Miami, FL - Jan. 25 - 31, 2010
On January 25th we arrived at Miami Everglades RV Resort about 20 miles southeast of downtown Miami, surrounded by tropical nurseries and avocado groves. The park is pleasant, but at $60 (or more) per night, rather overpriced. That isn't unusual for RV parks near cities, but if you can get into Larry and Penny Thompson County Park do it. It is a much less expensive park, lots of open space and well maintained.
Our first excursion was to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens built by agricultural industrialist James Deering (International Harvester Company) in 1916 on Biscayne Bay. Like other lavish American homes of the Gilded Age, Vizcaya was inspired by the villas and palaces of Europe. Indeed, many of the doors, mantels, walls and ceilings were acquired from European buildings.
This American residence was designed to appear as a 400 year old European family home that had been lived in and renovated over the centuries. Today the home, gardens, and associated agricultural village, are continuing to undergo renovation. When we visited some rooms were not open to the public and a portion of the magnificent, classical gardens being repaired. A visit to Vizcaya is a wonderful way to briefly escape the hectic pace of the 21st Century.
On a wonderfully calm and sunny day we drove over to Key Biscayne to bike a path that runs the length of the island to the Key Biscayne Lighthouse. While at the lighthouse we met a family from India. The father was the managing accountant for Air India and said he would fly us to India to visit him and he would show us his exotic country - free. We didn't take him up on his offer, but enjoyed talking with him and his family.
Probably the highlight of our stay in the Miami area was our snorkeling excursion with Keys Divers out of Key Largo. The snorkeling on the protected coral reef about ten-miles off shore was incredible. We saw a lot of barracuda, tarpon and colorful tropical fish, and we saw a shark. It was so exciting. The six foot long shark was cruising along the bottom as we floated about ten feet above it. Quite an experience. We then cruised to Dry Rocks in John Pennecamp State Park Coral Reef to view the Christ of the Abyss a nine-foot, 4,000 pound bronze statue that stands in 25 feet of water off Key Largo. It is one of three made from a mold created by Italian sculptor Guido Galletti. The other two are located off the Italian Riviera in the Mediterranean and St. George in the Caribbean. Susan took this opportunity to dive down to touch the right hand of Christ and now feels she has bragging rights. It was a fabulous day. The only negative was that our two underwater cameras, with expiration dates of 2007, didn't work.
Our last day in the area was spent wandering around Miami's South Beach with our friend Jay, a fellow traveler from California. It was Pro Bowl Weekend and the weekend before the Super Bowl, both of which were held in Miami, so the mood was all football, all the time. South Beach is very interesting with its pastel, deco architecture, Cuban rhythms, long white sand beach, upscale resorts and seedy dives. Today it is primarily a tourist Mecca, and a place to see and be seen. It was a fun place to visit, and sharing it with Jay made it even more enjoyable.
The next day we were off for our one month stay on Cudjoe Key, about 20 miles north of Key West. We were really looking forward to our Key West holiday, but were beginning to feel the tug of the new home awaiting us in Arizona.
