Howdy! Yes, we are indeed back in Montana and it is 21 degrees!! And to think that just a few days ago we were in Florida complaining about the humidity and the bugs. We turned around from the Florida Keys on November 3rd and seemed to be headed in the wrong direction, judging by the number of RV's we passed. We spent two nights in St. Louis visiting Barb's friends Paul and Isabel. They were generous hosts and it was wonderful to visit with them and their kids (and I use the term loosely) again. We drove downtown to the new Busch Stadium - very retro - the home of the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals!! We visited the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the Chihully blown glass exhibit. And, of course, we had to buy a bag of "slyders" at White Castle. Greasy, tasty little burgers that are a tradition for Barb when she visits St. Louis.
Then we drove to South Dakota and established residency there - our new address is 3700 S. Westport Ave., #1063, Sioux Falls, SD 57106-6360. Things go around in circles - Barb's father was born and raised in South Dakota. We woke up in an RV park in the Badlands on Friday Morning to 4" of snow - we gotta get going and get where it's warm!! We stopped at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD and at Wall Drug - what a hoot! We visited Mt. Rushmore and the as yetunfinished Crazy Horse Monument. Then it was on to Rapid City for a visit with Barb's Aunt Audrey and cousins Linda, Rodger and his family. It was a nice visit, but too short. Next time we will stay longer, when there is no snow on the ground!
We have had a wonderful trip and have seen just a few of the beautiful regions of this country. We have made some new friends and have re-acquainted with some old ones. When we do this again, we will allow more time in each locale and less time on the road. Now it is on to Plains, MT, Florence, OR, Redding, CA, Death Valley, and Phoenix! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Barb and Bill

Florida!!

Flooded street in Key West

Barb with cousins Jim and Olga A nice sunset at Bahia Honda State Park

Roosting white ibis









With cousins Jim and Marisa Alligator!!

After we left Bill's sister Kathy and her husband Ron, we headed south to Naples on the gulf coast. My friend Ann was visiting her mother and brothers and we dropped by for a brief visit. Ann and Barb have been friends for 30 years and Barb had never met any of Ann's family - time to fix that! We had a nice visit at Mrs. Goetten's house and Ann gave us a tour of the beach and pier in Naples. Bill was blown away by the growth in the Naples area since he was there last (47 years ago). We visited the Big Cypress National Reserve and Everglades National Park. We viewed many species of wading birds never seen by Barb before - wood stork, tri-colored heron, little blue heron, great white heron, and a couple that I can't remember right now. Also saw several red-shouldered hawk and a peregrine falcon. We saw at least three dozen alligators - from the safety of the truck! They ranged in length from 6-12 feet. We also had the opportunity to watch the final game of the World Series at a neighbor's camper. He didn't have room for us inside, so we watched through the window while being bitten by mosquitoes! It was worth it - hooray for the Cardinals!!!
We visited Bill's cousin Jim and his wife Marissa in Ft. Lauderdale. These are relatives that Bill has never met, but contacted via e-mail after learning about them through a Google search. Great folks who treated us to a wonderful seafood dinner and a selection of good red wines. Now we have another reason to return to Florida - spend more time with these cousins!
We headed for John Pennecamp State Park on Sunday, October 29. Barb took a snorkeling tour of the Florida Underwater Preserve (part of it anyway). Saw many species of reef fish - just beautiful! She also did some snorkeling over the seagrass flats along one of the keys and saw a sting ray - gave it a wide berth! Bill went fishing and caught a black grouper and a jack crevalle - what a fighter! We had a great time, except for the "no-see-ums". They ate us up on our first night. Bill bought some mosquito coils and we lit one in the camper - got rid of those little devils, so we could get some sleep. Nevertheless, we both look like we have the measles!
We spent two nights at Bahia Honda state park in the lower keys - a beautiful park, but the weather was not condusive to good snorkeling. We went to Key West in the middle of a thunderstorm! Walked along Duval Street and had lunch at Sloppy Joe's - a Key West tradition. The next day, we met Bill's other cousin Jim and his wife Olga. They just happened to be in Key West for the "Meeting of the Minds", an annual Parrothead reunion. These folks are REAL Jimmy Buffett fans! They and their friends are so much fun! It poured down rain all afternoon, so what were we to do but sit on the porch of their B&B drinking beer and shark piss. Shark piss is a mix of equal parts mango, coconut, and pineapple rums - Yikes! Then we made our way through the flooded streets to a Cuban restaurant for dinner. We had never eaten Cuban food and it was very flavorful and yummy. Great time with some fun new friends! Too bad about the weather, but we had a great time anyway.
Today we made the turn and are headed north to Montana with a stop in St. Louis to see Barb's friends Paul and Isabel Allen. More later...