updated:    April 28,  2008

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  Key West, Florida

        35th Wedding Anniversary DXpediton

                           in search of Sand Fleas

Day 1  February 21, 2008

                    20degrees & snow @The Airstream Factory @ Jackson Center Ohio to pick up a new mattress.

Day 2     drove in snow, sleet and freezing rain to the Tennessee border

Day 3     Cross the mountains and stay at the Elks Lodge in Historic Old South downtown of Asheville, North Carolina

                               Sunday morning mass @ the Basilica of St. Lawrence.  ... very pleasant town with a delightful

Day 4     Orangeburg, South Carolina Elks Lodge, Lodge was closed but open for travelers.

Day 5     Jacksonville, Florida Elks Lodge  ...Friendly Lodge w/ Big Screen TV's to watch Marquette University beat Villanova.

Day 6 February 26,2008    Officially in Florida,

            we made it to the Beach & got the last Camp site @  Sebastian Inlet State Park,  Florida

Key Largo Elks, they were full but let us in for one night,

              a few pops in the bar & right in time for Pasta Night. 

Day 8           Highway One & the 2 lane road to Key West                   ...seven mile bridge

                                       Highway One

  Day 8  February 28,2008   Stock Island @ Key West

    & the closest & next island from Key West, we get a dry camping spot right on the water for 4 nights

                   for not having reservations we ended up with one of the best sites in the Park

We camped at this same campground

                                        in 1980 the year Carrie started Kindergarten.  Our view from behind our trailer

afternoon 20 meter net    ...notice the new CB installation, our other CB died in Ohio on the way down

Day 9    we take the city bus to Duval Street and start out Tavern Tour

Live Duval Street Cam Link        look for us on Duval Street after 3 pm

Captain Tony's Saloon Link        1998 The Four Season stopped in and did a set Pro Bono while we were at the bar

                   Schooner Warf     ...great place   fresh oysters, peel & eat shrimp & buckets of Bud

Sea Turtle swimming to the Music, last year this time in Bahia Los Angeles Baja  California Mexico we learned about these Sea Turtles that travel the oceans currents around the world.  Maybe this one is Mexican??

        Breakfast on the Wharf                                                          ...midday Pool time

   Blue Heaven Link   

                     our favorite "Funky Joint" in Bahamas Village, & that don't call it that for nothing!!!

                          ...we had our 25th wedding anniversary dinner hear 10 years ago

Day 11  Mass @ St. Mary of the Sea in Key West

                      St. Mary of the Sea Link   we renewed our 25 wedding vows April 28, 1998

             turn the Ziggy Buggy around as we head north from Key West

 Day 12   March 3,2008   Everglades National Park, Florida         Everglades National Park

            time to relax & enjoy this beautiful Park      ...Kayak & Hike w/ the Gators & Crocodiles w/ time

                         nice camp site, only about 35% full because of hurricane damage 2 years ago in the Park

in 2003 before the Hurricanes this Marina was full of yachts from Florida Bay,

                        now with limited services it is close to empty.                      ...Crocodiles guard the Marina

Notice the Dead Trees on the this island.  In 2003 this bird Rookery was full of at least 10,000 tropical birds of all kinds, now 2 or 3 birds scavenge for something to eat.  Tidal waves from the 2 Hurricanes ripped up the trees and filled the fresh water pond with salt water.  These birds have lived here since the early 1900's when hunters would pluck the birds long feathers for woman's hats of the day.

Wood Pecker making a nest in the dead trees                   Eagle watches for reptiles and rodent that have move in the area

 Bird watching

The salt water and ocean mud from the tidal waves killed much of the coastal mangroves causing the many tropical birds and Alligators to leave.  New grasses are first now beginning to grow and the reptiles and rodents like snakes, lizards, mice are plentiful and the dead trees are full of predator Eagles and Hawks and wood peckers dining on the bugs in the dead trees.

   Fish for lunch from Florida Bay within site               ...the Park Lodge is closed & abandoned from the 2 Hurricanes.

    Everglades National Park is taking a 3 year survey w/ 3 choices.

            1.   Do nothing and just keep the campground open

            2.   Rebuild the Lodge the way it was

            3.   Rebuild with a new more extravagant complex.

Day 14   March 5,2008    Kathleen heads out into Florida Bay from Flamingo Marina

                         the photo looks hazy but the haze is a relief from the sunny 87 degree & humid day

Kathleen holds Bird Class

                      the Tropical Birds still like standing on the Sand Bars in Florida Bay, in Flamingo's today

Pelicans greet you coming back into the Marina

Day 15 / Day 4 in the Everglades March 6,2008

                         Kayak w/ the Gators Day

 into the Mangroves of the Everglades

we head to 9 mile pond mm9   (9 miles from Flamingo Camp Ground mm0)

                                                   plenty of Gators out fishing & hungry for tropical  birds

other Gators prefer to sun bath on the shore                ...as I paddled up to the 2 Gators on the right,

one of the Gators jumped up and ate a Blue Heron right in front of me, I could here the crunching bones of the large tropical bird, the 2nd Blue Heron stood just 3 foot away watching waiting t be eaten by the 2nd Gator

            50 feet past the feeding Alligators was the opening into the Mangroves.

                                    winding through the Mangroves

The further from 9 mile Pond you get the red waters of the Mangroves give way to the clear shallow

                  waters of the swamp w/ plenty of Fish

the trail is marked with numbered PCP pipe, other wise you would soon be lost, if you paddle awhile and don't see the next PCV pipe you  need to retrace your route

                        around each turn the Everglades changes a bit

clear waters                                                                                           tropical birds

                            sea weed flowers blooming

                               souring                                          ...airing out the feathers

                                                                                      Kathleen Gator watching from shore

                                Gators are actively feeding on fish & birds

               Kathleen's turn to get up close & personal w/ the Gators

 Gator pops up

                                              next to Kathleen, looks like he has his eye on that bird.

  Day 16    March 7,2008  we be Hik'n today

   finding a trail with some sun light & access to the Florida Bay Breezes helps keeps the mosquito's away.

Day 16                Hot & Humid today, time for some Hik'n

                              gather a coconut

     Sea Gulls

           Marina Crocodile                                                        the tropical birds are slowly returning

   morning glories and tropical birds

              Hik'n  the 4 mile round trip Snake Bite Trail to Florida Bay

                                        ...just before we make it to Florida Bay a Rattle Snake heads off into the brush

     Bird of Paradise                                                            Tides out

 w/ Day 19    March 11,2008

                          driving the Tamiami Highway Route 41 in  Big Cypress Everglades National Preserve 

...We spend the night at Collier Seminole Park  but someone opened up a bucket of bugs & let them out!

                                   We will stay only one night because of the mosquitoes

Day 20 March 11,2008   Everglade City

                                         & the Chokoloskee Island Camp Resort , very nice

Funky Little Outfitter / Fishing / retirement / Kayaking the 1,000 islands of the Everglades Town with the house specialty,

                                    fresh Stone Crab as we watch the air boats heading out a few clouds appear, then!

tomorrow we will try another fishery & have the Grouper

out of no where is a passing thunder storm        ...and  again run across our Airstream friends Jim & Vicki

                                     that were on the Airstream Baja California Caravan with us last winter

Day 21 March 12,2008   Hik'n on the Tamiami Trail

Day 22   March 13        1st Stop:   visit with Kathy Hanson on Marco Island, Tom was back in Chicago

  next Stop

Ft. Myers & lunch  w/ Killer Combat USMC Vietnam Veteran John Petruska & his wife Susan.

The last time I saw John was February 1970 the night before I went on R&R to Bangkok.  When I returned from R & R John and all of the Fifth Platoon had rotated home.  The entire Fifth Platoon had been sent back to the CONUS aka Continental United States.

                                I was left with all new State Side Marines, I left Vietnam February 17, 1970.

Sand Key Clearwater, Florida

    We spend the night at the Dunedin Elks Lodge & catch the Marquette basketball game on TV

Day 23   March 14   Travelers Rest Airstream Park

Day 24 - 26   March 15 - leave 18th   Disneyworld Fort Wilderness Campground

                                               for some pool side Mickey Mouse & Palm Sunday before the trek north

        Palm Sunday  ...we say Hi to Mickey Mouse & get our tickets for the Magic Kingdom for tomorrow,

                          a Monday, when the crowds might be down.

                                ...mid day at the Grand Floridian Pool

                                                    Kathleen gets a POP for the pool side

                                                                SPA time

                          Polynesian Hotel                                                      Pool time @ Wilderness Lodge

Day 27  March 18    Valdosta. Elks, Georgia

Day 28  March 19           Dinner w/ old friend Ed,  Norcross , Georgia

                 we missed Sylvia who was heading for Florida for Easter with their son Tom & Family

Martha often joins me for the daily

                               early morning Amateur Radio 40 Meter RV Service Net 7230 @ 7230 khz

Day 29  March 20 In the hills of Tennessee

We Blew the Engine on the Ford F250 V10.  It spit out the #1 Spark Plug right out of the engine head.  Ouch!

As the locals would say on out trip 1,200 miles South of the Border last winter, "No Problemo." We pull off the I-75 & set up camp in the parking lot of Jacky Joes Ford- Lincoln- Mercury Sweetwater, Tennessee.  Ford has a kit to rethread the cylinder and we are back on the road by 10am the next morning.

Day 30 - 32  March 21 -23   Easter in Lexington, Kentucky

Day 33  March 24    Howard County Vietnam Veterans Organization aka HCVVO Kokomo, Indiana

                        3rd week in September 40,000 Vietnam Vets gather hear every year.

Day 34  March 25    Home Wheaton, Illinois (Chicagoland)

        30  Portable & Mobile Amateur Radio High Frequency contacts this DXpedition