Saturday 1/16/16

Waking up to sunshine has not been something familiar to us this week. However, today I could see the golden glow shimmer on the underbelly of the palm leaves as I peered out of our tent.  According to the forecast, it is only supposed to be sunny today, before more rain hits. We set out to cram as much outdoor fun into twelve hours as we could.

Once the maple syrup was licked from our plates after our french toast breakfast. We pulled out our kayaks and got them ready for the water. (Thanks Tyler and Nicki!) Finally, the smell of sunscreen, the scent of summer that I miss so much!

We put our kayaks in at the boat ramp right by our campsite and took a small trip in the water this side of the bridge. Everyone njoyed being out, but  wanted to make the most of the day, so we came back to camp and I packed a quick lunch. A little drive over to Higgs Beach, which is on the other side of Key West. We had read that it was possible to snorkel from the shore there. Each of us took the plunge not knowing if the water would be too chilly for our liking. It didn’t take long for us to acclimate, but the water was super cloudy. We suspect it was from the high winds and storms stirring up the white powder from the ocean floor. Even though it was beautiful, we opted to try another beach several islands north in hopes to find clear water.

It only took a few minutes to pack up before we were headed north to the Bahia Honda State Park. It was about a forty minute drive. We paid the $10 carload entrance fee and parked. A short walk down the trail to the beach. What a gorgeous view! Different shades of aqua and teal water…just stunning. But within minutes the clouds rolled in and a chill set in the air. We stayed a little more than an hour, then we were all ready to leave.

After the drive back to Key West, the skies cleared for a few hours. We figured we’d make the most of the clear night and walk Duvall street. We finished the evening with burgers and conch fritters and came back to camp to secure our belongings before the storm is expected to hit later tonight.

The forecast still does not look in our favor for the coming weeks. We have a few more things we plan to do this week but after that, we might call our trip short.

The main activities we planned to do here were snorkeling, kayaking and bicycling. None of which are possible in the 20-30 mile hour winds that are coming this way. It’s not like we can drive any further to escape the unfortunate weather so we might just head back to our own beautiful little island and hunker down till spring.

Are we disappointed? Yes. Are we having a great time with our girls? Yes.

Right now, I’m battening down the hatches.

Till tomorrow…