Not only do I spend a lot of time looking down in the sand or dirt. I also spend a good bit of time looking up. Maybe I can just say… I pay attention to my surroundings!

In addition to the cruise ships spending more time at Miami Anchor, there are far fewer airplanes going by. Generally on a day when winds are from the east, I will see flights from Miami International Airport make a big turn north. I watch them from my desk window and wonder where they’re headed. So far this morning, I have seen only a few.

We know air travel is greatly reduced, but who are the people traveling right now?

I went to the United website and searched for some common flights – Miami to Newark, Miami to Chicago, etc. The following flight to Newark from Miami scheduled for March 27 is nearly full:

And this March 28 flight to Chicago is mostly available and notably reduced in price. This flight to Chicago from Miami is available for as low as $29 USD or a first class ticket for $297 USD – normally close to $600 or more for last minute.

One article from Politico points to New York snowbirds and the super rich as potential issues for the state of Florida. The article suggests that nearly all flight traffic from New York area is halted, but that’s not exactly true.

Here is a look at the Flightaware Airport Activity for March 27 at 10:30 am Eastern:

And here is a flight you can buy today from Newark to Miami for $65 (economy) or $296 (first class). It’s definitely not empty, so who are the people flying?

One thing that seems clear to me, the people not traveling right now are spring-breakers and cruise-goers. The beaches are closed, by now most hotels are closed and have kicked out or cancelled reservations. Florida tourists have gone home.

So the people left are…the snowbirds.

This is the time of year when I normally secretly celebrate the departure of snowbirds. My prediction is usually that after Easter, the roads are clearer, the beaches less crowded…all because New Yorkers, Canadians, Michiganders have all returned home. Summer in Florida is for locals and I’ve been able to call myself a local for a few years now.

But this year is going to be very different. I would be curious to know how snowbirds are making their decisions? Are they planning to leave Florida early to perhaps escape to a hometown with fewer cases of COVID-19? Are they disappointed by the closed beaches and would prefer early spring in their northern environment?

Until I hear more from my snowbird neighbors, I’ll watch the pelicans. Their plans to migrate north are unchanged.

Because my backyard is a beach and a state park, both of them are now closed to me as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents are not able to use the pool, and must remain socially distanced as recommended. There is also a curfew in place in my city from 11 pm to 5 am for the foreseeable future.

Most local, county, and state parks are closed, and I don’t have any friends who have access to large open fields…so I’m effectively unable to get out and detect for a while. It’s not a complaint – I’m certainly taking this pandemic seriously. But it does mean that I’m missing one of my favorite activities right now.

So I have been focusing on my other interests and trying to find new ways to enjoy being at home. Photography, drone video, cleaning and organizing…those are the interests that will get me through the stay at home measures.

I have been watching a growing “herd” of cruise ships drifting off the coast of Miami, east of the port. It’s funny to see them bunched together as they wait. I wonder about the staff who remain onboard. Usually they have guests to entertain and a journey to other places!

Have you ever used a cruise mapping application or website? Looking at Cruisemapper, I can track which ship is out there and usually what their destination would be. It’s pretty interesting and fun to see what is around your area.

There are currently several clusters of cruise ships throughout the Caribbean.

Here you can see the names of the ships I am seeing in the “herd”

Obviously right now, the usual trip paths are not happening. The MSC Meraviglia has been there for days and new ships seem to be joining them in this holding pattern.

It will be interesting to see how the cruise industry is ultimately impacted by this pandemic. Even when it first started being a source of infections in February, people were still boarding and taking their planned vacations until recently in March. So it seems that customers are willing to take the risk – perhaps in the long run, they will be okay.

Sometimes a visual makes all the difference.

Using data from:
https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com
and
https://gis.icao.int/gallery/

Last night I went on the beach by myself to get exercise and end of day detecting as I normally do. The rules up to that point were groups no less than 10, and I’m always by myself at a large distance from others. But it wasn’t long before the police cart came by to tell me the beach is simply closed. Walking, running, any individual activity is just off limits.

It really hit me hard. I have taken this situation seriously and haven’t been traveling or around other people since Saturday, March 15. Prior to that, I avoided people and remained at the safe distance. But I have been able to leave my small condo building without seeing other people and detect until that moment.

I won’t be one of the people who ignore orders. I won’t represent the metal detecting community in a negative way. Much like the many runners and bike riders who are now missing the long beach path and park biking path, I’m now doing absolutely everything I can to stay away from others.

Today, borders are closing, some states like California have taken extreme measures to keep everyone inside. I hope we are able to curb the spread so that these efforts weren’t too little too late. I see other social networks where there are conspiracy theories flying around like crazy. People are complaining or saying they don’t think this is necessary.

I guess they need to understand that it’s necessary because we just don’t know.

I definitely feel the stress. It seems the U.S. President is constantly making things a bit worse by continuing to point fingers at the media, while the health experts have to correct him one moment later. It’s not making us normal people feel any better or any more comfortable that they know what to do.

I’m worried that it will get worse because so many people will be more concerned about their personal needs than the needs of all. So I’m staying home. I’ll do more coin research or organize my old finds. I’ll play with my digital microscope and do some of the things I’ve had on my list for years. I can be flexible and find a new way to relieve stress while doing my small part to contribute positively to this situation.

I’d like to host a “Show and Tell” webinar with other detectorists out there to share what we’ve found! Would you attend?! Send me an email and let me know if this is something you’d like to do while we’re unable to get out like normal.