“USA 🇺🇸 Florida ~Our Boating Day Around the Atlantic Ocean and Our Stay at the Sugarloaf Key West KOA”

• December 3, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

Boating Day!

This was our last fun thing we did, while in the Florida Keys, and the next day we were headed back, North, all the way through Florida, to Georgia. It would take a few drive days, to make it easy on ourselves. 

On this boating day we had plenty of sunshine, but only after a morning rain. It actually got quite humid the longer the day wore on. Our plan was to go along the Key coast line and check out the channels, looking for Manatees, after we made the trip to open waters in the Atlantic, to check out the Lighthouse.

We were surprised at just how shallow the water was, when trying to hug the coastline, though. Plus, signs indicated we had to know the channels that we would enter, which of course we did not know them.. bummer, but we didn’t want to ruin the prop, and have to buy a new one, either, if we got into too shallow of water (we needed more than two feet).

Oh well, we tootled around for about four lazy hours. It was a cute little boat and we were very relaxed, and had a fun picnic. No Manatees, anywhere. We only saw some birds, tiny jelly fish, and some flying fish.
We sure looked hard for Manatees on this trip, but we got skunked. I’m sure we will have a chance on another trip to Florida. 

⬆️ Does this guy look 69? My handsome Captain Daryl

⬆️ Heading for the American Shoal Lighthouse

American Shoal Lighthouse ⬇️

With the completion of Fowey Rocks Lighthouse in 1878, five offshore lighthouses stood guard over Florida’s reefs between Miami and Key West. In this chain of lights, the greatest distance between any neighboring two was a fifty-mile gap between the lighthouses on Sand Key and Sombrero Key. Establishing a light in this dark void would reduce the largest inter-lighthouse distance to thirty-six miles, a space that when divided by two could reasonably be covered by a first-order lighthouse.

After repeated appeals by the Lighthouse Board, Congress finally appropriated $75,000 on June 20, 1878 to commence construction of a lighthouse on American Shoal and another $50,000 on March 3, 1890 to finish the job. A substantial amount of this money was returned to the treasury, as the total cost of the lighthouse ended up being $93,664.48.

Rather than design a new tower, the board opted to reuse the architectural plans from Fowey Rocks Lighthouse with only minor changes. Phoenix Iron Company of Trenton, New Jersey was paid $47,000 to fabricate the tower, which was shipped to Florida in late 1879.

A suggestion, or a rule/law? We had no idea, so didn’t get to explore, exactly as planned

Eye Spy “Fat Albert!” Tethered above Bocha Chica Key

This is the water side of Sugarloaf Key; the KOA Resort, where we parked The Whale, as seen from this side.

The KOA private Beach and swimming area

Made it back to the KOA Marina

On our last night, we ate at Mangrove Mamas. Conch Fritters. Yum! 

We have loved our stay in Florida on this RV Trip of a lifetime!  We visited all three National Parks, known in Florida: Biscayne, Everglades, and Dry Tortugas.

In total, out of 63 official American National Parks in the system, I’ve been to 40 of them! By next year, when we get back out on the road, our route will include visiting at least 10 more. Outside of that, four additional parks I want to visit, are in California, which we want to plan a road trip for, but in a car, not The Whale.

It’s good to have goals!!

We knew coming to Florida would be pricy, so we planned for it. It’s a trip I wanted to be sure and do, whilst still living the RV life. Also, one must book many months in advance, anywhere  around the water locations, to get a Glamp spot, as it’s a destination location, for sure. In my searching, I saw RV places that were 5-8 grand a month to stay at!

Our Route: Homestead, to The Keys ⬇️

For our final stop, in Key West, we drove from Homestead, down through the Florida Keys, on what is called the Overseas Highway. We ended at Key West, and stayed at the Southernmost KOA in the USA. The drive alone was just breathtaking, and I’m not sure photos do the scenic beauty, justice. What a pretty drive, and we enjoyed it, very much! It was a; “destination is a great kinda thing, but the journey was just as good.”

In the region known as the Florida Keys, there are 800 Keys in total, and they stretch over 180 miles.

We are just North of Cuba and Northwest of the Bahamas. 

Sugarloaf Key/Key West KOA 

This KOA is just lovely. We are KOA members and always seek out a KOA, first, as we’ve traveled along. Here, they have recently undergone a big remodel, and it shows. There is a private beach, a marina, hotel room rentals, and of course bar, pool, and hot tub. Each RV site is pristine and can accommodate big rigs. We have a back-in site. $1400/7 days; full hookups 

This is the boat we kept trying to rent out, but had to wait on the wind to die down. Finally, we got our chance and had fun.

Although, we would learn no rentals are allowed under the bridge, for access to the Gulf of Mexico waters. It’s just too shallow to get over there.  Only the Atlantic Ocean boating is allowed.

Meet Fat Albert 

The locals call this blimp “Fat Albert.” It was present for most of our stay, in the sky above us, at our campground. 

The TARS site at Cudjoe Key, Florida, not too far from the naval station in Key West, operates two TARS blimps, out of adjacent facilities. This is one of eight or so Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) program sites, from Arizona to Florida, operated by the federal government to monitor the southern US border.

Each blimp cost a whooping $4,000,000… and believe it or not, there’s been at least 8 of them in the past that have been lost for a total of $32,000,000 tax dollars that just literally floated away! The demise of the 8 lost blimps range from local gun fire, lightning strikes, windstorms, ropes breaking, crashing down to the ground all the way to being shot down with rockets over the ocean so that they wouldn’t end up in Cuban hands.

More interesting info and stories about “Fat Albert.” ….I like the one about the lobster fisherman’s body being lifted right out of the water!
“….But the most dramatic Fat Albert story may well be that of the four lobster fishermen who were taken on a wild ride when they hooked a runaway blimp to their 23-foot fishing boat in August 1981………”

https://bigpinekey.com/blimp-fat-albert-history/

Driving From Homestead to Key West 

This drive was the easiest we’ve done in a year! We had sunshine, and dry pavement. It took us 3 hours, as the speed limit is no more than 55 and often times, less, driving through the many Key towns, for all vehicles.

I think boat sales down here are on the rise 🤣

More “fun” in Travel News

My bank accounts got hacked. TWICE!!!… in 2 days!!!

Given our remote location in the Keys, getting replacement cards proved to be difficult.

Got one card sent. I received it, and activated it. Within an hour I got shut down again, for Fraudulent activity.

It’s getting ridiculous, and harder to manage online banking.

Changing passcodes doesn’t seem to help. The good news is, we have very little $ actually in the bank these days. 

…..Pretty sure, “cash and carry” is coming. That will work easier, when living in one place, but not living all over the place, like we do. 

Good times *sarcasm*

UPDATE to the UPDATE:
My second (replacement) card that also was hacked, an hour after activation…. Is still being hacked, AFTER my bank shut my card down. This means… I can’t use MY new card, but criminals can….

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE:
My second replacement credit card did not show up. Called bank. They forgot to send it. In the meantime, two more fraud charges on the decommissioned second card.

My Debit card (same Wells Fargo Bank) is also decommissioned and they will not express ship that one. I won’t see it, till December 6th. Bank won’t tell me new card number over the phone or by website. In the meantime, we lost our in-rv internet today, due to non payment. Daryl to the rescue with his card that so far is working; different bank.

*Fun stuff*

Then I learned my debit card that was suppose to be sent out, end of November (they would not expedite) to our next stay in Georgia, was actually sent to Florida. I never shared my address in Florida with the debit card side. They took it off my record for the credit card replacement address in Florida that they would expedite, instead of using the address I provided for them, live, over the phone. This is so messed up. I have no access to my funds to pay online bills, since they won’t give me my new card number over the phone, even though I’ve been verified as holder of the account. I can’t get cooperation from the morons at my bank. They have access to my money, so they are perfectly happy.

It’s looking like my daughter will receive my new credit card, but we won’t be there till mid December…. LONG after all my online bills are due.

What’s Next:

We make our way back up through Florida over a few nights of (hopefully) boondocking, then in to Georgia. From there, we will only be two stops away, including another National Park visit, in South Carolina, before getting to our grandchildren in North Carolina!!!

We are looking very forward to getting off the road, from driving gobs of miles for awhile, till way after 2024 begins. Online banking isn’t working very good these days and it’s been quite difficult to maneuver the mine field, of late. It’s a pretty essential tool to have, when living life as nomads. It’s been seven years for us, and too many hacked credit cards to keep a number on.