After a long night of mosquito fighting, we were ready to leave the Everglades. The Florida Keys were next up on our list but both of us had some car issues to deal with first. Our jeep was due for an oil change and Greg was having trouble getting his car started. We headed to the nearby town of Homestead to the Jeep dealer and Greg was working on getting some ideas from his mechanic friend in Poland. While we waited for the truck to be serviced, we did some internet research trying to find a cheap place to stay nearby so we could head to the Keys in the morning. We did not have much luck. We headed to the nearby grocery store to met Greg and Beata and make some plans. We were hoping they had found a place.

We all came up empty on a place to stay. Our friends opted for a Home Depot parking lot but we decided to splurge on a hotel room for the night. By this point I was one big itch and I was dying for a soak in a warm bath. We figured we could get our laundry done as well. We found a nearby Super 8 that was within our budget and headed over. The clerk was a lovely young lady who let us in 2 hours before regular check in time and gave us some tips for our trip to the Keys the next day. We walked to the nearby shopping area looking for a place for dinner and found a Caribbean restaurant called O’Deeny’s we decided to try. The food was fantastic. We had oxtail stew, ribs, plantains, and rice and beans. The owner and her sister, who came in while we were eating, were incredibly welcoming and friendly. We headed back to our hotel right before the rain came in looking forward to a good night sleep in a bed. It was nice to be back in civilization for a little while except for the fact that we both felt the beginning of a cold coming on.