Southern U.S. Day 8

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Went to everglades yesterday, got back late, will post entry later

I noticed I put day 7 as day 6 and left out the real day 6. I put all of the days in the right order and added the missing day. That's what happens when you post after drinking.

Pictures - on the road, the days I did have time, I wasn't able to upload them. Here in Key west, I haven't had time (sober time anyway). I will try to upload pictures before I leave the Keys on Wednesday.





Day 8 May 11, 2013



The car we rented was a convertible, so we rode up the keys to Everglades National Park with the top down. The temperature was low to mid 80’s and mostly sunny for most of the ride up the keys.

After we got halfway across Key West, Chris asked if the coffee pot was unplugged, so weturned around to check it. It was off.

As I mentioned in a previous blog, the ride through the keys is painfully slow. The speed limit changes frequently from 45 to 35, 40, 25, and (rarely) 55. I think they do this to generate revenue from speeding tickets, because we saw an inordinate number of police. We stopped for breakfast at an IHOP about an hour after we left the condo.

We arrived at the visitor’s center around 11:30. We entered the park and drove to the first nature walk. This was a wooden walkway that took about one hour to walk. We saw a ton of wildlife, up close and personal, including a 6 foot alligator that was 18 inches from the walkway. I wasn’t able to get a good picture because he was under a bush.

It was very hot and muggy day so we skipped the many nature walks along the road to Flamingo, where there was another visitor center. I expected that there would be a nature walk there as well, but it turns out the Flamingo is on the Florida Bay, so if you want to see wildlife you have to use a boat. They have boat tours that we would have liked to take, but it was getting late and we needed to start heading back to Key West. Chris and I agreed that we would like to visit this park again (when it is cooler) when we could spend more time.

During the day, the gland on the left side of my neck became swollen and by early afternoon it became quite painful. As we rode down the keys back toward Key West, Chris searched the internet for an acute care facility because we didn’t think this warranted a trip to a hospital’s emergency room. The two that we found were not open on Saturday. As the pain seemed to be decreasing, I decided to take some acetaminophen and if the swelling doesn’t go down, go to a Dr. on Monday.

We dropped Joe off at the Condo and went to the Stoned Crab for dinner, which was very good – they gave Chris more crab than she could eat – something that has never happened to her before.

Then we dropped off the car and rode the motorcycle back to the condo and drank.

Tomorrow we get up early to go to the Dry Tortugas

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Comments

[Linda Liedtka]

David .... it's nice to see you are having such a good time. When I read that you were dipping into a rum bottle, or 2, it put a smile on my face. Continue enjoying your trip and say hi to Chris for me ! Linda