WEEK 1 - The Keys

Sometimes you can be having so much fun it's hard to stop what you're doing to journal. Harold and Kristen invited us to come with them to Marathon, FL, for 2 weeks in July. I looked forward to going to spending time with the kids, relaxing, enjoying tourist sites, fresh seafood, etc. It turned out I left with Harold and 2 of the grandchildren, the boat, tons of provisions, etc. to set up the house, etc., and Kristen would follow several days later - then RV would come pick me up into the second week. If you weren't on the fishing team, there was a giant pool, books from the best sellers list, and side trips for whoever might be interested.

I won't go into a lot of detail, but there were up to 23 (adults and children) staying in this huge house throughout the 2 weeks - and we all had a great time. The boats would leave early in the a.m. to go out about 30 miles to fish for mahi. Some days were better than others, but we never did without delicious, fresh mahi, yellow fin tuna, and snapper, (if they stayed closer to land). We went out to local seafood restaurants frequently; however, I think most will agree the best meals were the ones we planned ourselves. Several evenings we took the cleaned mahi fillets to "Chilly Willie's" to prepare blackened mahi for us with 2 sides - only $8.95.

When you are getting to know your way around the Keys you notice green and white signs called mile markers (MM), often referred to as mile posts, beginning with Mile Marker 126, just south of Florida City and ending with Mile Marker Zero in Key West. When asking for directions in the Keys, your answer will likely be, just before or just beyond a mile marker number.

DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER MM58 - Grassy Key

A day trip on Week 2 to the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key was especially interesting; however, the hot Florida sun baked all of us into submission, and we probably left before we got to see everything. Like the Turtle Hospital, there are many injured and elderly bottle-nose dolphins that make their way to this facility on the Bayside of the Keys. This facility is between Islamorada and Marathon, so it was a very scenic drive. It was amazing how much the dolphins interacted with the audience as well as keeping their eyes on the dolphins in the other enclosed facilities. While we were there the staff was moving the oldest known dolphin in captivity, and the dolphins were so distracted, they could hardly perform. This facility is probably one of the oldest in the world, and their staff is awesome.

Always on the lookout for a special RV resort or clean RV park, we found one in Grassy Key, MM58.7. This resort has only been opened since last Fall, located on the Bayside, and has all the facilities you'd look for in a first class facility. Being on the western side of the road heading south, you are in for a drop-dead gorgeous sunset every night. We hope we can get back there before all the snowbirds get back in November/December. If you're an RVer, and if you might be interested in seeing what we found, go to www.GrassyKeyRVPark.com.

While we're mentioning RV resorts, week 2 when RV had arrived, gave us an opportunity to drive to several RV resorts we may want to visit in the future. You always have to see if the lots are big enough for your coach, and how easy or difficult it is to get in and out of these places. One beautiful resort is Bluewater Key RV Resort at MM 14.5. If you want to get that close to Key West, this gated Class A RV community has lots that average 30-35'wide by 70-80' deep. All sites have tiki huts and tables. Many waterfront lots have decks and docks and many amenities, but you have to want to be very close to Key West to enjoy this facility. Another RV resort and marina we would consider would be Knights Key RV Resort and Marina at MM 47, www.knightskeyrvsort.com (near Marathon). This resort is right by the Pigeon Key Visitors Center and 47 miles from Key West. There are lots of restaurants in this area and the prices are from very reasonable to very pricey.