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exploring.
We escaped the wintery
weather at home and headed to Southern Florida. After spending some quality
time with Ken & Cathy, we decided to explore the Florida Everglades and the
Florida Keys. Read on for more details of the fun we enjoyed and the places we
saw.
Thursday, 20 January: We spent a long weekend with Ken & Cathy and enjoyed every moment! Our arrival flight on Thursday was late. However, Ken had kept tabs on it and was waiting for us as soon as we arrived. We exchanged hugs & kisses and then were at the house at 9:30PM. Once there, we shared more hugs & kisses with Cathy and then were greeted by their wonderful puppies - Louis, Alex and Sophie, their newly adopted cocker spaniel. After quickly settling in, we enjoyed a great dinner of homemade ravioli and salad. Yum, yum! At 11:59PM, it was time to call it a night.
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Louis - the loveable cocker |
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Alex - the mischievous one |
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Sophie - the newest member of the clan (she's adorable & loving too!) |
Friday, 21 January: While Ken went into work on Friday, we spent most of the day out with Cathy doing a variety of shopping. Of course, when we returned home, we were greeted by the puppies who wanted to peek into packages to see if we had any goodies for them. Since it was mid-afternoon, Ed and Cathy went to work getting an early dinner together. They made chicken cacciatore featuring red peppers and tomatoes fresh from Cathy’s garden. They also put together another fresh salad.
Ken arrived home early and we all enjoyed dinner. They we left to make a 7:00PM hockey game featuring the Panthers (their home team) against the Tampa Bay Lightening. The place was packed! We hadn’t seen live hockey since living in Chicago (over 10 years ago) and we really enjoyed the event. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost in a tie-breaking shoot-out. Oh well, it didn’t impact our fun! After the game we returned home to enjoy a bottle of wine along with some great cheeses before again calling it a night at 11:59PM (quite the coincidence).
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Our two favorite fans enjoying The Panthers Game |
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A face-off during the game |
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Some fast moving action |
Saturday, 22 January: We enjoyed a leisurely
Saturday morning around the house. Ken & Cathy took Alex and Sophie for a walk
(Louis stayed home with us as he had a sore paw). After Ken & Cathy returned
and we all cleaned up, we again did some shopping both for dinner that evening
as well as getting goodies for the Sunday football games. Our evening meal
featured fresh clam risotto – a real treat!
Sunday, 23 January: Sunday was strictly a day of cooking goodies to enjoy
during the playoff games. Unfortunately, the teams we were rooting for – the
Chicago Bears and the New York Jets – both lost in their respective games.
However, we still had a good time because we enjoyed goodies such as fresh
guacamole, a smoky eggplant dip, stuffed poblano peppers and homemade pizza.
Yummy!
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The boys getting goodies ready for our tailgate party |
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A close-up of the party table |
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The tailgating feast (with Louis on the couch behind) |
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Our "Jets Fly" move (including Alex who snuck in between Cathy & Lindy) |
Monday, 24 January: Monday morning Ken took us to the airport so we could pick up our rental car to do some explorations of the Florida Everglades and Florida Keys. As always, we had a great time with Ken, Cathy & the puppies and we vowed to get together again soon!
After picking up our rental car, we headed southwest to reach the town of Everglades City. We went to the Gulf Coast Visitors Center to learn a bit about the area and inquire about canoe rentals. We had hoped to join a Park Ranger led tour of the area by canoe but since it was low season those tours were only done on the weekends.
When we returned back to Everglades City, we decided to take a few shots of the town. In particular, we took photographs of a church built in the 1920s and the City Hall. Then, we found the Everglades City Motel, our home for the next two nights and settled in for the evening.
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A map of Everglades National Park (The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is in the southwest part of the Park.) |
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We made it to Everglades City! |
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The City Hall Building |
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A local church |
Tuesday, 25 January: Today we decided to drive to the Shark Valley Visitor Center in Everglades National Park. Along the drive, we saw an incredible number of water fowl in the slough along side the road. Once at the Visitor Center, we signed up for an 11:00AM tram tour that goes out to an observation tower about fives miles into the everglades. Before taking the tram tour, we walked along part of the trail. We immediately spotted an alligator sunning. Then, another one…. And then, a female alligator with a baby on her back. Wow! It was simply amazing!! We thought it would be special to see just one alligator and we saw so many we lost count. We also got very close to many beautiful birds including egrets, ibis, anhinga, great blue and little blue heron, green heron, roseate spoonbill, wood stork and cormorant. Wow, no wonder people rave about Everglades National Park. We certainly will!
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Welcome to Shark Valley |
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Our first sighting of an alligator |
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Check-out this beautiful Anhinga and its eye make-up |
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This female alligator has a baby on its back and several in the water near her snout |
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A Roseate Spoonbill |
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A small group of Wood Storks |
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Looking down from an outlook at the end of the tram ride onto an "Alligator Party" |
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This is the setting in this part of the Park. The dry Winter weather results in animals and birds concentrating in areas with water. |
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A Great Blue Heron (left) and an Anhinga (right) sharing a fishing spot |
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Now, this is one big alligator! |
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This guy has his mouth open to cool off |
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A Great Blue Heron |
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A Florida Red-Belied Turtle |
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A White Ibis on the hunt |
After leaving the Shark Valley Visitor Center, we decided to stop at the various boardwalks to see if we could spot any additional wildlife. Our first stop was Tree Snail Hammock. We didn’t spot any thing here but it was a beautiful walk. Next, we went to Kirby Storter Roadside Park. At the end of the boardwalk, we hit pay dirt! First, we saw a huge turtle sunning itself on a log. Then, Ed spotted a female doe feeding on the waters edge. He followed it back along the boardwalk and then…. another doe was feeding with it. It was the perfect way to conclude our glimpses of the animal life in the area.
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Welcome to Tree Snail Hammock Trail |
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Ed in this Indiana Jones type setting |
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Welcome to Storter Park |
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A huge turtle resting on a log |
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This is the larger of the two doe Ed spotted (they do blend in nicely with their surroundings) |
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The smaller of the two doe |
Wednesday, 26 January: Our goal today was to reach the end of Highway 1 – Key West. We left Everglades City and made a stop in Florida City to do a bit of grocery shopping. Highway 1 in most places is a one-lane road in each direction. While the speed occasionally reaches 55MPH the common speed is 45MPH. So, despite Key West being only about 100 miles from the Florida peninsula, it took until about 4:00PM to reach Key West. Our hotel was right off Highway 1 so we found it easily and settled in for the evening.
Thursday, 27 January: We had a very early morning as this was our day to visit Dry Tortuga National Park. The park is 70 miles west of Key West and has no access other than via boat or seaplane. We choose to take the Yankee Freedom II catamaran to the island. We boarded at 7:30AM and left the Key West dock promptly at 8:00AM. We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast on board. Unfortunately, about half-way through the voyage, we hit some very rough seas. We did fine but many individuals got seasick (hey, if you can take a ferry in rough Alaskan seas, you can take most other rough seas).
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An aerial view of today's destination - Dry Tortuga National Park |
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The Yankee Freedom II |
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Our approach to Dry Tortuga National Park |
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We're nearing our dock and ready to begin our explorations |
When we arrived at Dry Tortuga National Park, we docked at Garden Key, one of seven tiny coral and sand islands which comprise the dry area in the park. It is almost totally occupied by Fort Jefferson, America’s largest 19th century coastal fort. It was begun in 1846 and is a six-sided, three-tiered structure meant to house 450 cannons and 1,500 soldiers. Construction took some 30 years and approximately 16 million bricks. Wow! The fort was never fully completed but was nevertheless used as an outpost. It was also used as a prison for Union Civil War Soldiers who went AWOL. Its most famous inhabitant was Dr. Samuel Mudd who, along with several others, was convicted in 1865 by a military court of conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln. The fort is surrounded by a moat. We toured the fort and were able to access most of its interior. The place is huge and very impressive!
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We've arrived! |
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A huge anchor at the Fort entrance over the moat |
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A view of the huge interior courtyard of the Fort |
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A view of the brick walls with chambers for cannons and walkways throughout and on top |
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A view of a series of chambers which housed the cannons. On the floor are the remnants of the mechanisms used to reposition the cannons to hit their targets. |
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Looking down on the huge complex (officer housing is in the back; a munitions storage building is in the foreground) |
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This building was used to heat cannon balls so that upon hitting a wooden ship, they would create a fire. |
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Lindy standing by a 15 inch, 25 ton Rodman Cannon, which can fire a 330 lb cannon ball 3 miles with accuracy |
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Looking down onto the Fort's moat and the beautiful seas which surround it |
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The Fort's lighthouse |
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The beautiful sea with its changing colors (and a Pelican fishing in the background) |
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A small key near Dry Tortuga National Park |
Afterwards we enjoyed a picnic lunch (deli meats and cheeses and salads offered by the crew of the Yankee Freedom II). While snorkeling gear was available, it was windy and the water temperature was only 68 degrees. So, thank you; no thank you. Instead, we continued enjoying our exploration of Fort Jefferson until our 2:45PM departure. The ride back was not as rough and was much more relaxing for most passengers. We returned to the dock at about 5:30PM. We then did a bit of touring in the old town area before calling it a very full day.
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A typical Key West street |
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The Key West Cinema with a statute of Marilyn Monroe on the sidewalk as part of its decoration |
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Typical architecture with lots of plants (and a palm tree) as decorations |
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A beautiful church |
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Another view of this traditional architecture |
Friday, 28 January: Today we began our journey traveling back towards the Florida mainland, stopping at Islamorada (a town comprised of several keys) for a couple of nights. We did a bit of shopping and checked into our hotel mid-afternoon. After a full day on the sea and/or exploring Fort Jefferson the previous day, we were ready to relax for the balance of the day.
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An old railroad bridge (no longer in use). The railroad preceded the highway to Key West. The highway now parallels it. |
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Seven Mile Bridge, one of the longest in existence |
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Another view of Seven Mile Bridge |
Saturday, 29 January: Today we visited one of Florida’s State Parks – Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park. The park is situated over several quarries where fossilized coral was cut out in sheets to be used as building materials. When cut and polished, it’s quite a beautiful stone.
We began at the Visitor Center where a ranger provided us with a guide to be used along the various trails in the park. We walked each one and learned about the various trees and wildlife which now occupy the park. We were also able to visit the old quarry sites – one of which still has some of the original equipment used to cut the coral. It was all fascinating and we really enjoyed our visit.
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Welcome to the Park and Windley Key |
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Ed with a Gumbo Limbo Tree (also known as a "tourist tree" due to its peeling red bark) |
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Lindy among a group of mangroves |
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A view of one of the quarries with some original equipment on top |
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Ed at the quarry wall to provide some perspective on its size |
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Lindy pointing out the remains of some brain coral |
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Ed by a Fan Tree |
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Polished quarry stone used as part of the Park headquarters building |
Sunday, 30 January: This was our last chance for another visit to The Everglades. We got an early start so that we could return to the Florida mainland and then visit the eastern side of the Everglades National Park.
We began our explorations at the Anhinga Trail near Royal Palm, one of the first stops beyond Park headquarters. It was another great experience! First, however, you have to be aware that there are an incredible number of vultures that live in the area. They are a protected species despite being known to do damage to cars. Thankfully, our rental vehicle didn’t have any fancy rubber and/or car racks that the vultures are known to enjoy.
Our walk began along a small channel that parallels a built-up walkway that was originally built for animal observations. Immediately, we came across a huge alligator and then another. Next, we encountered numerous birds – a great blue heron, a purple gallinule, anhinga and a very rare wood crane to name a few. We were amazed at their numbers! We continued along the walkway as it became a boardwalk. Again, the number of alligators and birds was amazing. Also, the water was so clear that we saw lots of pods of fish as well as turtles. We were also able to watch various anhinga swim in pursuit of fish. Also, Ed actually photographed an anhinga catching a fish in its mouth. Wow!
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We're back at Everglades National Park! |
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One of the many Vultures |
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A huge alligator gliding in the water |
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A close-up of a Great Blue Heron |
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This Wood Crane is quite rare |
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This beauty is a Purple Gallinule, a bird we hadn't seen before |
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Another Great Blue Heron poses for us |
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This alligator is one of many we saw swimming in the water (it's so clear you can see the alligator's shadow) |
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This beauty is a Green Heron |
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If you look carefully, you'll see not only a turtle sunning on a log but also an alligator nearby (to the right) and an Anhinga sunning in the bushes |
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This is a great shot of two Anhinga with one sitting on their nest with the chicks showing off for a photo |
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Another alligator |
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The Anhinga on the far left has just caught a fish (it's in the bird's beak) and the other two Anhinga are chasing it in hopes of snatching the fish |
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An alligator "sunning party" |
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Another turtle again with an Anhinga in the shot |
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You don't find "Panther Crossing" warnings in too many places |
After spending several hours on the Anhinga Trail, we drove to the Flamingo Visitors Center which is located on the Gulf Coast. At the center, we got help from one of the rangers in identifying some of the waterfowl we had photographed. Then, we got a tip on where we might be able to spot a crocodile. Guess what? We found not only one but several! These reptiles live in saltwater and have a much longer, tapered snout than the alligator which lives in fresh water so it’s relatively easy to distinguish between the two. Again, Ed was able to get some great shots, especially of one huge crocodile that was swimming around quite a bit. He also was able to photograph one of these guys sunning itself on a canal bank.
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A view into the Gulf Coast |
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A crocodile approaches |
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Who can resist that smile? (lots of us!) |
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A crocodile sunning itself |
We left this area and began working our way back out of the park. En route, we stopped at Nine Mile Lake to check out some of the canoeing available in the park. Canoeing here is really very nice since there are numerous routes and most are sheltered and offer additional viewing of wildlife.
We left Everglades National Park in mid-afternoon. We then went to Florida City, the first town on the outskirts of the Park, and found our hotel for the evening.
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We truly enjoyed Florida as it’s always great to spend time Ken & Cathy (and, of course, the puppies). Then, both The Keys and The Everglades proved to be great fun!