Greetings from the Keys!

[vraiblonde]

We rolled into Marathon around 4pm and got set up, then went for a drive to see what's what. Birthday dinner at a little sports bar right next to our campground - I had a caesar salad with cajun smoked salmon (it was SO good) and celebratory beers.

The ride down was gorgeous once I got past Homestead. EXCEPT for the hurricane debris on the side of the roads - doors, busted up furniture, building materials, etc. It was sobering and brought home just what these folks went through. You can see areas where the trees have been destroyed, homes being rebuilt, homes that are beyond repair, and businesses that were wrecked and most likely won't come back in their original spot. Most places, though, are back up and running - a few scars, but healing nicely. The area is filled with contractors from all over the country here to work on the rebuild.

I need to remember that I'm in the Keys and chill out. It's a different vibe down here and it's going to take me a couple days to acclimate. If you ever want to "go native" this is a great place to test your skills.

Our campground (Jolly Roger RV Resort) is nice - right on the water, with a boat ramp and fishing-centric accommodations (I may never get Monello out of here). There are only two showers in the single bath house that services the whole campground, so we'll see how that works out. That might be one of the things I need to learn to chill about. They call it a "resort" but it's not - Ocean Lakes is a resort; Emerald Coast is a resort. This is a campground, although perfectly fine (except for that shower thing).

Today after I'm done working we'll explore more.

 

[Monello]

The drive down was visually stunning, once you got past Homestead. Spectacular aqua blue waters on the gulf side. Too bad I wasn't able to get any pictures along the way. Last time I drove the overseas highway was (gasp) 35 years ago. I remember it being a lot narrower. It was actually a nice roll down the road with the RV.

Sad to see the piles of debris along the road. Not the entire length but enough to make you think that it was 1 helluva storm that passed through here. Lots of businesses have open signs letting people know it's business as usual. Other places are in such shape that they have a long way to go before re-opening.

Last night at around 6pm the grocery store was packed with humanity. I know it's a holiday week so that may explain some of the folks there. The campground isn't full yet but it's pretty close. There is a ton of sea grass clogging up the boat ramp area. The water down this way isn't the clear blue that I saw on the way down. It looks like there are a bunch of parks in a short drive from here. There are plenty of places that cater to tourists and snowbirds. So I appreciate them having inviting looking places to eat, drink and hang out.

This will be our longest stop in 1 place since we started rolling around. I'm thrilled we got this far south now rather than later. Last year we had a bit of cold weather in December and early January. That won't be a problem this year. It was already 80 degrees at 10 am this morning. The sun is quite hot. After 2 months here my neck should be red enough to get me into a nascar race.

This area reminds me a lot of the various Caribbean islands. Lush green with tons of palms, sand and surf. The good news is they speak English and they take dollars. Pictures to follow.

 

[Bann]

Can't wait to see the pictures! I know it's gorgeous down there.

 

[Bird Dog]

The drive down was visually stunning, once you got past Homestead. Spectacular aqua blue waters on the gulf side. Too bad I wasn't able to get any pictures along the way. Last time I drove the overseas highway was (gasp) 35 years ago. I remember it being a lot narrower. It was actually a nice roll down the road with the RV.

Sad to see the piles of debris along the road. Not the entire length but enough to make you think that it was 1 helluva storm that passed through here. Lots of businesses have open signs letting people know it's business as usual. Other places are in such shape that they have a long way to go before re-opening.

Last night at around 6pm the grocery store was packed with humanity. I know it's a holiday week so that may explain some of the folks there. The campground isn't full yet but it's pretty close. There is a ton of sea grass clogging up the boat ramp area. The water down this way isn't the clear blue that I saw on the way down. It looks like there are a bunch of parks in a short drive from here. There are plenty of places that cater to tourists and snowbirds. So I appreciate them having inviting looking places to eat, drink and hang out.

This will be our longest stop in 1 place since we started rolling around. I'm thrilled we got this far south now rather than later. Last year we had a bit of cold weather in December and early January. That won't be a problem this year. It was already 80 degrees at 10 am this morning. The sun is quite hot. After 2 months here my neck should be red enough to get me into a nascar race.

This area reminds me a lot of the various Caribbean islands. Lush green with tons of palms, sand and surf. The good news is they speak English and they take dollars. Pictures to follow.

It’s a lot better now than two months ago.........it’s been a long struggle for many. Small businesses and friends totally wiped out. I live on Duck Key in the winter and have been down a lot getting the house and boats back together, not a fun time. Not as bad as some. I know you like to fish, if you’re still there after New Years I’ll “hook “ you up.

 

[vraiblonde]

Can't wait to see the pictures! I know it's gorgeous down there.

It's pretty much not gorgeous right now - at least not a lot of it. They are in the midst of hurricane rebuilding and much of the Marathon area looks like a war zone. We took a drive through Bahia Honda park and most of it is still closed; the rest of it has construction stuff all over the place. We're buying stuff we don't need just to lend moral support to the small businesses who've only reopened in the last week. You gotta admire their spirit, they just keep on truckin'. The oceanfront restaurant where we'll be having dinner this afternoon has a tiki bar and a pool area with dining tables set up around it. It would normally be absolute paradise - the most perfect place on earth - but the view of the ocean is obstructed by construction equipment and rubble where things used to be. All along the side of Rt 1 are piles of household and building debris waiting to be picked up - miles of it.

Irma nailed them but good.

I'll take a bunch of pics - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I don't want to make it sound like we're having a horrible time and chewing our arms off to leave - we're not, and I anticipate we'll be happy here for two months. Their tourist/snowbird season is taking a hit, obviously, so I kind of feel like I'm doing a very small part in helping them get back on their feet just by being here, if that makes any sense. The hotels and campgrounds are okay because of all the contractors down here for the rebuild and debris removal, but those trinkets are not going to buy themselves. Instead of buying Christmas presents on Amazon, this year I'm going to buy local and support the small businesses. It's not much, but it's something.

 

[vraiblonde]

It’s a lot better now than two months ago.........it’s been a long struggle for many. Small businesses and friends totally wiped out. I live on Duck Key in the winter and have been down a lot getting the house and boats back together, not a fun time. Not as bad as some. I know you like to fish, if you’re still there after New Years I’ll “hook “ you up.

Message one of us next time you're down - we'll go get a drink.

 

[RPMDAD]

Check out El Meson de Pepe, down by Mallory Square, get a mojito and watch the sunset.

 

[Bann]

It's pretty much not gorgeous right now - at least not a lot of it. They are in the midst of hurricane rebuilding and much of the Marathon area looks like a war zone. We took a drive through Bahia Honda park and most of it is still closed; the rest of it has construction stuff all over the place. We're buying stuff we don't need just to lend moral support to the small businesses who've only reopened in the last week. You gotta admire their spirit, they just keep on truckin'. The oceanfront restaurant where we'll be having dinner this afternoon has a tiki bar and a pool area with dining tables set up around it. It would normally be absolute paradise - the most perfect place on earth - but the view of the ocean is obstructed by construction equipment and rubble where things used to be. All along the side of Rt 1 are piles of household and building debris waiting to be picked up - miles of it.

Irma nailed them but good.

I'll take a bunch of pics - the good, the bad, and the ugly. I don't want to make it sound like we're having a horrible time and chewing our arms off to leave - we're not, and I anticipate we'll be happy here for two months. Their tourist/snowbird season is taking a hit, obviously, so I kind of feel like I'm doing a very small part in helping them get back on their feet just by being here, if that makes any sense. The hotels and campgrounds are okay because of all the contractors down here for the rebuild and debris removal, but those trinkets are not going to buy themselves. Instead of buying Christmas presents on Amazon, this year I'm going to buy local and support the small businesses. It's not much, but it's something.

That's awesome! (I'm looking for another metal "yard Flamingo" - so let me know if you see one - I'll give it a look!

I hope that there are some unobstructed views of the ocean. Being down there is definitely helping the economy down there, so I am glad you all decided to go anyway.

 

[Bird Dog]

That's awesome! (I'm looking for another metal "yard Flamingo" - so let me know if you see one - I'll give it a look!

I hope that there are some unobstructed views of the ocean. Being down there is definitely helping the economy down there, so I am glad you all decided to go anyway.

There are a lot of unobstructed views of the ocean.....not necessarily a good thing

 

[b23hqb]

There are a lot of unobstructed views of the ocean.....not necessarily a good thing

Yup. Where what used to be somebodys house, or a nice former tract of trees. That was one bad storm, and a big hit for the keys. It will be a long, drawn out process to get back to where it was, but they will because they care about their neck of the woods.

 

[SamSpade]

The drive down was visually stunning, once you got past Homestead. Spectacular aqua blue waters on the gulf side. Too bad I wasn't able to get any pictures along the way. Last time I drove the overseas highway was (gasp) 35 years ago. I remember it being a lot narrower. It was actually a nice roll down the road with the RV.

Where you wrote "gasp" I had to recollect when I was there last - and I realized it was about the same. I saw "Return of the Jedi" when I was there, last.
Man. How does that happen?

 

[Kyle]

Nice to know they improved upon it.. Seeing as Arnold blew it up shooting at terrorists with that Harrier.

 

[Monello]

Nice to know they improved upon it.. Seeing as Arnold blew it up shooting at terrorists with that Harrier.

Seeing how that happened last century, they've had plenty of time to get things back up and running smoothly. That is, until Irma showed up uninvited.

 

[Monello]

So far I've run into 2 issues since we've gotten down here. Luckily they aren't that big of a deal.

First issue is fire ants. I borrowed a rake to level out our lot. It looks like they took a tree down but left the ground very uneven. So I raked the rocks into a pile and got the sand level. When I was about 3/4ths done I felt the first sting. I was wearing sandals and my feet had a few dozen ants on them. I sprayed them with the garden hose but the damage was already done. Cortaid creme was able to counteract the sting and itch.

The 2nd issue is coquina. It's small pieces of shell that look like big grains of sand. And they are as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel. You will find it with your bare feet if there is any around. It's a toss up which is more painful, the shells or the fire ants. But both pack a punch for their small size.

But the weather is fantastic. The pool water is wet and just at the right temperature. Some evenings we get a gently breeze off of the gulf. Sunsets are spectacular.

When we arrived here there were quite a few campers. Then towards the weekend it was close to capacity due to this being thanksgiving week. Today a good chunk of the sites are open. There are more sites open around us than are filled. It's neither here nor there but less people in camp usually means a little more relaxing experience.

Local radio includes both fishing and diving reports. So in addition to the weather they let you know what is biting and where the best underwater visibility is located.

If you have never been to the Caribbean but want to get a feel for what it is like, this area is probably the closest thing without needing a passport. YMMV.

And they have iguanas. That aren't skittish. They show up around the pool daily. People feed them lettuce. Some people have them for pets but they look more at home in the wild, doing what iguanas do.

 

[b23hqb]

You'll never get rid of the fireants, and your feet will toughen up for the crushed shells. Just don't step on any of those nasty pop tops.

 

[vraiblonde]

Our favorite bar at Sunset Grille Restaurant


The restaurant has a pool


The pool is oceanfront


Our Thanksgiving sunset view

 

[Monello]

Lots of empty spaces near us


You can camp right on the seawall

 

[stgislander]

Our favorite bar at Sunset Grille Restaurant

Probably been asked before, but have you been to the Hog Fish over on Stock Island? That was our favorite hangout when working down there.

 

[Monello]

Probably been asked before, but have you been to the Hog Fish over on Stock Island? That was our favorite hangout when working down there.

That's a bit of a drive from here. I'm sure we will end up down that way eventually.

 

[Monello]

I had a few things to do around town. I'm going south when I run into heavy traffic due to road construction. Looking at the GPS shows a possible alternate route. I figure why not and turn right. I go through a residential neighborhood when I see a sign for a restaurant & marina. Time to investigate.

There's a working harbor, restaurant, fresh fish market, quasi gift shop and tiki bar. I check it out and it's the perfect island destination. Great views, open bar, elevated seating and some happy hour priced seafood. I know Vrai will enjoy stopping by and I put it on my mental to do list.

So yesterday while running around, I suggest a mid afternoon snack. Pulling up I sense her interest as she checks out the place. We go into the market to check out their offerings. Fresh, local fish, some clams & scallops, a few dips and stone crab claws. We pop our heads into the restaurant portion and it's mostly picnic tables. You order at the window. There's a small bar and the 'gift shop' is a few t-shirts and some bottled sauces.

We hit the bar. Go up the stairs. All the bar seats face out towards the Gulf. They have a bunch of seafood offerings. The prices are amazing considering what you are getting. Only catch is all food has to be eaten there. No take outs allowed. We got 4 stone crab claws to try them out. They are $2.50 each. I've only eaten them 1 other time that I recall. And I seem to remember that they were quite pricy. The raw bar is visible from the bar. The claws are served with a cold mustard based sauce. The shells were busted up pretty well so they weren't that difficult to pick. Quite tasty indeed.

Best thing is this place isn't too far away. Compared to our summer lobsterpalooza, the seafood is very economical. I'm looking forward to a return to get a lot more claws. Chatting up the bartender to get an idea of how popular the snackie are, he said that just the other day some guy came in and ordered 60 claws. Not sure how many people were in his party. I figure I could knock back around 8 of them and be quite satisfied.

This isn't classy digs. It's thatched roof with typical island decor and the worst taxidermy sailfish I've ever seen. It's a very laid back place that fits in well in this area. Just don't feed the birds.

Here's a few pics.

The bar is on the 2nd deck


Medium claws


The menu