Stop 14 – (Mostly) Sunny Isles Beach

If we felt like we needed a goal, or some other purpose for our trip, this was it.  My parents moved from California to Sunny Isles Beach about 10 years ago and since then we’ve tried to see each other at least twice a year.  Usually they’d fly out around Thanksgiving and we’d fly out during Spring or Summer break.  The boys have always been close with their grandparents so these are visits they very much look forward to as well.  

With the coming of Covid and the related concern about flying commercially, we had to get creative if we wanted to see my parents anytime soon. This goal of visiting my parents was in essence the reason for us getting the RV and striking out cross country.  Of course we also desperately needed a break from our somewhat monotonous Covid impacted schedule, something that a cross country RV adventure was perfectly suited to provide.

Usually when we visited South Florida we’d find various activities to keep us entertained, but considering the current situation, especially in South Florida, we didn’t feel comfortable going out to eat or congregating indoors with groups of other people, so for the most part our nearly two weeks were filled with swimming in the ocean, swimming in the pool, trying to keep Boomer from peeing in the apartment (mostly successful), work, and school.  And of course visiting with my parents.

Fortunately (at least if you like the beach) my parents live in an apartment right on the ocean.  During our first week the wind was blowing pretty hard so the ocean wasn’t that pleasant, but when the weather settled down, it made for amazing swimming.  The three hour time difference meant that our days were usually front loaded with swim time.  The boys typically started their school days at 11:30am local time, staying logged in until about 5:00pm.

We also got to see how Boomer did as an apartment dog.  We had an inauspicious beginning with him asking (or rather demanding) to be taken out at about 3am on that very first night.  Fortunately that 3am poo turned out to be a one time occurrence and he settled in for the duration of our stay.  Although our nearly two weeks in an apartment did illustrate the challenges of having an apartment dog, especially with needing to take them out several times a day and no super quick option to get them outside if they have to go NOW. There was a nice dog park about half a mile away.  Boomer did manage to make friends with a puppy that seemed to be there every morning.  Boomer played with him the few times we took him to the park.

Our stay in Sunny Isles was also the first time in three weeks that we were away from the RV for any significant period of time.  Because there was nowhere to park the RV anywhere near my parents apartment, we had to leave it at a RV park/marina in Fort Lauderdale, paying the same daily rate as if we were staying there.  We chose a RV park over a storage yard because the cost wasn’t much different, and storage yards are known to be great places to keep your RV if you want it to be broken into.  We were also able to keep the RV powered up and the AC running, which helped keep the inside of the RV from getting too moist.  After three weeks of getting to know our RV intimately, it was weird to abandon it and sleep elsewhere.  Setting up an IP camera so we could keep and eye on things remotely did make me feel better.

It was definitely a bit sad to leave Sunny Isles beach, mostly because we’re not sure when we’ll be back.  In addition to Covid travel concerns, my parents are buying a house on the other coast, in Venice, which they will most likely start spending most of their time in.  On the other hand, it is exciting to have crossed the geographical midpoint of our adventure and begin heading back to our Bay Area friends and family who we definitely do miss.  

Our next stop is Nokomis which is in the Sarasota area on Florida’s West Coast.  We’re not saying bye to my parents quite yet, as we’ll be dragging them along with us so they can experience the RV life for a day.  They’ll then drive back to Sunny Isles on their own while we make our way up the West coast of Florida as we start our two to three week journey back home.

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