After cruising through three wineries thanks to Harvest Hosts on our way to Florida, we had two more locations lined up as tentative stops through the Sunshine State before reaching the Keys. Central Florida experienced extended rainstorms shortly before we arrived, eliminating one of our potential stops since it was simply too muddy to park an RV in the grass. Our second choice was located back a long country dirt road, and as I wrote in the last post, we were ready to reach the Keys without any additional detours at this point so we decided to skip this stop as well.

Lacking solid Harvest Hosts plans, we chose instead to spend a single night at Lake Louisa State Park and then push through with one long drive all the way to the Keys. We briefly entertained the notion of stopping at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to break up the drive, but one quick phone call revealed the news we already anticipated – the park was booked solid. This is a popular park and typically books wells in advance, especially during the busy tourist season. The person answering the phone, to his credit, dutifully checked the computer for availability (or pretended to do so) despite likely already knowing the result. With our decision made for us, we settled in for the journey south into the Florida Keys.

Having only spent one night at Lake Louisa, we don’t really have much of a review to provide. The park was clean with nicely separated RV sites in camping loops located about three miles from the main park entrance. The RV loops lay beside the smaller Dixie Lake with Lake Louisa, by far the largest in the park (hence the name), another three miles away toward the main entrance before veering off in the opposite direction. With its location along US 27 in central Florida, Lake Louisa is easy to reach and matched nicely with our planned route avoiding the turnpike and other major highways as we headed south to Homestead. Once you’re through Homestead, you’ve only one option to reach the Keys by road – the famed US 1, leading all the way to Mile Marker 0 in Key West, the end of the road.

We rolled into the Geiger Key neighborhood in the mid-afternoon to find Ashley’s father patiently waiting outside with the fence gate thrown wide open. We eased Cecil into his extended winter parking spot before stepping outside for a long overdue stretch. Palm leaves rustled gently overhead in the tropical breeze, treetops swaying languidly as though in greeting. The salty air hung heavy with familiar south Florida humidity causing us to slow down just a bit, as though the environment itself encouraged deliberate relaxation. A faint, pungent aroma of decaying vegetation wafted over the saltwater mangrove swamps around the neighborhood while the ocean slapped rhythmically against the cement blocks lining the canal walls. This would all soon become commonplace in a few weeks, just like during our first island winter, but in the early moments of our arrival the Florida Keys boldly displayed the vivid aspects that define daily life while floating on an island in the sea.

Our arrival coincided with the 38th Annual Key West World Championship Super Boat Races, an event which attracts thousands of visitors to the island every year. We ventured downtown to observe the spectacle on a practice day as boats completed trial laps to fine-tune any last-minute adjustments prior to the big competition. Super boat races are held all across the country, with each rectangular racecourse roughly five miles in length. The boats can reach speeds of 180 miles an hour as they rocket over the water crewed by two people – someone who steers, and someone who controls the speed and trim. These racing pairs must work in very close contact and have their reaction times precisely tuned if they hope to achieve first place on race days.

The boat launch at the Truman Waterfront was constantly in use on the practice day as boats were offloaded from trailers while others were hauled from the water, sometimes three abreast in the launch ramp. Competitors traveled from all over the world, with teams from Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, and Trinidad (to name a few) in attendance. Just seeing these boats and support crews all crammed into the Truman Waterfront park was overwhelming; considering that every single piece of equipment had to reach the Keys by land, sea, or air is mind-boggling. The Florida Powerboat Club also organizes a poker run on the weekend of the race every year, and boats arrived (by sea, this time) from Miami and other locations throughout the weekend finding assigned slips in the crowded harbors. Lively parties erupted on the decks of boats each evening with crews wearing matching gear (or very little, depending on which crew member you happened to see) filtering in and out of the waterfront bars. We were already far from the deliberate, purpose-driven days and quiet, contemplative nights spent in the mountains of New Mexico this past summer.

The championship course features a turn by Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, which makes the park a popular place to view the race day activities. During our practice day visit, we walked through the park and overheard one of the racing crew members discussing boat performance with the driving team over a radio headset. He was seated under the trees with an excellent vantage point of the course, relaying whatever he observed from shore back to the crew on the water. Had we found him on race day, he likely wouldn’t have been as friendly but since this was only practice, he freely shared stories and answered whatever questions observers may have had.

The trip to Fort Zach would have been interesting enough without the race activities, and we’d like to return sometime this winter for a more thorough exploration; the fort is something we missed last year. Lying on the southern edge of Key West, Fort Zach is the southernmost state park in the continental United States (since technically the Keys are connected to the mainland by US 1). The park also houses the largest cache of Civil War armament in the world, not to mention being surrounded by pristine beaches perfect for picnics, outdoor games, and relaxing afternoons by the water. If you enjoy historical parks in beautiful locations, you shouldn’t miss Fort Zachary Taylor on your next trip to the Keys.

Since Ashley’s dad was in town when we arrived, along with his good friend the legendary Mr. Raystown himself, we enjoyed a few fishing outings when the weather cooperated as well as trips on a small sailing catamaran. In addition to classes and youth programs, the Key West Community Sailing Center offers annual memberships that grant members access to a fleet of small two-crew catamarans ready to launch from Garrison Bight when the weather suits. Mr. Raystown wanted to learn to sail and he managed to convince not only Ashley’s dad, but also Ashley and me to accompany him on three different outings. Ashley and I sailed one of these boats during our honeymoon in Jamaica ten years ago, and while nothing life-threatening occurred, it was a mildly harrowing experience (mostly for me). With only a bit of instruction, we were launched into the Caribbean Sea all those years ago with the intent of not getting blown too far from shore. While I still felt apprehensive about embarking on another catamaran sailing adventure, I felt more comfortable being on board a tiny sailboat with someone at least somewhat more experienced than either me or Ashley. On the day I accompanied Mr. Raystown, the wind blew moderately steady and we were able to navigate out of Garrison Bight and into the sheltered harbor between Fleming and Dredgers Keys. While I won’t be captaining a catamaran by myself anytime soon, I had a great afternoon learning the basics of sailing and look forward to heading out again should Mr. Raystown return to the Keys before we depart next spring.

The weather continued to cooperate well enough for more fishing trips, and Ashley’s dad welcomed another couple of visitors for the weekend to engage in angling pursuits. Simply having immediate access to the water is perhaps the most appealing aspect of island life, which is something both Ashley and I value during our time in Florida. Whether it’s a day spent at sea on a fishing boat, an afternoon paddling through the mangroves on kayaks, or just a couple of hours fishing from the sea wall behind our parking space, the water is an ever-present companion in the Keys. The emphasis is perhaps more pronounced when other people are visiting, as daily activities tend to revolve around the water in an effort not to waste perfectly good sea-going opportunities.

After our first whirlwind week, things slowed down a bit as we settled into our individual routines and jumped on all of the tasks we couldn’t accomplish while actively traveling. Ashley began to enhance the focus on her Meandering Stitcher business, while I increased the discipline of my practice schedule by adding my sax back into the mix alongside the mandolin. We knocked out To Do lists that seemed to only grow as we traveled, finally giving Cecil a fresh oil change, top to bottom cleaning, and a protective coat of wax. I started performing in public more regularly, with a solo Sunday morning show at the Geiger Key Marina playing jazz standards for the brunch crowd, and hopping up on stage Wednesday nights for the return of Open Mic. Before we knew it, Thanksgiving loomed on the horizon and the end of our first month back in the Keys rapidly approached.

We spent the holiday together, enjoying a fancy home-cooked brunch with spiny lobster as the centerpiece thanks to the hard diving work of Ashley’s dad and his fiancee. The day was perfect for kayaking, so we shoved off in the afternoon for a paddle around the mangroves and a pit stop by the marina to say hello to everyone working and the patrons enjoying Thanksgiving dinner. We returned home as the sun set for a slightly more traditional dinner of our own, and gave thanks for our past year of travel and the unique blessings we experience as part of life in the Keys. Now that Christmas has come and gone, time seems to fly by even faster. The weeks in between were filled with activities, and we’re always mindful to not overload our schedules. But I’m getting ahead of myself – we’ll get to that in the next post. Until then, enjoy the holidays and look for opportunities to slow down whenever possible!