The sunshine continues

Went to Miami looking for some vice.  Very likely saw the results of some – so many Lamborghinis and even a Ferrari or two.  Really enjoyed walking around the art deco buildings.  Almost like being back in Napier.  A larger version of Napier – there’s more buildings and they’re taller than the home grown variety.  Found a restaurant with outside tables (not hard in this part of town).  Hard to say whether we enjoyed our lobster meals or the people watching more.

A couple of the Art Deco styled buildings in Miami 

We both decided on the lobster meal - it looked too good to pass up
... and a beer ... you can't have lobster without a cold beer

The next day was spent at Billie Swamp Safari on the Seminole

No feeding your kids
to the alligators

Reservation.  Our first activity was a Swamp Buggy tour.  Got to see an abundance of wildlife including Asian water buffalo and their ever present companions, the cattle egret, African eland, wild horses (crackers this side of the Mississippi, mustangs to the west), umpteen varieties of birdlife and the ubiquitous alligators.  While there is a perimeter fence to keep the exotic animals in, the alligators can come and go as they please. 

 

Jean on the swamp buggy

Asian water buffalo and cattle egret

We had to give way to the Air Boat - personally I thought we should
have kept going and made it more interesting

Wouldn't be an Everglades safari without an alligator ... or 50

After lunch we took the Air Boat tour.  Our ears are thankful that this is a shorter tour and, as short as it was, it was so much fun.  Got to visit an alligator nursery, where all the small alligators no longer with their mother hide away until they are big enough to mix it with the big boys and girls instead of being seen as their next meal.

Sue & Jean with another happy tourist

We then took in a couple of educational shows – one about venomous snakes and the other about regular critters.  Most of the animals here are rescues but these ones aren’t being rehabilitated for eventual return to the wild.  Still, it was pretty cool to hold a small alligator.

Ferrets are wriggly little critters as Jean is discovering

A yawning Tamandua or lesser anteater - when it yawns, its tongue fully
extends.  Hard to see in this photo but its tongue is out a good 8-10 inches

What mischief can Sue get up to with this little critter?

Stopped for lunch in Homestead and also visited the Coral Castle.  This was built by Ed Leedskalnin and was to be a home for himself and his sixteen year old bride to be.  She jilted him the day before they were due to be married.  Go figure.  What 16 year old wouldn't want to live in an open air building with stone furniture?  Truth be told I think it was because she just didn’t like him, let alone love him.  He did sound rather eccentric.  I like people who dare to be different but even I would draw the line at sleeping in a stone bed.

Coral Castle

Stone beds ... yeah, right

Jean on one of the reading chairs - since Ed couldn't move the chairs
once they were in position, he made several of them to face the sun at
different times of the day

Sue showing the cooker made from an old Ford Model T diff - Ed
used to cook hotdogs for local kids in this

From Homestead we headed as far south as we could get – all the way to Key West.  What an awesome drive.  Atlantic Ocean on one side, Gulf of Mexico on the other.  So many islands, all connected by US Hwy 1 down to Key West itself.  Found ourselves a campground.  Had to be the tightest site we’ve reversed into yet.  I think that if the guy from the bus parked opposite didn’t come out and move his car we’d still be trying to manoeuvre into position.  It also didn’t help that the services were all at the rear of the site which meant we had to get even closer for our sewer hose to fit.  Ah, the joys of RV-ing.  Ah, the joys of alcohol.

Heading down to Key West

Spent the next day in and around Key West.  First stop was Perky’s Bat Tower.  They guy that built the tower had a fishing resort but was plagued with mosquitoes.  He thought that building a bat tower and importing insect-eating bats would solve his problems.  Likely they would have, however they all flew away the first night, never to return.  The tower remains, 85 years on. 

Batman had his cave, Key West has the Bat Tower

Cuba is only 90 miles from the southernmost
point in Continental USA

No trip to Key West would be complete without a visit to the Hemingway House and Museum that is also home to the 6-toed cats.  52 of them at last count.  This is one of the few homes in Southern Florida that has a full sized basement.  This is due to the fact that the Hemingway House is built on the highest point of Key West – 16’ above sea level.  Had a great time wandering through the house and grounds and having all 52 cats ignore us.

Hemingway House & Museum

Well trained in ignoring people - at least they don't mind
their photos being taken

After lunch at the aptly named 6-toed café next door we wandered through the streets of Key West enjoying the old buildings and the warm, sunny winter weather. 

Two of the many lovely old buildings in Key West

The local cemetery has a few wacky epitaphs, this one is the old favourite
"I told you I was sick"

Sunset found us at Mallory Square.  We started off enjoying a beer on Sunset Pier but when the band switched from Irish and soft rock music to country music, we quickly finished our beers and continued further down the pier out of earshot.  I was quite bemused with the large numbers of the huge crowd that had gathered to watch the sun go down, applaud as the sun finished going down.  That is akin to applauding when your plane lands, something I’ve experienced people doing on more than one occasion. 

This woman was making huge bubbles - was rather funny when they popped
on unsuspecting peoples heads (that'll teach 'em for watching the
beautiful sunset instead of the entertainment) 

Kevin the gymnast kept us entertained with balancing acts and
back flips through hoops

Finished the evening with dinner at Willie T’s.  Great food combined with great music.  I can accept a couple of Johnny Cash songs in a repertoire that is otherwise filled with all my favourites from the 70’s.  Florida rocks!

Next comes the dash to Atlanta to catch a plane for Christmas.