in the day. No sunset at Sunset Pier this day and most days during our stay. At least we'd made it to the warmest place in the continental US, though! (Even though it wasn't terribly warm, and we still needed our thermal layers, lol.) Bust Park, where most of the people who "earned" busts here were either born into money, or got it through nefarious means, like being "wreckers" who salvaged goods from shipwrecks on the reef (see below). Shipwrecks were super common when Key West was young, and "wreckers" would "save" the people and cargo from these shipwrecked boats, then sell the salvaged belongings back to the saved owners at 4x the value. Whoa! 60-90 percent of all exports from Florida in the 1930s came from wrecking! Sandy Cornish was the only black man to have a bust in the park. He was also, apparently, the only self-made man in the bunch here, but he had to endure unspeakable horrors to make that happen. For shame! Sponge monster! During our week in Key West we would get some work done at coffee shops in the morning, then go out exploring the Old Town, looking at boats, people watching, and hitting up happy hours. It stayed on the chilly side, but we did have a few nicer days with some sun at least. Edward B. Knight Pier The Dive Bar Shirt Club was a place we like for happy hour. Celtic Conch Public House had a good happy hour, the tiniest stage we'd ever seen, and a super sassy bartender. Cute nautical "Christmas Tree" End of Hwy 1 in Key West ??? We learned that they put metal around the trees to keep the squirrels from climbing them. Not sure why that's such a problem. One day we decided to bike the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail from Key West to as far east as we could. Along the way we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch break in a shady area by a golf course. The dedicated bike trail (separated from the highway) ended on Boca Chica Key. Continuing on the shoulder of the busy highway seemed dangerous, so we turned back. Back in town we stopped at the Rails to Sails Museum at Flagler Station. A model of Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park. We looked into taking the ferry boat here for a day trip, but nothing was available for two people until April. Here is the Relive video (with our route and additional pictures) of our 20-mile bike ride that day: On our last day in Key West we headed over to the iconic monument at the "Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A." to take the obligatory selfie. There was a long line of people waiting to get their full body pictures by the monument, but we hate waiting in lines like this, especially just for a photo. So we, like many others, just hopped up on the short wall in front of the monument and took a selfie. Good enough for us! More sights from our walk that morning... The Reach Gazebo View of Battery 231 at Whitehead Spit in Fort Zachary Taylor, which is probably actually the current southernmost point of the continental USA, only because the island has been built up (extended) beyond its original boundaries. Key West Lighthouse, which used to be on the shoreline, but is now considerably inland because the island has been extended to about twice its original size. Before leaving Key West, Cara took a guided tour of the former home of famous author Ernest Hemingway. Sadly, this beautiful home was originally built by a "wrecker" who made his massive fortune from the misfortune of others. One of the typewriters Ernest Hemingway used when writing. The beautiful upstairs bathroom (a true rarity back in the day) that the whole family and nanny had to share. Master bedroom - the furnishings throughout the house are all original because the ex-wife never got rid of anything, and the family also kept it all intact. (Hemingway had 4 wives, and Pauline, wife #2 lived here.) Notice the cat on the bed - it's one of the currently 59 cats who live here. Notice the chairs at the end of the bed. They are antique Spanish birthing chairs, but Hemingway like to use them on his boat when he went fishing. Things related to Hemingway's African safari in the winter of 1933-1934. During the safari he nearly died twice in two days from two different plane crashes. He suffered injuries and was never able to write sitting down after that. Top: Hemingway in Paris, 1928, when he drunkenly pulled a skylight down onto his head, thinking he was pulling the toilet chain. Bottom (left to right): Hemingway in 1924, 1927, and just before his death (suicide) in 1961. Hemingway's favorite corner of the balcony to sit, because the breeze blew just right here. You really could feel about a 10 degree difference rounding this corner and catching the breeze. The swimming pool Pauline had constructed against Hemingway's wishes. While he was away in 1937 she had his beloved boxing ring removed and this pool built in its place. It was an architectural feat for many reasons. Hemingway's writing studio in the upstairs of a converted stable. Hemingway's traveling typewriter. One of many 6-toed (polydactyl) cats still living at the Hemingway Home. They are all descendants of the original polydactyl cat, Snowball, that had been given to Hemingway as a gift. Another polydactyl cat - see how the front paw looks more like a mitten. The cats are all well cared for and have the run of the place. There are cat houses all over the property, including this one made as a replica of the main house. I guess nobody told the kitties to stay off the wet cement, lol. We left Key West in the afternoon and made it to a bar just in time for sunset. We had discovered Dive Bar on the Bay in Tavernier on our way out to Key West, and we loved the vibe there, so we were happy to stop in there again before exiting the keys altogether.

  • 1/21/2025, Tuesday - Biked part of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail

    A crazy winter storm blanketed the entire U.S., which prompted us to go as far south as we could to find warmth - all the way to the Florida Keys! We were told to stop at The Rain Barrel artisan village for a picture with Betsy the Lobster, so we did. Flat Deedra was down for that, too. This was the warmest and first sunny day there had been in a while, so we were determined to make the most of it. The Rain Barrel is pretty much a tourist trap, but it was interesting to explore for a bit. We did really like the cute courtyard they had created there, though. We found a parking area for The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail and went for a bike ride. Many sections of the trail utilize bridges that were built in the early 1900s for a railroad through the Keys. We much prefer the bike trails that are totally separated from the roads like this. A nice shady spot for a quick break, at the entrance to Long Key State Park. It was a bright, sunny day, so the shade from the road bridge was nice at the end of this section of the trail. End of the line for this section of the trail, unless we wanted to continue on the highway, which we did not. This is the Old Channel #5 Bridge. On the way back we decided to stop for Happy Hour drinks and food at The Florida Boy Bar & Grill in Layton on Long Key. It's a nice, chill place with great outdoor patio seating. It was a beautiful day and a lovely ride! Here is the Relive video, showing our route and more pictures, of our nearly 17 mile ride this day:

  • 2/5/2025, Wednesday - Biked Cape Coral

    We ended up in Cape Coral, Florida for a pinball tournament the night before. It's been nicknamed "Cape Coma", but we can't see why. We think it's fun. Eric found a bicycle loop through the city, so one nice day we went for a ride. Yacht Club Public Beach The burnt out Boat House next to the beach. We saw this tug pushing this interesting setup up the channel. Many roads here are boulevards, with a grassy median separating the traffic going opposite directions. So, riding the bike paths along these types of roads is nicer. People are less distracted and more aware of bicycles. An enormous home under construction. Camelot Park offered a nice shady rest stop. We decided to start following the little green signs for the CCCC Bike Route, and it made for a nice ride. After a while we turned and followed the Veterans Parkway bike trail back towards home. It was nicely separated from the busy road, and some sections were really pretty. Eric snuck a photo of me stopped and looking at the map. We stopped to check out this cute little aerodynamic trailer, lol. Here is the video of our nearly 25-mile bike ride that day showing our route and additional photos: We rewarded ourselves with sushi and sake at Yellowfin Sushi & Sake Bar. This sweet potato roll was truly yummy. Peanut avocado roll (truly DIVINE), and a vegetable roll. We ended the night with some pinball at Nice Guys Pizza. This is the place that brought us to Cape Coral in the first place. The pinball is nice, it's got a great dive bar vibe, and the pizza is good, too.

  • 2/1/2025, Saturday - Biked Naples

    A friend we knew from Indiana, Erik, was in the area and wanted to meet up with us, so we decided on a bike ride in Naples, Florida, starting at Baker Park. Erik on his fat tire bike. He knew the area better so he led the ride. It was a beautiful, sunny day as we started our ride in Baker Park... We continued on the Gordon River Greenway trails. We wandered a bit, getting off the path and finding our way to Freedom Park. The boardwalks through the park are really nice. It's a beautiful little park. A memorial near the entrance to Freedom Park. The base that the flag sits on is in the shape of the USA. Steel from the World Trade Center building that collapsed on 9/11. Some of the trails we rode in the Gordon River Greenway system. It started getting grey and foggy as we continued our ride and headed back toward our starting point. An interesting parking job we spotted along our route. Back where we started at Baker Park. At just over 11 miles, it wasn't one of our longer rides, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Plus, it was good to catch up with Erik. Here is the Relive video for the ride that day, showing our route and additional photos:

  • 1/29/2025, Wednesday - Biked Shark Valley in the Everglades

    Our friend, Dave, told us Shark Valley is a great bike ride, and we're so glad we listened to him and rode it. Simply incredible! Highly recommended! You can take a tour by tram, or rent bikes, or walk, or use your own bikes, and you go along the road that the tram uses. The website says to arrive before 10am or the parking lot fills up, and we're glad we heeded this advice. You can see how you can get pretty close to the wildlife, but we recommend keeping some distance, just in case. We saw SOOOOOO many gators on this ride, it was incredible, and you almost got tired of seeing them, lol. So, we'll keep pics to the best ones for the rest of this post. Great Blue Heron Great Egret (I think) Baby gators on momma's back!!! :) :) :) Ooooh, they're soooo cute! The previous night had been chilly (in the 50s), so the gators were all out sunning themselves and soaking up some warmth. They were all very still and usually had their eyes closed. Lucky for us! A turtle sighting - yay, something different! Lol A cormorant drying out its feathers. This gator was definitely following the speed limit, lol. At one point you must lock up your bikes and walk a short distance to the Observation Tower. The Observation Tower Wow! You can see how much we humans alter our environment. Look how much smaller the Everglades is now! The Observation Tower itself is pretty amazing, but the views are better... Flat Deedra photobombs again! The first part of the trail is a straight shot following along a channel to the Observation Tower. The second part of the trail winds through an open area with no shade whatsoever. It was still full of great wildlife sightings, like this turtle with heron in the background. A Little Blue Heron, perhaps? Eric talking with a crow - or was it a raven? This Great Blue Heron was an incredible sight! We had never seen one do this before. Gator and a heron It was a beautiful day for a bike ride, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cycling, the wildlife, and the setting. Here is the Relive video (with additional photos) showing the route of our nearly 16-mile bike ride at Shark Valley in the Florida Everglades:

  • 12/30/2024-1/17/2025, Monday-Friday - Visited a friend in Bonita Beach

    So, we arrived at our friend Dave's place in Bonita Springs (really, he's in Bonita Beach on the barrier island) just before New Year's Eve. We spend just over two weeks there getting work done, visiting with our friend, and riding out the cold (for Florida) weather. Our friend had a nice spot for us to stay by his place. There is a swimming pool in the lanai, but it was too cold to enjoy it. Seriously, most days were in the mid to low 60s, with nights in the 40s. Brrrrrr... We had a nice view of the canal behind the house, though. Every evening we would sit out front by the fire pit with Dave and his neighbor, Doug, and watch the sunset and the passing vehicles. Usually it was too cold and/or windy to venture over to the beach to watch the sunset, so we just watched through the gap in the houses across the street. One time, however, we did walk over to the beach for the sunset... We enjoyed some wildlife visitors on the back dock. Once, we saw a baby dolphin playing with a fish its mother had stunned for it, although we failed to get a good photo of it, lol. Several times we went with our friend to some of his favorite bars and restaurants. We also enjoyed watching the moon rise... ...and seeing if we could get a good photo of the moon. Once, we were treated to a beautiful full rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow, but the outer one didn't show up in our pictures.

  • 1/10/2025, Friday - Biked to Fort Myers Beach

    It turned out to be a rare sunny and nice winter day in south Florida, so we decided to make the most of it and ride our bicycles up to Fort Myers Beach and back to Bonita Beach. In some places the bike lane is just the shoulder of the road - not our favorite. Some bike lane shoulders were wider than others. The view from the bridge leaving Big Hickory Island. There was major construction going on for the bridge over Big Carlos Pass onto Estero Island (where Fort Myers Beach is at the north end). We tried to go on the right shoulder/bike lane, but it was closed ahead. So, we ended up having to take the sidewalk on the left side, which gave us a better look at the bridge construction. A neighborhood on Estero Island - there is still loads of demolition and construction going on due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Ian in 2022, then by two more hurricanes in 2024. We made it to Fort Myers Beach, then locked up our bikes to walk around and check it out. The beach at Fort Myers Beach... The "Times Square" area of Fort Myers Beach. About half the businesses on Old San Carlos Blvd. were closed or being renovated, and only about half were open and operating. Several recent hurricanes were devastating for this area. Bayside Park View of the bridge to Fort Myers proper. Major construction underway in Fort Myers Beach - it made it a little hard to fully check out the area. Nothing really called to us anyway, so we just walked around and didn't go in anywhere. Back in Times Square, you can see the pier is still closed for repairs. We returned to our bicycles only to find that Cara's back tire was flat. We found the piece of metal that got picked up along the ride and caused the flat, but we were unable to patch the innertube ourselves because we didn't have the proper tools. So, we decided Eric would wait with the bikes while Cara took an Uber back down to our vehicle so she could drive back up and pick up Eric and the bikes. Not a great way to end the trip, but we didn't let it get us down. It was still good to have made the most of the nice day. Anyway, here is the Relive video of our ride this day:

  • 12/30/2024, Monday - Biked the Trails in Davie, FL

    We were heading to visit a friend in Bonita Beach on the Gulf side, and we stopped to check out some bike trails in Davie (near the Everglades) on our way there. We started on the Linear Park Trail that followed along a canal paralleling the road. We saw these very unique ducks we had never seen before. We saw some giant snail shells, although this one didn't have a snail inside. It's a nice trail with picnic pavilions along the way. Even with this narrow greenway between the canal and the road, we saw a ton of wildlife... Big gold and green iguanas... Equally big, but less colorful iguanas... Birds of all types... Even pairs of iguanas... :) Notice the sign for horseback riders ahead. We are in ranch country here. We saw a sign for Tree Tops Park and took a short detour to go check out the trails there. Tree Tops Park is really beautiful. We found a lovely, shaded spot for a picnic lunch there. We found our way over to the boardwalk trails overlooking a nearby marsh. It was a very pretty area. We passed a cute area called "Safety Town", which we assume is an place for the little kiddos to ride. Another small lake in the park had swan peddle boats and the obligatory big chair for photo opportunities. From there it was a short jaunt to pick up the Robbins Vista View Trail. This trail weaved past gated communities with big homes. It was an enjoyable trail, and we like seeing how other people live. This trail also followed along some canals. These canals are awesome places to watch iguanas. We witnessed this big guy get chased off by a big white bird, which he obviously didn't like, because he then turned and chased off two smaller iguanas, lol. Entering Robbins Park, which also has equestrian trails. It also has an RC (remote control) airfield, too - pretty cool! Leaving Robbins Park... Back along the canals... Headed toward Vista View Park... All the trail maps say to go this way to connect with Vista View Park, but the KOA campground has other ideas. Well, phooey on you, KOA. We needed to turn back anyway, plus we're not fans of your campgrounds. We turned and headed back to the car, hoping to reach it before any rain hit, which we did. We enjoyed our wandering ride through the neighborhoods of Davie. Here is the Relive video showing our whole 17-mile route that day:

  • 12/28-12/29/2024, Saturday-Sunday - Explored Fort Lauderdale & Fort Lauderdale Beach

    After getting some work done, in the afternoon we headed a little further south to check out Fort Lauderdale. Boats seem to rule the roost here in Florida, so once again we had to wait on a drawbridge to bicycle from Fort Lauderdale proper to Fort Lauderdale Beach. We saw the famous Elbo Room in Fort Lauderdale Beach, but it was super busy so we didn't bother going in. We were quite happy to walk around with our own drinks and check out Fort Lauderdale Beach. The Christmas lights were very pretty in Fort Lauderdale Beach. We learned of a cool arcade bar (Glitch Bar) in the Flagler Village area of Fort Lauderdale, so we biked over there to check it out. There were lots of other games, but only two pinball machines. We played the Foo Fighters pinball machine and Eric crushed it, earning a high score and the honor of entering his initials for it. (He usually goes with BUM, which was his father's nickname for him.) We walked around the area for a while talking, then found some good sourdough crust pizza at Patio Bar & Pizza. The bartender recommended the White Pizza, and it was really delicious. We didn't end up getting home until nearly 2 am - whew! That's unusual for us, but it was fun. Here is the Relive video of our biking/walking trip that day: After sleeping in, we ventured into downtown Fort Lauderdale, where we found a Hanukkah street fair for the children. They had a small petting zoo with baby goats, bunnies, and this llama who was eyeballing Eric and only came closer once he walked away, lol. At the Riverwalk we witnessed the captain of the yellow water taxi chew out the captain of the smaller white boat for taking up more than one spot at this docking area. Cara wanted a light lunch, so we ate at Sky Thai Sushi where Cara enjoyed a nice vegetarian sushi roll. Eric's lunch special was a good deal for a lot of food including miso soup, edamame, sushi, sashimi, and chicken katsu. We walked back home for naps, passing this nice mural. In the evening we struck out again to walk Las Olas Blvd. in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Then we went back to the Riverwalk to fully explore it. Esplanade Park along the Riverwalk. Here we saw the railroad bridge over the New River raise up for boats. It was a lovely, enjoyable walk along the Riverwalk. We found the Old Fort Lauderdale area, so we explored that a little. The county's oldest standing hotel is now a history museum. While heading to dinner we saw this cute area on 2nd Street. At a place called Velvet Taco we enjoyed some very unique tacos, plus yummy chips and queso. We were definitely feeling the vibe in FTL!

  • 12/26/2024, Thursday - Walked Delray Beach

    A friendly bartender in West Palm Beach had recommended Delray Beach as a place to walk around, so we drove south a little to check it out. It does have a pretty little downtown. The intracoastal waterway between the mainland and the barrier island is fairly narrow here. Cara particularly liked this sculpture in front of the Cornell Art Museum. The nice man at the Visitors Center told Cara about a 100-foot Christmas Tree in Old School Square, so we had to go check it out. The "tree" has 18,000 ornaments, 31 miles of garland, 15,000 pounds of branches, and 13 miles of lights! It was free to walk through the tree, so we did. It was filled with weird displays like this one. Looking up to the top of the tree from inside. Most things are on the main drag (Atlantic Ave.), but NE 2nd Ave has a cute little area called Pineapple Grove. The man at the Visitors Center also said that Delray Beach is unique because it is left natural and not all built up. In fact, the land was donated to the residents in perpetuity, but no building on it is allowed. It is nice to see a natural beach in Florida. Lots of people were enjoying the beach on this beautiful day. The man at the Visitors Center also recommended a place called Throw Social to enjoy happy hour and games. It was a very cool place, with four different bars and a covered outdoor common area. They had a nice, long Happy Hour, and we enjoyed drinks and this gluten free flatbread that had a sweet potato crust - yummy! Later we had a nice dinner at a restaurant called Hawkers Asian Street Food. Before heading to bed we had to take one last look at the 100 Foot Christmas Tree all lit up - impressive and beautiful!

  • 12/25/2024, Wednesday - Christmas Day Bike Ride in Palm Beach

    On Christmas Day we decided to bike over to Palm Beach, since parking is super scarce there, and we thought there would be less traffic on the roads. We had to wait for the drawbridge, of course. The pause for the drawbridge gave us a chance to look at more of the big boats. We picked up the Lake Trail near Bradley Park and headed north along the waterfront. The trail follows the west side of the barrier island, along the intracoastal waterway. There were huge homes to the right of the big hedges, and their private boat docks were to the left of the path. As we progressed north, the trail opened up. The trail takes a turn, then ends in the neighborhoods near the north end of the island. We continued through the beautiful neighborhoods to the very north end of the island. There we found the cute little Palm Beach Inlet Dock. At the dock we enjoyed a picnic lunch, conversations with some friendly people, and a show from the birds when they got fed. We then continued wandering through the neighborhoods. We saw these "Traffic Calming" signs and only later realized they were referring to the speed bumps, lol. Passing by the Palm Beach Country Club. The neighborhoods were all immaculately manicured. We just love these amazing Banyan trees! A beautiful church in the heart of Palm Beach. Public beach access, with buckets for visitors to pick up trash and help keep the beach clean - very interesting. Back in Bradley Park, near where we began our trip, we paused for another break. Bradley Park is a lovely public area. We continued on, and this poor tree, surrounded by parking lot with hardly enough room for its roots, seemed sad to us. A passing view of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum. Flagler was an oil tycoon from the 1800s who was instrumental in the development of the east coast of Florida. A beautiful Ceiba tree near the museum. These remind us of Belize. We followed the Lake Trail south from where we picked it up at the start of our ride. Views near the Society of the Four Arts... We biked down Worth Ave, which is full of super high end, designer shops. At the end of the road, on the Atlantic side, is the Worth Ave Clock Tower and public beach. Before it got too dark we biked back to West Palm Beach and ended the night with Happy Hour food and drinks at Kapow Noodle Bar. These mushroom & carrot dumplings were delightful. The wok-charred edamame had been recommended to us, and it was very good, indeed. We love to try brussels sprouts if they are on the menu, and these were yummy. Avocado Crispy Rice - not on the happy hour menu, but it sounded intriguing. It was unique and good, though pricey for what you got. We were very happy with our choice of restaurant, though. Finally, here is the Relive video for our Christmas Day bike ride through Palm Beach:

  • 12/24/2024, Tuesday - Walked Downtown West Palm Beach

    After spending the night in Vero Beach, we headed south to West Palm Beach and walked around the cute downtown area there. The Great Lawn (the park by the waterfront at the end of Clematis Street) featured Sandi, a huge Christmas Tree made of sand. It's 35 feet tall and uses 700 tons of sand! Along the waterfront landing were other sand sculptures. There were plenty of big, beautiful boats to look at, too. We wondered how big a boat needed to be before it required having a full time crew. We also saw a bunch of guys racing down the main drag, popping wheelies on their 4-wheelers. Apparently, the cops don't even try to stop them because they are too fast. At night the sand tree, Ferris wheel, and park lit up. Later there was a light show. The big palm trees by the waterfront had cool lights on them. More llama sand sculptures - apparently, that was a theme this year. The city looked pretty at night. We headed back to the main walking district, where there was plenty of street art. Cara liked this one, in particular. We enjoyed Happy Hour food and drinks at a cool arcade/game bar called Lost Weekend. Clematis Street (the main walking area in West Palm Beach) was beautifully lit. Definitely not the traditional Christmas Eve, but we really enjoyed it.

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