Day 118, "on the loop", 2/3/2023

Here it is, the end of the month, we left Key West (1/31/2023). We had a great time there!

Friday night (1/27), we went back to the Green Parrot and listened to an Allman Brothers tribute band. The band Steeln' Peaches had a great sound and did a wonderful job with the music. We didn't know what to expect; it was so crowded that people were lined up outside the bar because there were no seats available inside. Joel and I found a spot near the band (in a corner). Pictures below were taken at the Green Parrot.

Saturday (1/28), a group of us went into Key West and enjoyed our very first Drag Show. It was at a local nightclub and recommended by the locals. We weren't sure what to expect. The performers were extremely entertaining. The Queens took pictures with the crowd afterwards. As usual, fun was had by all of us. The Looper group: Bad Rep (Gold Loopers), Breakaway and Us (Summer Place). The show ended early, so we stopped by Margaritaville for more entertainment. A band named "Dropdead Dangerous" performed. They are from Nashville and played a lot of great country music. The lead singer had an incredible voice.

• Dropdead Dangerous played "Rocky-top," brought back memories from our time at the Clifton Marina when we were with Kayak (John & Kim) and Anna Dee (Tom & ME). Of course, I sent them a video with Rocky-top playing (to let them know we missed them and were thinking of them).

• A funny thing happened, a guest in the crowd (someone that may have been over served) danced to "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". She was hilarious! This woman took the stage like she owned it! She danced her butt off and of course the crowd cheered her on. When the band finished, they thanked her for her interpretation dance! We were so entertained by her dancing that we didn't capture any videos.

Keyla & Chris Walker arrived safely on Sunday (1/29), we introduced them to our looper friends and took them to Hogfish Grill for dinner.

• The Walker's arrived in time to partake in the Bushwacker tasting.

• Two looper friends (Breakaway & Bad Rep) made their version(s) of the Bushwacker drink and then we (along with other loopers) were asked to vote on which one we thought was the best.

  • Bad Rep has worked on their recipe for the past 30 years :-) while Breakaway only had a few short weeks to master theirs.

• One was made with ice-cream while the other was made similar to the drinks prepared in restaurants.

• Joel and I concluded they both were equally good; however, each with their unique taste. One was sweeter than the other and one had a bit of a coffee flare. All in all, I believe everyone enjoyed tasting and a fun time was had by all.

Interesting fact: The Bushwacker was invited in 1975 at the Ship's Store, Sapphire Pub (in Sapphire Village - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands) by bartender Angie Conigiliaro (cousin to Tony Conigiliaro of the Boston Red Sox) and Tom Brokamp the restaurant manager. It was named after a visiting guests dog, Bushwack, an Afghan Hound. The drink is similar to a creamy, chocolate Pina colada.

• Bushwacker was first bottled and mass-produced by Bushwacker Spirits of Sarasota, Florida in 2020.

• There is an annual Bushwacker Festival held at Quietwater Beach in Pensacola Beach, FL to celebrate the drink and its celebrity status. This event started in 1986.

Monday (1/30) was our last full day at Stock Island (and Joel's birthday). We will say goodbye to R and R (Rick, Ruth Ann and Sally, the dog), Bad Rep (Rep & Karen) and a few others in hopes our paths cross again! Keyla and Chris toured Key West for the day. Joel and I had docktails and appetizers with R and R.

• During our docktails, a loud horn began blaring for what seemed like 2 or 3 minutes followed by 5 short horn blast. Note: 5 short horn blast indicates emergency. Rick (R and R) is in the medical profession, he went to check and offer assistance if needed.

• It was concluded, was only a horn malfunction, no one was in danger; however, the bad news was no one was on the boat to turn the horn off. This loud honking sound went on for what seemed like 10 minutes.

• This brought back some memories from the Green Turtle fire a couple of years ago. The Morgan's, Mill's and Jus Relaxin' (Jaime & Rob) will understand the seriousness of the 5 horn alarm.

Tuesday 1/31 - We departed Key West and made our way to Marathon. It was a 4 hour travel day by boat. The seas were a bit rough, one crew member got a little sea sick; but, seemed to recover as soon as we were docked.

Map of Trip: Key West (Perry Hotel & Marina) to Marathon (Safe Harbor Marina FL)

After arriving at Safe Harbor Marina in Marathon, we cleaned the boat a bit. Joel and Chris found their way around the marina. We had dinner at Key Fisheries, a local restaurant.

• King Fisheries was a unique restaurant, extremely casual and open atmosphere with picnic tables. There was a walk up window for placing orders.

• Customers placed their orders and asked what their favorite animal was (which becomes your order "call name"). Some people used the names: Manatee / Flipper / Alligator, etc.

• At one point, the cook staff tossed the "fish chum" into the water for fish to feed on. There were several Tarpon type fish and two small nurse sharks feeding on the fish chum.

Wednesday 2/1 - Joel and I got an early start and rode our bikes to see the Old 7 mile bridge. The bridge is an old railroad bed converted into a bike path. It is somewhat deceiving as the bridge is cut at the 2 mile marker and fenced off, making the road a dead end. The Walker's spent the day, relaxing and hanging out by the pool.

Pigeon Key is at the 2 mile mark and for a small fee you may tour it. We opted out of touring because Aquaholics were in need of a little help with their boat generator. After riding the bikes, we met John & Graeme at their marina, Faro Blanco in Marathon. Faro Blanco reminded us of the marina in Key West (Stock Island, Perry Motel & Marina). It is a lovely property with three heated pools and a couple of restaurants and bars.

Information about Pigeon Key (see pictures above): It is a small island containing the historic district of Pigeon Key, Florida. There are 8 buildings on this 5 acre island and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a guided tour that starts with a short train ride.

Pigeon key housed the workers who built the Seven Mile Bridge from 1908 to 1912 for railroad magnate Henry Flagler, a partner of John D. Rockefeller. The history behind Pigeon Key is interesting and told through displays and artifacts (found in these buildings).

After 3 hours of the guys meeting, discussing and trouble shooting they found the problem. Apparently, there was a wire that needed to be grounded. The picture below shows the guys having a beer after their work was done! From left to right: Graeme, Joe, Alain, Joel & Craig.

Chris and Keyla were able to meet and mingle with several of our looper friends. While at the Faro Blanco marina, we ran into 3 looper couples that we have traveled with in the past:

Arabella (Capel & Karen), La Vida (Joe & Ellen) and Permanent Vacation (Craig & Jane). We invited them to our marina to watch the beautiful sunset, prior to dinner at Lazy Days (a restaurant at our marina). Side Note: La Vida (Joe and Ellen) didn't make the sunset or dinner :-(

Middle picture from left to right:

Front Row: Joel, Tracy, Jane, John, Karen and Danielle

2nd Row: Keyla, Chris, Craig, Capel, Alain and Graeme

Thursday, 2/2, we departed Marathon and made our way to Islamorada, FL. This was a little over 5 hour travel day by boat. We stayed at the Mangrove Marina. The marina was small with character. Islamorada

Map of Trip: Marathon (Safe Harbor Marina FL) to Islamorada, FL (Mangrove Marina)

We thought docking would be hard, as we had to fit in a very narrow slip with fingers piers. Chris was a huge help in getting us docked. He tossed the lines over the pilings (at the front) while I worked with the dock hands to pull the boat in.

The trip was a rocky ride, waves 2 feet at times. The salt water splashed into the boat on several occasions. There was a lot of salt inside the boat. Joel rinsed the boat off using Salt Away. Keyla and I cleaned the boat, washing the salt off the chairs and deck area.

We keep most of our dry foods on counters and in plastic bins. During the ride, the plastic bins were tossed, landing on the floor. Same thing happened in the bathroom, all of the shower gels and other toiletries fell to the floor. After Keyla and I cleaned the upper deck, we picked up all the items that were tossed in the lower deck cabin.

We ended the day with some much needed pool time and walked over to Dillon's Pub & Grill for dinner. It was packed, Thursday is Irish Day at the Pub. They served corn beef and cabbage, bangers and mash and so much more! We had a great meal and then finished off the evening with ice-cream from McDonalds. It was okay to have dessert since we walked from the marina to dinner.

Friday, 2/3, our group rented a small 23 ft deck boat and went to the Islamorada Sandbar. It was a happening place with several boaters enjoying the sandbar. We walked around in 3 feet of water and listened to music provided by other boaters. We were told on weekends, there may be over 300 boats anchored on this sandbar. This was an awesome day to be in / on the water! We really enjoyed the day, rain is expected for Saturday.

Happy Weekend to everyone!

Random Information you may find interesting:

The picture below is a plaque that hangs at Key Fisheries (the place we ate at on 1/31). A St. Louis couple was served the 200,000th Lobster Rueben, perhaps someone reading this blog knows them :-).

Alain found his mermaid!

Mangrove Marina has jelly fish!

Shortly after we were docked, we noticed several jelly fish nearby. We do not want to fall in these waters! I am not sure but I think these may be Compass jelly fish, these appear to be baby jelly fish because they are so small.

If these are compass jellyfish, they tend to grow 15-25 cm. If I am wrong and you know what type of jelly fish this is, let me know in the comment section. Thanks! I plan to ask around to see what else I can find out about these jellyfish!