The Florida Keys !!

Florida Keys (Ohio Key) 

   Really, a place like this exists in the Continental U.S? Outstanding!!!   The Florida Keys have a heavy Caribbean vibe as well a high Cuban influence. It felt like we where flying over the ocean as we drove our RV across the 42 bridges of the keys. ( I drove the 7 mile bridge at night in the car and I felt my heart palpitating  , freaked me out !

Wes "flying" the RV through the Keys

Duval St

We drove from Fort Lauderdale  all the way to the last key (key West) on Saturday to pick up my Half marathon registration packet. It was getting late so we got the low down from the "locals" as to where to  grab some dinner and everyone told us to make a b-line for Duval Street. On Duval Street there are an abundance of shops and restaurants. Wes is always up for a hamburger and I love salads so Caroline's is where we landed.  We walked the warm humid night streets to Kermit's Key Lime Shoppe,there we grabbed some key lime pie dipped in chocolate on a stick... ( the desert Key West is known for).

We stayed on the middle keys so the next morning we had to get up at 4:30 a.m  to make the 45 min trek back to the Key West to make it to the start line on time for the race. It was an absolute beautiful run and it was so fun to have the whole family meet me at the finish line. While I was running the kids and Wes walked around the docks and enjoyed watching  the exotic fish swim around. 

Gorgeous Half Marathon !

 After the race we wanted to go to the beach and swim for a bit, but we quickly learned that Key West is NOT known for its sandy beaches. Most of the island has no sand at all, the land drops right off into the turquoise waters. We  finally managed to  find a spot to dip our feet in. After that we walked to the "southernmost spot in the U.S" which is also only 90 miles from Cuba! We also hunted down the famous O-mile marker sign. 

our small sliver of sand 

On the way back to the RV we stopped off at the Key Deer Refuge and saw the endangered Key Deer. We  walked to the near by "Blue Hole" where the only wild alligators in the keys are found.

Isolation is a feeling that has snuck  into my heart on occasion during  this last 6 months on the road. I talked to the Lord about it and he showed me his goodness this passed week in the form of meeting many other fellow road schoolers. To our surprise there where 7 other families in the same RV park we were staying in. We meet some of them and enjoyed doing a fun experiment with the Chrimes family. Svea,(the mom) put together a craft explaining animal and plant cells. Ally  was thrilled to help since she has been studying biology this year. It was a blessing hearing some of their stories and knowing that there are others out there sharing similar adventures with their families. Collin had a blast playing with the Mann family who has 11 children, (many who are boys) a great experience for us all. 

The Mann children told us where we could find Manatees at the docks right next to our RV site. Our whole family loved watching these docile giants swim right up next to us. They love drinking the fresh water from the hose. 

 

 Our favorite place on the Keys was Bahia Honda State Park, which was just  a couple miles from our RV site. This is a pristine beach with  soft white sand. The most alluring thing about this beach is its shallow waters. You can walk way out into the water and only be about thigh deep. If you look down through the clear calm water you can see silver fish swimming around your ankles. I feel in love with this tranquil place. 

And the adventures continue !!!!!!