While camping at Pennekamp in Key Largo, we went to a restaurant called Sharkey's overlooking a canal . They touted the best fish tacos in the country and they were right! We had blackened Mahi Mahi fingers that were to die for. And Tank loves it here because most of the eateries welcome dogs and give them bacon treats.

Not the best shot but this is the full moon rising over the canal.

Key Largo is really only miles of strip malls on US 1...the no seeums were atrocious at the state park and our neighbors were BIG, LOUD and OBNOXIOUS. For Thanksgiving breakfast they cooked up 20 pounds of bacon! No Joke!

We did some biking and saw some beautiful things along the way!

We took an hour's drive south to Long Key State Park for part of a day. As we drove further south, the water changed from a deep midnight blue to a sky blue and then finally an incredible opalescent aqua marine. Can't wait to go back next week after the Glades to Key West to go snorkeling!

After 3 days in Pennekamp, we headed to the Everglades...  Camping in the Keys had few openings when we called for reservations last summer, so this is the deal...  we camped with the camper for 3 nights, then we are booked in the Everglades for 14 days, the last 4 of which we will use the Everglades spot as a place to leave our camper as we head back to the Keys for 4 nights of tent camping at a different state park, Long Key.

Good news or bad news first?  Well, the good news is that the camping in the Everglades is quiet and cheap (only $15  a night with electric hookup)!  The bad news is that there are 43 species of mosquitos in the Glades!!  The semi-good news out of that is that only 13 of the species go after humans, while the other 30 species target small mammals, birds and reptiles.  However, those measly 13 species send out about a gazillion female foot soldiers!  We had Off Deep Woods which was like barbecue sauce for them evidently.  We discovered that Deep Woods only contains 25% Deet.  The camp store in the Glades sells the real stuff, with 98% DEET!!  This stuff works!  As a matter of fact, I did a mini-experiment this morning...  I was spraying the stuff on my arm and spied a skeeter sucking blood from my right forearm.  I sprayed her and she basically dissolved on the spot!!  HOO RAH!!  I remember a TV ad from my youth, where a guy sprayed his arm, then put it into a netted cage absolutely full of mosquitos!  The announcer intoned, "They don't bite, they don't even light!"  I hate wearing that stuff, but it's self-defense in the first degree!

We have adjusted our daily game plan, and yesterday was better than the day before...  we head into our screened tent about 4, watch the sun go down and the skeeters swarm outside the tent, then head into the camper about 8 for a game of RumiKub or a movie.  And believe me, it's a dash for the camper!!  The first night we sauntered, and ended up in hand to hand combat, killing probably 30 or more, with blood smears on the camper walls!

Karen and I each took a rather expensive boat tour yesterday, hoping to spot manatees and gators.  She went for the 2:30 open bay tour and I took the 2:00 back country trip.  Very little of any wildlife spotted, but it was still nice to be out on the water.

My tour guide, Seishein. I was the only passenger on the boat!

While waiting for the boat to go out at the little Marina, I spotted three manatees playing with a red solo cup and an osprey proudly perched on his nest.

So this morning it rained and the wind died down.  Rather than face another day in the swarms, we headed 50 miles back down the road and are typing this outside a Starbucks at a busy intersection.  Can you hear the semis rolling by?