A New Year of Adventures

Helen, Me and John

Wednesday, or was it Tuesday or Thursday? Where does the time go? I guess I have to recall some of the events of the past few days. My old coworker, John MacDougall, spent some time with us exploring Key West. Lunch at Pepe’s (the oldest restaurant in KW est.1909) was the spot we picked for lunch. John’s dog Pappy came with us to the restaurant. Yes, most dogs are allowed in restaurants in Key West! Pappy is well behaved and was very quiet until the chickens started to come into the restaurant. Yes, chickens in Key West roam into restaurant at will. Pappy became the bouncer near the front door. One bark and a quick jump and the chickens retreated to the street in a hurry. The restaurant was crowded and we had a good half hour wait for a table. I had a pull pork sandwich with coleslaw…delicious! The wait gave us a chance to reminisce about our old working days for Brennan Inc. back in Berlin, NH. We talked about our coworkers who have passed on and the ones who are still kicking around.

Aqua Aerobics

Lori (Our Instructor) on the far side

The following day John spent some time on the beach and we went to our aqua aerobic class here on base. Our instructor, Lori, is one fit gal! She does this boxing routine with us, who are in the water and she on the deck. She’s got the jab, punch, hook and upper cut down to a science. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was into kick boxing. She can catapult herself with both feet in the air. I feel healthier just watching her do those moves. We have an hour of aerobics with her and after 45 minutes, we keep checking the clock thinking that time must be up. It is a real good workout! When we come out of the water, we feel like astronauts coming back to earth’s gravity. This is a MWR (Moral Welfare Recreation) activity and is free. A military ID card is all that is necessary to enroll in the class. The class varies, but on this day 34 was the enrollment. Eleven were men.

Pre-New Year’s Eve Party

Like the Christmas Eve party at the Pavilion, everyone brought a dish and our fellow camper DJ was on hand with the Karaoke for entertainment. This gathering was even larger than the Christmas gathering. Some old friends had just come into Trumbo campground and came to the party. Wow, we had a good time remembering last years’ gatherings. Many of the ladies were up dancing the night away. The party was a pre-New Years Eve party because KW is a wild place downtown on the actual eve event.

New Year’s Eve

The End of 2015 &
A New 2016!

On Thursday morning, aerobics class was our time to workout again. The afternoon was spent doing chores around the camper. John wanted to spend the day hanging around the beach and soaking in sun and the breeze. We had made plans to join other couples and have a picnic dinner over at Truman Annex (The Navy Side) and watch the last sunset of 2015. We had the beach to ourselves. The girls setup the food at one of the shelters and we all had chairs to line up on the beach and watch the sailboats sailing around in front of the setting sun. I feel we are so blessed to be able to share this type of moment not only with ourselves, but also with new found friends from all over our country.

Downtown Key West

Yes, someone drives that van
in Key West!

As expected, Key West has some pretty wild New Years’ Eve parties. Thousands and thousands of revelers crowd the streets in front of bars and along the docks to see many things drop at the stroke of midnight. It is very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. All of this, I’m told from people who have braved the crowds and were there. We didn’t attend! After our sunset dinner with friends, on a private beach, we elected to stay away from the crazy crowds and head back to the ranch. Are we getting old? You bet, we are and not scarred to admit it. I just didn’t need to get into the pushing of the throngs. The fireworks were appreciated from the secure comfort of Naval Air Station Trumbo Point campground.

That is what we saw and did!

Unschedule Adventure ~ Sailling!

25 foot Catalina

Leaving the Marina

Sailing, Sailing!!

On Tuesday, Dan our neighbor needed a ride up to Boca Chica Marina. He needed to exercise is sailboat. I said I’d be glad to give him a ride considering that I was expecting a package at the Boca Chica Post Office. My package didn’t arrive and I drove Dan over to the Marina. Dan said, “Do you want to go for a sailboat ride”, I said, “sure why not”. I got on board and the first thing Dan says to me, “Take you wallet and phone and put into the cabin”. I’m thinking, “What I’m I getting into now?” It was incredibly hot sitting there while Dan untied about a hundred ropes holding the sails and rigging. He next started the engine and checked the gauges. We backed out of the slip and turned around towards the channel. He said to me, “Do you want to steer the boat?” I answered “Ha”, what do I do”? He said, Steer between the red and green buoys”. An alarm sounds and the depth finder warns of shallow water. He said we need at least four feet of water before we hit bottom, steer more into the middle of the channel. Like a helicopter, if you move the rudder to the right you’ll go left. It sort of like rubbing you stomach and the top of your head at the same time. got the hang of things pretty quickly. 
He had now raised one sail, but because of the islands to our left, we were shielded from the wind. The Boca Chica Channel is about two miles long. Once we cleared the islands and the channel, things changed quickly. Now that the wind caught the sail, the boat leaned over to the right. Dan trimmed the sail and it felt better. The next amazing thing happened all of a sudden He shut off the engine and I felt like we were in outer space! Quietly, gently sailing along Stock Island and further unto the Key West coast. He said, "It's even better when sailing at night with the stars above." 

Juan Valdez heading North

Now, he was teaching me how to really sail. He pointed to little strands of rope five inches long sewed into the sail. When they are tight and horizontal, you are sailing at its best. He then pointed to a feathered triangle, high on the mast. Above the triangle was an arrow, also with a feather. When the arrow feather is to the left you are sailing at top efficiency, at about five and a half knots. 
Now comes another encounter. When you want to head for a, let's say, buoy, you can’t always just point and sail to it. Wow, there is more to sailing than walking the plank! He said, “Head for those shrimp boats, several miles away”. I gently turned the rudder to the right and headed left towards the shrimp boats. All of this time, Dan is explaining rules of sailing, shrimp boat, no, no’s (they have authority if their nets are out). He said they feel that they are working and careless about sailboats. "Hence stay clear to be safe".

It was time to turn around. He said, "When I tell you turn the rudder hard to the right and keep it there". I knew enough that the one and only sail would be shifting to the other side. We had enough wind that he didn't even have the main sail up. He hollered and I moved the rudder. In a flawless moment, we came about 180 degrees. Wow, I’m thinking how does he do all of this when he’s all alone? He did give me all the details, but he’s been sailing for a long time and he didn't go around the world to get back to the slip at the dock!

Boca Chica Channel

It was hard to take pictures, but Dan did use my iPhone to document me at the helm. I hadn’t brought my wide bream hat because it doesn’t have a string to keep it on my head. Dan loaned me one from the sailboat. I look like Juan Valdez bringing coffee up from Columbia!
I can now see how one can have the love of the sea! I had a feeling like being in outer space on the space station. Quiet, peaceful, all alone and I was still insight of land! Thank You “Captain Dan”.

That is what I saw and did.

Things have changed...The New Security

Sunday Dec. 27, 2015

The security situation has changed since our last year’s visit to say the least. Number one on the list is a directive from the Pentagon. If a gate isn’t manned 24/7 with armed guards, it is to be locked and secured. (This directive is military wide) So how does this effect us? Well, first of all the man gate down on the West end of Trumbo Point was manned by the Coast Guard from 6 or 7am to 10pm with unarmed Coasties. Hence this gate is closed permanently. We now can’t walk to KW tourist districts as quick. It is about a 15 minute walk or 5 minutes by bike. We’re here for sun and exercise hence, thank you the extra security and health benefits. Up at Sigsbees, the other campground the Navy now mans their gate 24/7 with armed guards. The Navy hospital even has locked gates. For the life of me I can’t figure how they operate! It is still open, but the main gates are locked shut.

Another major step in our campground is the elimination of one huge overflow field. What this means is that many, many campers who head down here after the holidays will be turned back. Last year, at one point there were 750 camping units here. Only around 400 units will make the cut this year. I really feel good that we came down early in mid December! This last down sizing of the campground area is in part from, as the gossip goes, a retired Admiral who was parked in motor coach over in the 700 area, refused to move when sites became available in the 500 and 600 block areas. The base commander took care of that this year.

Another issue came up concerning campers walking along the former seaplane landing zone. They said that helicopter operations would be happening and this might be a safety issue. So, Helen and Carol won’t be walking the shore and looking for Conch Shells at least in this restricted zone.

We’ve also noticed more vehicle patrols around the fence lines. That makes us feel safe. Of course, there is three tanks filled with three million gals of aviation fuel just feet away from the campground. We wouldn’t feel a thing if that went off.

A Good Biking Day!

Enough on security, this morning we set out early for a round, around the island. This gave us ten miles with another mile of cruising around the Bohemian back street just below Duval and Thomas Streets. Things were pretty quiet in the neighborhood. At a corner stood two women and a man, nothing unusual, as the man took a swig from a giant bottle of Budweiser protruding from a brown paper bag. Moving along, we pedaled toward the community swimming pool and the first class public park. The city has put a large chunck of money in this section of town. With the new there is always the old. Here the old stands out with Bohemian art that adorns a home here and there. Of course there is a fine line between art and just plain junk.

 Cruise Ship leaving just after sunset!

How the other half lives!

This afternoon we went up to the Navy Gateway Lodge to watch the Patriots and Jets, but a few southern boys were already watching some sun belt teams playing. No problem, we plugged in our computers and did stuff online. This evening, it cooled down a few degrees to the low 80’s and we were due for a night ride with the bikes. This year we decided to wear some reflective vest for extra safety. Our lights, front and rear were flashing, our helmets on, and we set out for our first ride down to Mallory Square. The sunset was history, but we did manage to see a cruise ship pulling away from the dock. I snapped a couple of photos for the blog. The ride continued past the waterfront to where the super rich yachts are moored. A stop for another picture of how the other side lives. Our attention quickly turned to the street just beyond the Westin Hotel. A fire truck, ambulance, police were gathering around an injured pedal biker. We never did find out if he got bumped or took a flop. He was holding his left shoulder. One has to be careful in KW both in the day time and especially at night. Soon our illuminated bikes, vests were heading north towards the campground.




That is what we saw and did.

Christmas Day 2015

December 25, 2015

Christmas Eve at NAS (Naval Air Station) Trumbo Campground!

Dancing the night away!

Our little 5th wheel! (neighbors decorations)

This is our first Christmas away from family, up in New Hampshire, since we’ve been married (1970). Christmas Eve turned out to be a pleasant surprise for us and I think many of our fellow Trumbo campers. About a week ago, we had a community meeting and it was decided to try and do something at our pavilion. We would all bring appetizers and byob or drinks. No one knew how this would all turnout. I think the key to the evening success was a fellow retired military camper who does karaoke down in several places here in Key West. His music and his excellent voice got everyone in the groove. A few brave Trumbonians got up and did karaoke. Great time was had by all, not to mention tons of food and merriment all night. It was mentioned that we should do this again for New Years! It was a marvelous evening with a full moon! The temperature was 76 degrees with a gentle breeze from the East. We sat at a table with now, new found friends. One couple had lived in Alaska and we had plenty to talk about. Another couple was in our aerobic class and Chila (spelled correctly) recognized us. They sounded interested in trying Bocce. We’ll see if they show on Mondays and Fridays. Our schedule is starting to fill-up. Bocce on Mondays and Fridays, Aerobic classes Wednesday, Thursday and could be also on Friday, but we will stick with Bocce on that day. We haven’t checked in to the Soup Kitchen to see if they need volunteers for Sunday. We did see a couple of volunteers, who no longer work there for one reason or another. Things never stay the same and life goes on with or without us. We are grateful that we can live this vagabond lifestyle and meet interesting people.

94 year old Col. Bill signing WWII songs

Speaking of meeting interesting people, our neighbors Pat and Dan are retired FedEx pilots. He flew 30 years and she 25 years for FedEx. They flew together for 8 years (pilot and co-pilot) It’s neat to hear them talk about their travels. They flew all over the world. She would shop, say in Dubai and he loved to shop in Hong Kong. She also had her own flight school in New Jersey. They have a brand new Bentley Motor Home along with a Yacht moored at Boca Chica Mariner. Just another amazing couple that we have met here in Key West!
That is what we saw and did!

In The Groove...Workout

Wednesday, December 23th 2015
Today was a good start to actively keeping fit down here in the Keys. It was time for the shake down cruise on the mountain bikes. Oddly enough, there are no mountains in Key West, but that doesn’t stop us from getting a workout on the bikes. One only has to keep in the higher gears and the pedaling gets harder and the exercise get beneficial. So, for our first ride, we went across down over to Truman Annex, another Navy base. It’s only about three miles, but for a shakedown cruise it was enough to see if anything needed adjustment, after a long dormant time up in New Hampshire.

Christmas Cards filling the top rail of the slide in the camper!

The ride over was uneventful, I did need to adjust the kickstand from rubbing off of the pedal. A minor repositioning of the bike padlock was also needed. At Truman Annex, we explored the deserted beach. Things have changed since last year. There is a large petrified log that we used to sit on last year. To our surprise, the log is buried, nearly invisible. About two feet of coral rocks have been pushed ashore. This part of the beach isn’t really good for swimming, but mostly used for sitting under one of the shelters, looking at the ocean, reading a good book and relaxing the day away. It was early and we were on a mission of making sure the bikes were road worthy for our roundabout of the Kew West Island. On the way back, we detoured into Truman Annex, the civilian high-end housing district. This hasn’t changed, everything is prim and proper and also with a hefty price tag to live, rent or buy property. Vehicle traffic here is restricted to occupants, bicycles are allowed, but the gates are locked, I believe around 6 or 7 in the evening. It is a wonderful evening walk or bike ride, if you don’t mind walking or biking to a one and only access point.

Santa's helper down on the docks!

Once back at NAS Trumbo campground, Helen kept reminding me that we should be going over to the Olympic size swimming pool and join the aqua aerobic class. First, I was concerned that the water would be to cold, yes, that’s what I’ve been hearing. Secondly, I wasn’t sure if there would be any  guys in the class. Well, moving right along, I agreed to go. Helen said it was free so what did I have to lose!
It was free, except, we had to walk back to the camper and bring our military ID’s. I was surprised to see how many people showed up both from Trumbo and Sigbee campground. Ok, the water temperature was 78 degrees, it was cool to get into, but in three minutes, the athletic looking female instructor was moving us around and the temperature was a none issue. It was the first time that I have tried this type of exercise. With five bulging disks, (no back pain, just numbness in my left leg), I was surprised to see how this aerobic exercise seemed to work for me. The water resistance is the key. Look at me, talking like an expert! Will see how this activity will workout for my chubby waste line numbers. Oh, yes, there were enough males in the class for me to blend in!

That is what we saw and did!

Its the Sun and Not the Temperature

Busy unpacking

A funny thing happened over the weekend. Saturday and Sunday it was cloudy, and extremely windy. We stayed indoors and kept busy. The temperature inside felt cool, not cold. Here is what I think was funny. When going outside to run errands, it was warm and breezy, a lot warmer than inside. So, to conclude, our bodies are psychology tuned into thinking when its grey and windy it must be a cold dreary day. Ah, it wasn’t cold at all, hence my synopsis is…when the sun doesn’t shine, we assume its cold and miserable outside.
Enough of Psychology 101! Today, the sun beamed on my balding head until it did its twilight disappearance.
I spent the early morning hours working outside, first cleaning the truck with a shammy and a little water. I didn’t have too much road grime, but it sure needed a good cleaning. Next, I spent time looking for lost stuff, you know, “I’m sure I packed it, but where did I put it?” Still looking for that Kindle Fire?
Around 9:30am, we drove over to the Bocce field across town. Now, normally we would bike over, but that was just another chore that I had just completed this morning. Ya, installing, a front basket, on Helen’s bike, mounting the headlights, taillights and checking batteries. Adjusting, Helen’s mirror that came loose from the trip down. I’ll have everything tuned up in a day or so. We arrived at the field and drew cards to see who would be our partners. Helen and I have never been partners, as far as I can recall. The temperature was getting hot around noon when we wrapped up the second set. My team won the first and lost the second set. I think Helen lost the first set and won the second. In any event, we had a real good time playing and chatting with new and old friends.
After lunch, I did more unpacking and worked on my ten dollar home made Tondo truck bed cover. We are starting to get into the groove of Key West, Florida life. A bunch of campers rolled in to Trumbo Campground this afternoon.

That’s what we did and saw!

The Wind Down

Saturday morning December 19th, 2015
It is amazing how jet lag can hit you after driving 2003 miles nearly nonstop. We’ve been here two full days and still not fully recovered. Yesterday, we got most of our groceries and filled the refrigerator with goodies. We also found time to go to our Bocce game. We played one game of the two scheduled, but skipped the second to finish awaiting chores back at the ranch.

Even at Trumbo Campground the Spirit Shines

Now most of you will think I am bragging about the weather. Its been very, very hot! 86 degrees with high humidity. This is part of the same unusual weather in the Northeast. Fortunately, a cold front came last night and cooled us down considerably. It was definitely way too hot and humid. (don’t laugh)

Lobster Trap Decoration

Last night, we wanted to get tickets on the “Polar Express”. This is a rubber tire train with several trolley styled cars that drive around Key West looking at the Christmas lights among the residential neighborhoods. Of course, we couldn’t get tickets as several hundred military families were already booked weeks in advance. This was a special military event with tickets costing only $5 a person. The downtown tour was $25 a head. We said to ourselves, why don’t we just follow one of the five trains leaving the Sigbee campground area. That’s what we did until we came to the first traffic light. The lights are very long and by the time the 125’ train went through the intersection, naturally the light was red again. So much for that idea! We drove around and did our own sightseeing. Christmas in Key West is not like up north in New Hampshire, but it’s not say that they don’t celebrate the birth of Christ!
The evening before we did a little walking around and stopped in at the Minor Basilica Mary Star of the Sea. The choir was rehearsing, the doors were open and the church was decorated for Christmas. Walking in, I took a couple of pictures. It was a special little private welcome back to KW to us!

St Mary Star of the Sea "Nativity"

This is what we did and saw!

Its a Key West Landing

We are in Key West! Our arrival was at 8:39 this morning. The camp host drove us around and we selected one of three available sites in the 500 block area. This is what I wanted. Water tap is available within 30 feet. The orientation is facing in the right direction for afternoon shade. We have a concrete pad which is good most of the time, except when it rains heavily and it takes a little more time to evaporate the runoff.

Busy unpacking and setting up!

We spent most of the rest of the day setting up the 5th wheel, leveling, filling up the fresh water tank, sterilizing the water system and getting everything, well not everything, unpacked. We paid the rent for the winter and put our name in for long term storage here on the Navy Base. We are on a waiting list for a spot and may or may not get one. This is for keeping our 5th wheel here during the summer.

Richard & Monique will appreciate this selfie as much
as we did! Thanks 

That is what we did and saw!

Nearly There! 129 Miles Left

Day 4 ~ Long and Tiring!
Before sunrise, we were on the road. Just a few miles to the Florida border. A quick stop for our annual Florida Visitor Center selfie photo. I can’t remember how many times I filled the truck up with gas. Today’s mileage was 423.2 miles, but the kicker was it took us 11 hours 39 mins of actual driving time. Problem was Miami! We were stuck in slow moving traffic. I had gotten off I-95 long before it got busy, but somehow we got stuck in the afternoon/dinner rush. Hence we are parked at the last Cracker Barrel restaurant before the beginning of the overseas highway. Tomorrow, our journey will end with another 129 miles to Key West.
This afternoon in Miami, I recorded a high of 90 degrees for about an hour. The humidity is high, but down in the Keys the ocean breeze will take care of that.

The Sunshine State...but not at 6am!!

That’s what we saw and did!

Day Three of the Marathon

3rd Day is a Charm!
Wow, these three travel days have been literally been flying. Today, we drove 500.3 miles, yesterday 485 and the first day 460 for a total of 1445 miles. We are 24 miles from the Florida border in Brunswick, GA. Yes, we are parked at another Cracker Barrel restaurant. I could have risked going to the Navy Submarine base at Kings Bay, but it was getting late with no guarantee of an available site. Here we are at our favorite “on the road eatery” for the night. No hassles about getting kicked out of the lot. I had an excellent shrimp dinner and now winding down for a good night sleep in the camper.
The weather is already incredible with a high of 77 degrees and we’re not even in Florida! Oh, one more thing I took care of this evening. Because we were afraid of getting our mountain bikes full of salt and brine, we had put them in the camper. With the slide closed, we were climbing over the sofa to get to things. Well, the bikes are now parked on the bike rack in the front of the truck. The weather will not be a factor.

Here we are at our RV Cracker Barrel Campsite 

Selfie At The Visitor Center!

The shades are part of the culture down here!

That is what we saw and did!

Day Two "Of the Marathon"!

This evening, I must say that I’m tired. Not because I drove another 450 plus miles again today. No because the day started out at my usual 5am roll call and we were driving on I-81 by 6am, but because a dense fog filled the mountainous region of Pennsylvania. It was like that for a couple of hours. The white knuckles keep me on edge! Finally, the sun came out for a few hours which gave us a break. The afternoon, turned out to be not so great as the rain came in for the rest of the day. Tonight, we are parked at another Cracker Barrel Restaurant for the night. We are located south of Richmond, VA close to the North Carolina border. I’d say we are about half way to Key West, Fl.
On the positive side… The temperature today was in the low seventies! The evenings are acceptable in the mid 50’s. Our furnace is surprisingly quiet and keeps us comfy in the camper.
The other good news is the cost of gas! I’ve seen it as low as $1.75 a gal here in Virginia. We’ve been paying around $2.03. This helps defray the decrease (miles per gal) mileage from pulling the 5th wheel. I’m a “Happy Camper” but also a tired one. I must be getting older, I’ll have to check the calendar!
Well that’s the scoop for today. No time for pictures and a longer blog, but I ‘ll do better when we arrive in Key West.

That’s what we saw and did!

On the Road Again!

Here we are sitting in the fifth wheel at a Cracker Barrel in Wilkes-Barre PA. Its 7pm and I’m here writing my days events. We left Berlin, NH around 5am this morning. I drove 10 1/2 hrs of actual driving time, although it was a 12 hour day. My goal was 450 miles a day, but we bettered that and did 462.3 miles.
The fifth wheel pulled just marvelously. The new brakes assemblies that I installed also exceeded my expectation! The F-250 kept up with the traffic. I, on the Interstate, traveled at 60mph. Now this is not a diesel and going up those mountains in Vermont brought the Ford nearly to its knee’s. Some hills I was down to 40 miles per hour, but that’s ok. I just turned on the four way flashers and stayed in the right truck lane.
This is a short blog, I am tired and going to bed. Oh,no motel tonight, its 63 degrees and the “what little chill” in the camper was soon gone with the furnace.
That is what we saw and did!