They never got old.
Watching the International Space Station fly over while anchored near Bahia Honda State Park.
To get to Marathon in the Florida keys, we had to sail "outside" in Hawk Channel. The inside route, which is between the Florida Keys and the mainland of
Florida, can be tricky due to some shallow areas. To go on
the outside we would need a good two day weather window, as there are
not many protected anchorages along the way. The outside is in the Atlantic Ocean, but there is a
barrier reef a few miles offshore that runs parallel to the coastline.
This reef, which I believe is the second largest barrier reef, provides
protection from big ocean waves. So while in rough weather you may still
have big waves and swells, it is much more protected than without a
barrier. We had a lot of fun hanging out on the bow of the boat while
"AP," our auto pilot steered us on towards Marathon.
There are two views I have laid my eyes on in life that I literally wanted to look at forever. So beautiful they filled me with giddy joy. The first was the sunrise on the morning Stephen and I climbed four fourteeners (fourteen thousand foot mountains) in Colorado. We started hiking in pitch black, and the sun rose about halfway up the first mountain. The colors and the fog in between mountain peaks were incredible. I wanted to sit and take it in for as long as possible. Perhaps because I knew of the hard hike ahead of me, but I don't think so. The second was when we passed through Angelfish Creek from Biscayne Bay to the Atlantic. Perhaps there are more beautiful colors of blue in the Bahamas or Caribbean, but this surely is hard to beat. One of the amazing aspects is that the ocean water was completely flat, calm, not a wave or a roller to be seen. The water glistened in the sunlight and it was a view I could have looked at forever. Lucky for me we sailed in it all day, and then of course the dolphins added that extra touch! The next day's sail was certainly beautiful, but was not perfectly smooth, so lacked that extra something special. Unfortunately the pictures don't do it justice, but I won't forget it!
Emily is sharing her perspective of our trip on Instagram
She'd love for you to follow her! Her user name is emilysuttonbond
She'd love for you to follow her! Her user name is emilysuttonbond
Music from http://www.bensound.com
After we got back from the island, we kayaked, paddle boarded and Emily and Stephen snorkeled a little. The water was a bit too cold to stay in the water long, so Em hung out on her paddle board and snorkeled from there. The water was not too cold for her to jump off the boat continuously until we made her quit, that is after it took her 20 minutes to work up the nerve to jump in the first place.
At the end of the day the water was incredibly smooth and beautiful.
Trying without luck to open a coconut!
Emily collected coconuts, bowled coconuts, kicked coconuts, and tried dodge coconut until I vetoed!
