On April 12 we made the decision to purchase Keystone Passport Ultra Lite Elite travel trailer. We couldn't be more excited about it. However, we had planned a trip to Florida to help our good friends with their very large sail boat. So, we knew we'd have to wait to take delivery of the new RV.
Marc flew to Florida on April 13 and I stayed home until April 19. The trip out to Florida was very short notice and there was just no way I would be able to reschedule a weeks worth of work with that little time.
The trip out to Florida was not nearly long enough. Our friends were moving their boat at Fishermans Village in Punta Gorda, FL. I flew into Ft. Myers and Cindy came to the airport to get me. With the help of facebook mobile chat, I was able to walk right out of the airport while she rolled up to a stop so I could hop in. Flawless, perfect timing!
When we arrived at the marina Marc and Robert were just coming in from their trip over from the place where the boat was previously stored on dry land. The wind was whipping that big boat around and they both seemed stressed. Robert was not about to attempt to run up the sails in the gusty wind. So, they were motoring her in. This boat is nothing short of HUGE!
It took some fancy maneuvering to get her safely in the slip the Harbor Master had assigned. The process took a lot of time and a few different tries, but finally, with the help of the Harbor Master and one of his assistants they were able to get her in the slip and tied down. Marc has no experience with large sail boats. But, he did great at getting the appropriate ropes out to the guys on the dock to get the boat secured. All this was despite his back hurting from trying to manhandle the 22 ton boat through a lock system on the canal out of the land storage place.
After the boat was secured, we all agreed that food and beverages were in order. Harpoon Harry's is located in the mall at Fishermen's Village. Besides offering great views of the marina, they have great food and even better drinks.
After a few drinks and some excellent food, all the stresses of the day were soon forgotten.
The next morning we decided to make a trip to Key Largo. Only a short 5 hour drive away. The drive was actually very low stress and the time in the truck just seemed to fly by. Before we knew it we were on the Over Seas Highway and as we rolled into Key Largo the skies cleared and the sun was as brilliant as ever. We stopped at Shell World to see what they had to offer. It turns out that they have some really cool touristy items for sale and a huge Tshirt selection.
Since this trip was all about spontaneous, uninhibited, wanderings, we had no plans on where we would stay for the night. The first place we stopped at had a friendly squirrel who greeted us on the path to the office. The little squirrel just came right up to us. We later learned that it is friendly and they keep plenty of peanuts on hand for her. Very cute. Unfortunately, they had a room for us, but because we had pets with us they had to turn us away. We were sad, as the grounds were absolutely beautiful.
The next hotel we found was really nice. It's situated on a canal with big beautiful sail boats, as well as motor yachts lining all the dock space. Big beautiful palm trees, blue skies, calm waters with pelicans floating, scuba dive boats coming and going. It was a perfect place. We spent the evening floating around in the pool and then later had dinner at another lovely place called Sundowners.
Sundowners has dockside seating and there are huge tarpons swimming right by the deck. They have great seafood and even have a dedicated gluten free menu. The table next too us brought in fish that they had caught that day. The chef was happy to fry it up for them to a crispy golden brown. I had grilled grouper and it was seriously the best tasting fish I have ever eaten. Any one who knows me knows that I'm not normally a fan of fish. I usually try to eat some fish when I'm on an island vacation. I'm glad I took the chance on the grouper, because it was amazing!
The next morning we decided to explore the area some and do some geocaching. If you don't know what geocaching is you're missing out on a lot of free fun. If you have a smart phone, then you have everything you need to get started. Download the Geocaching app to your phone and then use the search or geocaches in your area function. I guarantee that there are caches very near you. You can read more about this fun hobby at http://www.geocaching.com/. It's fun for any age.
We found a very trick geocache near the Amoray Dive Resort. Just walking around the small resort made us want to stay another day.
Soon, it was time to leave Key Largo and make our way back to Punta Gorda. However, first we had a short stop to make in Ft. Lauderdale.
Robert and Cindy were in the market to purchase a replacement dinghy for the sail boat and a consignment boat and yacht store had one. As we exited the highway we noticed the huge mega yachts lining the canals and in the ship yards. We arrived at the consignment store and the dinghy they had was perfect.
After some brief negotiations it was determined that it would be making the trip to the West side of Florida with us on a borrowed boat trailer that the consignment shop just happened to have on hand. At first glance, this boat trailer seemed okay. However, it didn't have working lights and the tires were low. It was also not licensed for use in Florida. However, Roberts truck has Oklahoma license plates and in the state of Oklahoma boat trailers are not required to be licensed. So, off we went with the borrowed, unlicensed trailer, with no lights. As we exited the highway, 160 miles later, we noticed that the trailer wasn't quite right. After a brief inspection it appeared that the lugs were not tight, and one lug was missing on the left side tire. This could have been a disaster. Alas, we made it back to Robert & Cindy's RV safely. The next day, after Marc and I left Florida, Robert and Cindy had even more adventures with the boat trailer as the wheel basically fell apart and the hub was ruined. So much for the no cost borrowed boat trailer. But, all's well that ends well. No one was hurt and like I always say, "these things suck when they're happening. But, they will make great stories later on!"
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