Author: Easin' Along

The one aspect of the RV lifestyle that I love the most is the ability to move to a new destination—a city, a national or state park, a beach or a stream—and take our home with us. Depending on our schedule and campground availability, we may only be able to enjoy our new homeplace for a few days, but we have the opportunity to get a feel for the location and store it in our memory bank. Such was the case during our short stay near West Palm Beach, Florida.

Helen and I departed Key West after a delightful eight days filled with fun and discovery and began the return trip home. As is my usual practice, I try to keep the towing distance from one stop to another under five hours and West Palm Beach fell within that radius. I’ve noted many times that campsites in Florida are hard to come by in the winter, and I had to search long and hard to locate one on the dates we needed. Persistence led me to Palm Beach Traveler Park in Lantana, Florida, just south of West Palm and about four and a half hours north of Key West. Unfortunately, we could only reserve two nights in the campground as the snowbirds had taken over the place with the intent to remain. That left us with one full day to explore and we wanted to make the most of it.

A campground host met us when we arrived late in the afternoon. The campsites in Palm Beach Traveler Park sit close together and parking a 32-foot fifth-wheel is a huge challenge in situations like this, but the camp host was the best at assisting with back-up directions of anyone I’ve ever met while RVing.  With his help, we had Lucy centered on our camping pad in a matter of minutes. Our new homeplace was now Lantana, Florida. Our neighbor to the left was a single fellow from Michigan, and to the right was a truck camper from Quebec. A trip to a local tavern for seafood and local brews helped to get us settled in for the night.

The next morning Helen wanted to get her “beach fix” in early so we drove north a few miles and parked in a public park close to the beach. The parking lot was full so I resorted to pulling out the handicap tag issued to me after my knee replacement and hung it on my rear-view mirror.  The only time I used it on this entire trip. I pulled into a parking place near the sidewalk and limped up the ramp to the beach for effect.

At the top of the ramp, a fairly stiff wind greeted us.  Although the parking lot was full, the beach was sparsely populated. I suppose the windy conditions held the crowd down, but the sun was bright and the tide was out–a perfect day for beach-walking. We lingered on the beach for almost two hours, it felt good to stretch the legs. We returned to the truck then drove for several miles along the beach to look at the enormous estates and ornate homes built by some very wealthy people. I concluded that I’m just as happy with Lucy.  At least, I can move her around.

Helen asked the campground host for dinner recommendations and he immediately responded that we should visit the Old Key Lime House restaurant nearby. Trip Advisor confirmed his suggestion and off we went for an early dinner.  The next day’s drive to Savannah, GA was a long one and we planned to stop for brunch with some old friends on the way.

It was not hard to spot the restaurant with its coat of brilliant lime green paint. Inside, locals filled the eclectically-decorated pub–always a good sign.  We ordered drinks at the bar and chatted while an elderly waitress stood in front of us behind the bar.  She did not want to talk back. At the far end of this sizable tavern, a large group of cyclers gathered after a day-long pub crawl, raising money for an organization created to help wounded soldiers. We chatted with one of the participants who told us the day had been very successful. I gave them a big salute and some spare cash.

Port St. Lucie, Florida was the next stop for a brunch visit with one of my dearest friends from college. Cary and I met during my last couple of years at the University of Tennessee and hit it off immediately.  I was not applying myself very well at the time, but Cary was a good student and competitive as hell.  He wanted to do well in college and attacked every project with great gusto.  His enthusiasm for learning soon rubbed off on me, and I credit our friendship and friendly competition as exactly what I needed to obtain a degree, which I did. Our brunch time with him and his wife, Susie, was all too short.

While saying our goodbyes in the parking lot after brunch, Helen noticed that one of the tires on Lucy was flat. Compounding our new dilemma was the fact that this day was a Sunday and the next day was a national holiday. We purchased a Roadside Assistance package when we bought Lucy, but discovered on this day, it was practically worthless and no help at all.  We also had RV roadside assistance from AAA and they came to our rescue by sending a tire service truck to jack up the trailer and mount our spare–a two-hour delay.

An hour and a half later and approaching Titusville, Florida on I-95, I heard (and felt) a loud boom to our rear. My instincts took over and I guided Lucy slowly to the side of the highway and turned on the safety flasher. On the same side as the earlier flat, a shredded and smoking tire sat on the gravel beneath Lucy.

We again called AAA and spoke to the same lady that took our earlier call. I told her we had to stop meeting like this. After another two-hour wait, she sent a technician from the same tire service to mount a new tire on Lucy. By now, we knew we could not make Savannah within a reasonable time and canceled our reservation.  A Titusville Ramada Inn became our home for this night. Lucy spent the night in the parking lot. Although, we were tired, frustrated, and delayed, Helen and I cannot say enough good things about AAA and the tire service that helped us by coming out on a Sunday night after locating a trailer tire in the shop, then driving another 60 miles to help us. You gotta love people like this.

The next morning, we changed our route home and decided to make the Marine Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia our next homeplace. Breakfast and some good coffee provided a fresh start and erased all of the frustration of the previous day.

Once again, we realize that we’re very blessed and still…Easin’ Along.  Thanks for stopping by. We’ll talk next week from Albany.

Helen and I visited Key West for one day about four years ago when the weather in Marathon Key was too cold and windy for beach activities. The weather in Key West on that same day was only slightly better, but we were able to get enough of a feel for the city to know that a return visit was warranted. We made it back this year with an RV in tow and the intent to explore.

In last week’s post we gave you a taste of the town as well as the Conch Train Tour which helped us identify the spots we wanted to explore in-depth later. This week, we’ll take readers through a few of those spots. Ease Along with us as we determine whether Key West has more to offer than nightlife and rum bars.

One of the first things you notice in Key West is the architecture.  As a former home builder, I found the homes fascinating and very appealing.  Moreover, in a city with a history of serious hurricanes, I found it interesting that so many of the old homes had survived. I learned later that Key West has over 3,000 homes built from 1886 to 1912 and they are considered a national treasure. Distinct characteristics of the old homes are deep, covered porches, louvered window shutters, and pastel colors reflecting a Caribbean influence. In later years, ship captains and cigar makers built some of the large mansions and included unique details such as gingerbread accents. I wanted to go inside all of them.

We did tour one home on the island, the home of Ernest Hemingway, the famous author and sportsman, who lived on Key West from 1931 to 1939. “Papa” Hemingway completed seventy percent of his works while living in Key West including Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The huge home is open every day for tours.  Our tour guide did an excellent job of sharing Hemingway’s life and lifestyle during his years in Key West including stories about his wives, lady friends, and drinking buddies. We visited his writing studio where the author wrote every morning from 6 am until noon, producing 500 to 700 words a day.  He would then walk to one of the nearby bars like Sloppy Joes, and carry on with some of his pals until late in the evening.

Of particular interest in the home was the fifty-three cats, most with six toes and descendants of Hemingway’s first cat, Snowball.  The cats had free reign over the house and property and are federally protected. Most of the cats seemed completely unafraid of people and loved the attention.  My favorite was the cat I found sleeping above the gutter on Hemingway’s studio. I once had a six-toed cat, Wilbur, who lived with us for seventeen years and was as laid-back as any of these.  I’m certain he has a spot on the family tree.

Helen and I also visited the Butterfly and Nature Conservancy near the southernmost point of the island. We obtained our discounted tickets from the Recreation office on the Key West NAS (Military Living.com readers take note). The exhibit consists of a large greenhouse filled with tropical plants, birds, and hundreds of colorful butterflies. Once inside, a patron became surrounded by butterflies as they flew from plant to plant and even from person to person. One large butterfly landed on Helen’s face and seemed quite content to remain.

The birds attracted a lot of attention due to their bright colors.  I got very close to a Yellow-Legged Honey Creeper and captured the image shown here as well as a plumed fellow that I cannot identify. Readers, please help me with this one. Two Flamingos named Scarlet and Rhett patrolled the small flowing stream inside the exhibit. Note: A reader identified the bird as an African Turaco. Thanks!

In addition to sight-seeing, Helen and our friend Sally, rented three-wheel bicycles for some exercise and a few errands. She loved the trike and we may have to invest in one for future RV trips. We also located a nice beach near the Key West Naval Station and Fort Zachary Taylor State Park. After our first trip to the area, we were a bit dismayed that there seemed to be no real beaches for sun or swim.  We learned differently on this trip and will include more beach time when we return.

By the time we packed up to leave Key West, I was not ready to go. We had enjoyed perfect weather and had discovered so many sites and attractions that appeal to Helen and me and can honestly say that, without question, Key West is more than nightlife and rum bars. I am eagerly looking forward to Easin’ Along back here at the first opportunity.

Thanks for stopping by.

Author’s note: Easin’ Along took a break last week to move my mother into a Senior Living Center. Moving her in was a breeze but, moving her stuff and cleaning out the house was a long, laborious process. So, a word to my friends who have put off downsizing…get it done. Now, let’s enjoy Key West, Florida.

The drive from West Palm Beach, Florida to Key West is a four hour trip under normal driving conditions, but towing a fifth-wheel trailer adds an hour and heavy traffic on a two-lane road can increase the travel time even more. Nevertheless, the scenery along the Overseas Highway (U. S. 1) is stunning and passing through each of the Keys increased the anticipation and excitement for our visit in the days ahead.

Helen and I visited the island about three years ago when we spent a week on Marathon Key.  I remember that we drove down for a one-day visit, but the weather did not cooperate fully.  The wind howled and the temperatures hovered in the low 50’s dropping the “feels-like” temperature into the 40’s. We began this trip with sunny skies and a forecast for temperatures above 70 degrees during our entire stay.

Our destination was the Naval Air Station on Trumbo Point. The original plan was to camp at the military campground at Sigsbee Navy Base, but that proved to be impossible. Reservations for winter camping in Florida can be a very tough ticket to come by and any accommodation in Key West during January is difficult to find and expensive as well. Fortunately, we secured a reservation for one of the townhomes on Trumbo when a cancellation made it available. We would be there for eight days. Military Living readers should note that the reservation policy for the campground has changed recently and campers should have a better opportunity for securing a campsite.

The townhome, while old, was very nice and, since we had an extra room, we invited Sally and Rod, our old Army friends from Kansas, to join us.  They have been coming to Key West every year for many years and keep a sailboat in a marina there. They usually reserve a condo in February, but accepted our invitation and came early to join us and hopefully take us sailing around the Keys.

During the day, Sally and Rod would go to the marina to work on the sailboat leaving Helen and me to explore the city. We decided to take a city tour and obtained discount tickets for the Conch Tour Train through the recreation office on the Navy Base. The tour was a great start to our visit.  Key West is approximately two miles wide by four miles long and filled with beautiful old homes and shops dating back to the earlier periods when merchant ships wrecked on the coral reefs off the island and pirates robbed ships of its treasure.

Duval Street runs through the heart of the city and it is where the fun takes place. Helen and I spent a lot of time walking the street and poking our heads into the shops and the galleries. We ate lunch at the famous Sloppy Joe’s, where Ernest Hemingway came to relax and drink after a long day of writing. A crowd filled the tavern to listen to the piano player belt out a few tunes while we ate a Sloppy Joe sandwich.   We learned on the Conch Tour that the original Sloppy Joe’s was a couple of blocks away and renamed Captain Tony’s.  On another day, we walked to Garbo’s Grill, a food truck we learned about while watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember what we ate at the diner, but I do remember that we had fun feeding several of the chickens and roosters that are everywhere in the city.  We also had the birds living around our townhome that started crowing every morning around 5:30 to make sure we knew they were hungry. One huge rooster came to visit us every day, so I bought some scratch feed to throw out for his meals.  The other roosters would come over for food, but this bully would chase them away, and only let his girlfriends, the Rhode Island Reds, join him at the table.

Some friends told us before we left, to be sure and visit Alonzo’s, a bar and restaurant at one of the marinas for Happy Hour…good suggestion.  Appetizers are half-price and beverages discounted substantially. The four of us took advantage and made a big meal out of appetizers.  That might have been the night I got my tattoo, I really can’t remember.

 

I do remember that we visited Mallory Square that night to take in the sunset. The crowd arrived before we did, and forced us to muscle our way in to take pictures. The sunset was worth the effort. I enjoyed seeing the kayaks and water bikes in front of us as well as the beautiful boats in full sail. Stunning is the best way I know how to describe the scene.

We did discover that there is more in this place than nightlife, T-shirts, and rum bars, and certainly more than I can put into one blog post.  We also discovered a love for this place and are certain to return next year. Please come back next week and I’ll take you to the Hemingway Home, the Butterfly Conservatory, and some fun recreational opportunities.

Until then, we’ll leave you Easin’ Along, somewhere along Duval Street in Key West, where (paraphrasing Papa) the sun also sets…I just might buy a T-shirt.