May 19th: More fun with the Rahns

The weather cooperated and we were able to cruise on the ocean side to the Bahia Honda State Park and Marina. It has a great little harbor and the park is very picturesque. We were able to get a great spot. We had a view of the ocean on one side and a view of the harbor on the other.

Craig and Karen, Bahia Honda Harbor - Looking East

View looking West

We walked over to the beach which had quite a bit of sea grass on it. This sign explained the value of leaving the sea grass alone!

Further along, a trail led to the top of the old bridge. It's a great view from the top, 360 degrees. The beach in the picture is on the Florida Bay side. Beyond the trees in the distance on the right, is a very nice beach on the ocean side.

View of Bahia Honda from the bridge

Ibises

There are quite a few birds around the park. These Ibises were pretty tame.

There are many pictures and more information at this link. Bahia Honda Pics

We watched a great sunset through the highway bridge from our fly bridge. It was a beautiful night.

Spanish Mackerel

On the way back to Banana Bay the next day, I decided to try trolling. I was hoping to get a Spanish Mackerel. We were very fortunate to catch this one. It made a great fish appetizer for our dinner. 

In the channel under the 7 mile bridge

Because we travelled along the ocean side, we needed to cross under the 7 mile bridge at an opening for boats. (Banana Bay marina is on the Bay side.) It was a very pretty day.

I know Karen likes to shop and there is a large Flea Market at Big Pine Key. I decided we could combine a trip to look for Key Deer, visit the Blue Hole Hammock and hit the Flea market. It's a short drive to Big Pine Key where Key deer reside. The Florida Keys are the only place in the world where they live. You can learn more about them at this link. Key Deer info

We drove around for quite a while and Karen finally spotted some. They usually hang out where there are houses. They are not very skittish. Karen got some good pictures. Unfortunately, the deer are in grave danger of going extinct. 30% of the population died during hurricane Irma. Humans are encroaching on the areas where the deer live. It took a long time to find them so I included three pictures!

Key Deer

After finding the key deer, we visited Big Pine Key fresh water Hammock. Hammock explained

I always enjoy returning to the hammock. Usually we see two resident alligators and three species of turtles. It's a very peaceful little hammock. Unfortunately, the alligators and turtles were all hiding but it was still a nice walk around the water.

Big Pine Key Hammock - Craig and Karen across the water

Big Pine Key Flea Market

We of course hit the Flea Market before heading back to Banana Bay.

View from the old 7 mile walking bridge

Craig and I decided to take a walk on the old 7 mile bridge. It affords a great view of the water. We spotted a very large sea turtle, a shark, numerous pelicans and an osprey. 

Fishing boat below 7 mile bridge

We also watched the people fishing below. Not a lot of action!

Karen decided relaxing in the lounge chair in front of our boat was a better way to spend her time!

Karen was hoping to spot a manatee while in the marina. I had told her they showed up frequently but we were still waiting. Someone alerted us to the fact one was hanging out across the marina in the afternoons. The young manatee was very cooperative and Karen got some good pictures. Manatees pretty much just lay around in the water. I love their big round tails and funny faces.

Manatee nose & face

 

The Turtle Hospital is always on the list of places to see when people visit me. They do a great job rescuing turtles and educating people about sea turtles. The origins of the hospital are very impressive. The founder spent several years getting all the permits and approvals to start the hospital. It is now very successful and a model for the world. There is more info here: Turtle Hospital website

Craig & Leatherback Turtle
replica - They get twice as large

Here are a few pictures of the residents!

Karen and Craig

That night I talked the Rahns into playing Can't Stop! I am one of the few people who enjoy the game. Karen said she liked the game and wanted to play again the next day. But then she did win!

 

The dockmaster came by and told us to stay away from the marina restrooms Sunday morning. A bee keeper was coming to remove a hive from a no longer used building next to the restrooms. Craig and I went to check it out. There were a lot of bees coming and going. Nice to see but it was quite the flurry of activity.

Bee keeper getting ready

We went over Sunday morning and watched a while. Turned out the bees' hive was inside an inner wall and huge. He had to cut a lot of the wall out to get through it. We hope he retrieved the queen. In the process, there was plenty of honey comb filled with honey. Doris the dockmaster distributed the honeycomb to all who were interested. The honey was delicious! You just never know what will happen next at Banana Bay! 

Honeycomb filled with honey

Doris the dockmaster distributed the honeycomb to all who were interested. The honey was delicious! You just never know what will happen next at Banana Bay! 

Our last excursion was to the Dolphin Research Center. They do a very nice educational show and people can get very close to the dolphins. The dolphin seem to really enjoy the attention. Here is a short video that shows what I mean.

Here's a link that talks about the research they are doing. Dolphin Research

Just before the Rahns left, they took me to the Steak and Lobster House for a wonderful dinner. We had so much left over we ate the leftovers the next night and they were still great. I neglected to get a picture of our dinners but did get a final toast!

During their stay the Rahns saw the green flash twice. In addition we had this fabulous sunset to send  them back to California. It was a very fun visit!

May 10th: Crane Point with the Rahns

Walkway to the Bay

Next on our agenda was a visit to Crane Point. There is a golf cart tour led by a volunteer who relates the history and a great deal of information about the plants, animals and ecosystem. There was a little walking across some wooden pathways to get to the Florida Bay.

Craig and Karen on the overlook of Florida Bay

The overlook provides a great view of the Florida Bay. Craig and Karen were looking for the nurse shark that resides close by.

Fish to the left of the nurse shark

We were fortunate to see a lot of colorful fish and the resident nurse shark we saw when kayaking. The shark is about three feet long. The water is about three feet deep and was nice pretty clear.

Nurse shark

Fish pedicure

We continued our tour past the Crane's home and to the protected pool they created for swimming. Water from the bay flowed in and out keeping it fresh. There are small catfish that like to eat the dead skin off of peoples' feet. Free fish pedicure. Of course we had to try it. They feel funny nibbling away. It's quite relaxing!  

Boat used for immigrants to
escape from Cuba to the Keys

The pictured boat is an actual boat that people used to escape from Cuba to the United States. Our tour guide informed us that there are still many such boats that people are using to get to the United States.

Unscrupulous people smugglers attempt to bring immigrants into the Keys. In March an overloaded boat with 300 people on board capsized off shore and many swam ashore. Any people entering illegally are subject to deportation if caught.

There is also a wild bird refuge center on Crane Point. It houses many recuperating birds and some permanent residents with injuries that can't be repaired. Most of the pelicans in this picture will be released. In addition to the pelicans we saw a falcon, a burrowing owl, roseate spoonbills, egrets, hawks, osprey, buzzards, etc. You get the idea! Unfortunately, the screening in the cages made it difficult to get a good picture.

A special feature of Crane Point is the oldest house in the Keys outside of Key West. It has been restored to it's original condition with the exception of a tin roof instead of thatched. The original residents, George Adderley and his wife, were true pioneers. When Henry Flagler was building his railroad through the Keys he needed to go right through the Adderley's property. George Adderley refused to sell but offered a permanent lease for the railroad if Flagler would put in a stop so George could take his sponges etc. to Key West, That was far easier and safer than sailing to Key West with his products.

George Adderley History

Sunfish

At the entrance to the museum is a large pool with various fish in it. This replica of a huge sunfish is hanging over the pool. Sunfish actually get several times larger in the ocean. I've seen them when on a fishing charter and they look very strange in the water. They hang around near the surface eating jellyfish. Made for a fun picture.

Karen made a great discovery in the lobby of the museum gift shop as we were leaving. They sold ice cream bars. I was going to pass until I saw this one. It was coconut milk with the mango, strawberry and kiwi fruit frozen into it. It was great.

There is a great deal more information about Crane Point at these two links if you would like to learn more.

Crane Point Hammock

 Crane Point History

 

April 24th: Having fun with Craig and Karen

 

Guppy and Rendezvous, (the Rahns' boat),  July, 2016 - Rideau Canal

Rahns and Linda, Erie Canal - 2017
(Linda has her knuckles replacement brace on,
never slowed her down!)

I was really looking forward to the Rahns' visit. Not only are they good friends, but they are long time boaters. The pictures bring back so many good memories. Boaters are typically self sufficient, pack minimal "stuff" and expect the unexpected to occur when cruising. The cruising was important because this would be the first overnight trip I had taken without Linda at the helm. I had worked at doing repairs on some of the systems and now I felt we were good to go.

Due to a last minute flight change by American Airlines, The Rahn's flight departed from California at about 7:30 AM instead of about 9:30 AM. I heard they were leaving home around 5 something AM! The good news was, they would arrive at 5:30 PM instead of 8:00 PM. It's about an hour ride back to Marathon. I had made some chicken in the crockpot knowing they wouldn't have had a chance to eat on the way given a very short layover. Dinner was good and duly appreciated. 

After driving back from Key West the previous night, Craig and Karen were recuperating from their long travel day from California. We decided to take it easy the first day. Plus, it was Sunday, not a good day to do tourist type activities.

We walked around the grounds for a short tour, swapped old boating memories and relaxed on the fly bridge. It was great to be together again on Yesterday's Dream.

Sunset from the fly bridge

I barbecued some great Key West Pink shrimp for supper and we watched a colorful sunset. Our plan was to go to Key West Monday,  hoping the crowds would be smaller. The Rahns had been there quite a few years earlier and wanted to check it out.

Remember me mentioning it's good to have experienced boaters as guests? Karen and Craig were sleeping in the v-berth in the bow, and I was in the aft cabin. I woke up about 7 AM hearing Craig's voice calling, Steve! Steve! Half awake I thought, "This can't be good!"

Craig said "We hear water running and there is water on the floor in the forward head." I think it might be the air conditioner. On a boat, marine air conditioners use sea water to operate the cooling system. I sincerely hoped the air conditioner wasn't pumping sea water into the bilge. I hoped that one of the plastic hoses had popped off of a fresh water hose barb and it was fresh water coming in. I had hooked us up to the marina water so the Rahns wouldn't hear the boat's pressure pump, which is right under their bunks, running during the night if someone got up and used water. 

Craig went to the bow and turned off the valve to the marina water hookup. The water stopped running. Whew! We soaked up the water with towels and I investigated. I found the hose that popped off, most likely due to increased pressure from the marina hookup. Should be an easy fix. Except there was a very old fitting that broke off when I tried to fix it. The Rahns said something like, "Relax. We'll take our time to fix it." (And of course with Craig being an engineer, assistance was readily available.) We'll go to Key West tomorrow."

Home Depot is right across the street so I went for parts. No luck. So I went to Home Hardware, a great hardware store nearby. They had just what I needed. Repairs were completed well before noon.

So the weather was great for a dinghy ride. Karen opted to stay on the boat and read. She was really enjoying just relaxing on the boat. Craig and I rode around Crane Point. We planned to do a narrated golf cart tour (now on Wednesday), but it's nice to see it from the water also. 

We rode around a this small key where the water was crystal clear.

Crane Point Bay

There is a very protected small bay which is very pretty and peaceful. No houses.

It's fun to go under the little bridge at the tip of Crane point because there are usually fish hanging out there. We also got to see the small nurse shark that hangs out at an observation deck. We would be on the observation deck Wednesday during our tour so I hoped the nurse shark would put in an appearance for Karen.

The next day, we had a pretty day to ride to Key West. I always recommend taking the trolley tour around Key West to get the history and determine what we might want to see. The Rahns had been to Key West a long time ago and I warned them it had changed a lot. It is now a tourist city with at least one cruise ship in port daily. The trolley tour was pretty good. We stopped at an old fort and saw one of Key West's roosters apparently waiting for a ride. 

There is a lot of history around Henry Flagler's influence on the Keys due to his railroad. Here is a link to a short history but you can Google a lot more if you are interested.

Henry Flagler Railroad

For interesting facts about the origin of Key West check this link.

Key West shipwrecking industry history

Mallory Square pier

By the time we finished the tour, the Rahns decided the place had become too "Honky Tonk". We went to the Mallory Square pier where people gather to watch the sunset. 

Cruise ship leaving, at least 12 decks

It was early and hot so not much to see except a nice view of the ocean and we saw a cruise ship leaving. There has been an ongoing controversy among the cruise ship owners, the state and the city. 

We were in Key West a few times, before COVID, when two huge cruise ships would come in and it was a total zoo. Way too many people for too small a space. We tried to avoid visiting Key West when cruise ships were in, but it became almost impossible. But the tax revenue drove everything. The locals took advantage of the COVID cruise ship prohibitions as you can read in the following links. The battle is ongoing. Just an FYI, the City found few cruise passengers ate at restaurants because meals were provided on board, and not much money was spent at the local stores. The huge crowds, however, were discouraging other tourists from visiting, causing overload problems with the city services and  infrastructures. 

New Cruise ship regulations

New Cruise ship regulations Challenged

Latest efforts regarding Cruise Ships

We decided to walk to the Mallory Square shops where Karen picked up some souvenirs for family members, we got some ice cream, and decided to head to our lunch place, Salute's. 

Key West First Legal Rum Distillery

On our way back to the car we passed this Rum store. Craig likes rum so I encouraged him to check it out. They provided samples. Craig settled on a bottle to take back. 

Salute's on the beach

Salute's is a very fun Italian restaurant on the beach away from most of the craziness. We enjoyed a very good lunch and headed home.

90 Miles to Cuba

After lunch I remembered that Karen wanted to get a picture of the Southernmost Point marker. It was fairly close so we drove by and got a picture. 

Crepuscular Sunset

Saw something new that night. We had no idea what caused it but my artist friend Emily, also a marine biologist, told us it was a crepuscular sunset! The sunset entertainment seems endless!

Here is an explanation of the sighting. Crepuscular Sunset

Fortunately, the Rahns were staying 12 days so we could wait for low winds to do our overnight trip to Bahia Honda State Park marina. Also on our agenda were Crane Point, the Turtle Hospital, a driving tour of Marathon, looking for key deer at Big Pine Key and the dolphin Research Center.