West Palm Beach Motel 6

We had a very uneventful evacuation drive today. We got up early to avoid traffic, expecting it to be like our 13-hour 5 mph drive out of New Orleans. Instead, thanks to Wilma's slowing down out there and the resultant push-back of the mandatory Keys evacuation, we had clear roads and (ahem) easy sailing. We got up to Lantana (just south of West Palm Beach) before noon. We have reservations here at the Motel 6 through Monday, so we're all set. Depending on what Wilma does, we may end up heading south again before then!

Yesterday was a busy day. We got into Key West in the morning and, after getting turned away from one marina (scary moment), found a spot at the Municipal Marina at Garrison Bight. That's on the north side of the island, with Lemming Key stretched out to the west, so we hope we've found the best protection we can from the nasty southeast winds that come from being in the "bad" quadrant of the storm. The marina also has floating docks, a nice plus for riding out storm surge.

After a phone call to the concerned rangers at Dry Tortugas National Park to let them know we made it, I made a lot of phone calls trying to find a rental car. We did not want to become dependent on government services to get out of town, so it was with great relief that I took the last car Enterprise had to offer. After that, we could "relax" into prepping the boat for a hurricane. That we have down to something of a routine, unfortunately. We strapped down and stowed everything loose, packed up a trunkful of possessions we'd rather not lose if the worst happens, and then took a few minutes to enjoy the famous Key West sunset (made truly spectacular by an advancing squall) and drive down to Duval Street (KW's mini-Bourbon Street). It wasn't enough sightseeing at all, but we took what we could get.

As for today, we spent the afternoon watching HBO in the air conditioning. I guess there are worse things.

KQR