Florida South Coast

Our reasonable motel has a reason that is a reasonable motel.  After enduring a night in what felt like a steam room, we were treated to packaged breakfast sweet rolls in the tiny lobby.  We were happy to get on the road and the promise of warmer temperatures.  Our first stop was the exclusive Jupiter Island with its mansions and manicured landscaping.  A beach stop revealed that we were still in transitional weather,  a brisk wind that took the chill off the last couple of days, but still not time to pull out the shorts.  Next, it was down to Palm Beach and a crowded Saturday market where we picked up some street food for lunch.  In West Palm Beach we walked the grounds of the Episcopal church where the rich and famous like to tie the knot.  Driving by Mar a Lago we caught a glimpse of the Trump residence between secret service cars.  We capped our Beach town day with a stop at Lauderdale by the Sea before heading inland to Coral Springs and our La Quinta motel which was quite an improvement over the previous night.

Sunday was our Miami day.  The morning greeted us with mid-seventies temperature which we were totally ready for.  We had decided to use the Hop on Hop off Big bus to see the major sights.  Unfortunately, our gps directions gave us a bum steer for the bus start, but we had a scenic drive through Miami Beach neighborhoods.  After identifying the real bus hub back in Miami, we went back across the causeway to Miami Marketplace and caught the double decker bus.  We passed by cruise ship row, and were back in South Beach where we got off and enjoyed a stroll on the promenade between a lively beach crowd and the deco art of the hotels.  We walked a couple of miles and experienced a confusing scramble to find the next bus stop; then boarded the bus to enjoy a drive through the various areas of Miami, getting off the bus again in Little Havana.  We ate at an authentic cafe, complete with cramped quarters, dark walls and blaring live music, topped off with Cuban coffee which we payed for later that night.  The open air bus ride back downtown added fuel to our day's sunburn.  We slipped out of the city and found a Best Western in Florida City, spending the night watching the Eagles and Chiefs secure their spots in the Super Bowl.

Frigid Florida

In an attempt to enjoy a little warmer weather in January, we decided to spend a few weeks in Florida.  My sister Ellen is accompanying us on this adventure.  We took a red eye flight that started with a misunderstanding with Alaska Airlines which resulted in paying for some check in luggage.  We arrived in Tampa sleep deprived and freezing.  It was colder in Tampa than when we left Seattle.  After securing our car rental, we jolt started our day with a trip to McDonalds, finalizing our plans for the next day or two days. Our original plan was to visit the panhandle, but reports of snow in Pensacola quickly changed our plans.  We decided to head to the Space Coast and enjoy the Kennedy Space Center while the weather was bad.

We drove across the state in the morning and explored Cocoa Beach with a stop at Ron Jon's.  Lunch was at Big Daddy 5 where Esther tried the Frito pie.  A late afternoon nap at the motel gave us enough energy to go eat at Cracker Barrel.  Thursday was a long day at the Kennedy Space Center where we stayed warm and entertained, browsing the many museums and a warm bus ride through the complex.  We thoroughly enjoyed the experience of 70 years of US space history.  The museum of the Apollo program was our highlight.  That evening we started north toward St. Augustine, stopping to give Ellen a Buc-ee's experience before finding a motel for the evening.

We woke up Friday to another chilly but sunny day.  Though it looked more like Florida in the sun, it still did not feel like Florida.  We toured the Fort Castillo de San Marcus, the historic St. George Street and the lighthouse, passing on the Alligator Farm.  Making St. Augustine just a short stop, we turned south along the coastal route A1A through beach towns, resorts, condos and exclusive mansions and the beach of course.  No one was on the beaches, not even in Daytona Beach-too cold!  We made our down to Fort Pierce and found a reasonably priced motel near the interstate and enjoyed a sunset over the next door truck stop.