Travels of Mark and Pat: Monday-Wednesday, March 5-7

We are back from a very fun trip to the Keys…..here’s the scoop:

Monday – we left Cypress Trail at 7 AM – another pretty day and an uneventful 4.5 hour trip to Marathon. Had a delicious lunch at Lorelei in Islamorada and then onto Charlotte and Doug’s. So good to see them and get the layout of their rental condo on the gulf side. It is lovely (3 stories with balconies overlooking the water).

Doug took us on a little jaunt to see the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma…..the farther down we went the worse it was (Big Pine Cay was the eye of the storm). Although there is not a lot of debris piled along the rode as had been, there are still many areas where anything and everything is caught or tucked inside all the major vegetation areas and fences with many homes, condos and hotels still closed and boarded up.. That was very sad seeing so much of the vegetation a big gnarled mess in huge piles. The Marathon Country Club is open and operating but instead of an 18-hole course, it is now 9 holes. The other 9 has been used as a dumping ground with still about 3 boats washed up on shore ending on the back 9.

Damage was much worse on the ocean side

We walked around the Marathon Marina and RV Park where we stayed in 2012-13. It had a lot of damage, too, but is up and running. The magnitude of this storm is just amazing and we are seeing it 6 MONTHS after!

We drove as far as Summerland Cay and then turned around. Most of our favorite restaurants are back in business…..however, Wendy’s, I-Hop, Burger King along with Winn Dixie and others are closed and not planning to reopen.

We sat around the pool and visited – just a picture-perfect day, then came indoors, had some wine, cheese and crackers and later walked to Lazy Days for delicious meal! Thousands of stars were out this lovely evening….walked on home and called it a day!

Tuesday – Charlotte and I went for a walk around Key Colony and all the lovely mansions! A bit warmer today and absolutely gorgeous! We also checked out the small Farmer’s Market – nice things and Charlotte bought some jewelry. Came back to the condo, met the guys who had been out walking and we all went for a late breakfast at Sunset Grill. This was one of our favorites and had been heavily damaged from Irma, but wow….it is back and more beautiful and better than ever with, of course, excellent food!

A leisurely afternoon of just sitting around visiting, checking phones, I-pads and computers (even a little snoozing) on the porch overlooking the turquoise waters of the gulf. We had dinner at Sparky's which had been destroyed by Irma (Key Colony) but came back where Tarpon Creek was formerly in a tiki hut by the Holiday Inn Express. Enjoyed some good food and entertainment and very good key lime pie (our FIRST of the season)!

Wednesday - Gorgeous day and after sitting on the porch with coffee and one last awesome view of the gulf, we left for The Stuffed Pig. Had breakfast (a favorite) and then said our good byes. Fortunately, we will be together next week when Charlotte and Doug come to Fort Myers and stay with Beth and John. What great hospitality with these dear friends. We packed in a lot in the short time we were there, but also had plenty of R and R.

Arrived back to Flo around 4.