Love & Valentines At Bahia Honda – FL Keys, FL
It’s Valentine’s Day today, so it’s time to share some looooooooove!
We’ve got lots of serious stuff going on in the Wheelingit camp, so admittedly we aren’t being quite as romantic as we usually would. We’re still knee deep in all the practical stuff of selling the RV and Moving to Europe, and the details are keeping us occupied pretty much everyday. I’ve got at least 4-5 more “Move To Europe” posts in the works, including how we’re going to handle banking (aalmost figured this out), health insurance (we just figured this one out yesterday!), cell coverage (getting closer) and pets (hopefully we’ve got this one covered by now). Lots of research & learning going on, so it’s a day by day thing. It’s a bear of a process, but we’ll get there eventually!
But back to the love stuff.
In betwixt all this life education we’ve been enjoying an amazing waterfront campsite in one of the most beautiful state parks in Florida, Bahia Honda State Park. Yes, there are a few bugs here (no-seeums are nasty little pests) and yes, Bahia is still recovering from the hurricane (the oceanside part of the park is still completely closed), but we’ve got a HUGE, newly graded site and the water is literally outside our door! So not only do we get to swim everyday from our site, but thanks to our south-facing (bayside) orientation we also get to enjoy sunset right from camp. It’s perhaps one of our nicest sites ever, and we are definitely loving it.
There’s family too! We’ve enjoyed at least a week of this goodness with Paul’s dad and stepmom. We’ve been caravaning off and on with these guys for over 2 years now, and were lucky enough to get two campsites here for this last trip. It’s been a really special way to end our time RVing together in the US, and we’ve truly cherished it. Time with family is always time with love.
We’ve had our fair share of food and beverage love too.
Of course there’s happy hour by the water (always a Wheelingit favorite), but we’ve also eaten tons of good food at local joints like Geiger Key Restaurant (best fish sandwiches!), No Name Pub (an iconic place for pizza and beer) Burdine’s (a super chill place to eat by the water), and Keys Fisheries (great, fresh fish). And to top it all off, we’ve enjoyed a more-than-average quantity of Cuban Coffees from nearby La Niña Restaurant & Cuba Coffee. The stuff is liquid gold, and we always go a tad crazy when we find a good source, but it’s life changing goodness. Not to be missed, I tell you!
And then of course there’s the nature love.
The Keys are a gorgeous place and Bahia Honda is a gem in its own right. From its pristine white sand beaches, to its psychedelic sunsets, and the ever-present warm ocean breeze, all of it is simply soul-enriching stuff. On the days that I stress out too much, this is what soothes me and brings back my heart back into a regular beat. It’s a really special place.
And finally there’s the ultimate love of all.
I’m fortunate enough to travel with my soul-mate of 21 years and our 3 beloved paws, each of which hold a permanent piece of my heart. No matter where I am or what I do, they are the core of my family and my love. I’m deeply grateful that I get to share this time with them, and couldn’t imagine this life adventure without them. Love like that is the stuff of novels, and I’m a very, very lucky gal to have it.
So those are the few thoughts that I wanted to share with you today. All my loves, all in one place, all in one post, shared with a touch of nature, a smidgen of color, and a burst of final sunlight. Valentine’s Day is not the only day to cherish all this of course, but it’s a fine remembrance and that’s something worth sharing with others.
So with that said I’ll end on this note. No matter where you are or what you’re going through, I hope your day today holds some love. Whether it be the love of a beautiful place, the joy of a good meal, the warmth of a person, or simply a last burst of sunset light, I hope your hearts overflow, today and for all days forward. Happy Valentines Day everyone!
An awesome, awesome post. Like you, I am having the good fortune to share this neatiful day with the one I love, doing what we both love, looking forward to a beautiful sunset. Thanks for the post. Enjoyed just as we enjoy all your posts.
We live just a few miles West of you on Big Torch Key and enjoy the sunrise & sunset every day. Glad they opened Bahia Honda so you could enjoy the sea breeze.
Nice photos that you posted.
Headed to Ft. DeSoto County Park south of St. Pete soon to check it out in our class C.
Enjoy your stay.
What a beautiful spot to live! The Keys are an amazing place. The more time I spend here, the more I understand that.
Nina
What a lovely post, thank you.
Beautiful post Nina. We have followed you and Paul for about fours. We are going to really miss your wonderful campground reviews.
Thanks. I can’t say I’ll miss doing those reviews (they are so much work!), but I know they’ve been super helpful for folks over the years. I’ll have to decide if I want to continue them when we start camping in Europe. We’ll see….
Nina
Hi Nina, we have stayed at several parks you have reviewed and actually try to only stop at parks you reviewed. I can say you know how to pick them and can’t thank you enough. Question…how can I download all your reviews to keep for future reference?
I’ll keep the blog up and running, with all the reviews (and camping maps) linked, so don’t worry about the reviews going away 🙂
Nina
Oh thank you. We would hate to lose access. We are heading out later this year for several months out west, and intend stay at places you reviewed. Thanks so much.
Great Valentine’s Day post! Gorgeous pictures.
What a beautiful place to celebrate Valentine’s Day! How sweet that you managed to score two waterfront sites at Bahia Honda for your (temporary) farewell to your full-time travels in the States. So glad that you’re finding time for enjoying the sunsets in the midst of the intensity of planning for your European adventure.
We’ve been so incredibly lucky with the sunsets here. I’m not a morning person, so sunsets are my drug of choice. It’s been wonderful.
Nina
You most definitely scored with this spectacular site! How sweet to have Paul’s dad right next door. Sorry to hear the no-seeums are there. They are a real pain if you are one they love. Enjoy your family time in your beautiful little spot by the water:)
They’ve not been bad during the day, but at sunset…..whooo wheee….they go nuts. And of course they love me.
Nina
Happy Valentines Day! Thank you for sharing great information.
Good words, great picts, outrageous life!
Loved this post Nina! You two scored big on your site at Bahia Honda. We loved that park. Your photos are simply fabulous!
Well said! Good luck with your new adventure.
Hi. First I want to say that I love your blog! Look forward to following you two around Europe. We wish you health and happiness throughout your new journey
We are full time rvers and wondering how we go about finding a repair place that we can stay on site while they do the repairs. It is all outside work but we have four cats and a dog. We are in Maryland but can travel. Also we will be in southern France the end of April if you need a place to stay. Thanks for all your tips and tricks on being a full timer! We may follow in your tire tracks!
Most RV repair shops will allow you to stay on-site. Just tell them you are fulltimers (live in your rig) and that you are traveling w/ 5 pets. In our 8 years on the road, everyone has allowed us to stay during repairs. For best/closest shop I suggest looking at this website (http://rvservicereviews.com/), or just using Google to search around. I do know a VERY good body repair guy in N.FL (let me know if you need the name), but I’m not familiar with anyone near MD.
Nina