Sunset on the FL West Coast after leaving Miami.
It's hard to believe we've been in the States for 2 months. The time has flown by so fast, we have done so much and traveled so many miles. After over 5,000 miles we turned the corner in Miami and began our trek back north.
In Miami we dropped off 3 boxes of material to be shipped to Guatemala that we couldn't carry back with us on the plane. To our very pleasant surprise the boxes were delivered in less than 2 weeks from the time we dropped them off. They were shipped, cleared customs and delivered to RAM Marina in 9 days. Absolutely incredible! We were just hoping it would get there before we wanted to leave Rio Dulce and it made there before we got back.
In the boxes were our paper charts for the Central American waters we plan to travel next season, a new dinghy seat, a roll of insulation, books, some insect treatments, filters, courtesy flags and other stuff we need for our continued cruising in the Caribbean. Before we came to the States in June we tried to determine what could be obtained in Guatemala and then we made a list of what we needed to bring back. A surprising amount of stuff was available in Rio Dulce. Having a couple hardware stores, an automotive store and the West Marine at RAM Marina really increased options for resupply. The hardest part is finding the types of food we like to eat. But, we've found a food store at the marina next to us that has some of those preferred things.
Our 3 boxes sitting in RAM Marina on 23 August after dropping in Miami 14 August.
After our brief visit to Miami we headed north on I-75 getting on about the point of its beginning and crossing Alligator Alley to Naples and then up to Punta Gorda. Stopping in Punta Gorda ended a long day that began early in Sanford, FL, took us to Miami and then ended by Charlotte Harbor. We had hoped to catch up with our several friends in the Port Charlotte area but due to our evolving schedule ended up we only caught up with our old friend Tom McGarry. But, we spent a very pleasant evening with him catching up since we last saw him 2 years ago when we were visiting the Port Charlotte area.
With Tom at Laishley Crab House for a pleasant dinner.
The next day we drove up to the St. Petersburg area to stop by the Island Packet Factory for a visit to witness the changes talked about at the Rendezvous in Boothbay Harbor. We were very pleasantly surprised at the positive changes since we visited there in 2014. We took the opportunity to buy some new Island Packet hats and some gel coat for touching up some spots. We should have had it to ship down but we'll deal with it. After visiting the factory we drove over for a visit with Kris and Jolene Faught and their family whom we first met last year at Cherry Point last year when my USMC son got promoted. Really enjoyed sharing tales of our trip with them as Kris and Jolene are thinking about doing liveaboard cruising when he retires from the USMC. Hope they get to it. There sons are excited about it!
The entrance to the Dali Museum.
The atrium of the Dali Museum.
Already mid-week our next stop was back in Jacksonville but we took a few hours to visit the Salvador Dali collection in their beautiful home on the St Pete waterfront. We had visited this collection many years ago in their original home a little farther south near the Harbourage Marina but now they are just north of the downtown airfield. On display were many of Dali's seminal works back from their tours to other museums so we had a very worthwhile visit. Recommend to anyone visiting St Pete to take the time to visit this amazing collection of 20th century art.
Portrait of his dead brother.
The complex illusory portrait of Abraham Lincoln titled Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean At Twenty Meters. The camera captured the portrait while the naked eye sees the plain image of Gala looking at the Sea.
The Hallucinogenic Toreador.
The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
After spending time in the museum we grabbed a quick lunch at the Fish Tales which was not as good as we remembered and then drove back to Jacksonville. We used 2 days in Jacksonville to finish up lots of shopping for things we needed to take back and before we left picked up our mail one last time. But we also had the chance to catch up with a college classmate that we hoped to see in Punta Gorda. Jack and Dora Andreas were on their way home from Hilton Head so we met for an early and long lunch. Great catching up with them. Hadn't seen them since we visited them 2 years ago.
After our lunch with Jack and Dora.
So Friday after completing our errands we headed north and west. In one of our longest drives of this trip we drove out of Florida, through Georgia and planned a quick stop in Nashville enroute back to Illinois.
I had been to Nashville in the mid-70's and again in the mid-80's. What a change in those 40 years to the home of country music. We spent a few hours walking about downtown, grabbed lunch and watched some entertainment before moving on for a night in Paducah, Kentucky.
The Country Music Hall of Fame.
The Ryman Auditorium former home of the Grand Ole Opry.
Entertainment at the Honky Tonk Central.
While driving through Tennessee, Kentucky and southern Illinois the local authorities had prepared for the upcoming eclipse. Rest areas were closed, there were signs along the highway restricting parking, ramp shoulders were closed and many of the small towns had designated viewing areas arranged for parking and viewing. Traffic heading into the focus of areas was heavy and hotels were sold out for several nights.
Sunday we arrived back in Champaign, Il to spend a couple nights with Linda's son Seth. Champaign is in north-central Illinois surrounded by farmland. The City is the home of the University of Illinois with a great diversity of shops and eateries. On Monday we walked about downtown Champaign during the eclipse and got to view a 93% coverage of the sun. We were able to spend a few down days enjoying Champaign and doing some home cooking along with a few nice meals out. As the home of a major university Champaign has wonderful restaurants.
The Blind Pig Brewery during the eclipse.
Walking about during the eclipse by Radio Maria, a fine Spanish Restaurant.
Outside Maize, a Mexican restaurant at the height of the eclipse.
Saying good bye to Seth.
From there we continued north to the far suburbs of Chicago and the town of Elburn to visit with our good friends Ralph and Sunny Hernandez for a few days. We got to visit with them when we spent time in Marathon, FL in the past but not being there this year we missed them. So we wanted some time to share together. We stayed with them for several nights in their beautiful home in Elburn where they have a family-owned business. On the weekend we visited the quaint town of Galena on the western side of Illinois where they have a second home. In the time I lived in the Chicago area I had heard about Galena but had never been there. The town was cute and crowded with lots of vacationers and weekenders. But it was cold. During the trip out and back across the State the roads were lined with miles and miles of corn that looked great! Hard to realize how much corn is produced in the so-called Corn Belt.
Downtown Galena.
The oldest house in Galena.
Time came to say good bye to Sunny and Ralph and we made the final 20 mile passage back to Linda's sister's house where we started our 2 month journey.
Our good friends Ralph and Sunny Hernandez.
In all we drove over 9,000 miles, crossing 18 states and the District of Columbia from the Mississippi River to Maine to Florida. For most of the time the weather was much cooler than we have gotten used to. For all the common talk about Florida in the summer we didn't find it that bad. Of course, it's all what you get used to. We did use our Planet Fitness memberships. We went to 10 different clubs in 5 states and have managed to get ourselves back into a semblance of fitness but, now can we keep it? Although, we still need to lose weight. The social side of cruising makes that a challenge.
We stayed/visited with numerous friends and family as mentioned in our blog and enjoyed our all too short of a time with each. One thing this trip has pointed out is that time moves quickly and we have so little of it. There were so many friends we didn't get to see because the clock ran out and we could have easily spent more time with everyone we did. On the business side of our trip we did way too much shopping but probably failed to get everything we needed. We got through our medical gates with some deferred action needed. But, we go home with lots of things we need and knowing what accommodations we need to make when we get back with some decision about next year still outstanding.
As the "Dead" said, "...what a long, strange trip it's been." After not being off the boat for more than 2 weeks over the past 3 years we have now completed 2 months in almost perpetual motion working what we need for today but more importantly for our next year on the boat. So much to see, so much to do, so little time. We've closed the loop to the beginning and now we begin our new adventures.
Next update from back home in Guatemala.
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