Wandering Tourist here ,and glad to be back. Wondering what I have been doing lately? For one thing, I  have not been writing, as you can see. No new posts since August. The only excuse is, well, you know. Just not enough time. Yes, I know that is not exactly true. I am retired from full-time work, so there should be plenty of time to write a few lines.

So, let’s get to it. My latest trip was to Key West. My wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary at the end of March in the nation’s southern most city. While it did not equal the experience in our favorite destination spot — Aruba — it may have been the next best thing. Key West has a lot of things that other historic destinations in Florida and the Deep South have — and a lot  more.

First, there are lots of places to take your money — expensive restaurants, chic gift shops and too many excursions for a mere week’s time.

The main thing you want to do when you visit Key West is the watch the sunset from Mallory Square. The rumor that everyone in Key West drops what they are doing and heads to Mallory Square at sunset is just not true. The two nights we were there, I would estimate the crowds at maybe 1,500 to 2,000. Most of them were tourists, I am sure — except for the vendors and street performers, who amaze with their sword-swallowing and gravity-defying antics.

I hav e to say that the sunsets in Key West are every bit as good as advertised, even when there is a slight haze, which we encountered both nights we watched them — once from the dock at Mallory Square and the other from a sailboat a mile or so into the Gulf of Mexico. Fortunately, we visited during a cooler part of the season, so heat wasn’t a major concern. I would not want to be there later in the summer when temperatures often hover around 90 degrees even as late as 8 or 9 p.m.

We strolled down world famous Duval Street, which resembles some of the historic streets in Fernandina Beach, St. Auguustine, Savannah and Charleston with gift shops, restaurants and night spots galore. Narrow streets were the hallmark of city planners in the 18th and 19th centuries and Key West is no different.

One thing that helps separate Key West from other historic sites is the number of motor scooter rentals available. Everywhere you went, motor scooters were sure to follow. I even fell to the temptation of renting one, much to my wife’s surprise. I kept remembering the fun I had as a teenager tooling around Clark AFB in the Philippines on the motorbike my father bought me on a TDY trip to Hong Kong.

We made two mistakes renting the scooter. One, we got it for four hours ($65, I think) and two, we both tried to ride around town on it. If you haven’t ridden a scooter in more than 50 years, you don’t need to try to get reacquainted with a passenger on the back. Especially one who has a fear of scooters and motorcycles. After an hour and a half into our rental, my wife suggested I take her home and ride the scooter by myself for a while. But after I took her back to the condo, I only used it for another hour, leaving another hour and a half on the rental. Oh, well, lessen learned.

One thing everyone needs to know about Key West is that there are virtually no good beaches there — except one, at Bahia Honda State Park 35 miles north of town. We found out about the park through a brochure and planned to rent kayaks and explore some of the lagoons around the park. Unfortunately, the wind was too strong the day we went and kayak rentals were unavailable.

Apparently two couples had brought their own kayaks with them. They tried but failed to reach a small island about a quarter mile into the Atlantic Ocean from the beach at Bahai Honda.

Bahia Honda may be the best kept secret in all of the keys, from an excellent beach, to amenities, to visual splendor. Highly recommended for a day’s visit.

The Florida Keys were definitely worth the nearly 600-mile drive from Jacksonville, but we won’t be going back anytime soon. Our next tropical visit will be a return to Aruba. You know what the Beach Boys say, “Aruba, Jamacia, oooh I wanna take you, to Kokomo.”

If you’ve ever been Key West, let us know about your experience.

During this lull in travel opportunities for my wife and me (she is back in the classroom and very BUSY at this time of year), I thought I would share some memories of my favorite vacation destinations and solicit some of your ideas for the site.

FAVORITE DESTINATIONS

Aruba
My all-time favorite travel destination was Aruba. Despite the pall cast over the island because of the issue over Natalee Holloway’s disappearance, my wife and I still have very fond memories of the week we spent there a decade ago with her brother Ron and our sister-in-law Judi.
I enjoyed the visit so much that I wrote a lengthy article about it for The Florida Times-Union. Some of the editors for the TU Lifestyle section must have liked it too because they featured it on the front page of that section on a Sunday. I think I still have about a couple hundred copies of the article if you want to read it. Just kidding.

Like I said, except for the snafu over the passport, the trip was remarkable from start to finish. Probably the two things I remember most about the former Dutch colony are the weather and the friendliness of the residents. The temperature year-round in Aruba is a refreshing 80 degrees due to the southern trade winds and tourism officials proudly point out that it is “one happy island.” Tourism is the island’s chief source of revenue and visitors are made to feel welcome. As an example, a retail store manager spent more than an hour helping me find the location of a local Rotary club meeting. And I didn’t even buy anything in his store!

I have to admit that I had been smitten with the idea of Aruba ever since the Beach Boys came out with their classic song, “Kokomo.” Remember the line “Aruba, Jamaica, ooooh I wanna take ya to Kokomo?” The island experience certainly lived up to my expectations. I wholeheartedly endorse a visit there if you get a chance. Just don’t let your young sons or daughters go there alone.

North Carolina Mountains

We have been to the mountains on several occasions and always leave there eager for

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