brains for brunch: Camping in Key West

Last week, Whitney told me she was planning a camping trip for this weekend. One of the trillions of reasons I love Whitney is that she comes up with DIFFERENT AND FUN things to do, and somehow, we make them all happen! (Monster Truck rally, fashion shows, concerts, and our next venture, Improv classes!) Soooo, I made my plans, packed a bag and got ready for a Saturday-Sunday camping adventure in Bahia Honda, 37 miles from Key West.

Friday night, we watched Kickball at Peacock Park, where I discovered there was something missing in my life. I was stoned and had raisins, so it wasn't hunger. It was Kickball. So, in a few months when the Kickball league starts up again (they have coolers of vodka punch in the dugout, and spend more energy dancing to the blasting music on the field than they actually do playing the sport), I want to make a team!-- Another thing to look forward to for 2009! Ha... oh life's simple pleasures...

On our walk back to the Grove houses, we chatted about the camping details, and forced a few (in)different words out of Monte, and we had our plan ready for action. 9am Saturday, we'd all take off for the Keys! Before I could get too excited for camping, I had to get home and to bed circa 9:30pm for my 5am wake up call to run *gaspp* NINE MILES! Yes, that's right. NINE! Almost there....

Before I knew it (I think...) the Benadryls hit me like a bus, couldn't even make it through my recorded Californication from last Sunday (it must have hit me hard because that is hands down my favorite comedy on tv). And after what felt like a solid blinking of my eyes, my obnoxious alarm, plugged into the wall on the other side of the room, which forces me out of bed, rang... no... SCREAMED at me to get the fuck up. Banana, coffee, cool Polar watch, and I'm out the door at 5:30am.

I parked at the lot at South Miami Hospital, and as I was walking to where our group meets, I see an SUV with a bunch of drunk kids hanging out the window telling me to, "FUCK OFF RUNNERSSSSSS gipuraehiugohen!!!!!" Don't hate me cause you're going to be coming off your drugs while I'm on mile 9, assholes.

Run's over, it's 8am, and I have an hour to shower, pack, reconsider what I packed, and end up settling for some not-so-smart clothing options, but HEY whatever. I'm a city girl! Met up at Jonas's house and we loaded the kayaks on the roof of his car, which is fucking harder than it looks, and took off for The Keys.

Whit, Monte and the Aussie kids all headed for some sorta noon pub crawl drinkathon all the way down at Key West, and Jonas and I took the kayaks out for some fishing. We stopped at some tiki bar, picked up beer, and paddled around by the mangroves to try to catch some fish for dinner. Success! Well... not for me, really, all I did was get the line caught in the mangroves, then tangled, but hey, I tried. I was a damn good beer-delivery service, and I think Jonas would agree.

The fishing took longer than expected, and so by the time we made it to the campsite, the rest of the group had already been playing this Australian drinking game called Wizard. See photos below... But basically the idea is that you duct tape together all the beers you have drank individually and, which starts to form a Wizard's Staff, and if the staff reaches your own height, you are a Wizard. Big fuckin' deal, I know... but YOU try it and see how much fun it ends up being!!!

----Cut to the bbq part. Burgers, sausage, and some dank veggie burgers on the grill, and later the Mangrove Snapper that Jonas and I (kinda...) caught! Amazing feast, my staff was at chin level, and I'm pretty sure MGMT and Calvin Harris made their very first Key West debut! Ha... You can take the girl out of the scene.... you finish that.

And blah blah blah drinking, pictures, beach exploration, bridge adventures, and I was sleeping like a baby by midnight. 8:30am, everyone's awake, popping their pills of choice to quash (I really like that word) their hangovers. We stopped at the Cracked Egg for brunch, and we were headed back north to the land of angry drivers and Starbucks.

It was, even through the hangover, an unbelievable morning. The weather was perfect, cloudless, in the 60's, and I know a few of us wished we could stay another night. But reality calls... and it bites.

Here are some pictures from the trip... Camping is so underrated.
7-Mile Bridge... we stopped for some photos: