Florida Keys

Aloha Everyone,

The Florida Keys are a series of small islands with low elevation made of coral and sand. The archipelago begins at approximately 15 miles south of Miami. It extends all the way to Key West, dividing Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

Crab catchers 

Old road now used by fishermen

This is our second trip to the Keys with Honu. Our target was to see if we could find accommodation at the 2nd fully equipped state park called Bahia-Honda. This time we were not so lucky. The park was full.

We stopped to purchase a couple of days provision at Winn-Dixie, a chain of supermarkets we have been seeing in this part of the country.

In the parking lot, Mary Ann from Sugarloaf Key approached J.J. asking about Honu. She and her husband own an older model and they were curious about Honu's performance and asked to take a look of the interior.  

Don and MaryAnn work with professional non-profit in organizing running events. If you are ever in this part of Florida, you can check for upcoming races by going to:

Southernmostrunners.com

Honu is comfortably settled under a Gumbo Limbo tree in Knight's Key & Marina RV Resort in Marathon, FL.

Florida's high tourist season ended on March 31. Many snow birds from Canada and the Northeastern states come to avoid winter weather. To accommodate these seasonal residents, some RV parks like this one offer programs of 6/6. Stay 6 months at the RV Park then leave your vehicle parked in the open-field storage area for 6 months.

Some of these people really transform their RV by decorating to make them more lived-in.

Tonight we walked about one long city block to a very popular restaurant called Sunset Grill  & Raw Bar. I am finishing my blog as our wait for table is 45-60 minutes.

Aloha -- Cathi

John Kennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Aloha Everyone

We woke up to the sound of a Red-bellied Woodpecker looking for breakfast in the tree just adjacent to Honu. Sorry he was too quick and also camera shy.

This being the Easter weekend and students are either wrapping up or beginning their spring break. We wanted to secure our lodging for the night early.

Now I can add Florida to the short list of states where I've driven Honu. I drove approximately 38 miles (one hour) from our campsite to the entry of Everglades National Park.  Fortunately, there were only a few other cars on the road.

John Pennrkamp Coral Reef State Park is one of the two full camping facilities in the  Keys. Located at the entry to Key Largo, this was the first undersea park in the United States.

One big difference between other state parks with camping facilities is that this park is set up to accommodate a large number of day-time users. There are a list of available activities such as fishing, snorkeling, canoe/kayak rentals and boat launching areas, swimming and sunning beaches, visitor center, etc. 

Pennekamp worked for the Miami Herald for fifty years holding various positions including managing editor. However his life's passion was conservation. One of his greatest achievements was establishing the Everglades National Park in 1947.

The ranger who checked us in said that we are getting the last spot available just for one night.

I am having technical difficulties with my iPhone camera. J.J. kindly took today's photos using his digital camera.

Have a safe and Happy Easter!

Aloha -- Cathi

Everglades National Park Boat Tours

Aloha Everyone,

One of the "must things to do" while visiting Everglades National Park is to go on a boat ride. At the Flamingo marina, we signed up for an authorized boat tour where they would take us Back Country through the mangroves. We joined a group with 5 other passengers.

Coots Bay

Captain Jim and his mate, Roulrex gave an excellent introduction to the ecosystems. 

They also made sure that all of us get to see crocodiles in the wild. We actually saw a very large female laying her eggs on the boat deck then saw very small to medium sized reptiles.

The boat ride took a total of 1 hour 45 minutes at the cost of $30 per person plus tax and gratuity. It was definitely well worth the time and the money we spent.

Gumbo Limbo is an indigenous trees of West Indies. It is unique and beautiful as its bark is red then it peels like sunburned human skin.

Gumbo Limbo trees have thick branches that grow close to the ground offering shade from the hot Florida sun.

The wood of Gumbo Limbo tree is soft and can be easily carved. However it is considered one of the strongest trees and can withstand hurricane winds.

Today we had our picnic lunch inside Honu under the shade of a Gumbo Limbo tree.

Aloha -- Cathi

Everglades National Park

Aloha Everyone,

Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. The highest elevation is less than eight feet above sea-level. The park provides important habitats for a number of endangered species including the manatee, American crocodile, and the Florida panther.

Before heading into Everglades National Park, we stopped at Sedano's supermarket to purchase our provisions. Their clientele appeared to be predominantly Spanish speaking. All their signage were in Spanish and cashiers addressed customers in Spanish. Using words I recently learned, I ordered my lunch of fish with bean rice. We also purchased watermelon for our dessert.

Brian at the Visitor Center in Florida City was extremely helpful and provided us detailed information on possible camping sites.

J.J. and I are happy to have found a place to stay at Flamingo in Everglades National Park. Turkey vultures are circling overhead looking for prey while numerous white and yellow butterflies are hovering over the wild-flower field located on the perimeter of the camp ground.

Gorgeous sunset to conclude another adventurous day!

Aloha -- Cathi

Naples to Miami

Aloha Everyone,

From Naples, we switched to Highway 29 to Cornestown. The road runs parallel to Big Cypress National Preserve. Most exciting were several road signs warning us about Panther Crossing. I was busy scanning both sides of the highway and had my iPhone ready to snap a picture.

The scenery was monotonous with the same green foliage on both sides of the road. From Cornestown, we took Highway 41 through the Tamiami Tribal Land  cutting through one side of the Everglades National Park. I-75 N towards Miami is a toll road using Sunpass. For some motorists, it seems that when they pay, speed limits do not apply to them. It was tense driving for J.J. especially after witnessing two multi-vehicular accidents with mangled cars smashed into concrete medians. I prayed that there were no fatalities and the victims will make full and speedy recoveries.

We checked in at a commercial RV park in Pembroke.  It has many mature trees providing shade for squirrels, chipmunks and birds.  

The unexpected sighting was a large iguana as J.J. was parking Honu.  It was sunning himself when I approached to take photos. He quickly scrambled up the trunk of a large tree where he could have a "bird's eye view" of  Honu. The iguana is the caretaker's pet.

Hollywood Park East is an affluent neighborhood and the only resemblance to the more famous city of the same name in California are beautiful palm trees. J.J. and I were able to get some work done at a FedEx store in Hollywood including mailing the Ecuador travel itinerary to our family.

The remainder of day-light hours were spent doing our laundry.

Aloha -- Cathi