pkondz
Brace yourself for immediate disintegration
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2007
Keys In The Bucket
All good things...
Blah, blah, blah...
You know the rest.
Who wants to go home
after a Disney vacation?
I'll tell you who!
Sour faced old farts
(of which, in fact, I am one),
who don't know how to
enjoy themselves.
(Gladly, I am not one of those.)
There's a special joy that
everyone has when they first
arrive on site and you see
people making the walk of
shame to DUD.
(Disney's Unmagical Depress.)
You have your whole vacation
in front of you! You'll never
have to leave!!!!
Except when you do.
I discovered a secondary
joyful occasion.
When the other person
you happen to be traveling
with (i.e. Elle) has to go home
because she works at four
different jobs so can't take
more than one week off.
I on the other hand, have more
vacation time and no need to
hurry back quite so quickly.
Remember a couple updates back
and the oh-so-fun phone call
to National Car Rental?
I ordered a Lyft which arrived
a few minutes later, and for
around the princely sum of $5,
I was deposited without fanfare
or fervor in front of the rental office.
Moments later, I was pulling out
of the parking lot with a strangely
not quite perfectly clean car.
I found it a bit odd, to be honest.
I mean... I've rented cars plenty of
times, why wouldn't they have
completely cleaned the front grill?
I could see a few dead bugs sticking
stubbornly to the front of the car.
A tad nonplussed, I drove back to
the Royal Pacific where Elle was
waiting with our bags.
I drove her to the airport and...
couldn't find a place to park!
We kept climbing higher and
higher in a vain search for a
vacant parking stall.
"If we can't find a parking spot."
Elle said. "I guess I can't leave!"
Unfortunately for her, I finally found
some free spots on the roof of
the parkade.
I spotted this from on high:
Either the best ride, or the worst,
depending on direction of travel.
I walked Elle through the process
of obtaining her luggage tag
and checking her bag.
And took her as far as I could
to the beginning of security.
I watched her until she disappeared
from view.
I felt... strange.
On the one hand, I was pretty
excited about what was just
ahead of me on the horizon...
But... I already missed my travel buddy.
Elle was a lot of fun to be with
and we never once had any issues
about... anything.
With a little sigh... I turned and
walked away.
As I walked back to my car,
I couldn't help but think back
on all the fun we'd had during
our time together in Florida.
And yet...
My pace quickened.
I was going to do something
that I'd been wanting to do
since I was in my teen years.
I had always wanted to drive
the length of the Florida Keys.
I'm not really sure what started
that obsession. Perhaps it was
tales of deep-sea fishing or
Ernest Hemingway.
It could be any number of things.
I really don't recall.
All I know is the desire to
"drive the Keys" was formed
at an early age... and never really left.
At least this drive should be a little
less terrifying than my last!
I mean... there were no hurricanes
on the horizon, so I should be...
BEE-BOO! BEE-BOO! BEE-BOO!
Are you freaking kidding me???????
Luckily, while I did see some ominous
looking clouds off to the East,
(I think it was East? Pretty sure by
then I was heading South...)
I never did see any tornados.
This is a good thing.
I did however find it
necessary to turn on
the wipers on a regular basis.
Not because of rain...
Because of Love Bugs.
I believe this May was
one of the worst ever
infestations of Love Bugs
in the last decade.
When I'd stop for gas,
I had to clean off the
front of the car.
The car's nose was
plastered with dead bugs.
If you didn't look at the
rest of the car, you'd swear
that the car was black.
Thankfully, once I got
away from the Orlando
area and closer down
towards Miami, the
bugs petered out.
I kept the pedal to the metal
and headed south.
I did make a few stops here
and there at the Harley dealerships
that I passed on my trek.
Eventually, I stopped at a
place I'd found online in
Homestead called:
Chefs On The Run.
It was just a little place with
only a few tables and an
eclectic assortment of
furnishings and décor.
I don't remember exactly what
I ordered, but pretty sure it was
Churrasco Skewers (A la plancha
(what the heck does that mean??)
Angus Churrasco steak, chimi aioli
with a side of Chipotle Mac n cheese.
It may not look like much,
but I can assure you that it
was quite delicious!
I'd happily order this again.
Okay... dessert!
I had also Googled
"Best ice cream Homestead FL"
and kept seeing this place come up:
The neighborhood was a bit
on the poorer side, but I was
willing to give the place a try.
Inside... nothing but ice cream
as far as the eye can see!
I had been advised that
the best bet might be to
get it on a stick, so that's
what I did.
I'm sorry that I don't recall
what flavours I got...
But I do know that it
was very, very good,
with chunks of real
fruit mixed into the ice cream.
I didn't take many photos
on my drive down.
I was taking it all in, instead.
And I enjoyed every second
of the drive!
But... after about six hours
or so, it was time to pull
in for the night and get
some shut-eye.
I stopped at about the
mid-point of the Keys
in Islamorada.
It was getting late and
was already dark when
I arrived (sometime
between 10pm - 11pm.)
I gratefully checked in
and collapsed wearily,
but happily into bed.
I may have slept with
a sense of comfort and
contentment for the
first time in a long while.
The next morning, I woke up
to a blue, cloud dotted sky.
I made my way out of my room
and after a crossing a short pier,
I was greeted with this view:
I noticed the pool (you can
just see it poking out of the
left side of the above photo)
and went over for a closer look.
I didn't dawdle, as my tummy
alerted me that it was time
for breakfast.
The bed and breakfast offered
a very nice selection of
delicacies to break one's fast.
I grabbed a few assorted pastries,
an egg or two and some OJ and
settled in for a nice relaxing meal.
I didn't stay too long, however.
I still had things to do!
Just 10 minutes down the road,
I pulled into Robbie's.
Robbie's is a mish-mash collection
of huts, trailers and cabins that
are described as:
"Waterfront restaurant, Tarpon Feeding,
Partyboat and Charter Fishing,
Snorkeling, Parasailing,
Sunset Cruises, Boat Rentals,
Jet-ski Adventures and Kayak tours."
I walked around for a bit, just taking
it all in and... totally forgot to
take any photos.
I remember thinking I'd take
some of the area before I left...
And then... didn't.
I sashayed over to the kayak
rental office and enquired
about renting for half a day.
I wandered over to the
embarkation point
where I spotted this guy,
probably waiting for some
gull-ible tourist to throw
him a treat.
I got in my kayak and started
paddling away.
It was a really fun way to spend
a couple or three hours.
The mangrove forest on the Key
forms pathways that in some
areas look more like water filled
tunnels.
One of the entrances:
And a view from inside:
It may look a little
like a tight fit, but I
can assure you, I had
no problem navigating
my kayak through the forest.
There wasn't a shortage of
wildlife.
I saw a couple of small sharks,
hundreds of schooling fish,
a few different species of birds,
and the occasional jelly fish
floating placidly by.
It was calming, fascinating,
and well worth the time spent.
All good things...
Blah, blah, blah...
You know the rest.
Who wants to go home
after a Disney vacation?
I'll tell you who!
Sour faced old farts
(of which, in fact, I am one),
who don't know how to
enjoy themselves.
(Gladly, I am not one of those.)
There's a special joy that
everyone has when they first
arrive on site and you see
people making the walk of
shame to DUD.
(Disney's Unmagical Depress.)
You have your whole vacation
in front of you! You'll never
have to leave!!!!
Except when you do.
I discovered a secondary
joyful occasion.
When the other person
you happen to be traveling
with (i.e. Elle) has to go home
because she works at four
different jobs so can't take
more than one week off.
I on the other hand, have more
vacation time and no need to
hurry back quite so quickly.
Remember a couple updates back
and the oh-so-fun phone call
to National Car Rental?
I ordered a Lyft which arrived
a few minutes later, and for
around the princely sum of $5,
I was deposited without fanfare
or fervor in front of the rental office.
Moments later, I was pulling out
of the parking lot with a strangely
not quite perfectly clean car.
I found it a bit odd, to be honest.
I mean... I've rented cars plenty of
times, why wouldn't they have
completely cleaned the front grill?
I could see a few dead bugs sticking
stubbornly to the front of the car.
A tad nonplussed, I drove back to
the Royal Pacific where Elle was
waiting with our bags.
I drove her to the airport and...
couldn't find a place to park!
We kept climbing higher and
higher in a vain search for a
vacant parking stall.
"If we can't find a parking spot."
Elle said. "I guess I can't leave!"
Unfortunately for her, I finally found
some free spots on the roof of
the parkade.
I spotted this from on high:
Either the best ride, or the worst,
depending on direction of travel.
I walked Elle through the process
of obtaining her luggage tag
and checking her bag.
And took her as far as I could
to the beginning of security.
I watched her until she disappeared
from view.
I felt... strange.
On the one hand, I was pretty
excited about what was just
ahead of me on the horizon...
But... I already missed my travel buddy.
Elle was a lot of fun to be with
and we never once had any issues
about... anything.
With a little sigh... I turned and
walked away.
As I walked back to my car,
I couldn't help but think back
on all the fun we'd had during
our time together in Florida.
And yet...
My pace quickened.
I was going to do something
that I'd been wanting to do
since I was in my teen years.
I had always wanted to drive
the length of the Florida Keys.
I'm not really sure what started
that obsession. Perhaps it was
tales of deep-sea fishing or
Ernest Hemingway.
It could be any number of things.
I really don't recall.
All I know is the desire to
"drive the Keys" was formed
at an early age... and never really left.
At least this drive should be a little
less terrifying than my last!
I mean... there were no hurricanes
on the horizon, so I should be...
BEE-BOO! BEE-BOO! BEE-BOO!
Are you freaking kidding me???????
Luckily, while I did see some ominous
looking clouds off to the East,
(I think it was East? Pretty sure by
then I was heading South...)
I never did see any tornados.
This is a good thing.
I did however find it
necessary to turn on
the wipers on a regular basis.
Not because of rain...
Because of Love Bugs.
I believe this May was
one of the worst ever
infestations of Love Bugs
in the last decade.
When I'd stop for gas,
I had to clean off the
front of the car.
The car's nose was
plastered with dead bugs.
If you didn't look at the
rest of the car, you'd swear
that the car was black.
Thankfully, once I got
away from the Orlando
area and closer down
towards Miami, the
bugs petered out.
I kept the pedal to the metal
and headed south.
I did make a few stops here
and there at the Harley dealerships
that I passed on my trek.
Eventually, I stopped at a
place I'd found online in
Homestead called:
Chefs On The Run.
It was just a little place with
only a few tables and an
eclectic assortment of
furnishings and décor.
I don't remember exactly what
I ordered, but pretty sure it was
Churrasco Skewers (A la plancha
(what the heck does that mean??)
Angus Churrasco steak, chimi aioli
with a side of Chipotle Mac n cheese.
It may not look like much,
but I can assure you that it
was quite delicious!
I'd happily order this again.
Okay... dessert!
I had also Googled
"Best ice cream Homestead FL"
and kept seeing this place come up:
The neighborhood was a bit
on the poorer side, but I was
willing to give the place a try.
Inside... nothing but ice cream
as far as the eye can see!
I had been advised that
the best bet might be to
get it on a stick, so that's
what I did.
I'm sorry that I don't recall
what flavours I got...
But I do know that it
was very, very good,
with chunks of real
fruit mixed into the ice cream.
I didn't take many photos
on my drive down.
I was taking it all in, instead.
And I enjoyed every second
of the drive!
But... after about six hours
or so, it was time to pull
in for the night and get
some shut-eye.
I stopped at about the
mid-point of the Keys
in Islamorada.
It was getting late and
was already dark when
I arrived (sometime
between 10pm - 11pm.)
I gratefully checked in
and collapsed wearily,
but happily into bed.
I may have slept with
a sense of comfort and
contentment for the
first time in a long while.
The next morning, I woke up
to a blue, cloud dotted sky.
I made my way out of my room
and after a crossing a short pier,
I was greeted with this view:
I noticed the pool (you can
just see it poking out of the
left side of the above photo)
and went over for a closer look.
I didn't dawdle, as my tummy
alerted me that it was time
for breakfast.
The bed and breakfast offered
a very nice selection of
delicacies to break one's fast.
I grabbed a few assorted pastries,
an egg or two and some OJ and
settled in for a nice relaxing meal.
I didn't stay too long, however.
I still had things to do!
Just 10 minutes down the road,
I pulled into Robbie's.
Robbie's is a mish-mash collection
of huts, trailers and cabins that
are described as:
"Waterfront restaurant, Tarpon Feeding,
Partyboat and Charter Fishing,
Snorkeling, Parasailing,
Sunset Cruises, Boat Rentals,
Jet-ski Adventures and Kayak tours."
I walked around for a bit, just taking
it all in and... totally forgot to
take any photos.
I remember thinking I'd take
some of the area before I left...
And then... didn't.
I sashayed over to the kayak
rental office and enquired
about renting for half a day.
I wandered over to the
embarkation point
where I spotted this guy,
probably waiting for some
gull-ible tourist to throw
him a treat.
I got in my kayak and started
paddling away.
It was a really fun way to spend
a couple or three hours.
The mangrove forest on the Key
forms pathways that in some
areas look more like water filled
tunnels.
One of the entrances:
And a view from inside:
It may look a little
like a tight fit, but I
can assure you, I had
no problem navigating
my kayak through the forest.
There wasn't a shortage of
wildlife.
I saw a couple of small sharks,
hundreds of schooling fish,
a few different species of birds,
and the occasional jelly fish
floating placidly by.
It was calming, fascinating,
and well worth the time spent.
Continued Next Post
or snakes!
