aaaaaaaahhhhhhh

So yesterday we left La Belle and traveled 148 miles to Taverneir, FL (aka the Keys).  About 75 miles of our travel was through very very flat farm land - (photos above and below).  I had wanted to go into Fort Meyers to see the Red Sox spring training camp but we got caught up in cleaning and maintenance tasks with the coach and we definitely didn't want to stay long at the "rv resort" we were at in La Belle.  I'm always so curious how an rv park (or the likes of) determine they should be referred to as a "resort" but I guess that's a subject for a different post (read rant), but suffice it to say that often times beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder.

After the 75 miles or so of farm land we traveled through the Everglades for 50 or so miles (I think).  That's what the next six photos are.  I know there is a way to post photos side by side but it requires editing the HTML which really scares me ~ there is a very "simple" program to do it but it isn't Mac compatible ... maybe a goal for our time here should be for me to understand HTML and overcome my fear of editing!  yeah maybe..... 

So, back to the Everglades ... when we left here in January we went on part of the same way we came down yesterday which brought us through about ten miles of produce stands and palm tree farms/stores.  Not to mention about half a dozen gas stations selling diesel fuel for $2.19 a gallon!  Seriously, $2.19.  When we left MA 14 months ago we paid $2.89 and Rick was thoroughly incensed at that ... little did he know (or anyone else of course) that at some point we'd pay as much as $4.89/gallon.  It was delightful to get such a "deal" yesterday ~ whether we needed fuel or not (and we didn't but we did anyway!!).  Oh dear I think I digressed .... when we left last January after we got back to the "mainland" we headed west on the Tamiami Trail which is south of "alligator alley" but we saw hundreds and hundreds of alligators (well I did, Rick was driving and noticed very few of them!).  Coming through the Everglades we saw none but it was very interesting travel.  I think it would be fun to take an Everglades airboat tour ~ a few years ago Rick, Chester and I did an airboat tour in Georgia somewhere - didn't see any gators then but years later we sure are still talking about it!  Gosh that was a fun one huh Chester!!

Okay Candy, is this an owl (who who) or a hawk?  I know for sure it isn't a bluebird!  This guy was in the Everglades (on the lookout for gators?  I doubt it!)


Finally we got south of Homestead, FL onto the "Overseas Highway".  Below is a photo looking east to the ocean side ... at the very northern end of the Keys.

and below is a shot (hopefully it can be "blown up") of the bridge "onto" the Keys.  When we were here last December/January this bridge was still under construction.  Jonathan you would have been very proud of Rick - he did drive over this bridge (there was no one there to do it for us!!).  Rick and I both are not big fans of heights, Rick has made great strides at overcoming that fear since we've been on the road. 

Three and a half hours after we left La Belle we arrived in Taverneir.  Below is the view from our coach.
Sir is so glad to be able to play with Wilson in the Gulf of Mexico (Straits of Florida?) many times a day.  Hopefully he will lose some of that sausage profile Chester referred to when he saw Arlo after nine months! (Chester is so tactful that he didn't acknowledge Tracey's sausage profile these days!!)

And finally below .... a shot from the water front here at the Lodge looking north - see how "colorful" the Keys are and this is quite north in the Keys ... Key West is even more "colorful" ... we just love the laid back 'tude here.......

Last night was the Christmas party here the Lodge - Rick took a couple photos with his phone that I might post in the future .... a fun time was had by all (even with no alcohol for yours truly) ... yup it's good to be back here.