Everglades and Florida Keys - without the camper van

We recently took a trip without Bebop or the Bebopabago. It came about because way back in Dec 2019 (pre-COVID) we booked a trip on The Jazz Cruise for Jan of 2021. We've been on 5 Jazz Cruises over the past decade, and it's a great trip. They charter an entire cruise ship and sign up over 100 of the best jazz musicians in the world. There are three parallel stages going on almost around the clock. The 2021 cruise was obviously cancelled due to COVID, but things were looking hopeful for Jan of 2022. Then Omicron arrived. With less than 2 weeks before departure, they cancelled the cruise. We rolled our payment over and will try again in Jan of 2023.

We already had air tickets to Miami, Florida. They were on Southwest, so we could have just used the credit for a future flight,  but we decided to go on a short vacation instead. The fares had dropped to just $98 RT, so we still have some future credit for other flights. We decided to visit the Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys.

After a few trips in our camper van, I can certainly compare and contrast camper van travel with our prior method of fly/car rental/hotels or tent camping. The flying type seems like a bit of pain now by comparison. There's driving to the airport, parking, getting to the terminal, dealing with security, then packing everyone in a metal tube. It all went smoothly on our way out and mostly smooth on the return trip. The security in Miami was a bit chaotic, but our plane only had 30 people on it, so that was nice. Rental cars have become easier over the years with apps that aim you directly to your car, but it's another set of steps. Then there is the hotel check in and schlepping all the gear in and out from the car. Yes, the camper van takes longer to get somewhere, but the adventure is sometimes in the travel, not just the destination. And all your stuff is right there with you in the van. Check in to campgrounds is crazy quick, and check out is even easier - just drive away. Free boondocking sites are even simpler, with no interaction needed. And while it's fun to eat out in a restaurant sometimes, it's very pleasant to have all the food and prep equipment in the camper van, so you don't have to eat out ALL the time. The two methods are definitely different approaches to travel.

On to the vacation. On our first full day, we visited the southern part of the Everglades NP and drove the ~50 miles each way down to Flamingo and back. We stopped at several trail hikes along the way. The first was the most interesting. The parking lot looked like they were hosting a vulture convention. The vultures apparently like to pick at the rubber on vehicle door seals and windshield wipers. They provide tarps you can cover your car with, but the vultures seem to be able to remove those and pick away. We took turns hiking the short trails and keeping the vultures from descending on our car. Other cars were swarmed.

The trails were nice. We saw a fair amount of birds and enjoyed the Gumbo Limbo trail and the trees that the trail is named after. We stopped a several ponds and trails, but had no gator sightings. We did see a good variety of birds. At Flamingo, we did spot one manatee bobbing around in the boat dock area. Our day was cut short by the cold front coming through with wind and rain - and even a tornado about 30 miles from us.

Ghostly cypress trees, a pelican floating, palm jazz hands, and parking lot vultures.

 
The next day we drove down to the Florida Keys. We stopped at a few State Parks for some geology, hiking, and kayaking. We stayed at a hotel in Marathon, FL. I haven't mentioned the weather, but after the front came through, the highs were around 70ºF and the lows were around 60ºF - very pleasant. 

Elena inspecting geology. The keys are a layer of fossilized coral reef limestone.

Kayaking through the bays and mangroves

 

We drove into Key West for most of a day. We walked around the town and had a lobster roll for lunch, where we were joined by a couple of the town's numerous feral chickens. That evening we went on a snorkeling, dolphin watching, sunset cruise. Elena was the snorkeling champ on the boat. The water was about 69ºF - too cold for me, but she enjoyed it. She saw some coral, but no major large animal sightings. The dolphins also proved elusive that day - but the sunset was nice. I also may have had a few sliced of Key Lime pie on the trip. Delicious, and it reminded me of my mom. She always cooked all our meals, but rarely cooked dessert. The one thing I remember her making, and enjoying, was Key Lime pie.

Snorkeling and sunset

On our final day, we took one more shot at wildlife sighting in the Everglades. This time we visited the Shark Valley area in the northern part of the park. This is where all the animals were! We literally got tired of seeing large alligators, there were so many. They were just laying right next to the trail. The ranger said they are not lazy - just very energy efficient. They only expend energy when absolutely necessary. I may have to edit my book The Joy of Efficiency to add a salute to alligators. We also saw the rare crocodile - who was very large. The everglades is the only place in the world that alligators and crocodiles coexist. 

Gators, baby gators, and a crocodile

 
We took a 2-hour tram tour and leaned a lot from the onboard biologist/naturalist. The everglades is not a swamp. It's a very, very slow moving, wide and shallow river over a large limestone ledge. The water, filtered by the grasses and plants, is pristine and clear. Hammocks are areas of high limestone where hardwood trees are able to get a footing and grow. Most of the everglades is great swaths of sawgrass.

Sawgrass and the slow moving wide river

We also saw a wide variety of birds in the park - great blue herons, blue herons, green herons, anhingas, egrets, ibis, wood stork, purple gallinules, and more. We did not see the most destructive introduced species in the park - the Burmese Python, though it might be argued that people are the most destructive species on the planet. People trafficked and eventually released the pythons in south Florida.

- Paul

 

 

 

A few birds