Cheryl M.:
Foo,
Oops, my pm must have crossed in the mail, so to speak, with your trip report.Sorry to hear that the LDS on the island let you down. I would have cried from frustration, too, you're not a baby at all. Must dive!! Glad you got to dive Key Largo, though. French Reef is very cool. Sounds like you and your family made the best of it, despite natural and manmade obstacles, and made a new friend in Colin. All good.
I'm beginning to think that between the red tide and the competance of the only dive shop on the island, that maybe my spousal unit and I will leave our gear at home and spend this Saturday on a Marco Island beach.
Re: real estate, my father-in-law and his wonderful wife were lucky enough to have bought their modest house down there 10 years ago, as you noted.
Cheryl M.
Cheryl, since you only have a few days to spend there, I think you're probably making the right decision. If you had a day or two to spare, you could make a Ft. Lauderdale or Upper Keys days trip like we did, but it's at least 2.5-3 hours each direction.
I don't know if your family has access to a private beach, but the public one is really pretty nice and it was uncrowded while we were there. It's called South Beach and is on S. Collier (the main drag.) You park across the street (good signs will direct you) cross the street to walk down a nice pathway to the beach. There are no restrooms, chairs or sun covers available there, however. Take your own, or go in the evening like we did. There is a freshwater shower (maybe just foot shower) though.
The other beach is good for shelling, it's called Tigertail (also public). Take a bag for your goodies (sand dollars there) and be sure and wear shoes, as you will have to cross a rather mucky and yucky lagoon to get to the best shelling. I wore my dive boots, they were perfect. And I looked really cool in them, I'm sure.
I also carried a child's sand rake, to rake through the water so I didn't touch anything icky or stinging. Dive gloves would work, but I didn't have them with me that day. We had fun out there. There are so many hermit crabs on the sand bar, it looks as if the whole beach is pink and in perpetual motion. This beach does have nice bathhouses, a concession, and a nice playground.
Both of these are county parks, and you can pay $4 for your carload, and visit both beaches at much as you want for one day. Pretty decent deal.
Have fun, it's a very nice place to visit, and I would definitely return.
Foo
