While riding around in Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, we entered a preserve.  Near the entrance was a “pontoon boat” which presumably carried some Cubans to Florida.  Sure makes going across in a 42 foot catamaran to the Bahamas seem like a piece of cake. 

We were riding our bikes near the bird sanctuary and the beach where we’ve been a number of times.  This time we decided to go around a building on the beach and to our surprise there was a very wide boardwalk/bike trail (above) which ran between a HUGE picnic ground (easily many hundreds of tables and covered pavilions) and the WIDE beach.   We rode on it for awhile and came upon the entrance to a preserve which also had miles of bike paths (photo at right).  We rode on it to the Crandon Park Marina where we’ve gotten fuel several times and to a bridge off Key Biscayne.  

Luckily, the park we are staying in allows pets.  They seem to do that specifically because many boats do have dogs aboard.  Every other park on Key Biscayne has “NO PETS” signs.  There is even a lovely city park with a playground and a few sporting fields which don’t allow pets.  The beaches in Florida never allow pets, but it seems odd to have parks which don’t.  Then again, today we saw some people anchor in No Name Harbor in a nice 40+ ft Manta PowerCat.  Their friends pulled in next to them in a power cruiser.  The two husbands got into a dinghy with a combined five dogs and headed to shore.  They then proceeded to let the dogs run loose (dogs are required to be on six foot or less leashes in this park) and relieve themselves on the grass near the sidewalk where everyone walks.  Perhaps pet owners like them are  the reason why Florida is so anti-dog.  I was tempted to yell across to them as they headed back to their boat, but they were too far away.  Later, however, their wives came back from a walk with the dogs.  They brought their dinghy right past us and I felt compelled to say, “Your husbands brought your dogs ashore earlier and didn’t clean up after them.”  The wives seemed surprised, but I wouldn’t doubt if they did the same thing.  Hopefully they’ll be the ones to step in the messes.  We clean up after Daisy even on deserted islands so we can’t understand people who don’t.

Yesterday we also rode our bikes down to the lighthouse at the end of the park we are staying in, the Bill Baggs “Cape Florida” Park.  This lighthouse is well known to any cruiser who has entered No Name Harbor, as it marks the channel where you come off the ocean into Biscayne Bay.  This is the first time we were on the beach side of the lighthouse.   

Yes, we are still in Miami, waiting for yet another weather window this week.  It looks like the wind will be favorable in a few days.  We have had a few more mechanical problems in the past few days.  Mark had to order a part for the generator, a part for the watermaker and we are waiting to hear about a part for the hot water heater.  All three are under warranty, so it’s not the expense that is annoying - just the fact that we kept being held up.  Since Christmas is over, we suspect a large group of boats will be coming to this area to head across the Gulf Stream to The Bahamas.  Yesterday, we counted 48 boats in No Name Harbor, but most were locals enjoying a warm holiday weekend.