Florida Keys
Kyle and I found a flight that left after work on Thursday to Miami so we decided to book it for a long January weekend. We rented a red, Ford Mustang convertible since the weather was going to be nice. When we got up Friday we took Highway 1 all the way from Miami to Key West. Driving through the Keys was cool and we were glad we went but agreed it wasn’t our preferred destination. Key Largo and Key West were very touristy and there wasn’t much natural to them. The Keys are still recovering from Hurricane Irma so there were lots of downed palms and some were braced in effort to save them. We saw lots of piles of trash and even some tractor trailers and boats overturned. The restaurant where we had lunch had recently opened however hadn’t yet been fully restored so there were tarps on some of the walls. We drove into a residential zone in the Duck Keys and saw some huge homes with their own private canals that lead out to the bay. Some had cute manatee and alligator mailboxes. We also saw a ton of pelicans on our drive. It had been extremely windy that day so it was funny to watch them try to maintain their balance when they were perched.
Everglades
Saturday was our trip to the Everglades which is also still recovering from the hurricane. Almost everything was opened except there were some hikes that are still closed due to damage. We entered at Florida City and took the 39 mile long road all the way down to Flamingo. Along the way, we stopped at various hikes and lakes. The scenery felt like being in a tropical wetland. Since it was the dry season there were hardly any bugs. Each hike we did offered something a little different but none were too exciting. On the way back we stopped at the Anhinga Trail which is the most recommended hike. On it we saw four alligators – one of which was swimming and awesome! After we left the park we stopped at the Everglades Alligator Farm where we took an air boat tour and coincidentally was where the Impractical Jokers filmed their Miami challenge. The boat was fun and we saw lots of wildlife on it like
Everglades
alligators, crocodiles, caiman, iguanas and birds. The driver spun the boat around a few times and we got pretty wet. After the boat we got to see them feed the alligators. The meal was dead, wet rats (so gross). The funny part was seeing this Godzilla of an alligator come out of the pond to get fed. We then put a quarter in the feed machine to feed the Emu’s but they were like hawks and when you opened the dispenser to get the food out they did it for you. Kyle tried to feed them one pellet at a time and almost lost a thumb.
Gator
On Sunday, we went to the Shark Valley Everglades entrance where there is a 15 mile non-motorized loop. You can reserve their tram, ride bikes or walk. We decided to ride bikes and this ended up being our favorite part of our weekend. It was like riding a bike down a rail trail but with alligators on the sides! We saw so many – at least 40. Some of them even had their tail sticking into the trail. We were a little nervous at first but they are pretty used to seeing people and hardly move. The wind made the ride challenging but it was worth it. About halfway on the loop is an observation tower where you can see panoramic views of the Everglades. After our visit here, we headed to Miami where we stopped at South Beach, saw where the Heat and Marlins play, saw Dexter’s apartment and visited a saltwater fish store. Our weekend in South Florida was busy but it was nice to see everything. The Everglades are worth spending some time in.
