Florida, Part 3: Everglades (Flamingo) -- crocs and a manatee!

We went back to the Everglades, via the Florida City/Homestead Entrance (a less-visited part of the park) after our beach time. 

We headed via the Ernest F. Coe parkway to Flamingo Marina, on Florida Bay and the south coast, which includes brackish water in which you can kayak amidst mangroves and spot American crocodiles (the Everglades is the only place where their habitat and that of the American alligator overlap), as well as manatees and sometimes sharks. 

We got a briefing from Brian about what to do if the kayak capsizes-- including lifting kids to safety, and avoid thrashing around, which signals potential prey in distress, and just to float to the surface.  The kids were pretty nervous to get bumped and turned over by a manatee (like a water "potato," Brian said. Iver said he feels way more comfortable escaping predators on land, not in water), but did do a good job helping us tandem kayak.

We saw a total of ~ 4 crocodiles (one might have been in the water on our way out, and on land on our way back as it was in the same spot and of a small size), as well as one manatee, spotted by Iver! The foggy/blurry pictures (photo taken from Kelvin's iPhone within a phone pouch; my waterproof camera somehow stopped working!) doesn't do it justice but I was soooo excited to see this creature, probably my first and last sighting ever. Iver saw its back, and we saw its nose poke out near the mangrove roots. I thought manatees were strictly a Florida thing, but apparently they can live in other parts of the American Southeast, Caribbean, the Amazon, and even in western Africa!

We definitely can distinguish crocodiles from alligators now-- and not just because you might see one in a while and one later.... :) .  The toothiness of the grin (and snout shape) can help!

Niall was awesome at spotting most of them! Can you spot the croc in these pictures? 

Blends in with the log!

We then walked a couple of pleasant, flat trails (max elevation at one of the park's passess was 4 ft!), Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo (the name of a tree that peels like a tourist's sunburn).

Turtles at Anhinga Trail

Colorful grasshopper

Alligator

Baby gators are really cute!

Just outside of the Everglades NP's eastern entrance is a world famous fruit stand and farm, Robert Is Here.  Apparently Robert (who the kids saw at the register) has been running this stand since 1959. 

They sold many tropical and exotic fruits, as well as deliciously refreshing treats (Iver chose a coconut milkshake and Niall chose a mango/passionfruit/orange smoothie). It was warm (~84 degrees) outside.

Out back, there was an enclosure with various rescued animals, including geese, turtles, emus, goats, cows, iguanas (including some which looked loose), and chickens.

Gleeful feeding of the herbivores

Iguanas never cease to be creepy to me.

We loved this part of the Everglades and highly recommend it to all visitors to South Florida! 

Florida, Part 2: Key Largo

We spent three nights in Key Largo, one of the islands making up the Florida Keys.  I had been to Key West on a re-routed cruise back in 2009, but hadn't been back to Florida since (like the weather, dislike the conservative politics). 

On our first morning, we were supposed to snorkel the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, but due to high winds and large sea swells, the company decided not to take us out that far (prone to seasickness, I was grateful).  

Island relaxing before the tour

"Snorkel Joe" was a hilarous first mate aboard our boat, led by Captain Brad, and reminded us of Owen Wilson. He, originally from Oklahoma, spends 8 months of the year doing tours out of Florida.

We (well, three of us as Niall got freaked out and cold) snorkeled near some mangroves and $800-$1200/night offshore bungalows. 

We saw a large male seahorse floating by right off the deck, as well as many fish, sea stars, and brittle stars (like a sea star with multiple other arms, like octopus). We didn't see any manatees, but they did the day before!  The water was cold, but we warmed up back on deck. The tours operate year-round, even in the wet season (May-October).

Roadside iguana

We had a delicious lunch at the recommended Fish House in town.

On day 2, we headed to Robbie's Marina on Islamorada, slightly south and west of Key Largo. 

Our first stop was feeding giant tarpon, who jump out of the water to grab your fish, which is startling! 

Don't try this at home.

Pelicans hover, and have to be shooed away by staff bouncers :)

We then did a two-hour jet ski tour along the coast (a first for all of us!), which was really fun.  We got a good "driving jet ski 101" lesson for our tour guide, Daniel, and despite my reluctance to go too fast (thus being left behind a bit), I got the hang of it after about half an hour. Iver says we "almost" crashed but this is not accurate in the slightest-- we just bumped over some waves. 

Check out the dolphin who swam alongside us for a bit!

Three of us snorkeled again (guess who sat it out), in a bit warmer water, but didn't see any new creatures, unfortunately!

We had a delicious lunch at the Hungry Tarpon.

I enjoyed lobster bisque and ceviche, while Kelvin had a whole snapper. You could "hook and cook" (bring your own caught fish to be prepared by the chef) if you were inclined! 

We stopped at nearby Anne's Beach before heading back to Key Largo. 

Our rental was just a few minutes away from world-class pickleball courts, which we learned were just two years old. Iver had a blast hitting around (despite the afternoon sea breeze), and even playing some doubles with some retirees :). Yes, we packed our own paddles along for this trip! We also enjoyed a heated outdoor pool.

Key Largo: we're a fan!