Florida Keys (Journal Included)

Great AirTran flights, awful problem with Thrifty Car Rental; they ran out of cars. They took us to a very small no-name car rental company. We left Miami a couple of hours later than we anticipated. There was a major traffic jam on the highway to head south. We finally passed the wreck about 30 minutes later. I gave up my idea of finding the infamous Wal-Mart. I wasn’t totally sure of the directions (I thought I would have to take a particular exit and several turns after that). It was completely dark. But, just as we started seeing signs about getting off the highway on to US1 Proper (not to mention the fact that we were both looking for a bathroom), there was Wal-Mart. It was the biggest Wal-Mart I have ever seen in my life. We chose a $1 foam cooler for picnic lunches at state parks, as well as beer and wine, suntan lotion, and various other things. Much to our dismay, they were officially sold out of cork screws. Horror. Mom bought some screw-top wine to get us through until our quest to find a corkscrew ended, and some higher-end wine with corks. (She couldn’t bring her own corkscrew…. It’s a 9/11 thing.)

Arrived at the Hampton Inn, Islamorada ( Oceanside …. know for awesome sunrises), at 10 p.m. Ate dinner at the Outback Steakhouse attached to our hotel (I hoped to eat at Islamorada Fish Company, but we didn’t know if it would still be open). Mom had a chicken salad. I had shrimp on the barbie and steamed veggies. We were pleased with the food and the service.