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Sunday, 04/27/03; Key West, Florida
Greetings from the Southernmost point in the “lower 48!”
The day dawned clear and dry – except for the high humidity. We were off on our normal schedule for Key West. It was an interesting trip. We took US-41 from Naples instead of the more popular I-75, known as “Alligator Alley.” US-41 is more direct and passes through several settlements, although the road is poor in a few places. We did well until we reached the outskirts of Miami; somehow we all missed seeing the route that took us south to pick up US-1 to Key West. We found ourselves in Coral Gables, about eight miles east of our intended course. We turned south and finally joined rout US-1.
It was an interesting journey. None of us knew what to expect concerning the road down to the Keys. There was considerably more land than we expected. The road was good, but being only two-lanes, it was slow, at times.
Causeway
Florida Key
We stopped on Key Largo and found a little county park right on the shoreline where we prepared and ate our lunch. After lunch, Keith became so sleepy that we had to use the air conditioner to keep him awake!
We located a modest motel in the heart of Key West and moved in for two nights. After unpacking our overnight gear, Keith decided to nap and Joann busied herself with homemaking chores. A sudden thunderstorm erupted and Joann ran to the car to close the windows. She was trapped inside during a deluge of water and hail. The car’s roof began to leak like the proverbial sieve and Joann opened an umbrella to protect the front seats. The headliner and most of the side upholstery was drenched! After the storm passed, we unloaded everything from the car and tried to dry things out. As this letter is being written, the paper used with the printer is laid out on the bed, on the floor and in the closet in the faint hope that some will be salvageable.
Drying papers
Everything stored in the “bustle” was drenched, but the things wrapped in plastic were spared. Inspection of the roof showed that it had not been properly sealed when it was installed. The Smiths had experienced some leaks in the roof in Europe, but hasty repairs had taken care of the problems over there. Apparently there is a big difference in the “leakability” of the car when in motion as opposed to being stationary. The intensity of the storm was probably a factor, also. Dennis and Keith, each with a tube of silicone sealer attacked the edges of the roof and we hope that the problem has been solved for good!
Keith patching the roof
We had a nice dinner at a restaurant a few blocks up the street. We plan to start our sightseeing tomorrow. Because of the need to repair the leaking car, we were unable to do any this afternoon.
Key West is something of a milestone for this tour: we have driven over 4,000 miles, about one-quarter of the projected total miles for the tour; we have reached the southernmost point of the coterminous United States; from here we will turn north and see another side of our great country. Additionally, we look forward to seeing more of our friends along the way.
The wet, but still Undaunted Four
