Bahia Honda State Park – Day 2 - Lounging Day

As planned we didn’t do much all day. Got up late, got dressed late, took several walks and hung around reading. All in all – a great day. It was cool (65 degrees) , windy and overcast so no need for AC .

Jewel was settling in quite nicely and decided to dig a dirt bed! Did I mention she likes to use her nose as a shovel!!!!!!!!!! So much for the bath I had  given her three days earlier.

       

We decided to explore the CG and were impressed with the variety of things to do. Unfortunately most of the places we wanted to explore there were no dogs allowed.

 

             

We enjoyed our day of relaxation but still haven’t become accustomed to the traffic noise on the bridge. Whenever we were out walking Jewel I kept looking back because I thought there was a car coming up behind us.  Maybe by day three we will be able to ignore it.

The plan is to head into Key West in the morning and decide what it is we will be doing there. We also have a gift certificate that Kelly & Patrick gave us for Christmas to take the  Ferry to Dry Tortugas for a 70 mile 2.5 hour trip one way. We need to get our bearings and find out where the ferry leaves from and how long in advance we need to make reservations. We get breakfast and lunch plus a tour of Fort Jefferson (Yes! another Fort), then snorkeling gear to partake if the ocean is not too rough. They won’t let you snorkel near the reefs if the seas are too high. Looking forward to another day of adventure.

Day 23– Day 1 - Bahia Honda State CG, Pine Key, Florida

It was time to move on to our planned destination of Bahia ( Pronounced Ba-Hay) Honda State Park. We  had tried to get into this state park over the years but it filled so fast we never had any luck. Ron finally found out the secret and we managed to get in this year.

We were on the road by 10:30 am with clear skies, bright sun and temps in the high 60’s. A cold front was moving through so the temps were expected to be lower then usual for the time of year. 60’s are OK with us, certainly better then teens and snow!!!

The drive to Bahia Honda took much longer then expected. The traffic was really bad and even worse on US 1 with all the road construction going on. It took us 30 minutes to go 2 miles and that same scenario was repeated off and on for about 45 miles. By the time we arrived we had been on the road for over 5 1/2 hours traveling only 187 miles. YIKES!!!! What a tiring drive/ride.

Once we set up we were surprised at the road noise over the bridge. We hadn’t considered that the bridge was so close to the CG! The CG has been named the best in the state for the last two years so I guess most people don’t care about the heavy traffic noise that echoes off the bridge and water – constantly. US 1 is the only road in and out of Key West so the traffic is constant. We could only hope that we would become accustomed to the noise and wouldn’t hear it after a couple of days.

The other factor we hadn’t considered was the lack of  digital TV stations. I guess when the government required that the country go digital the Keys did  not – so no satellite – no TV reception. OK then, we will do without TV for two weeks. We don’t watch much TV anyway but we do like to check out the news and we do have at least three shows we enjoy. Maybe its time to think about getting a satellite hook-up.

Florida CG’s promote themselves as being “full service”  CG’s. Their full service means only water and electric – no sewer – so we have to use their shower facilities – not ours. Not an issue  because the bath house was right behind us and very clean and we were aware before we booked the site.  We had hoped to get a site on the water but those are difficult to get and you have to be on-line at the exact right moment to get those. Also Florida residents have first dib's on those sites so our chances were reduced even further.

 

Our site is nicely enclosed with a very large Palm tree with lots of coconuts in it.

               

It was muggy and in the low 80’s when we set up so the first order of business was to get the AC running. We tried sitting outside for dinner but too sticky. After dinner we took Jewel for a nice long walk and even she was too hot and had to slow down.

               

 

Not to worry,  the cold front was moving in on us and we were told it would not get above 65 on Thursday or maybe even for the next ten days. The seas were so rough  and the Portuguese Man of War  had arrived on the beaches – so no swimming , snorkeling or kayaking. Well, what do you know – we arrive and everything falls apart!!!!! LOL Oh, well, we’ll enjoy the weather anyway.

While I was preparing dinner Ron went to catch a picture of the sunset. The middle picture, in my opinion, is a National Geographic picture!!!!

 

                                                           

After dinner we relaxed and were in bed fairly early. Our plan – to take Thursday off and lounge around!!!! Then it will be off to the races again planning our stay here and taking in the area.

Day 22–National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum and Memorial, Fort Pierce, Florida

It had rained quite hard during the night because there were numerous puddles remaining in the CG when we got up. Although quite warm it was cloudy and overcast.  The plan for the day was for us to go to Carolyn and Jack’s for breakfast then to the Navy Seal Museum.

After a tasty breakfast of French toast and scrambled eggs we were on our way. The museum was 90 minutes away so Ron, who is getting spoiled because he didn’t have to drive, really enjoyed the journey as a passenger.  Carolyn and I sat in the back also enjoying the ride. It rained off and on and remained overcast for most of the day.

When we arrived at the Museum the rain had stopped and the sun peeked out briefly. The ground upon which the museum sits is recognized as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy “Frogman.” From 1943 to 1946, thousands of brave volunteers were trained as members of the Naval Combat Demolition Units (UCDU) and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT). The WW II Frogmen have evolved into the most elite commando force in the  world, the U.S. Navy SEALS.

                  

The Museum  was formally dedicated in November of 1985 and since then  a continuous stream of history and artifacts have returned home to Fort Pierce. The exterior exhibits include Apollo training crafts,  a Vietnam Era “Huey” helicopter and other watercraft and small boats. Inside holds a gallery that reveals the evolution of over 60 years of Naval Special Warfare. The displays include knives, firearms, photos, dive/marine equipment and dioramas of seals in action in Vietnam. There are training videos and a wall of Medal of Honor recipients.

Many of the volunteers working in the Museum were former Navy SEALS and were very informative. We were told that before the training facility in Fort Pierce became fully active there were less then 4000 people living in Fort Pierce. Once the training facility was in full force it brought that number up over 130,000.

We were at one time  big “Survivor”” fans and had watched the year that Rudy Boesch had been a contestant. It mentioned that he had been a Navy SEAL but the implication of his job in that role didn’t hit home until we saw his picture, uniform and his rank of Master Chief. He was also an Olympic bobsledder – quite an athlete and no he didn’t win survivor!

 

As we were going through the Museum and looking at the artifacts and the  pictures of the men who had been, are,  and those training to be NAVY SEALS they all look like your All American boy next door. Certainly not the rough, tough, brave trained killers whose job was to succeed at a mission at all costs – even if it meant their lives. But there they all were protecting our country knowing all the risks.  Ron and I both agree that it takes a very special person to do that type of job.

 

               

They had the original life boat from the Maersk Alabama. It was amazing when looking a the lifeboat how the SEAL snipers could actually take out the hijackers in rough seas without hurting the captain of the Maersk!!

                 

They also have the mock-up of Obama Bin  Laden’s compound that was presented to the Museum by 60 Minutes. The third photo depicts Bin Laden on the floor in a pool of blood. In the fourth picture is the tail end of the helicopter that crashed in the compound. It was destroyed  to prevent anyone from getting any classified info and the men on board were all safe.

                                    

Even now looking at the mock up of the compound it’s seems surreal that these men in the dark of night completed a mission that was in the works for ten years.

 

Just about every museum we have been to has a piece of the World Trade Center on display.

     

We worked our way to the back of the Museum then outside to check out the  huge MKV Special Operations Craft that is on a trailer and ready for deployment if needed.

              

                                                                                          

                                                                                       

 

By the time we got back outside to view the displays it was raining again. We walked to the Memorial for the Navy SEALS that died in combat since its inception. It is a beautiful Memorial. The wall of names reminded  me of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC.

                 

Even though it was raining (just a little) Ron wanted to check out the beach where much of the training occurred.

    

 

It was a very informative and terrific place to spend the day. Back at the Guthrie's we enjoyed a delicious spaghetti dinner and good company. Another great day visiting with our friends. We always have a good time with them.

     

We will be off to our much anticipated two weeks at Bahia Honda in the Florida Keys on Wednesday.

Day 21 - Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Juno Beach; Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Museum, Tindall Pioneer Homestead, La Bamba Mexican Restaurant, Boynton Beach, FLA

Jack and Carolyn picked us up at around 10 am for our day trip to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach.  The center is located adjacent to one of the most heavily nested sea turtle beaches in the world. The mission of the center is to promote conservation of Florida’s coastal ecosystem with a special focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles.

     

The center provides education to the public regarding the importance of protecting the sea turtles and that the beaches in South Florida, especially those in Juno Beach, Jupiter and Tequesta are among the  most actively nested beaches in the world.

 

Each year as many as 10,000 sea turtle nests are recorded on the nine miles of beach monitored by the center. Additionally the LMC is home to the Gordon & Patricia Gray Veterinary Hospital, a state of the art hospital that is permitted to treat threatened and endangered sea turtles.  The five species of sea turtles that frequent the local waters are greens, hawksbills, Kemp’s ridleys, leatherbacks and loggerheads.. Each year between 70-80 sea turtles and more then 1,000 hatchlings are cared for by the hospital staff and trained volunteers. After each turtle has been examined, diagnosed and prescribed treatment the goal is for each turtle to be released  back to its ocean home.

The center was amazing and even more amazing is the fact that 17 of the turtles receiving treatment at the facility were those that were rescued in Cape Cod and sent here  to be cared for and to be nursed back to health so they can once again be released to their natural habitant. So here we are in Florida looking at Massachusetts turtles! Incredibly there were 300 turtles rescued from the cold water on the Cape. We watched as snowflake swam vigorously around her tank (almost ready for release). Then there was Brewster and Sagamore (cute) who still needed antibiotics and close monitoring.

     

 

                    

We learned that when turtles get too cold their immune system shuts down making them prone to infection. That is what happened to the turtles that were stranded in the cold waters off Cape Cod in January. Although this facility is fairly large it didn’t have enough room to take in all of the turtles. So the remainder of the 300 were shipped off to different facilities around the country. 

While we were at the center we watched as one of the rescued turtles was being treated. They have a full facility medical center, with x-ray and operating room. Unbelievable and amazing!

          

The facility and grounds were immaculate with scattered sculptures dotting the landscape.

 

                   

We spent around two hours at the facility and truly appreciated what the volunteers and employees were doing to protect the species. There are so many great programs like this one  that many people are not aware of.

After leaving the Loggerhead  Marinelife Center we headed down the road in search of another similar facility but got side tracked by the  Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. Of course Ron and I love lighthouses so Jack & Carolyn graciously agreed to stop to take a look. Thank You Carolyn & Jack!!!!

We had to take a tour in order to get to see and climb the lighthouse because it sits in an area where there is private housing. We were explicitly told by our tour guide to stay on the red brick (not yellow brick) road. Along the road we stopped to check out the wild coffee bean plants .

     

 

Located in beautiful Jupiter Florida, the Jupiter Inlet lighthouse sits on land that was secured by the U.S. Military after the 2nd Seminole Indian War. It is constructed on top of a 48 foot natural parabolic dune. With the actual lighthouse tower measuring 108 feet, it sits at 156 feet above sea level.

In 1853, Jupiter Inlet was named by Congress as one of 6 authorized lighthouse projects in South Florida. Construction was completed in 1860 and the tower was officially lit on July 10, 1860. Then, in 1861, the light was put out during the Civil War when the lighting apparatus was removed by a band of unlawful individuals who were visiting the Inlet. It remained out until the war ended and the Lighthouse resumed operating in 1866 after the recovery of the stolen parts in Lake Worth Creek.

In the time since, the Lighthouse has been a fixture to the city growing around it. From the first large employer in Jupiter, Pennock Plantation, to the thriving businesses around it today, Jupiter Lighthouse has always been a symbol in the community. The tower was renovated in 1999-2000, making the nearly 150 year old structure look almost new again.

 

              

The grounds that the lighthouse sits on are beautifully maintained surrounded by palm trees. Just adjacent to the lighthouse is a deck and Banyan tree that is quite spectacular. 

The climb to the top of the lighthouse included 34 concrete stairs to the base of the lighthouse then another 108 steps to the top. Yeah!!!! More stairs.

        

The lighthouse was in great shape and beautifully maintained.

                     

We really enjoyed the climb although in reality it was no different then any other lighthouse we have climbed expect that it was in great shape.  Back on the ground our tour guide continued with the history of the area.

 

 

Next we stopped at the Tindall Pioneer Homestead an historic cracker-style house built by George Washington Tindell on the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter in 1892. The first thing we noticed when we walked into the kitchen area was the stove. It was a Glenwood Stove made in Taunton, MA.

         

After we  toured the homestead we headed back to Boynton Beach. The tour of the lighthouse took longer then we expected so we missed lunch and we were all hungry. We had at least a one hour drive back to Boynton Beach and arrived around 4 PM at the  La Bamba Mexican Restaurant. They were offering $1.99 margaritas and since it was Monday we all had one. The food, margarita and company was great. We laughed a lot and since the Margarita  hit me like a ton of bricks I turned into the Chatty Kathy doll.  We laughed even but when we left I forgot my purse. Fortunately one of the owners got it to me before we got out the door. DUHHH!!!

        

Back at the MH we planned for our Tuesday adventure. We will be taking in the Navy Seal Museum and have breakfast and dinner with Carolyn and Jack. Another great day with good friends!!