A few days in Florida
Jolie and I visited the East Coast of Florida for a few fun-filled days. We first went to Fort Lauderdale and stayed a few nights in the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood. We toured Downtown Fort Lauderdale, including a stop at Cafe Bastille for one of the best breakfasts we have ever had. This was followed by strolling along the riverfront walk, the historic buildings on Moffat Avenue, and finished with some shopping on Las Olas Boulevard. The final part of our visit to Fort Lauderdale included attending the Tool concert in the Hard Rock Live Theater, a fantastic venue.
The next day, my brother Chan picked us up and drove us down to Coconut Grove on the south side of Miami for a boat tour around Biscayne National Park. This boat tour was excellent, with a fantastic and knowledgeable crew. We boated across Biscayne Bay over to Boca Chita Key. We spent an hour on the key checking out all the sights, including the Boca Chita Lighthouse and the historic structures that were built by the original owner, Honeywell. Next, we boated north past Soldier Key (the last key on the east side), Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, and the Cape Florida Lighthouse on Key Biscayne before stopping at Stiltsville. Stiltsville is an incredible collection of old cabins built on stilts above the ocean floor on both sides of a natural channel into Biscayne Bay. Historically, there were a few dozen of these structures; however, as they typically get destroyed by fire and hurricanes, they are left to history. Since this area is now part of the national park, they cannot rebuild.
The last two days were spent in the Stuart/West Palm Beach area, hanging out with my brother and his wife, Sonia. We had dinner in Stuart and brunch at Lynoras with my niece Haley and her husband, Andrew. In between, we played a round of Shotgun Golf at the South Florida Shooting Club and visited the Loggerhead Marinelife Center to see the turtles. We had a blast spending a few days in the warmth of Florida in place of the freezing temperatures in Montana.