Everglades and the Keys

Sunday, November 1, 2015  The "Fall Back" Time Change
After breakfast at the hotel this morning, we drove to the Everglades National Park, first stopping at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center to get a map and a general overview of the area via their displays and then we continued on to the Royal Palm area where we did a couple of different hiking paths.  But first we had to put a tarp on our car to protect the rubber on the windows and windshield wipers!! Yes, there were signs up suggesting this be done since vultures were known to cause damage to the vehicles in the parking area.

Once we did that, we set off on the Ahinga Trail first hoping to see some alligators along with other wildlife.  Unfortunately it was already quite warm and very humid and the alligators that had been out had slipped back into the water before we arrived (we learned that from one of the staff members).  But we did see a variety of birds, fish, bushes and trees and flowers.  One thing we really enjoyed was watching the anhinga swimming under water, grabbing small fish, lifting their heads to swallow

them and then continuing the hunt.  Later we could see them drying their wings often hiding in the bushes to do it.

Not being real good birders, we couldn't always name the birds we saw but it sure was fun discovering them in hidden spots throughout the area. At times they blended into their surroundings so much they were only noticed if you took the second or third look in an area.

The landscape varied but always included a fair amount of water often very hidden by the plant life

Informative signs provided lots of interesting information.  This one was especially interesting about mosquitoes.

There weren't alot of flowers, in fact many would be hidden among a tangle of other growth but there were some very pretty ones

The other trail we followed was the Gumbo Limbo Trail taking us through forest that is still trying to recover after a devastating hurricane many years ago.  The canopy is getting thicker but lots of light is still getting through.

 Here we could see a variety of trees including the Gumbo Limbo tree.

Ken stood next to the roots of one uprooted tree just to give an idea of how large it remains even today.

By the time we'd finished all of this walking we were wiping the sweat out of our eyes and feeling it drip down our backs so we decided to call that adventure to an end and head out for Key West which was still well over a 3 hour drive further South following Highway 1 which is mostly 2 lane road filled with cars and lots of views of the water - ocean on one side and bay on the other.  

We called our friends Frank and Bette to get the name of a restaurant that they had recommended to us that was down in the Keys thinking we'd just aim for it for a "linner".  Unfortunately we got all the way down to it and discovered it was closed on Sundays.  So we chose another spot - not one we'd recommend but it provided food for the tummy - and then we continued on to our bed and breakfast spot in the old part of Key West - The Guesthouse.  It was an 1800s home that had been converted into a bed and breakfast with ten different rooms tucked into a variety of spots.  Many were reached through a side garden including ours.

It was in that side patio area that breakfast was served each morning.

By the time we got in and settled, we were exhausted so spent some time just resting before heading out for a walk to the ocean side to watch the sunset.  The closest point we could find had us looking through ships but at least we were able to enjoy some of the color before heading back for a good nights rest.