Click on a photo to enlarge it.
After the action packed two days at KSC, we slowed down to take a look at Merritt Island NWR. We watched a 20 minute
video at the visitor centre and did a small boardwalk. Then we drove to the Manatee viewing area and watched them
coming up for air for nearly an hour.
Manatees are very shy and elusive – early explorers who glimpsed them thought they
were mermaids. From the description you can see why. Manatees have large bodies like a walrus that taper to a beaver like
tail. They can be as long as 15 foot long and can weigh up to 250 stones. Their mouths are large and seem to be all wobbly
skin and normally, the only part of them you get to see is their cute little nose when they come up for air about every 4 minutes.
They are slow, nearly blind, are related to the elephant and are an endangered species. They have no natural enemies but are
threatened by loss of habitat, careless anglers and increasing boat traffic. In fact, most manatees have propeller scars on
their backs. They come to Florida for the warm water and cannot survive in cold water.
We did a short 1.5 mile walk where there was quite a bit of hurricane damage and
then did a 7 mile drive to see lots of birds. We parked up just outside the refuge for the night, but traffic and a
plague of no-see-ums meant we didn´t get much sleep.
On Tuesday, we checked the internet and then drove south to Fort Pierce to go to the Manatee observation centre. But
it was closed due to hurricane damage. So we drove inland to Florida's largest lake - Lake Okeechobee and walked
along the dyke that surrounds it for an hour. Then we drove to a nearby campsite but it was overcrowded as they were
using the campground for emergency housing due to the hurricane. We had seen a lot of hurricane damage on the way -
a large Pizza Hut sign that had collapsed, petrol stations destroyed, boarded up windows and roof damage. It must
have been really bad. So we found a little spot for the night and got out our solar shower at the back of Winnie.
Unfortunately, we realised we were parked right next to the train line!
On Wednesday, we drove over to Palm Beach on the east coast to have a look at some of the rich peoples houses - not
much hurricane damage here, or maybe they´d already got everything repaired! It started to rain as we turned onto
Ocean Boulevard where the other half live and there wasn´t that much to see after all. Then we battled with traffic
on the maze of interstate highways heading south past Miami and wished we hadn´t bothered.
It was dark by the time we
got down to Homestead and Florida City, the gateway to the Florida Keys and we managed to find a campground with
space for the night. The office was already closed so a neighbour told us where to park and how to pay etc. Kirsten
and Andrea went off for a shower whilst Helen did the hoovering and wrote on the computer. When it was Helens turn
to go for a shower, the toilet/shower door was locked. She managed to get a key from the neighbour but it didn´t fit.
So she had to use the mens shower! Whilst she was in there, someone opened the womens showers and Helen was finding
it difficult to explain the situation to a man who caught her in the gents!!
When she went to give back the key, the neighbour suddenly realised he´d given her his house keys from Montreal!!
Honestly, the French! But at least he gave us a proper key for the ladies so that we could leave for the Florida Keys
early the next morning.
On Thursday, Thanksgiving in the US, we set off at 7-30am and drove out to the Keys. It was cloudy with showers, not
the best weather for such a beautiful area! Our first stop was John Pennecamp State Park, where we looked at the
impressive aquarium and watched a 30 minute video about Manatees. We did two small trails but got plagued by
mosquitoes and Andrea raced off ahead. She was already covered in large red blotches from mosquito and no-see-um
bites and was constantly scratching. The Keys and the everglades have their drawbacks!
Kirsten and Andrea went swimming just as it started to rain! In the afternoon we drove further along the island chain
which has 42 bridges, and the remnants of an old railway line finished in 1912 after 7 years of construction along
the Keys only to get destroyed by a hurricane in 1935!! It was later used as the old highway 1 and the remnants were
used in the film "True Lies" with Arnie Schwarzenegger, now Governor of California.
We stopped off to see the "African Queen" the original boat from the Humphrey Bogart/Katherine Hepburn film of the
same name. The boat has been around the world twice since then. Our next stop was the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
- a must see. We spent nearly two hours watching all the wildlife, pelicans and various birds. We stayed to see the
pelicans being fed and Andrea even helped throw a few fish. One pelican even allowed Kirsten to stroke him. Super,
free entertainment.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
As we continued further along the Keys we found a cinema, where we went to watch and laugh a lot at Bridget Jones 2.
All in all, it was a perfect day! Happy Thanksgiving!
On Friday, we were too early to get famous Key Lime Pie from Manny and Isa's so we drove to the old bridge where
Arnie battled with ruthless gun runners hell bent on destroying the world. It was extremely windy though so we didn´t
stay long. We drove to Bahia Honda State Park where the best beach in Florida is and, surprisingly, managed to get a
campsite for the night. But only because a few minutes before we arrived, someone checked out a week early! They´d
obviously had an argument, because when we got to our site, it was full of rubbish, left over food, empty gallon
water bottles, a tent, a cool box and a bucket!!! We had to move it all before we could drive onto our spot!
Whilst Kirsten and Andrea started to get the bikes down to go off snorkelling, Helen went to watch a very good talk
on Hawks by one of the rangers. She found out that the Bald Eagle gets its name, not because it is bald (which it
isn´t) but because the name comes from Bi-palled meaning dual colours. The Harrier can see with infra red, meaning
it can dive through over 2 feet of snow and grab itself a mouse from underneath without any problem! Also the Turkey
vultures are real bad boys - they defecate on their own legs to kill parasites and cool themselves down. And if you
see one that's just moulted (which all birds do every year) then watch out. They can project vomit up to 14 feet in
their defence!! Yuk!!
Then Helen went to explore the state park and afterwards, returned to Winnie to prepare the
evening meal. When the girls came back, they told of their problems trying to get the tyres on the bikes pumped up.
Kirsten got so frustrated that she threw the air pump on the floor in a temper!! After they finally got help from a
bike rental place in the park, they got to the water for only 15 minutes and didn´t see anything! They were Pee´d
off to say the least!
On Saturday, Kirsten and Andrea went on a super snorkelling tour for $24 each (including $5 off as we were camping
there) and saw loads of sharks, puffer fish, barracudas, and parrot fish. They had clear water and were able to see
the colourful underwater world along with the coral reef. At least it was a lot better than the day before!
Snorkelling Looe Key Riff.
Helen stayed in Winnie and cleaned everything, did the washing up and wrote on the computer to make use of the electric
until 1pm when we have to check out.
We moved Winnie onto the car park and then went to watch a video about the 1935 hurricane that destroyed the railway
line and killed 700 people. Then we walked along part of the old bridge that is in the State Park. Afterwards we got
massive ice creams! After taking a shower we left the park and drove to Big Pine Key, where we went to the library.
The internet was down and when we asked whether we could stay on the car park overnight and got a definite "No", a
woman who was looking at books on the shelves behind us, said we could stay on her property for the night!! Wow, what
an offer! We certainly couldn´t refuse! So we got a map from the library and our new host Carolyn, showed us how to
get to her house. We picked up some supplies and then drove there.
We spent two nights parked up on a space of land just outside Carolyn's house and spent hours chatting to her and
getting to know her two dogs. She is originally from Oregon and is just a few months younger than Kirsten. She moved
to the Keys 4 months ago and will probably only stay for another 2 months. We certainly learned a lot about the way
Bush rigged the election so that he won, whereas all the signs on the day of the vote, showed a landslide victory for
Kerry!! It´s certainly odd that, out of all the people we have talked to in America, we have never come across a Bush
supporter!
On Sunday, we drove to Key West (only 30 miles away) and hired a third bike so that we could all spend the day there.
We had been told that the streets were too narrow for Winnie and that parking was a nightmare. On our bikes, we found
quite a few places where we could have parked and the streets were not narrow enough to cause Winnie a problem! But
it didn´t matter because we all enjoyed pedalling around, going to the southern most point in America, taking a look
at Ernest Hemmingway's house (from the outside, of course, as they wanted $10 each to get in!) and we shared a piece
of Key Lime pie between the three of us as it cost $5 for a small wedge!!
We walked along the boardwalk along the marina and saw a huge barracuda - at least 5 foot long! Who needs to go
snorkelling?? Then we went to Mallory square which is famous for its street artists and watched an escapologist get
out of padlocked shackles and a straight jacket upside down and various other things going on.
Afterwards Helen had to meet the Queen and then we went to Hard
Rock café as Andrea is a big fan and had to buy a T shirt. Then we rode back in the dark, via the cemetery, where
people cannot be buried underground as you hit water as soon as you start digging. All the graves are above ground,
stacked on top of each other! One woman wanted to be buried on stilts as she was afraid of the storm surges that
follow hurricanes and frequently hit the Keys!!
We got the bikes back onto Winnie and then went to Taco Bell - Andrea´s favourite! Then we drove back to Carolyn's
and she let us use her shower!! What a superb host. We bought her a bottle of wine as a thank you.
