road trip day 47: from the florida keys to the everglades

Did you know that there are miniature deer in the Florida Keys? We had no idea what miniature deer might mean (we are used to big white tails in the upper left, USA) so we spent our last day in the Keys trying to stalk them. Lucky for us, the Keys have a little deer nature reserve and we were able to drive right up to one. The weren't kidding on the size. The deer are about the size of a dog and are extremely endangered. Feeling privileged to see one of these little fellows, we decided that was as good of an exit as any, and we started to drive North for the first time on the whole trip.

We made it to the Everglades, and apparently crocodile alley. There were gigantic crocodiles sunning themselves on every yard we drove by. Brian, being the little kid that he is, was so excited to finally see a croc that he made us pull over in the middle of no where and walk up to a shanty that said "Buffalo Tiger's Florida Everglades Airboat Tours." We were in for a treat.

Smiling through my fear...
The brave ladies we forced to sit up front
After six of us boarded a tin deathtrap, our guide, a crazy young guy took off at full speed and saddled right up to a croc. He proceeded to taunt it until it the thing was practically in our laps. I of course was having a heart attack and planning my escape route if the boat happened to flip (basically there was none). It was intriguing to be so close to things that could rip your arm off in one bite, and I vowed never to find myself near any body of water in Florida  again.

Our crazy guide

 There were raccoons involved

Somewhat ironic

road trip day 46: bahia honda state park

Located at mile marker 37, Bahia Honda State Park is 500 acres of pristine water, beaches, and sunsets.
One of my favorite things about Florida on this trip so far is the beautiful state parks! They are scattered throughout the state and always beautiful. At Bahia Honda you park right on the beach (or tent).  The only downside is the expense. State parks in Florida are anywhere from 30-50 dollars a night, which isn't cheap if you are on an extended road trip. Nonetheless, if you do opt to stay at state parks, make sure you hit the ones in the Florida Keys!

Dinner on the beach

Part of the old highway at Bahia Honda Key.

 

road trip day 43-44: miami to the florida keys

We left Miami for the quaint neighborhood of Coral Gables. It was here that we spent an amazing day laying by the most stunning public pool i've ever seen. For $15 we received two day passes and pool chairs right on the water's edge. In the summer the pool is emptied and refilled everyday via a natural spring and is the largest fresh water pool in the country. Needless to say, after a month of being permanently freezing, we were in heaven to put on swimsuits and just relax.

We left Coral Gables kicking and screaming and sat like wet lumps in the Nugget for a few hours until we hit the start of the Florida Keys. Once we saw the beautiful blue water, our spirits were again lifted.  We made a pit stop in Key Largo, at our first Piggly Wiggly store of the trip (a Southern grocery store chain) and bought some tamarind pods to snack on. After fueling up we kept on heading south until we reached Islamorada. We pulled over and stayed at a great little motel, which was conveniently cheaper than camping in the Nugget!