Taking It All In

Key Biscayne 

Our "wake" up call came early this morning. For all of its good points, the anchorage outside No Name Harbor is smack in the path of fast-moving inbound and outbound boat traffic. Today's activity began around 6:00 am, sending rolling wakes throughout the anchorage, rocking the 29 boats. After that we could not get back to sleep. I made the most of this time by packing away (almost) all of my cold-weather gear. From this point on there will be no Cold Gear, puffy winter coats, or thermal tights in my closet. I did keep out a sweatshirt and some sweatpants, but hopefully we've turned the corner on our cold temperatures.

Following breakfast and my quick workout, we were off in the dinghy to pick up Lynda from My Cat for a walk through Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. It didn't take long to be totally mesmerized by the scenery. An egret walked with us along the flower-lined path. Large iguanas were doing exactly the same as us -- soaking up the sun's rays. The brilliant red of dropped sea grape leaves brightened the understory. Birds also sunned themselves along the rocky water's edge. This one was worth showing because its head feathers were frizzy in the morning's humidity. That is definitely a problem to which I can relate.

Our path followed the shoreline to the southernmost point where the Cape Florida Lighthouse peeked out from behind the palm trees. Lynda snapped a picture of us at the sign so we would remember where we were.

All three of us climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the 95-foot brick tower. The view did not disappoint as we looked out wide-eyed to take it all in. 

We proceeded to the beach to catch the lighthouse from another angle. It didn't take long for me to get my feet in the water. Yes, it felt mighty fine. We enjoyed lunch at the Lighthouse Cafe, then continued on our walk along the beach.

I could have walked through the lapping water all afternoon, but we had to return to Crossroads. Afternoon showers were in the area and we had left a few ports open. The sky darkened and the sun disappeared, but we never saw any rain. The thick clouds left just enough gap on the horizon to allow for a small glow at sunset.