Sombrero Beach and Blue Hole 12/14/2018

It’s been a great week with the kids here.  I have done nothing in our kitchen since they arrived.  Travis has been making breakfast every day (Thank you Travis!), we normally have a quick lunch while we are out and dinner has been at a restaurant every night.  The bad part of this is that i have not stuck to my diet at all while they have been here.  

We spent the majority of the day on Sombrero Beach on Marathon.  None of us got in the water, but it was still a great way to spend a few hours.  Randy was happy exploring the tidal pools and beach.  There were quite a few Portuguese Man o’War washed up on the beach, but that didn’t stop him from digging through the seaweed on the beach, looking for treasures.  He found about 100′ of rope that he cleaned up and brought back to the RV.  I am not sure what he plans to do with it!  And of course, there were more iguanas on the beach.  I was glad the older guy doing yoga was not right next to us but rather further down the beach.  I really didn’t want to see his nude body 🙂 

Sombrero Light off in the distance
Randy searching the tidal pools
Randy holding a Portuguese Man o’ War
Tidal Pools
Horseshoe Crab Shell
Iguana in the grass
Iguana at Sombrero Beach
Iguana

Kat wanted to see Blue Hole on the way home so the guys went with Randy and Kristina and I went with Kat.  On the trip across the Seven Mile Bridge, I pointed out “Fred” the tree.  Fred is an Australian pine growing out of the roadbed on the old Historic Seven Mile Bridge.  Even though it is only accessible by helicopter or boat, a group of people have been decorating the tree for Christmas for about a dozen years. 

 https://keysweekly.com/42/elves-light-up-fred-again/?fbclid=IwAR1axEi2mMIqypYPLqfvJmXLkRXT66Y4ZFWem9Ih4CXsTS4Emhz_OFFrJGo

We made a quick stop at Blue Hole after leaving Sombrero beach and I was happy to see both alligators.  Last year we did not see any of the alligators and on my earlier trip, we only saw the one alligator so I was not sure both had survived Irma.  We also saw a few Key Deer on our trip back to US-1.   Kat remarked on how small they are.  

Small Alligator at Blue Hole; First time to see both alligators this year
Smaller Alligator at Blue Hole
Key Deer alongside road
Key Deer alongside road
Key Deer

We spent a little time in the pool once we got back.  Dinner was at Mangrove Mama’s for their Friday night seafood buffet.  Another great day!  Feeling truly blessed.