Miami – People, traffic and no sunshine

Sunday, January 05, 2014
Margate, Florida, United States
Sunday - January 5 - 6, 2014

It is time to launch. Signing a few documents with Andy, our real estate agent and tying up a few last minute details with the hangar we pull out mid morning heading for the Aztec RV Resort in Margate, FL near Pompano and Ft. Lauderdale. It was an easy 220 mile trip down I-95 and the Florida Turnpike. Let's face it. Florida scenery while barreling down a straight interstate highway is boring. There is simply nothing interesting to see other than an occasional birds nest in the top of a cell tower. But there was no rain.

We arrive at Aztec and are amazed at the size. 650 sites restricted to only Class A motorhomes with around 600 of the sites occupied. It is like entering Quebec province. The most prevalent language is French and you know you are a minority when you are given a schedule for the few English speaking programs they make available. Many of the sites have been purchased by RV owners and they have built large Tiki huts fully equipped with kitchens, dining areas and storage. RV lots start at $180K for those interested. But the place is beautiful and well maintained.

We had dinner with Spruce Creek friends Ed and Susan who also have a home in Ft. Lauderdale. I had purchased the Spruce Creek hangar from Ed in 1999 and their Spruce Creek home was across the street from ours. It was nice to catch up.

On Monday we headed for South Beach in Miami for lunch and people watching. As we had remembered from previous visits to South Beach, it is a traffic nightmare, parking is difficult, sidewalk café / restaurants are numerous and people watching is excellent. We settled into a sidewalk café at a historical old hotel, The Tides. An excellent meal and a stroll down South Beach. We were wearing entirely too much clothing to blend in on the beach but we were happy to not fit in. South Beach, always interesting and always easy to leave.

While we were in south Florida, the weather had been cool. But when you put it into perspective our cool nighttime temps in the 50’s was hot. The "polar vortex" was hitting the Midwest and north. Our little town in Kentucky was shivering with 6 below zero and we had no worries about frozen pipes. But it was time to head for the Florida Keys in search of those warmer climes.

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