Florida Keys Part II

We took a day trip to the Everglades National Park. It was a few hours to get there and we did a good portion of the Everglades several trails, where we enjoyed seeing some alligator sightings. Large black birds, maybe vultures, were pecking away at the rubber parts on the roof of cars. We wondered why people were covering their cars with a plastic tarps.

 

Another trail took us through part of the jungle where the mosquitoes were ravenous. It was nice seeing the lily pads and birds throughout the boardwalk hikes.

We stopped at the Alligator Farm near the Everglades. Where we took an airboat ride that lasted about an hour. There was no narration at all. It was strictly a ride where the driver would spin us around in donuts inside the lagoon, causing a wave of water to make us all wet, and swampy. My Birkinstock sandels were not happy. We spotted some alligators, and of course the mangrove fields, and birds, all around. I guess I was hoping for a tour with more information on the ecosystem, or the native environment instead. This was just a simple amusement ride for those wishing to try out an airboat, and get wet.

There were several animals in this farm/zoo, and we stopped to watch an alligator show and alligator feeding, where I got to hold a baby. Yes, a baby with sharp teeth, not like Jo Jo. I have done this before, and am always surprised at how cold and clammy that they feel.

Throughout our touristy stops, there were some people here and there, but you can tell we were not in prime tourist season, because of the heat. Having elbow room is great! We were in the ocean every day to cool down and we're used to the heat being that we are all from Arizona and Florida.

In Key West we enjoyed a walk to the southern most tip of the USA, and of course took photos along with the other tourists. We stopped and had a slice of key lime pie while another stop included a cup of Cuban coffee, which was delicious.

We did stop at various shops and galleries in the heart of Key West. It seems like the last time I was here it felt a little more sophisticated and upscale. This time around it seemed a bit more like a bar scene with souvenir shops. Or was it just my imagination?

We had a night in between our two timeshare accommodations. So we knew we'd have to find a hotel to tide us over. Well, we decided on a place called Sea Dell Motel which is the motel that we all stayed in as kids in 1972. My sister remembers diving off of the diving board, into the pool, and of course we took a dip that evening. That diving board is gone. The place was actually just okay, and I am sure renovated a bit since 1972. How amazing that it still had its name! It had its own charm, along with one of the tiniest bathrooms ever. It was a tight squeeze for all of our stuff, and at least doable for one night, on our road trip here. It was just down the road from a place called Rain Barrel, in the town of Islamorada. I used to ship my work down here quite frequently, for years, until I stopped wholesaling my work. So, naturally I had to go and visit. It's now more of a trinket shop, which does have some restaurants and seating places outdoors. Definitely a tourist trap.

We also stopped at a dive museum. This, on a rainy day where we spent time indoors. It literally was a collection of a couple who gathered all types of diving memorabilia. There were tanks and masks and all kinds of artifacts. It was interesting to see how the masks and tanks evolved to what they are now. Many of these pieces looked like works of art, handmade in brass and copper.

Another highlight was to enter Deer Key, with a mission to find the elusive dear that live on this particular island. Or key. There was a trail we took to a lagoon where we did see a couple of alligators, and just a short while later, there it was, not one or two deer, but several. We actually were able to get pretty close up to them, quietly, while they were strolling and eating. It's always a highlight when you get to spot wildlife that's known to live in the area. Sometimes you never get to see them, and other times you do. We got lucky this time!

We also stopped at Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park. The entire keys is on top of a coral reef. The park is near Islamorada. It was a former quarry used by Henry Flagler in the early 1900's to help his building of the Overseas Railroad.

We did go out to dinner almost every night. And always enjoyed to try and find a place outdoors overlooking the water. This particular night we were up higher over the water with a bird's eye view. In the middle of dinner, we noticed fish getting closer and closer, and upon looking again, realized that they were hammerhead sharks. Several of them, apparently eating scraps that fisherman leave behind. We could literally look over the balcony fence straight down upon them. This was in the lagoon harbor area, in between homes, and docks, not out on the open ocean. Wow, these sharks are really bold to get right up into civilization, but I guess if you're hungry and there's free food, you do what you do!