Day 11 – Heading to Fort Myers

Nicely sheltered from the rain!

It was time to leave old beautiful Marathon and start heading towards Fort Myers. I woke up around 6am to start getting the car put together somewhat and get the outdoor stuff organized. Watched a little of the Tour de France during breaks. Slowly woke the kids a little after 9am and got them moving. They still needed to pack and clean their rooms. After LT finished packing his stuff, he helped me get the kayaks on the roof of the Yukon. Some coffee and last minute buttoning up and we were off to the races.

The weather called for rain all day, so it was a perfect day for travel. The clouds broke every now and then once we got off the Keys, we decided to go Alligator Alley (US 41) instead of I-75. It was a much prettier view and the Everglades were simply gorgeous. Half way through the alley, Anna saw a sign for gator bite at one of the Indian shops. While we grabbed the grub, Thomas grab a pole and tested his luck in the channel running parallel with the alley.

Can you see the excitement? Ready to eat at the Pickled Pelican in Marathon, Florida.

The peacock bass didn’t have a chance. LT spotted a bed and threw a lure to get its attention. BAMM! He nailed it. Adrenaline running through his veins, he did not want to leave yet and try for a few more. Olivia, Anna and I were in the car letting him finish for a bit longer before I finally blew the horn telling him to hurry up. Not but a few seconds later and he tagged a fat peacock bass. LT’s new PBR!!! Way to go son!

LT with his largest Peacock Bass caught on Alligator Alley.

From mid-way in the alley we still had about 2 hours to go before getting to the Neptune Inn. As we went through Naples, I stopped in a Bike Route bike shop and had them replace a flat tire so I wouldn’t have to mess with it over the next few days. They got me out of the shop relatively quickly and managed to get to the hotel around 6:30pm. Unloaded and relaxed before taking the cast net and fishing poles down to the water. No big luck on catches except for a few catfish.

Around 9pm, Anna, Olivia and I headed to the Salty Crab for some late night munchies. We had not eaten since before noon, so all of us were very hungry. We ordered fried green beans, fried oysters and buffalo chicken chunks. Olivia and Anna also got Bairdi Crab – which is apparently very similar to an Alaskan Snow Crab – along with two Caribbean Street Corn on the cobs. The corn on the cobs were hands down the favorite, beside the crab of course.

Back to the hotel and shut eye was pretty much immediate.

Custom chairs outside the front of the Salty Crab - Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

Salty Crab had red lighting all throughout the restaurant. Was a bit weird!

Day 10 – Fishing with Wayne

The day started early with us waking up at 5:30am. We were going out on a fish charter out of Captain Hook’s marine with Wayne. Tobi, Anna, Darrel, Lane, LT and I went out on the charter this morning at 6:30am. Olivia stayed back at the house as she was not feeling too good this morning.

Wayne took out and headed out in the bay on the gulf side and headed south under the seven mile bridge past the lighthouse headed east about another four miles. He anchored near a reef ledge that had a 100 foot drop-off. The boys started out fishing for snappers and it wasn’t long before they start hooking up. The fished for some time and caught more than we kept. Anna tried for some time and then Tobi. Finally Darrel and I got a chance at the snappers and managed to get a couple nice one in the ice box.

With a little over 20 snappers caught, we headed to a new spot to try and hook up on some amberjacks and groupers. Wayne dropped some rigged for the both LT and Lane and after about 15 minutes Wayne hooked up on a bite and handed it to Lane, while immediately one of the other poles got it and was quickly manned by LT. Thomas reeled the line relatively quickly revealing a jack crevalle weighing in at around 10lbs.

Lane on the other hand had a pretty big fish on the line. Lane fought it for at least 20 minutes before handing the pole over to Thomas for a bit of relief. Wayne seemed to think it was an Amberjack based on the head shakes and quick runs it was doing. Thomas reeled about 10 minutes before handed it back to Lane. The boys switch off each one more time. They reeled in line and then the fish took it back out. LT had the pole when all of a sudden we saw color. It took a bit of time to make out the shape, but as it came closer to the boat and surface we were all amazed to find it was about an 8 foot 300lb+ Bullshark. Right before it got to the surface it managed to break the line. DAMN – what a heck of reeling!!!!

Everyone jacked up and bummed not to get it to the boat, we moved to the next location. Wayne rigged up some new poles with some ballyhoo and the boys threw them out for barracuda. LT reeled in two. One of them was a really nice one about two feet long weighing in at over 12lbs. Before long it was 12:30 and we needed to head back to the dock. It didn’t take long in his 26’ Oceanmaster. It was a smooth ride back to Captain Hooks.

Wayne cleaned the fish for at least 40 minutes. We hung around the dock, feed the fish and drank a few beers while Wayne was doing the cleanup work. Finally a little after 2pm, we loaded the car and headed back to the house. Everyone was ready to get back to the house and relax a bit. Unfortunately, Darrel, Tobi and Lane needed to head back home today, so they had to pack right away. LT and Lane drove the SS Minnow to the boat ramp that they used the other day to launch in and met Darrel there to pull the boat out of the water. When they returned, they packed all the kayaks, scuba gear, fishing poles, tackle and tons of other odds and ends.

Finished packing we all headed to Castaways for a midday lunch.

Day 9 – Burdines and Fishing for the day

Woke up around 6am excited to see the start of the Tour de France this morning. Got up, started the coffee and went on the back porch so I wouldn’t wake up anyone. I powered on the computer and got to typing away for the blog. After some time I checked out some email and realized it was 8:30am. I thought – Crap – I meant to turn on NBCSports to watch the Tour. Oh well, luckily they had a rerun of the 6:30am start at 8:30am, so I just turned on the TV with no noise and started enjoying.

Mike woke up and came out ready to load the car. He was the first one up a little after 8:30am. It wasn’t shortly after and all the others started popping up in the kitchen. The kids slept in still some while Mike and Cathy finished packing their car. After all the good byes and hugs, they headed back north around 10am.

The Hinsons and Schiffers basically lollygagged the remainder of the day. The four of us adults ended up going to Burdine's for lunch, whilte the boys and Olivia took off fishing for a few hours before returning with a horde of snappers. Darrel, Tobi and I ended up going up to the bridge by Captain Hook’s around 1pm and fished their till almost 5pm. Tobi was the fish master of the day as she reeled them in one by one. She managed not only to catch the most, but also the biggest.

Back at the house Anna and the kids were laying low and taking some naps. Everyone was a little shot from all the early rises, hot sun, salt and hot water. About 30 minutes after our return LT and I went down to Sombrero Beach and cast netted for some greenbacks. He and I threw the nets out until 7:30pm. We managed to catch a ton of pilchers, some pin fish, several baby finger mullets and ONE seahorse (by accident). We luckily noticed the little fellow squirming in the sand after we emptied our net. What a fantastic sea creature? We put him back in a protected area.

  

Once we got home, Anna was making and preparing the snapper and lionfish that were caught earlier in the day and the day prior. Tobi made all the fixings for the tacos, chopping onions, cutting tomatoes, and prepping all the cheese and salsas. Darrel stripped all the corn on the cobs from the prior day. Everything was ready, but it seemed like forever before the fish was cooked on the grill. I think it was because we were all very hungry.

Finished dinner and we all jaw jacked for the remainder of the evening before heading in early as we all needed to get up at 5:30am in the morning for a fishing charter.

Day 8 – Captain Hooks boat rental & Key West

Anna and Olivia had decided to take Grandpa and Nana to Key West today. Grandpa had never been down to keys and thought the Key West was an experience he shouldn’t miss. It is a relatively short ride from Marathon to Key West taking only around 75 minutes, with the surroundings and views make the drive quite pleasant.

The rest of the group decided to rent a boat for the day. I called Captain Hook’s around 7am and rented us a deck boat. We could pick it up at 8am, but had to have it back by 4pm. Tobi drove Darrel and I to Captain Hooks a little before 8am. Went to the counter filled out the paperwork, picked up a few other needed items and then off to see the dock master. He gave us a choice between two of his fleet’s pearls. Needless to say, neither of these were either a pearl or precious gem – more like a rough cut quartz. Darrel was kind enough to take us out and we slowly headed back to our dock. We land at 211 Sombrero a little after 8:50am.

Everyone was up when we got back except for the boys. They had a hard day yesterday – a VERY hard day! Not sure how they had the energy to keep going. They got in late last night after 1am probably didn’t get to sleep until 2 or so. Oh to have youthful energy!!! I woke the boys and asked them to slowly rise and get up. All the others were getting ready to leave for Key West.  We all enjoyed a last cup of coffee or two together while the boys slow woke. Darrel and I packed the boat with all the fishing and scuba gear, while Tobi ran to the Publix and grabbed some subs and chips for the boat ride.

A little after 10am the five of us got in the boat and waved the rest of crew an “Au Revoir”! Anna, Olivia, Mike and Cathy left shortly thereafter to Key West. I started the voyage by leaving the dock, trying to turn our boat around and nearly missing the dock lift on the opposite side of canal. Luckily I punched the gas to avoid a near collision. That was enough excitement for me and asked LT to take over the wheel and captain this ship. We meandered down through the canals for around 20 minutes before popping out at the mouth by Boot Key.

Lane hunting his prey!

Initially we were going to ride out to Coffin’s Patch, a popular dive site, but chose Sombrero Lighthouse Reef. It didn’t take long to get there as it was maybe three miles out. On our way out the clouds were rumbling and the sky looked a bit black, all except for a small patch heading towards the lighthouse. We kept heading towards the reef and as we got there and buoyed up, the storm split and went around us. Due to the storm, about half of the boats decided to move back inland especially two big dive boats. Even though there were boats in our area it didn’t seem like it. Tobi, Darrel, Lane and LT put on their snorkel gear and hopped in the water. Most snorkeled for 30-40 minutes.

Lane with a Lionfish just speared.

Off to the next spot just a little outside the nature preserve area of the reef and we anchored back up so the boys to go spearfishing. They swam around for some time, before Lane finally popped his head up and showed us a lionfish he just nailed. The swimming at the reef must have gotten to Darrel as he was not feeling good. Tobi nursed him back with some coke and a sub. I partook as well in the sub and let me just say it hit the spot. Great job on picking up the subs Tobi!!! They were AWESOME! We hung around a bit more before taking back off and trying another location.

Anchored back up and I got in the water with Lane and Tobi. LT threw out a line and it got hit by something big. It ran the line out on his reel and we believe it was a grouper that went and hid back in one of the million holes around us. Lane tagged another lionfish and I attempt a few times to catch one with a spear before getting a nice size one. Lane and LT continued to find some more before heading back to the boat. Where we were anchored it was a little over 20 feet of depth, so it was laborious to dive, search and come back up. We needed to find a spot that was more like 12 -15 feet.

We hit one last spot with no success before heading back to Captain Hooks and returning the boat. Got to the dock a little after 3pm and emptied all our belongings. I called Tobi an Uber and she went back to the house, grabbed her truck and was kind enough to come back and get us. While we were waiting for Tobi, the boys went under the Bridge by Captain Hook’s and fished. The both got some nice snappers before running out of bait. Darrel took Tobi back to the house and left Lane, LT and I there to fish before coming back to get us about 30 minutes later.

Tobi coming up for a little bit of air at Sombrero Lighthouse Reef .

Anna and Olivia were back at the house when we got there at 4:30pm. They had just arrived back from Key West and had a grand time with the grandparents. Darrel and Tobi cleaned the gear when they got home, so when I got back there was nothing for me to do. Everyone basically chilled until dinner. Anna heated the lasagna that Nana made and brought down from Fort Myers, along with some garlic toast. Add in some salad and we had a full fledge meal. I do not believe there was hardly anything left.

Sat back with full bellies, watched a little TV and called it a night around 11pm.

Day 7 – Happy 4th of July

Woke up this morning with the intention of riding at least 40 miles. I got up and hit the road a little before 7am. When I was returning from Duck Key, my front tire seemed a little weird and wouldn’t you know it I got a flat. This new Canyon of mine has now gotten three flats within the last 4 weeks. I believe it is due the tires I have on the rims. I plan on changing them out soon. I thought initially of calling an Uber to get me, but then simply decided to call Anna – then Olivia – then LT – then Nana. No one answered their phones. I tried Olivia one more time and she did eventually answer. I asked her to get up Mom and pick me up. Anna finally got to me around 8:30am.

Got back to the house and the place was coming alive. Nana and Grandpa were in the kitchen having coffee, while Darrel and Tobi were up downstairs. The boys were up as well planning their day. They were ready to get in the SS Minnow in the water. Lane and Thomas found a place the day prior that had a boat ramp on an abandoned property. Darrel and Lane drove it there and launched the boat in the water. Luckily the ramp was just a few hundred yards from the house. Otherwise, it would have been quite a bit further to put the boat in.

Tobi went to the store to get the boys some subs and chips, while Darrel helped the boys put the boat together. Lane and Thomas packed the snapper slayer with plenty of gear to manage at least three days at sea. They took off a little after 10am. I think all of us were pretty sure we would not see them again until late afternoon.

Around 11am, Tobi, Darrel, Olivia and I decided to get  on the rental properties beach bikes and ride down to Sombrero Beach to check out the 4^th of July festivities that were planned at the beach park. The bikes had seen better days and a few really needed to be put out of their miseries. It didn’t take long to ride down to the park. Hopped off the bikes when we got to the beach and walked around a bit. Tobi all of a sudden said, “I think that are the boys out there in the water.” I thought she was kidding, but at closer inspection, it was the boys. They were about 100-200 yards off the beach just fishing away. We yelled at them a few times before they finally saw us. After a little hand wave we got back on the bikes and headed back to the house.

Darrel, Tobi and I got on the kayaks and pedal out for over 4 hours and tied up to the dock a little after 5pm. All of us were pretty tired and glad we were back to the house. Anna was making dinner – RIBS – but managed to grill a steak prior that Darrel and I devoured as an appetizer. A couple hours later we all at dinner – ribs, baked potatoes (prepared by Grandpa), corn (by Olivia and Nana) and ice cream for desert. The ribs were fanatistic!!!

The boys headed back out on the SS Minnow and did not arrive back home until 1am. The rest of us pretty much called it a night around 11pm.

Day 6 -,The cousins are coming!

After the dive we headed back to the house and got there around 5pm. Nana and Grandpa had been sitting and enjoying the outside. It had been cloudy so it made the outside more bearable than usual for them. All of us got just chilled for the next couple of hours awaiting the arrival of Darrrel, Tobi and Lane. They were coming down from Muse and willing be staying with us for the weekend. Anna knowing they would be arriving soon, she headed up to the Publix and grabbed some burgers and buns.

A little before 8pm and we were greeted with their smiling faces. After a bit of catching up and chatting Anna threw the burgers on the grill and we proceeded to eat. I will say all had nothing but rave reviews on the burgers. The kale salad however was not the favorite by anyone. Somehow we forgot to put the beans on the table and the corn ended up remaining in the microwave. Apparently we all had other things on our minds. It was great to catch up and a real pleasure to have them come and spend some time with us.

The boys were ready to get out on the water, but seeing how late it was, Lane’s boat was not going to get put in this evening. So with no boat, the boys took off on the kayaks. We did not see them again before bed. Around 10pm the field was slowing starting thin out as Olivia, Nana and Grandpa went to bed. I followed shortly around 11:30pm and I believe the others ended up calling it a night a little bit after.

Day 6 - Diving with Tildens

We had close to an hour before having to be at Tilden’s for our two tank dive. Right next to Tilden’s was a little restaurant and bar, which we went to before checking in. Unfortunately they were not able to get the food out to us in time, so we grabbed all the grub to go. Nana and Grandpa stayed and finished their meal while the rest of us went next door to fill out the paperwork.

The kids and I got our BCDs and regulators from the shop and headed out to the boat dock to meet us with the captain. The boat was by Island Divers and manned by Larry, the captain, and Don, the mate. Don was the mate who kept everyone together on the dive and helped out with all the gear.

We did two dives each, except for LT who only dove on the first dive. Beginning the 3^rd of July, the waters were packed with boats. Each of our dive sites were pretty busy with other boats, but we never ran into any other divers while we were in the water. Olivia, Thomas and I all buddied up on the dive. Olivia and I buddied up together on the second one. Since depth is not but about 15-25 feet around Sombrero and pretty much the entire Florida Keys, there was no need for any dive guides or masters to go in with us.

The coral and sea life was simply amazing. The pictures will not do it justice.

We returned to the dock right around 4:30. Headed up to the dive shop and got the kids some shirts before heading back to the house.