Our next stop was more eventful, Sugarloaf Key. The Sugarloaf Key KOA was as close to a tropical resort as we have stayed thus far. It’s located on the water, which provides access to the water and offers incredible views. The landscaping is impeccable and mixes palm trees and other tropical plants and flowers. The pool is surrounded by tropical gardens which makes it feel highly private. It has a good size pool and hot tub. They have a cafe and bar attached to the pool so you can have a Pina Colada and Burger poolside in paradise.

Sugarloaf Key is about 25 minutes from Key West, but the drive is fantastic as the beautiful blue waters are on both sides of the road. Key West is an interesting and quirky place; from the chickens and roosters wandering around to the eccentric, yet friendly people, it is a different place.

*A couple of roosters and their friend hanging out on the railing in the Dunkin Donuts Drive Through*

Key West has the distinction of being the southernmost point in the continental US. It is a sliver of land just 90 miles North of Cuba. Being so far south, the weather is closer to what you expect in the Caribbean. In mid-December, it was still in the low to mid-80s. It barely rained during the two weeks we were there. It was spectacular and allowed us to explore and spend a lot of time outside.

*The view from our ferry on our arrival to Dry Tortuga National Park. Around the pilings that you see in front of the fort was some of the best snorkeling we have found yet*

One of our favorite outings was our trip to Dry Tortugas National Park. The park is 70 miles west of Key West and 100 square miles of the open ocean, including seven small islands. It is only accessible by boat or float plane. We took one of the ferries offered out of Key West. The main attraction is Garden Key and Fort Jefferson. According to Wikipedia, the fort is the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas, comprising over 16 million bricks. It was built in 1825 as an outpost to protect the US from any threats from the sea. It also served as a Union prison during the Civil War.

*A float plane coming in with a load of passengers right off our bow as we are about to depart*

After departing Key West, it is about a two-hour and fifteen-minute trip boat ride to the park. It is a beautiful boat ride surrounded by clear blue waters that are no more than twenty feet deep for most of the trip. We spent hours on the open bow of the boat watching the sights, including enormous sea turtles, when we started to see a spit of land on the horizon. The island suddenly emerges as we get closer to arrival; it is all somewhat surreal.

You have about three hours to explore once you arrive on the island. While the fort is the main attraction, it also offers beautiful beaches to go swimming or, our favorite, snorkeling. It also offers a small amount of primitive camping. It is tent camping only, and you must bring everything, even water. Once we stepped off the boat, we headed straight for the water. Snorkeling has become one of our favorite ways to explore, and we explored almost the entire island. By far, the best snorkeling is around the pilings from the old coal docks. The pilings have become their own coral reefs and are home to an abundant amount of sea life. You have to be a competent swimmer as you have to weave through the tight pilings, but we didn’t find it too challenging. The main highlight outside of the coal docks was a giant sting ray that swam right by us. While it is difficult to understand any object’s true size under water due to the amplification from the water, it looked bigger than I was. Either way, it was huge.

We spent so much time in the water that we never even got to step foot in the fort. We came out for lunch and headed right back into the water until it was time to go. I made Kym promise that the next time we visit, we take some time to explore the fort as well.

Tortuga in Spanish means turtle, and they are known to frequent the island. Nearby Loggerhead Key, which houses the lighthouse, is named after Loggerhead Turtles. While we saw several on the boat ride, we didn’t see any once we arrived on the island. While disappointing, the island was still genuinely fantastic. We will be back.

*The waters off of Bahia Honda State Park are truly stunning*

Snorkeling was a frequent activity for us during our time on the Keys. We took another trip with Fury to the Florida Reef, North America's only living coral reef. While it was a fun trip, the ocean was extremely ruff, making exploring the reef challenging. We had better luck closer to shore at two local State Parks. First, we visited one of our favorite parks, Bahia Honda State Park on Big Pine Key. The beaches at Bahia are stunning, and so are the views. We could snorkel right off the beach in the beautiful clear waters. While there were some interesting fish, the real treasure was the giant conch shells we found. We were lucky to find a couple that was not inhabited and were able to bring them home.

*Kym and her mom with one of the Queen Conch Shells that we found while snorkeling off of Bahia Honda State Park and cleaned up*

We also stumbled on Fort Zachary State Park right in Key West. We hadn’t been here before, a tragedy as it is a real hidden gem. They offer chair, umbrella, and snorkeling equipment rentals right on the beach. The real treasure, though, is the rock formations and man-made reefs right off the shore. The abundant sea life was even better than our trip to the Florida Reef. It was a spectacular day.

Sugarloaf Key, Key West, and the rest of the keys were spectacular, and we didn’t want to leave. Kym is still mad at me and wishes that we were still there. But we had to continue our journey and made our way up to Clearwater / Lake Tarpon KOA, about an hour outside of Tampa. What made the transition even more challenging was that the cold front moving across the country had finally made its way to Tampa, dropping the temperature to the mid-30s from the 80s we had in the Keys. The environment was also a stark contrast to the keys. While nestled into a somewhat tropical and protected cacoon, it was located on a major six-lane road. The location was convenient. We had every store and restaurant we could think of at our fingertips. This convenience also brought chaos. It often took us five to ten minutes to get out into traffic and turn around. We weren’t used to the traffic anymore. I prefer seclusion and quiet, even if it comes at the expense of convenience.

However, we still had access to the ocean and beautiful beaches. Clearwater Beach and Honeymoon Island State Park were just over twenty minutes away. We also got to continue our new passion, snorkeling, and this time with new friends; manatees! Just before Christmas, we headed to Crystal River, Florida, and took one of the many local Manatee tours. Manatees come into the Crystal River yearly to warm themselves around the many freshwater springs that empty out into the river. Even though they often weigh over 1,000 pounds, manatees have very little body fat and a lower metabolic rate than other aquatic animals. They cannot tolerate cold for long before becoming hypothermic. They usually can be found enjoying the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Still, when the temperatures drop, they come into the Crystal River and surrounding areas to warm themselves and spend their winters.

*A Manatee surfacing to catch a quick breath*

The Crystal River was a shock and not what we expected. In my mind, I pictured some remote river snaking through the Everglades. In reality, the Crystal River isn’t overly wide and cuts right through the City of Crystal River, with houses surrounding you on each side. The river has heavy traffic of tour boats, kayaks, and stand-up paddle boards, even in the cold weather of late December. The trip was great, though, and we spent almost an hour in the river with three giant manatees within feet of us. Most of them were sleeping; however, they needed to surface every five to ten minutes to breathe. So if you position yourself correctly and are patient enough, a sleeping Manatee will surface right in front of your face. It is spectacular. And thanks to being maybe ten minutes from the dock, we didn’t have to freeze on the boat for too long.

*Hundreds of Manatees come to Crystal Springs everyday to enjoy the warm waters*

The spot where we spent most of our time with the manatees was right off of a public beach, which we found after our tour, and we now had access to manatees whenever we wanted if we were lucky enough for them to be there. A week or so later, we headed back down to the beach on a beautiful seventy-degree day and found even more Manatees, including a mother swimming by with her baby tucked under her fin. We then headed to Three Sisters Spring, a park run by the City of Crystel River. The Spring is right off of the Crystal River, but as it is full of natural hot springs, it often sees several hundred manatees daily. And the beautiful clear waters of the spring make them easy to spot. You can’t access the waters as it is a protected area; however, you can view them from the boardwalk that circles the spring. It is a special place.

*A baby Manatee surfaces for air next to her sleeping Mother at Crystal Springs*

We also spent a good deal of time at Honeymoon Island State Park. The park is on a small island accessible via a bridge from the mainland. The island is mainly made up of beaches, which are beautiful but often rather crowded. It also has excellent snorkeling when the seas and visibility permit. We found bags full of exciting shells and saw many beautiful fish. It was one of our favorite spots in the area.

We ended the year at the Casino Night event at the KOA. I spent most of my time at the poker table while Kym watched the Ohio State and Georgia playoff game on the big screen with a bunch of crazy Georgia Bulldog fans. The poker tables closed just in time for me to watch the end of the game and then toast the new year with champagne. It was a great night and a great way to end the year.

Having departed the first week of August, we had spent five months on the road and had seen and done so much. While I had hoped to spend more time camping and exploring off-road, the trip was exactly what we hoped it would be. As we head into 2023, we will head west and spend more time exploring my happy place, the mountains, and forests.

Stay tuned; we will share our 2023 plans with all of you shortly. In the meantime, it was a great 2022! Here is to a great 2023!

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