KEY WEST...FINALLY!!!

Well, we finally made it to Key West, Florida...even though it seems as though it's not even in the United States. (It reminds me of New Orleans - in the US - as well as Nassau in the Bahamas. One of my friends told me Key West reminds her of Charleston, SC...and I can see why.)

Key West actually is closer to Cuba than to Miami. Interesting??? (Some of you might remember that I was in Cuba during March of 1993 for a mission trip.) The weather is very nice. It's about 70 degrees as I type this and I'm wearing shorts. I called my mom back home and she said it was about 35 degrees. Hopefully, my friends and I will go swimming in the water sometime.

Anyway, my friends and I arrived at Key West around 9 PM this evening (Monday the 14th). We hoped to had gotten in earlier, but we didn't. I actually drove the entire way from Garner. Surprisingly, after driving 932 miles and about sixteen or so hours, I'm not tired. Ha! I think my Jeep Liberty might be tired, though. At West Palm Beach, the left rear window fouled up and is actually not working properly. It is the SAME problem I had with the Jeep a couple of weeks after I purchased it in December of 2006. Weird! It was fixed then, but why now is it evil again??? (Fortunately, we've found a Jeep dealership in Key West and I'm taking the Jeep there to get it fixed...under warranty. Praise God!) I've noticed a few more rock pock marks on the Jeep. That goes with the territory of driving, huh? I also saw an entire mattress and boxspring set fall on Interstate 95 after West Palm Beach and I had to swerve to avoid hitting it...but it wasn't as bad it might seem.

I'm also pulling a small trailer with a "rooftop" carrier attached to it even though the carrier isn't on a rooftop, right? The drive has been abusive to the trailer....sort of. The right fender (which is welded on) is trying to come off. Two of the three welds have completely broken free and the third one is trying. I have bungee cords attached to the fender. (I know it won't last the trip coming back since we're going to Saint Marco Island on the Gulf Coast after leaving the Keys.) The left fender is fine even though it's getting shaken as well. I'm also a little bit concerned about the wheel bearing grease since I'm seeing some of it covering the wheels. High speeds might kill the trailer. My, my. The license plate isn't getting too beat up, though. I have bungee cords attached to it too.

Regardless, the trailer with the carrier has been good to store the luggage even though it's costing us just a little bit more when we are going on the Florida turnpike. (I think it's not affecting the mileage too much.)

As for leaving on Sunday, it was good. We left about 3 PM instead. I actually had to wait on my friends to show up at my home....but that's okay. I could've gone over to my sister's home for lunch if I knew about the wait earlier, but I didn't. My dad's sister and her daughter were there for the day and they and my mom went to my sister's.

Sunday was the birthday of one of our travel companions and we ended up eating at the Cracker Barrel...in Fayetteville....not far from home! She wanted to go there and I'm a fan of Cracker Barrel as well. That was some good food, but we still ended up leaving NC later than expected. We actually arrived at Palm Coast, Florida about 1 AM Monday and stayed there for rest. I also drove us there. (Again, I wasn't tired.)

Anyway, I probably need to go now. I'm sure some of you might would like to see some pictures I've taken. I haven't taken many...not like usual. But, wait because I have a few more days here. I might not post any to the blog...or maybe I will. I still would like to share about some of the drive on US 1 when we got into the Keys. That road is very, very long!!! (It's about 120 miles or so when you enter the Keys.) Some of you might've heard of the 7-Mile Bridge and we went over it in the dark! Praise God we didn't drive off into the water in the dark! Ha!

I'll post again later....hopefully in a couple of days. Still pray for our safety. I do appreciate it. Key West is known for some alternative lifestyles even though I didn't know about it until a co-worker told me about it last week.