This little trip we are on started out with just a casual statement one of us made to the other probably in a lazy California afternoon: Let’s drive to Key West and come back. Many days and many more miles later, we can officially strike that one off of our list today.
Today we packed up the Airstream to head further down the Keys. But not into the unknown as usual. Everyone warned us about how crowded the keys are this time of year so we made reservations for all 9 days just to be on the safe side. Even though we booked these sites a couple months ago, it was still nearly impossible to find spots. So during these 9 days, we have reservations at 3 different campgrounds.
Since yesterday was a beach day bust due to Ava being sick and super crazy winds, today we were determined to venture outdoors more than ever… just as soon as I can get poor Mila out from under the dinette. Hehe. One of these days she will learn how to scoot herself forwards instead of just backwards.
Our first morning in the Florida Keys started out with Ava taking an early morning nap. Something she hasn’t done in over a year. Weird, right? We thought so too. She is a tough little cookie when it comes to telling us about her being sick mostly because she is not a big fan of doctor’s visits. Like most kids, she thinks: Doctors = Shots.
Our 10 days in California came and went. We got a chance to borrow a car to go home for a day and Ava got a chance to have several play dates with her friends and cousins. Having been gone for nearly 2 months, we didn’t know what to expect. The answer is… Nothing. Everything is still exactly the same as they were two months ago.
Our last day in Boca Raton before our intermission trip we decided to head out to a cool place by the beach called Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Just like Sugar Sand Park from yesterday, this is another gem of a place for kids that runs off of visitor donations. This time, Marlene stayed back to tidy things up in the Airstream and to magically pack everything the 4 of us will need for 10 days into one check-in suitcase. Good luck.
For the second time on our trip, we are sleeping on a friend’s driveway. Our last courtesy parking was only for one night in Arizona right before we headed out to Bisbee. Here in Boca Raton however, we are staying initially for 2 nights and Yoda will be holding down the fort alone in the trailer here for another 10 days while we fly home. Of course Paul has graciously agreed to keep an eye on her.
We left Larry and Penny Thompson Park this morning to continue on to the next phase of our trip. Even though we planned on heading down to the Keys, we are actually headed north for the next 2 days to stay at our friend Paul’s house in Boca Raton. If you have been following our trip, you might remember Paul and his family when they met us at Sanibel island a couple of weeks ago. He is letting us park the van and Mali Mish on his driveway when we fly back to California for 10 days to attend Easter and other family events.
Our last full day in Miami we decided to checkout another county park that is on our side of town. Florida has some very interesting and creative county parks that are very worth visiting if you are looking for something not along the mainstream. Today’s stop, Miami-Dade County Fruit and Spice Park.
Today the forecast calls for thunderstorms in the morning. And they weren’t kidding. We took a gamble and went to the zoo yesterday and the weather held up the entire day. We didn’t want to try our luck two days in the row so we planned on a day at the campground today which turns out to be a good idea.
