BusRoads Buzz: February 2018

Greetings!

Sampling conch foods in the Conch Republic

We have put more than 1300 miles on Sierra's odometer since posting the last Buzz from Florida's Space Coast, and yet we're still in Florida! That's what happens when one of your happy places is the southernmost city in the continental United States. Key West had evaded our itinerary for 8 years and almost dodged a visit this year, too, due to Hurricane Irma last September. The "Conch Republic" hurried to recover enough to revive the flow of those all-important tourist dollars, but we did see much cleanup still in progress as we hopscotched from key to key along the last 100 miles of US 1 that terminates in Key West. After a blissful two weeks revisiting old memories and creating new ones, we made brief stops in the Everglades and Tampa before touching down in Pensacola. Here we will perch at a comfortable Naval Air Station for several days of Native flute concert performances, disc golf experiences and immersion in deep south gulf coast life. As they say during this prolonged season of Mardi Gras, "laissez les bons temps rouler" – let the good times roll! ~ Brian & Andi

Life on the Road

We witness dramatic variations in flora and fauna as we travel from region to region. Even within Florida, we can tell that we are much farther north than we were a week ago by the change in trees and birds. Key West was a subtropical paradise, mysterious and intriguing to those of us from the mountain west. Palm trees of all types share the landscape with scaly red gumbo limbo trees, pillared banyans displaying many ropey, dangling trunks, and kapok trees with their tall, wavy root structures. By contrast, here in Pensacola we look out the RV windows at tall thin pines and the same gnarly, branching live oaks we enjoyed in Savannah, Georgia. By day we watch woodpeckers navigate the ridged oak bark and just after dark we listen to the hooting of a solitary owl. In the morning we hear a symphony of forest birds, mostly small and difficult to see in spite of their lusty songs. When we were down in the southern keys, the most noticeable birds were long-legged waders like herons and egrets, with rare pink flashes of flamingos or spoonbills. Riding the highest air currents you could sometimes spot the distinctive black, v-shaped wings of a Magnificent Frigatebird. Since we are still hugging the gulf coast, there are several birds that survive in both habitats, a favorite being the brown pelicans that glide so unbelievably close to the waves. A few creatures manage to span most of the places we visit – crows, ospreys, vultures, eagles, raccoons, and ants. Though it is purely a flight of fancy, it is fun to imagine a colorful world where the dominant species are green parrots and bright pink roseate spoonbills instead of dark vultures and black crows.

Wish You Were Here

A slight detour on our trek from the Everglades to Tampa rewarded us with an amazing sight. On the map, our destination said "Manatee Viewing Center" and we were eager for a better look at these roly-poly sea mammals. An endangered species, manatees suffer in cold water and so they congregate in warm areas, like the discharged saltwater used to cool a particular Tampa Bay power station.

The Manatee Viewing Center offers a chance to see stingrays and butterflies, or even experience the wind force of a hurricane, but we were eager for the main attraction. We hustled past the snack bar, gift shop and educational exhibits, single-mindedly climbing the stairs to the wooden boardwalk overlooking the warm canal. There we joined a small crowd of gawkers peering down at the manatees.

The creatures were drifting and lounging in a peaceful crowd – there must have been a hundred! Their brown backs and tapered shapes looked like a pool full of giant cigars. From time to time a pair of circular nostrils would appear above the surface or a rounded tail would flip up, sending the owner in a dive. Mostly they seemed content just to float in the warm bath. It was fascinating to watch the slow drama unfold and we were reluctant to leave. Finally, we pulled ourselves away and stopped in the gift shop to purchase one small manatee-shaped pin. The smooth, pewter souvenir is now tacked within our RV and an unforgettable memory stored in our hearts.

Coffee Chat

Pastry with a view

We were camped in Key West a short bike ride from the main downtown area and one morning we got up just before dawn, made a thermos of coffee and rode to the marina (after a brief stop at the local bakery.) In the cool, peaceful dawn we found a bench facing the moored boats and there we sat, as the sun came up behind our backs. We watched the docks gradually come alive, one sleepy local after another. Some came to shore by dinghy from anchored boats, others trudged along the docks in flip flops, or broken down boats shoes, or no shoes. Most had the ruddy, leathery skin reflecting a life of sea and sun. We talked to a wheelchair-bound vet and a gregarious author. We watched the charter boat crews clean the decks, coil the lines and fill the ice chests. We observed a homeless man who had "come into money" and purchased a fine boat, though his attire seemed unchanged by the sudden wealth. We did not hurry and were rewarded with what we considered to be a genuine glimpse of Key West. When the sun was full and the coffee and croissants were reduced to drips and crumbs, we wandered off to continue our explorations.

Did You Know?

You expect to see unusual flying objects in Everglades National Park – wood storks, green herons, purple gallinules, and anhingas, but Nike-Hercules missiles? Fortunately, you will not see the missiles in the air, but incongruously located in the preserved wilderness of the Everglades are relics of the Cold War in the form of three 1960's missile defense emplacements. These missiles were prepared to intercept Soviet hostilities launched in Cuba. The use of "HM-69", as the base was called, ended in 1979 and it now has national historic designation. Interestingly, its location and purpose were no secret and the unit even received a rare commendation for preventing rather than engaging in aggression.