Florida Keys

Some of my travel memories are like Swiss cheese: what was I doing in the Key's back in 2001. This is a great exercise for me to refresh my memories :-)

This trip happened during March break while Jess and I were still in high school and also participating in Synchronized swimming at the time (this would have been our last year of synchro !). The only reason I remember this because both of us were sewing beads and sequences on our bathing suits for regionals. It was a crazy amount of work and our moms have given up on our synchro costume :-)

So, the gang: all of the Read family: Mark, Leah, Jess, Andrew and Krista, in the fake-wood Buick station wagon (red leather interior), then out the back window sat Sandy (their dog) and myself !! Oh and there were 2 coolers stuffed with food and drinks :-)

We had a roof rack on the car which held most of our luggages since there were little to no more room in the car. However, I was ecstatic to head out to a warmer climate because I have not traveled anywhere outside of Canada since we immigrated :-)

Now, I cannot trace down our exact routes on the way there and back but we did make our first stop over the boarder in Miami at a beautiful hotel, where we took advantage of the pool and Jess and I did some synchro practice while the other Read's joined us in the pool as well. From there we made it into the Key's and I believe we stayed in a place on Key Largo or some other Key but not the main Key West. However, we did travel to the farthest point on Key West, where you could swim to Cuba lol.

Some of the activities which were my first time (for all): swimming with the Manatees in Miami at the beach, going snorkeling with a catamaran by the reefs, checking out a dolphin conservatory (still waiting to swim with them!), walked through the Everglades National park in the day time, and then the Read's wanted to see the crocodiles and alligators hunting at night with their mouth open, however Andrew and I stayed in the car reading instead :-)

On the way home we also stopped at many different places: The Everglades where we walked a large section of it, Fort Lauderdale I think was just a breakfast stop, Daytona beach was another favorite - long beach, sand, and a ton of hotels everywhere. I guess it's the collage kids playground for their collage break. This is also the place where we were running around through a fountain and Andrew cut his foot (ouch!).

Daytona beach was calm when we were there, but in March I guess is the jellyfish season because there were tons just washed up on the shore line. I got to poke one around to see what they look like from up close. I think I'm ready to face the box jellyfish once in Ozi but then again I don't need to see them since I had enough at Daytona lol.

On the way home we also stopped and camped out at a natural spring, just AMAZING, where I remember the water to be just FREEZing but we went swimming anyways ! There were only two eels swimming in the spring ....nothing else! Crystal clear under water (not like the murky ocean) and just amazing forest all around us. Wish I remembered the name of this place !

I think this is all that I remember form the trip. I wish I could remember more but I do know that I had a blast with the Read's and they too helped reinforce my travel fetish.

R :-)