Lisa and I had originally signed up for and planned a trip to the Everglades for a race. The race was cancelled after our plans had been made, and we made the best of it. We spent our first day in South Florida at Everglades National Park, which exceeded our expectations exponentially!
We walked few short trails in the park. The first of which was a boardwalk in a lily pad filled area. It was here that we spotted our first alligators.
The alligator is behind is, albeit a bit out of focus.
We weren’t expecting epic trails in this national park, but they did not disappoint. There is diversity in the plant life depending on where the sea level is. The actual sea level doesn’t vary much, but the contrast in vegetation is noticable.
The park is very large, and we spent our time in the southern portion of it. There is one long road that goes from the entrance near Homestead, to the Flamingo area on the southern point. It is here that we got to see two crocodiles!
We learned that the Everglades is the only spot on Earth where crocodiles and alligators coexist.
You can get surprisingly close to the crocodiles, although there was a ranger in a truck very close by keeping an eye on things.
We spent the next day taking our time driving down through the Keys, at least to Marathon Key. This is “Betsy,” a giant lobster statue in Islamorada.
Another stop along the way is a restaurant where tarpon gather. You buy bait and hand feed them through nets.
Our last stop of the day was the sea turtle hospital in Marathon. We learned all about how they save sea turtles in the keys, and the various diseases and deformities that the turtles succumb to due to fishing and pollution.
The tour of the hospital goes through an operating room and several areas with tanks where the turtles either live or are in the process of healing.
Lisa feeding some of the healthier turtles.
The next day was our long drive to Key West. We had to stop at this spot just outside Homestead named “Robert is Here.” They have a crazy assortment of produce, jams and snacks.
Behind the shop is a zoo of sorts. There are a number of different animals all living together within the enclosure. Yes, this is a goat riding a tortoise.
It was really amazing how many different animals they had cohabitating.
Our leisurely drive through the keys the previous day allowed us to drive straight to Key West. The drive is every bit as scenic as it is made out to be, particularly after Marathon. We made it to Key West in time to explore a little before dinner.
During our first full day in Key West, Lisa visited the Hemmingway House and Butterfly Conservatory while Kyle Dove.
The famous Hemmingway cats.
The diving off Key West was good, but I only did one of the two dives. After coming up from the first dive, the captain pointed out a Portuguese man o’ war floating alongside the boat. A current was bringing a legion of man o’ wars into the area. The captain had spoken with a group of nearby military ships doing training and confirmed multiple people had been stung in the water.
Lisa thoroughly enjoyed the butterfly conservatory.
The giant banyon tree in old town Key West.
The sunset in Key West was special. A little crowded, but beautiful.
Just after sunset, looking towards Sunset Key.
We had to visit the southernmost point before making our way back to Miami the next morning.
Back in Miami Beach, we found a nice Cuban restaurant off the main strip.
We had a little time in Miami Beach the following morning before catching our flight out.
