Parking Lot Driving to Sugar Loaf Key.

Our Location today is Sugar Loaf Key, Florida, USA.

Shortly after we posted our blog last night the skies opened up and the rain was hitting the roof on the trailer so hard we were having trouble hearing one another. Since we were both tired enough and knowing that we needed to get up early today we went to bed by 10:30. Kathy managed to sleep solid and didn’t hear the other two hard bouts of rain that we had through the early morning hours. 

Storm run-off from last night.
The first power pedestal on the right is ours.

The last time we’d used an alarm clock it didn’t wake us up on time so I used one similar to the old wind up clocks and set it for 6:00 so we could get an early start. The alarm went off at 5:40 so like it or not we were awake by 6:00. By the time we’d had breakfast, finished our inside chores it was just after 7:00 when I stepped outside to get ready to hook up. When I went to disconnect the shore power I was greeted by a very wide wash overfilled with water from the rain we got through the night. 

New Friends Barb and Rick.

Just as Kathy was stepping out with the last of what we needed in the truck our neighbors and newly made friends Rick and Barb came out to say their goodbyes and to give us their contact information. We had really enjoyed the short time we’d gotten to spend visiting with them so we spent a little longer talking before leaving. Since they have a travel trailer at this time Rick was really interested in the hitching procedure of a fifth wheel. We made certain to explain what did happen when we were distracted two years ago and triple checked to make certain the hitch was properly locked. After more handshakes and hugs we slowly pulled out of our site as the trailer left its wheel marks on the very moist ground. 

Two new to the park shoppers looking to see what's to eat in the water.

I’d wanted to make some time and had planned on taking I-75 South to Naples before taking Alligator Alley over to Highway 1. Instead I listened to the GPS that took me south down highway 41. Thinking it would slide over to the interstate just down the road I continued following its instructions. I was not happy when an hour and a half later we had gone through Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and were still travelling through construction on the road going through Naples. It might have been a shorter route but with all the traffic lights we had to stop for it was not fun and a waste of fuel. 

It was 12:00 noon when we pulled into the Walmart parking lot in Homestead Florida and it looked like an RV Convention was taking place. Our intention was to stretch our legs and grab a quick bite to eat. After taking care of nature we were speaking with another RVer who had just left the Keys who told us Golden Corral was just at the end of the parking lot. It sounded good to us with no long lines to wait in and we could be back on the road in an hour. What we didn’t realize is that on the weekends their prices are double what you pay during the week so Golden Corral made money on us today. 

We were heading south on highway 1 by 1:00 and before long we started experiencing something that we didn’t last year. Stop and Go traffic. The traffic crawled along through from before Key Largo all the way until after we’d passed through Marathon Key. We stopped for a few minutes to transfer a bit of fuel to replace the fuel used up on highways 41 and 1’s parking lot traffic. 

It was minutes after 4:00 when we arrived at the KOA at Sugar Loaf Key. When we pulled in there was a fairly new fifth wheel driver nervously trying to back his trailer in near the office. While I waited in the truck Kathy went in the office got us registered and came out only to see that frustrated driver drive away to go around the block for another try. 

When we arrived at our site there was a problem. The one neighbor had parked his SUV in front of his RV sticking mostly into our site. We knocked on his door to see if he could move it but got no response. We made several attempts to back the trailer in but with that SUV there it was impossible. Another neighbor at that time told us they’d just seen our neighbor outside having a drink. This time I knocked on the door hard enough to shake the RV and guess who came to the door. Five minutes later we had our trailer in its site. 

Descending the 7 Mile bridge tells you you're almost there.

We got our utilities all set up and after having driven 272.5 miles we had to turn the AC on to cool down. We’ll get the rest set up tomorrow. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

All today's Travel Pictures 

were taken by Kathy.

Krackers

You Might Be a Redneck If

Neighbors complain about your flatulence.