Hello friends and family! We were too busy relaxing last week to write anything but we are on the road again so we have some time to get caught up.

We enjoyed Flager Beach so much that we extended our stay. Our view from the front windshield was the ocean.  Although the park was pretty full, there were very few people on the beach and at night we had bonfires in the sand right in front of our RV. There were only two other groups having bonfires as far as the eye could see.

Our long lost friends, Susan and Mark, were kind enough to continue to be our tour guides and joined us at the end of our stay at Beverly Beach Resort (Flager).  They brought us to two amazing locations. The first location, Princess Place Preserve, is tucked away from the beaten path and is located on 1500 acres of breathtaking property.  You feel as if you stepped back in time.  There you can hike/walk on any of their well maintained trails. There are also equestrian and bike trails, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, and both equestrian and regular camping sites.  We had Uma off leash and we saw only four people on our trail all day.  We owned that trail!  Very secluded; a hidden gem.

For birders, there is a 40-year old bald eagle’s nest which contains one chick and two diligent parents. We didn’t see them but the chick is due to fly April 2016. The day was well spent walking, having a picnic lunch, and soaking in the beauty of the reserve.

On Friday, Susan and Mark brought Ken and I (and Uma, of course) to another hidden treasure, Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park, also located in Flager, which had been a plantation and mill. Susan and Mark took us on another trail there which was equally splendid to travel. The trunks of many of the trees were enormous! They must be hundreds of years old. When we had some rain, we “hid” under tree limbs to keep from getting too wet.   Later, we explored the ruins of the mill where there the history of the plantation was provided. We had to say our goodbyes to friends at the end of the day because we were heading out Melbourne.

In addition to the time with friends, we took long walks along the empty, pristine beachfront. (We have to get our FitBit steps in!)  Oh, and Kenny wants everyone to know that our RV had a Spa Day when a mobile unit washed and detailed it.  Although ours is an older model, it looks pretty snappy!

For our RVing friends, we recommend the park we stayed in, the Beverly Beach Resort in Flager.  Thanks to Brian and Lisa D. for their recommendation.  We suggest that you stay across A1A rather than on the beachfront.  Although the view had spectacular sunrises, the salt spray pelted our RV and, believe it or not, within that week, both of our bike chains became so rusty that we had to have the chains cleaned up at a bike shop!  Conveniently, across the street is a snack shack that served everything from stuffed cabbage and knockwurst to fried Brie salad.  One-man-show though so you can’t be in a hurry.  Great food with great prices.  We highly recommend that you try it.  The owner/chef/server is very friendly and the food is not your normal snack shack fare.

On Saturday, we headed to Melbourne to visit some family and reconnect with Cindy and Lenny B., our CT camping buddies.

We met up with my second cousin’s wife and one of her sons, his fiancé, and their beautiful 7-month old beauty queen.  Right before leaving Melbourne, we had dinner with our friends from CT, Cindy and Lenny B., who happened to be in the area the same time as we were.

After visiting family and friends, we left Melbourne on Wednesday, stayed in Ft. Lauderdale overnight on our way to the Keys.  While in Ft. Lauderdale, we saw Kenny’s cousin Sharon and her son Andrew as well as their happy dachshunds, Eva and Maggie.

For fellow RVers, take note.  I would not recommend staying at the Kozy Kampers RV park in Ft. Lauderdale.

Our current location at the Jolly Roger in Marathon is spectacular!  You can snorkel right here and everything is no more than 1.5 hours from this base.  There is a very large Bark Park, you can fish off the pier, good size pool, clean, friendly fellow campers.  We are overlooking the Gulf of Mexico.  If I walk ten steps, I can be in turquoise water.

We have reservations on the Tortugas National Park Ferry (our second National Park of our adventure) on Saturday.  However, if you have more pre-planning time than we have had, set up your reservations.  We were lucky that there was a cancellation.

Until next time, we raise our wine glasses and toast to you:

May you live as long as you want, may you never want as long as you live.

K, D, & U

 

 

 

 

 

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