The kids did the usual day trips to Bahia Honda beach and Key West, but also did a night trip to Key West, cabbing home, very late. It was a warm and calm day when we took the Shingebiss out this week, so we finally got out to Looe Key to have a look. Lying 5 miles from the Keys, Looe Key isn't an island, but is part of the reef system that parallels the Atlantic side of the Keys. Named after the HMS Looe which supposedly ran aground there in 1744, Looe Key became a National Marine Sanctuary in 1981. We had visions of weekly snorkel trips out there during our stay on Cudjoe, but the cold water temps along with reports of cloudy water due to the winter winds put a damper on those plans. The kids fished all the way out and back with no luck.
The water was incredibly blue.
... or was it turquoise ??
The reef has mooring balls, so picked one up and enjoyed the warm weather. The kids all jumped in the water before we headed back to the house. We stopped once for a little more fishing and a couple small sharks bit on their lines, but the boys couldn't hook them. It was fun to see them.
Tonight is our last night at the house, and we are busy eating up all the food, gathering our "stuff" up from the house, and preparing the boat for departure tomorrow. Our time here has been a ton of fun and it's been great to see all our friends and family from back home. It was a nice break from cruising and now we are ready to get back on the Loop.
Back in Minnesota, a heavier than normal snowfall that melted very quickly has flooded the Mississippi River, with the water higher than it's been since 2001. To give some perspective on the height of the water at crest, here's a picture of our home on the river last summer. Note the tree in the center of the boulder garden.
As this picture shows, the water is up to that tree. The garden you see in the back of the picture is about 70% under water as well.
This photo shows our dock, far right with walkway, with neighbor Mark's dock and boat in the distance. Both of these docks are normally just about 10' from the river bank. The post carrying our electric is barely sticking up in the center of the picture, this post is normally 7' off the ground.
Mark sent us these photos. The water is receding now, but will leave behind a terrible mess. We feel badly that we are not there to help with the cleanup, but grateful that our home is safe and our dock is safe thanks to Mark's hard work.
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