Camping and Crocs

While most of our activities today were sedentary, we still had a great day! We packed up to leave the Keys and head back to mainland Florida. The drive again was beautiful and we had the top off to enjoy the ocean breeze. We stopped for gas and lunch in Key Largo, the last island of the keys connected to Highway 1. We had lunch next to a marina (again…there are a lot of marinas on the keys!) and tried Conch fritters. They were pretty good, but a little chewy. Shari tried another slice of key lime pie before we left the island.

Then we continued the drive into the Everglades National Park. Once reaching the park entrance, it is about 35 miles into the area called Flamingo. We took a 3:00 p.m. back country boat tour up the Buttonwood canal and through another bay. We saw a lot of crocodiles along the edge of the canal along with learning about mangroves and various birds. We also learned to spot the differences in crocodiles and alligators; like the crocodile smile, the shape of their snout, their color and the water that they’re in.

After the boat tour we checked into our “glamping” tent for the night. It was the second to last tent so it was about .4 miles from the entrance and the restrooms. It was very nice and had an amazing view of Florida Bay. After unpacking a bit, we had dinner at the Flamingo Cafe. We walked along the coast to watch the sunset and then played cards for an hour or so. After hiking back to the bathroom in the dark (there were lights along the path), we settled down for a pretty restful night.

Tomorrow we head back out of the Everglades and are hoping to see some alligators and Biscayne National Park before saying goodbye to Denise.Okumaya devam et