Marathon, FL

Tuesday, November 27

After two days in Key Largo, it was time to pack up the RV and move onto a new spot in The Florida Keys. The weather was hot and steamy in Florida the past two days, but a cold front was moving in and we could feel the wind picking up already.

Fortunately, packing up our rig is easy since we’re in a Class C motorhome. Andi unhooked the hoses and picked up the outside of our campsite while I cleared the countertops inside and got the kids ready to roll. Next, we pulled the slide in and we were on our way within a matter of minutes. Next stop: Marathon, FL

Several people recommended we stop by The Hungry Tarpon Restaurant on our way to Marathon so the kids could feed the fish there. Oh, sure - why not? We arrived there for an early lunch, parking the RV in their busy parking lot off the highway, and immediately determined we’d been duped into a tourist trap! There was a restaurant, fishing docks and several huts set up in the parking lot where you could buy caricatures, trinkets, signs, etc. Definitely not our scene, but I bet this place is really hoppin’ in the evenings.

We ordered lunch in the restaurant and then walked over to the docks to buy a bucket of fish to feed the tarpons. Immediately, Aden was flocked with pelicans trying to steal fish out of his bucket. He was NOT pleased. They were really aggressive and nearly as tall as he is! The four of us made our way down the dock to the spot where the tarpon were gathered. This is clearly something the fish have learned to do because there were lots of people crowded around and tons of fish in the water waiting to be fed. When we peered over the edge and saw the size of the tarpon swimming below, Andi made an executive decision to take over bucket duty.

We fed the fish, and then headed back to the restaurant to eat. Andi had the Florida Keys hogfish sandwich for lunch, which he said was delicious. I ordered the fish tacos, which were just OK.

By the time we arrived to Marathon, the wind had really picked up — the kind of wind that is likely to knock you off your feet is you’re a kid! Andi had originally booked an ocean-front campsite at Grassy Keys RV park but based on the weather, we decided to move to one of their spots closer to the road. Fortunately, it wasn’t very busy there so we had some flexibility.

The headlamp guys grilled fresh shrimp for dinner, then we called it an early night. One thing about living in a 28-foot RV is that when one person goes to bed, EVERYONE goes to bed since we all sleep in the same space. The kitchen table converts into Aden’s bed and he declares his need for sleep promptly at 8:30pm. That’s OK though - we all end up getting a good night’s rest.

Wednesday, November 28

There are two main attractions in Marathon - a sea turtle hospital and a dolphin research center. We let the kids decide what they were interested in learning about, and they selected the Dolphin Research Center which was conveniently located within walking distance of our RV resort.

After breakfast, we headed over to the Dolphin Research Center to see what it was all about. This large facility is home to several salt-water lagoons with dolphins and sea lions. Admission was a little pricy ($28/adult; $25/child), but patrons were allowed you to come & go as you wished throughout the day and there were many educational programs happening. Also- the admission price funds the research and care of the animals which made it a little more palatable.

Thankfully, I brought warmer jackets with us because we wore them! It was cold near the water. The dolphin trainers, dressed in parkas, said this was the coldest day they’d had all year. Not exactly “winter” for our Minnesota blood, but cold enough to send a shiver down your spine. We could have paid extra to touch or swim with the dolphins, but the cooler temperatures deterred us from doing those activities during our visit. Instead, we were content to watch some of the dolphin training sessions take place from the sidelines.

Back to the RV for lunch (fish tacos - yum!) and then we decided to check out Curry Hammock State Park for the afternoon. The air was still chilly, but the sun was shining so we figured some beach time was in order.

It wasn’t until we started RV’ing that we began to appreciate the state parks we have available to us in this country. Florida has some of the most beautiful ones we’ve seen & there are so many of them! Curry Hammock State Park in Marathon is split into two sections - one on each side of Highway 1.

“A hammock is an elevated area of trees surrounded by wetlands.”

What is a hammock? We kept seeing this word in various places as we traveled around Florida, and were interested to discover that a “hammock” describes a particular habitat found in the southeastern United States. How timely since Tory has been learning about different habitats in science! We took the opportunity to discuss what this habitat might be describing at Curry Hammock, with its rocky ridges and a paved road nestled between mangrove swamps and seagrass.

With the Atlantic Ocean as its backdrop, it’s easy to see why this park is a favorite among people visiting The Keys - it was so beautiful.

Back at Grassy Keys RV Resort, Andi grilled up the last of the shrimp for dinner which we paired with a steamer bag of cauliflower rice. I tend to prefer fresh veggies over frozen, but microwave steamer bags are one of the easiest meals to make in the RV. I guess you could say dinner was our take on a quick & easy shrimp fried “rice.” The kids ate spaghetti and French bread … and Tory lost her second front tooth when she bit down to take a bite. Finally!

Then, with all our excitement, I dropped the teeny tiny tooth on the floor and it bounced underneath the table. Whoops! Luckily, with the help of a flashlight and a spatula, we found it.

Would the Tooth Fairy know to find us in Florida? We sure hoped so! Tory put her tooth in a ziploc baggie and tucked it under her pillow for safe keeping. Then, we opened the ceiling vent of the RV just a crack so the Tooth Fairy would be able to slip in during the night. Traveling with kids is an adventure, that’s for sure!