Big Pine Key 2010

Saturday May 22nd, we headed down to the Keys for a weekend of camping. I am so not the camper, but we went a little more prepared this time, so it was somewhat easier than our last trip. At the risk of being too graphic, let's just say that a portable potty can make for a lot less trips to the bath house. We were concerned that it was going to be too warm going in May, but it was incredibly windy, so it did not feel too bad. It actually was so windy that we could not put the rain guard on the tent, because it would pull the stakes out of the ground. No rain guard made for some really pretty nights sleeping, because the moon was almost full, and it was beautiful. The girls said it was their night light. The only problem came on the second night when it decided to rain at 5:00am. Mike and I jumped up from a dead sleep and threw the rain guard on just in time for a torrential downpour. The rain lasted for only about five minutes, but it was very intense for a short time. We also got up close and personal with the wildlife during our visit. Key deer are all around and do not hesitate to come up close to see if you have food, and they will raid your garbage any chance they get. The first night we were there a racoon actually came into the tent to get to the food! It is quite a surprise to wake up and be face to face with a racoon! we also saw a couple of frigates and a bald eagle. The big girls just love hiking around and checking out the animals. They collected hermit crabs and tried unsuccessfully to catch a gecko.