Levan Homestead: My Florida Trip With my brother, Kieth. (March 4- March 11)

My Florida Trip with Kieth

We flew out on the red-eye flight at 11:20 March 4. Annette and her mom gave us a ride to the SL airport. TUESDAY: We arrived at 5:00 a.m. and rested a bit when we got to Janna’s. As soon as we were up and going, we headed for Miami in the Smith’s little white car. Our Big Bus Tour of Miami Beach was less than we had hoped, but we certainly got a feel for the city and neither of us will ever need to go there again.

Wednesday: We spent the night in Homestead and left for Key West early the next morning. What an incredible ride out into the ocean by car. We had the green water of the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the blue water of the Atlantic Ocean to the ride. Our train tour of Key West was delightful. The favor and history of the tiny island is captivating. We found ourselves standing on the most southern tip of US soil, only 90 minutes from Cuba and 164 miles from Miami. The air was cool and brisk. We saw the home of Pan American Airlines, the home for Key Lime pie, and the home of Cuban cigars. Our snorkeling trip to the 3^rd largest coral reef in the world was cancelled due to wind, but that allowed us to head back to Janna’s earlier in the day. The trip out was a challenge, as there is but one road in and one road out. By afternoon, the traffic going both directions was heavy. We stopped at Sombrero Beach and saw a huge fish ball come clear to the shore bringing several dolphins with it. The remains of the old Flagger Train Rail was fascinating. We arrived at Janna’s at bedtime.

BIG BUS TOUR OF MIAMI BEACH

The mural outside our motel room on Homestead, Florida.

KEY WEST:

The island is about 4 miles long and 1 mile wide, with a total land mass of 4.2 square miles. It is now nearly twice the original size as men have back filled and reclaimed it from the sea. The island is thus divided into Old Key West and New Key West. Duval Street, its main street, is 1.1 miles and connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. There are two or three bars on every block. Key West is about 90 miles away from Cuba and 130 from Miami. Several famous writers have called the island home, including Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, and Tennessee Williams.

Chickens roam free everywhere on the island. The Cubans

brought fighting cocks and when it was outlawed, they

simply turned them all loose out of spite. Their surviving

posterity thrive and are protected by law.

Kieth and I had a guided tour on this Conch Train. The history

of the island and its people is colorful and fascinating.

THE DOCK AT KEY WEST

Boats include cruise ships, fishing boats and cargo ships.

The houses that survived the many hurricanes

were built like ships by ship builders.

The island base is so hard that all graves are above ground.

Key West is the Home of Pan American Airlines.

Harry S. Truman Mansion in Key West

Key West is the home of Key Lime Pie

The visitors have been diverse.

This hotel is $450 per night!

Key West is as far south as you can be and still be on American soil.

As such it has the true, original mile marker #1.

Key West is Florida's southernmost point, lying roughly 130 miles
south of Miami. Key West is known more for its coral reefs –
destinations for diving and snorkeling – than for its beaches.
We planned to snorkel but didn't because of high winds.

Henry Flagler was a key figure in the development of the Atlantic

coast of Florida and founder of what became the Florida East

Coast Railway that ran clear to Key West. He is known

as the father of Miami and Palm Beach, Florida.

Here's a peak at the light house in Key West.

Key West was a military base in times of conflict.

Many marines still train here.

Remnants of the Flagler Railway

The nearby tide pools were beautiful.

Sombrero Beach

We experienced a fish ball close to shore. The Water literally

boiled with fish. Before long a group of dolphins showed

up revealing the panic in the fish. Both were amazing.

Thursday included swimming with the manatee at Crystal Springs. The two previous days had been chilly, so the manatee had returned in full force. There were over 100 manatees there. Kieth and I donned wet suits, boarded the bus and headed to the area designated. We loaded onto a small pontoon boat and wet out to a crystal clear spot where the manatee were resting. Getting used to the wet suit’s buoyancy and the snorkel took a minute, but it is hard to describe what it was like to had manatee swimming around me, so close I could touch them. At times I just floated in one spot and watched the gentle, huge creatures feed at the bottom of the river and float to the top for air. I wished I had a go-pro so I could have captured the wonder and beauty of that experience. I would never have done such a thing without Kieth and I was so grateful he had that dream. At one point a manatee swim nose to nose with Kieth and surprised him. He began paddling backwards to give it a bit of room. It reached out with its big front flippers and grabbed his arm. I’m guessing it was the equivalent of a manatee hug! Janna and the boys went to a near-by park. They, too, had a close encounter with a few manatees. That was a tender mercy in my mind. Janna actually got better footage of her experience than we did of ours. Since seeing me in a wet suit was not a pretty picture, I’m a bit grateful that image will only remain in people’s imagination.

We rode out to the observation point on this pontoon boat.

Kieth in the water!

There were literally dozens of manatee.

This board surfer held his breath waiting for the

passing manatee to dump him in the water.

Gratefully, it was a polite manatee.

Janna and her boys had a manatee adventure of their own at a near-by park.

One actually swam over and checked out her fancy toe nails!

Friday was our St. Augustine Day. We visited Fort Matanza and Fort Castilla De San Marcos. As the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the US, the history of this area is both rich and tragic. We made a quick visit to the 175 foot tall Ponce De Leon light house on the return trip. Kieth and I both discovered that heights make him nervous, but for me the view of Daytona Beach was breath taking. We made it home just in time to see Andrew Perform in his High School production of “Hello My Baby.” He was one of the sons and although he had a supporting role, he made an impression.

Fort Matanza

A ferry takes you over to the fort.

A narrow ladder is the only way to the very top!

From the top looking down.

The nature/history trail near the fort.

A senseless tragedy took place here. Innocent men were

massacred. I always feel the solemn feeling that

something barbaric and evil happened in this spot.

Fort Castilla De San Marcos.

St. Augustine Light House.

Both Forts are made from hardened shell rock.

This shows the pock mocks from cannon balls that hit,

but the impact was cushioned by the shell walls.

The Fort's design made it deadly at close range.

These are surgical instruments from this era. I'm

guessing as many died from surgery as from wounds.

At one point, the entire population of St. Augustine were held up

within the fort. The English could not take the fort so they burned

the city and left. The property loss was high, but the death toll was zero.

We were there to see them torch the cannon.

Ponce De Leon light house

This family lived at the lighthouse. Jiggles, this little dog, somehow got out a window and onto the top ledge. The ledge was so narrow that he couldn't turn around, so the boy pictured climbed out onto the ledge and nudged the dog around the entire lighthouse and then back in through the window. I have to wonder where he's mother was.

Staircase looking up and down.

The museum of light house lamps.

Some examples of crafts that made it from Cuba to FL.

What you see from the top of the light house.

Daytona Beach is in the distance.

Andrew's H.S. production

Saturday: Janna, Kieth and I headed out fairly early for Tampa Bay to see the famous, BIG purse horse races. I’d never been to any races other than a few in Payson as a teen, plus few as a small child at the State Fair when my Dad raced on Don Diego. It was a unique experience to be there, and one I will always remember, but will never need to repeat. We had air conditioned seating with personal monitors. We soon realized that those around us were there to make bets and keep track of other races across the country going on that day. We were surrounded by wealthy old codgers, there to make money with money they could afford to lose. It was also clear that the preferred beverage was not water, or even Mt. Dew. The first 5 races carried a small purse compared to the last five. We made our way over to see the horses and jockeys prior to the races. I’ve never seen more beautiful horses. Once the BIG MONEY races began, it became clear that making a wager was as associated with the jockey as the horse. Kieth would have made some money if he had bet for real. We made our choices just for fun between us. I’m thinking we would have at least paid for our trip over if we’d of been the betting sort.

We had prime inside seating with our own personal monitors.

The monitor provided all the needed info to make

bets on any race going on at that time around the country.

The nice cocktail waitress brought me a nice BIG salad.

The horses below were the winners of the $400,000 purse race.

We decided wise betters watch the stats on

the jockey as much as those on the horses.

Sunday: We attended the two hour block with Scott and Janna’s family. Janna lead the R.S. discussion and it was a big payday for me. She is enlightened, wise, faithful, firm and stead-fast, as well as a gifted teacher. After lunch, Scott took us on a quick tour of the ranch with a couple who recently applied for a job in the office. I am always amazed by the resourcefulness of the Church, their foresight, and progressive approach. They tend to make investments that pay. They recognize and use every resource from my perspective. Most of the orange groves have been removed, but there is one still intact to provide citrus fruit for the employees. There is little to compare to picking a tree-ripened orange or grapefruit right there in the orchard. That evening we enjoyed the variety of pies Janna made while we were gone after visiting the Rookery or bird refuge on the ranch. It is breath-taking at sunset.

Janna is a gifted teacher. Malea sent her this skirt.

Fresh oranges in the grove.

Lacey

Random Raccoon Shark tooth from the shell pit

The Rookery

Monday: Our last day in Florida was a fitting climax. We drove to Paradise Beach I the morning to enjoy a swim in the ocean and some boogie-boarding. Kieth had never been in the Atlantic Ocean and I had forgotten how salty the water really is. The waves were more than adequate to ride in. Kieth got caught in a rip-tide and had me nervous for a few minutes. Fortunately, he did just what he should by paddling horizontal to the beach and find the current returning to the coast further down the beach. He was tired by the time he got back. That afternoon we had an air boat ride there on the ranch. We hoped to catch a baby gator, but it seemed to be nap time while we were out. It was wonderful all the same. The St. John’s River was high, the weather perfect, and the scenery gorgeous. We saw lots of big gators, flocks of birds, a snake or two, and vegetation of amazing variety. We flew out that evening, arriving home around 11:30 p.m. Annette picked us up at the airport and I drove home from Kieth’s. All our precious souvenirs survived the trip and our memories will last forever.