A Shell Of A Good Time

Key West has been on Mackenzie's bucket list for a number of years. Darin and I have been there before but for some unknown reason we have never gotten around to taking the kids. Naples has a "Key West Express" that will take you to Key West by boat in 3 1/2 hours but we opted to take the kids on a road trip of the Keys.



Our first stop was Key Largo where we ate lunch with these guests.

While on Key Largo we also visited Pennekamp State Park.  The weather was perfect. So perfect that we were able to take a snorkel boat tour to Dry Rocks reef where we were able to snorkel over the Christ the Abyss statue.

After Key Largo we headed to Marathon for a night. Along the way we stopped at Robbie's in Islamorada.

At Robbie's you purchase a $3 bucket of baitfish and hand feed the tarpon. These aren't your average tarpon - they are humongous.

Often a tarpon will actually rise up from the water in a powerful flash of silver and meet the fish as it leaves your hand. Mason was dangling a fish over the side when this tarpon jumped and startled him. I can't believe I was able to snap a photo of it.

After a night in Marathon we made it to Key West and hit the major tourist attractions such as the Southernmost Point, Truman's Little White House, Duval Street and the sunset celebration.



A favorite among all of us was Hemingway's house.

Who wouldn't fall in love with all of Hemingway's six-toed cats?



Speaking of Hemingway, by pure accident, our trip coincided with the 35th Annual Papa Look-A-Like Contest at Sloppy Joe's.



After a sipping on fresh coconut milk it was time to head home.  We did make one last stop on Bahia Honda Key. We had planned to take the snorkeling tour to Looe Key but we literally missed the boat. Luckily, we had our own equipment so we snorkeled at Sandspur Beach. Truthfully, we saw just as much if not more sea life at Bahia Honda State Park than we did at Pennekamp State Park.



Darin and I didn't  have high expectations for this trip because we had been to Key West before. However, we were surprised by how much we enjoyed each of the Keys. I dare say - we will probably be back.

Ice Cream Special

Did you know that today is National Ice Cream Day? Mason and I decided to try a brand new ice cream shop in Naples called SubZero.



Wait a minute! That young lady taking Mason's order sure looks familiar.



SubZero has a different take on preparing ice cream. The liquid cream is poured directly into a clean bowl and your chosen flavors and mix-ins are added.



Then -321 degrees liquid nitrogen is poured on to your mixture and your ice cream is flash frozen at that moment - right in front of you.





By mixing each serving by hand, SubZero's ice cream is extremely creamy.



SubZero has been quite a summer experience for Mackenzie. She was one of the first three employees hired and then trained by the corporate office.  What does the SubZero future hold for Mackenzie?  I guess time will tell. She has enjoyed the chance to earn spending money but she does have a very busy fall with school and band. Hopefully, SubZero can be flexible with her hours until marching season is over.  

Down The River

For over a year a very generous coworker/friend has been offering our family to stay on her 10 acre property in Fort White (40 miles north of Gainesville,) and last weekend we finally decided to take her up on the offer. Fort White's motto is "Home of the Itchtucknee River," so guess what we did on Day 1? We floated down the Itchtucknee on tubes. There are roadside vendors who rent any and every type of tube that your heart could desire. I just assumed that we would take our tubes on a tram to the entrance of the river. 

Nope, I was wrong. The employees strap the tubes onto your car with twine and send you on your merry way to the north entrance of Itchtucknee Springs State Park.  Be forewarned that the park only allows 750 guests per day to tube the entire length of river. Luckily, we were able to enter the park before it closed to capacity. 

We entered the river at the north entrance and floated for 2 hours. We exited at the midpoint launch and had to wait out a rainstorm (thank goodness for concession stands). We finished the river with a 45 minute float to the final exit. 

After spending almost the entire day at the park we were ready to get dressed and head out for dinner. We ended up at The Great Outdoors Restaurant in historic High Springs. Darin said he had the best Shrimp and Grits of his life. The kids and I were partial to the awesome desserts.

On Day 2 we decided to go tubing at Ginnie Springs. We were warned by a Itchtucknee park ranger that Ginnie Springs is privately owned and attracts a much young and rowdier crowd. That ranger was on point about Ginnie Springs and we loved it. We arrived early in the morning hoping that the crowd would still be sleeping after a late night of fireworks. The rowdy crowd was slowly waking up and still shooting off an occasional leftover firework. At Ginnie Springs you carry your tubes to the north entrance of the Santa Fe river and float south stopping at four different springs.

We rented a mask and snorkel just for Mason but ending up taking turns using them. The water was cold but the underwater caves at each spring were too amzing to skip. Most people just snorkel over the caves and a few attempt to free dive. The caves are very popular with SCUBA divers and sadly a few have lost their lives in these caves.

We exited the last spring just as another nasty afternoon thunderstorm was approaching. We decided to head to Gainesville to visit our very first sink-hole called Millshopper. It was 232 steps to the bottom of the sink but the view was totally worth it.

We had to hit the road bright and early on Day 3 to attend an official University of Florida campus tour for Mackenzie. Will she become a Gator? Seminole? Or possibly something else? I guess we will know in less than a year.

GCH Junior Prom

Mackenzie attended her high school prom last weekend and it presented many "firsts" for her.



 It was her first time wearing a floor length gown.



It was her first time pinning a boutonniere.





It was her first time receiving a corsage.



It was her first updo from a hair salon.





It was her first formal dance...well maybe not so formal!



It was also a first for us, we were invited to our first pre-prom party where we were joined with other parents for drinks, appetizers and a chance to photograph an amazing group of kids.





   

The Hot Golden Circle

After taking a large tour bus to see the Northern Lights, Darin and I opted for a small coach to experience the Golden Circle. Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park which is situated on the tectonic plate boundaries of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.







Our second stop was at the geothermal active valley of  Haukadalur where we were able to see the large Strokkur geyser erupt.





The third stop was the Gullfoss waterfall. Because it was overcast and eventually started snowing, we were unable to see the famous rainbow over the waterfall but it was still an amazing site to see.



Our final stop was at a hot spring nature bath which locals named the Secret Lagoon because up until now it had only been known to a few.







You will never believe that these last two photos were snapped through the window of our moving coach.



We were gone for over nine hours and drove many miles through desolate farmland. The natural landscape often looked as though we were on the moon.

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa located about 24 miles outside of Reykjavik. It has been named one of the 25 Wonders of the World. The lagoon is man-made and is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant. The water is completely renewed every 40 hours. The water temperature in the lagoon averages from 99 to 102 degrees. The water is rich in minerals and is said to have healing properties - more on that later. The Blue Lagoon is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland. Two weeks prior to our visit the Blue Lagoon started requiring reservations and now closes due to capacity.

You enter the lagoon on a foot path cut out of lava rocks.



The water is such as amazing color of blue, the pictures just don't do it justice.  There is a nature path to enjoy before entering the more "touristy" swimming lagoon.



Visitors relax and float in the mineral waters.  There are caves, bridges, waterfalls and steam baths to enjoy. You can actually enter the warm water from inside the building, no need to step outside in the freezing temperatures just wearing your swimsuit. There are large containers of  white silica mud to put on your body which you rinse off after it hardens in 5 to 10 minutes.



Prior to our visit I had read about the healing properties of the Blue Lagoon. Once again, I was a skeptic. The Blue Lagoon is said to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. Since everyone else was using the white mud, Darin and I decided to give it a try.The following morning at breakfast I was shocked at how amazing Darin's skin looked. I have since read that the mud-packs have rejuvenating characteristics. They stimulate the skin's natural collagen production. Even Mackenzie noticed Darin's skin when we used FaceTime at the hotel. The day I got back to Florida my mother mentioned my smooth complexion.  Our only regret is that we didn't purchase any of the Blue Lagoon spa products.



On a humorous note, I wish I had taken a picture of the lifeguards because they were bundled up like Eskimos while I swam in the warm water wearing only a bikini.  We were told to schedule our visit late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds.  We arrived at 5 pm thinking that we would be ready to leave after a few hours.



Boy were we wrong, they had to kick us out at closing time.  The Blue Lagoon is even more amazing at night.



Next Post - The Hot Golden Circle