Day 104 - We Gotta Get Outta This Place
Trip Start
May 19, 2008
1
106
162
Trip End
Nov 08, 2008
Miami,
Florida,
United States
Saturday, August 30, 2008
The weather was terrible too. It was really overcast with no hope of the sun breaking through. The sea level also seemed much higher than yesterday and what little bit of beach was left was now covered in litter as well as seaweed. Mel joked that maybe the increase in sea-level was due to the melting of an Antarctic ice shelf, although we both knew that it was just Gustav making his presence felt as he approached the tip of the keys. And so the decision involved no thought whatsoever. We were outta there!
Throughout the course of the afternoon and evening yesterday, the site had actually filled up considerably, but this morning quite a few others seemed to have moved on too
So Much Sea Weed
. As Mel checked us out of the campground, she browsed through a photo album in the office which showed the havoc that various storms and hurricanes had wreaked on the park in the last few years. It was easy to see how the litter had washed up on the beach this morning. As the islands are barely above sea level, the water level rises not only through the park, but also across the main road. In previous storms, whole areas of the park have been washed away. A scary place to live! It was Neil's Dad's birthday today (Happy Birthday Dad!), and so as we travelled north through the Keys, we were on the lookout for a public phone. It appears that it's not just New Orleans that haven't had their phones put back in after a hurricane. We had to travel about 20 miles before we found one that worked.
As we travelled through Key Largo, we saw that they had already had a significant amount of rain there this morning. And as we crossed from the islands back to the mainland, the edge of Gustav gave us a lashing. It was grey, gusty and very wet. And the poor people who had been looking forward to their Labour Day weekend break were flooding in as we were driving out. Right about that time, the 11am news came on the radio, informing us that evacuation orders were being planned for the southern Keys
And So Little Beach
! From Buddy's directions, we found the campsite near Miami that he had recommended with no trouble at all. After much debate with the staff as to whether we were a self-contained "recreational vehicle", we were finally allowed a site in the RV area which gave us water and electric hook-up. No sooner had Neil finished putting up the canopy (to give us shelter from the rain, not the sun!), the heavens opened, with the addition of some thunder and lightning for good measure. And so Mel went in her "office" and blogged, and Neil read, all with the help of hot beverages and chocolate! (Forgot to mention, we found Cadbury's in a Wal-Mart in northern Florida!) It was a real shame about the weather as the campground even had a pool. Thanks for an excellent recommendation Buddy!
Miles travelled: 79
Total miles travelled: 10406
Days on road: 84
States visited: 18
National Parks visited: 11
