One morning in mid December as I climbed back down from the rim of St. Elena Canyon in Big Bend N.P. in Texas after enjoying the sun’s orange radiance on the Rio Grande River as it rose, I had a reality check.  My objective at Big Bend was to break in my new slide-in Capri camper on my pickup truck.  That had been successful way beyond my hopes. I figured out the stove and refrigerator and had my belongings pretty much organized, so there was enough room to enjoy and live in the camper’s space. When I left home in November I was still in a tent camping mind set. I had tent camped for months in our country’s winter warm spots for years from Florida, across southern Texas, Arizona and hoped to find more in April in Nevada, the nowherelands of southern Utah and places in between.   I had a lot of stuff that came in handy when in the tent, but now cluttered the camper and needed to be cleared.  I hated to get rid of it, but eventually shedded a lot of the time-tested stuff, when I was amongst tent campers in Big Cypress where I spend February in the everglades.  I could spend months in Big Bend N.P. (website: http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm), since it’s nearly the size of Rhode Island with 196 miles of wild river to kayak, the Chisos Mt. Range, and many hiking trails in the Sonora Desert, along Terlingua Creek & the river and in the mountains.
    I was thinking of Key West and being there for New Year’s Eve, plus my travels have taken me to the Keys for January each of the last 11 years. It had been minimally warm in this southern tip of Texas, although I did paddle up into the canyon once after plugging the drain holes of my “sit upon” kayak to keep the frigid water on the outside.  My thoughts were on how many days it would take to drive from here to there, and the warmth. It was evident by the many miles I had to drive, that if I was going to be in Key West by when I wanted, I needed to get on the move. Four primary places top my Don’t Miss List and Big Bend N.P. is one of them. It is joined by the Keys, Big Cypress, and ToroWeap on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The road to ToroWeap can be a car killer, though, and I passed it up last year, but the solidarity and panoramic view is worth the threat of damage if you’re not very careful. This year my 4WD helped me, but the road was still nearly impassable in places and no place for a passenger car to be.  
    During past meanderings I was always watching for places where I could park some kind of RV overnight without paying or any hassle. Setting up and tearing down camp and a tent had gotten old. I knew where I had parked my car during day trips to Key West should work.  It was between two bank parking lots on Catherine Street and Simonton Street, where there were no parking meters, no residences, only a block from the south end of Duval Street, and a mile or two walk to Sunset Pier.  So, that’s where I was headed.  That Key West spot worked for a week, then I found a better one in a small City parking lot at the end of Southard Street between the Truman Annex and the entrance to Zachary Taylor State Park.  At both places I was close enough to unsecured networks “WiFi HotSpots” to connect to the internet and living there was hassle free. At the Catherine St. location I found a Cuban Restaurant, El Siboney, at 900 Catherine St., where I feasted many times on a variety of fresh fish, flank steak, roast chicken or pork and more.  All were flavored with a delicious spice mix, huge in quantity, always accompanied by Cuban bread, plantains or yucca (potato-like) and beans & rice (which could be a meal in itself) and I couldn’t spend $10. The service was quick, friendly and usually by a gorgeous island girl. They also offer Paella, which must be ordered in advance. It comes in an order for two, but you better have four hungry people to eat it, because there is so much.  The day I had a group they were sold out, though, so next time.
    That memory jogged one of bouillabaisse that I devoured with pleasure at Da Vinci’s.  The place was recommended by some bar partners, but that enjoyment was almost passed up, because as I entered I was surrounded by old fogies waiting to be seated at tables with white table cloths, not my style. I was turning to escape, when I saw a faded sign indicating a cocktail lounge. I asked if I could eat at the bar, the answer was, yes, and I headed that way.  What a delightful place it proved to be and like El Siboney, it’s now on my Don’t Miss List.  This restaurant is clustered in a Marco Island shopping center at 599 S. Collier Blvd. with several other good eateries.  All are across the street from the gorgeous beach with powdery sand, lots of collectible shells, and my supply of conch, which become a delectable ingredient for my camping food which I prepare 30 miles deep in the everglades at Bear Island.  If you’ve never eaten fresh conch, wow you’re missing a real delight!  But bouillabaisse, a hard menu item to find, beats it, because it is a seafood stew with shell fish, fin fish, shrimp and the more local fresh seafood the better.  Da Vinci’s was as good as it gets.
    I’m back in O.C. now, so for family photos on the beach, weddings, or whenever you need a photographer call me at 410-289-7339 or send me an email at ocfotoguy@aol.com, check out my webpage @ PhotosAsYouWantThem.biz, lots travel pics @ http://picasaweb.google.com/o.c.fotoguy2009 and my past articles are @ coconuttimes.com.