Swamp Ape, Airboats and Frank Lloyd Wright!!!

   Yes, Key West was wonderful, colorful, loud, delicious and lots of fun.  That would have been enough to make it a great trip - but - we had more fun!  Stayed in Big Cypress Trail Campground - not realizing that it is World Headquarters of the Swamp Ape Research Center!!!  Not real sure about that swamp ape but they did have the largest snakes we've ever seen and beautiful birds and alligators.  They let Bro hold an alligator - just a baby one. Very interesting place - stop by if you're ever in that area.
   
Just happened to see a nursery with huge greenhouses full of the most beautiful orchids.  Spent some time taking pictures - wanted to bring some home but the shower in the motor home was already looking like a mini greenhouse! 
   One of our favorites was the airboat ride in the Everglades.  Yea, that's Ken in the driver's seat but they wouldn't let drive it - or is that skim it or hover it or whatever it's called.  Extreme fun - took us to a "hammock" where some Miccosukee Indians lived until 1987.  Didn't much like the water moccasins and alligators!


   Bro's iPad with 3G was great - we googled anything we saw along the highway - when we realized we were only a few miles from Florida Southern College - of course we had to stop!  Frank Lloyd Wright designed all the campus buildings - and several miles of his famous low covered walkways.  It is the largest concentration of Wright building in the world - loved it.  FSC has been named the most beautiful college campus in the country - and it really is!  What a nice surprise - and all 
because of Google and road signs!


   Just couldn't get that close to Disney World and not stop.  We only went to Downtown Disney - crowded and hot, but we managed to do a little shopping.  
We spent our last night somewhere in Georgia - really nice campground.
   Great trip - I love going and I love coming home!  
Where might I be thinking about for the next trip?  There are four states that I have not visited - I really need to take care of that.

On to Key West

Miami is a big city with some beautiful art deco buildings.  We have been to Miami so we didn't spend much time there - headed on to the 127.5-mile  highway through the Florida Keys ending in Key West.  It's pretty amazing to drive that highway - to see the old railroad bridge and to realize how isolated Key West used to be.   The water is so beautiful - the colors are impossible to describe.  Key West is just as I imagined it to be - very laid back - loud - crowded - old rundown houses along with the new.   We camped close to Key West - rode the Trolley so we could get on and off wherever we wanted. Lots of bars - I didn't 

have a Margarita - had key lime pie instead!  I tried the key lime pie covered in chocolate on a stick but I liked the original pie best.  Also tried conch fritters - didn't really like them - not nearly as good as hush puppies.  Lunch in an outdoor restaurant - close to the street - with all the mopeds, bicycles, cars and buses.   Didn't see Jimmy Buffet - we were told that he sometimes drops in unexpectedly and sings a few songs.  Did buy a Margaritaville shirt and drive by his recording studio.  If you haven't been to a Jimmy Buffet concert - you should put it on your bucket list - quite an experience.  Mallory Square - entertainers of all kinds - crowds of people waiting on the sunset.  The place to be when the sun goes down - it was worth waiting on.   We enjoyed the unicycle juggler and browsing the booths selling all kinds of arts and crafts.  There are chickens and roosters everywhere - and they always have the right of way.  I didn't see the six toed cats - maybe next time.

Day 3 - April 15 - Boondocking

We left Seestah's house about 1:00 - headed south.  Beautiful day to be on the road.  We ended up looking for a campground and not finding anything so for the first time ever - we "boon docked" at Walmart in Fort Pierce, Florida.  I called and talked to the manager and he sounded like he was more than happy to have us.  We even had a security guard cruising by so we felt very safe! 
After breakfast we hit the road for Miami - looking for the new Marlins stadium.  Well of course our GPS sent us to the old stadium so we got a look at that one before finding the new one.  It's a beautiful building but it just didn't seem right to see an indoor baseball game.  I like the Atlanta Braves games much more.  Sure was nice to go to the camper when I got bored with the game. We enjoyedBro's IPAD - he has Verizon on it so we could look up all kinds of taas we drove.  Any discussion led to one of us saying "Google it".

Our next stop was "Coral Castle" - you have to see it to believe it.  It is built from Coral - built by one small man with no big tools and no help.  He must have been a genius to figure out how to build it - and it seems impossible that he could build the huge things with no help.  He even build a bathtub made of coral.    We stayed at Miami Everglades Campground - nice place.  

On the Way...Sapelo Island, Brunswick, St. Simons

Friday, April 13, 2012 - Road Trip Begins!  I love the sound of that.  Husband, Brother and I hit the road in "Freedom", our motor home.  Headed south...a beautiful day.

First stop:  Sapelo Island, Georgia.  We had hoped to go over to the island but had to settle for the visitor's center.  Reservations are necessary to ride the small ferry to the island.  Sapelo is so very interesting - read about Hog Hammock and the people there who speak Gullah. Living life their way.

Stopped for a visit with my "Seestah" and her family.  Seestah is more than a sister, more than a friend.  So good to see them.  We went to Indigo Kitchen for dinner - great food and friendly people.  We spent the night with them - Bro got special treatment - spent the night in their beautiful Carriage House.  I think he wanted to stay!  They have a beautiful craftsman house - and a beautifully landscaped yard - so relaxing.

Saturday - breakfast with Seestah and family.  Rode around St. Simon's and over to Jekyll - really a beautiful place.