Another early morning. Around 8 we were already at the Hurricane Hole Marina for a combined Dolphin watch and snorkel trip. We soon found out it was just us on the boat, just like a private charter. The only other “passenger” was Brandy the Labrador. We left the marina at 8:30 heading towards the Gulf of Mexico. After about 30 minutes we spotted the first dolphins. As the boat maneuvered a bit closer it were the dolphins who came to check us out. The dog almost went crazy as he very much likes to interact with the dolphins. Several times the dolphins swam underneath the boat popping up at the other side. After we got bored with them (yeah sure) we continued to a reef where we could snorkel for over an hour. The sharks that are supposed to hang around were not seen however, we did see a lot of rays, the largest was a spotted eagle ray that I was able to swim next to for at least 5 minutes. We returned by noon and after lunch went to the marina near Front street for a ride around the island on a jet-ski. This was great fun as the better part of the tour we could just do as we pleased making donuts in the water or just going full throttle over the flat calm water at 130 Km/hour. All to soon we were back at the marina. This sure was fun.
We packed our things so we wouldn’t have to loose time in moving to the other hotel. After breakfast we went to the marina for a SNUBA dive. The boat took us half an hour south before anchoring near the reef. While we were underway we got instructions on how to use the gear and the hand signals to “talk” underwater. Snuba is a lot like diving except you don’t need an air-tank on your back and you can’t go further down than 7.5 meter, the length of the air-supply lifeline. The air-tanks stay floating at the surface. There were many different fish swimming between the coral and it didn”t feel like we were underwater for 45 minutes. By the time we got back at the hotel it was time to load up the car and pay our bill. To make up for the mess with our reservation we were given a bottle of wine and a voucher for a nearby restaurant.We then moved to our room in the Ocean Breeze Inn.
The alarmclock went off at 6:00. A quick breakfast and then it was off to the airport where we boarded a seaplane for Dry Tortugas, Fort Jefferson. It’s a 45 minute 110 Km flight that ens with a waterlanding. We first visited the fort and then spend the rest of the time snorkeling. The fun part was that because we took a flight, we arrived at the island at 8:30. There were just a few people there so it looked like we had the island to ourselves. By the time we were ready to leave and fly back to Key West the 2 ferryboats arrived bringing dozens of people with them. The small deserted beach we were on was transformed in a busy resort. On the way back we could see seaturtles and a few sharks from the plane.
After our return we had lunch and went geocaching for a while and then walked around town untill it was time for a ghosttour. Our guide took us on a walk of several blocks and told ghoststories about several buildings. Of course all true… We only got back around 10 o’clock, just in time to write this and prepare for tomorrow when we have yet another activity planned, SNUBAdiving.
We had a smooth drive from Kendall, Miami south towards the Keys. We had planned to stop at the Turtle hospital in Marathon for a tour but when we arrived there the remaining tours were already fully booked. We then made a reservation to visit on the way back next Tuesday. On Big Pine Key we stopped at the National Key Deer Refuge. We made a quick stop at a pond where we saw another alligator and then went on a short 1 Km hike a bit further up the road. This was a very narrow loop path where sign posts were put up with information on the different species of animals that roam the area. It was not before we were almost back at the parking lot that we saw a lone deer only meters away from us.
Since we had enough time we stopped for several geocaches before we arrived in Key West. We had booked the Southernmost Guesthouse in the beginning of February and none the less they messed up our reservation. We could only have a room for 2 nights instead of 5. After arguing for a while it became clear that the only solution would be to stay in another place for the 3 remaining nights, all extra costs covered by the Southernmost GH.why they refused to cancel the reservation of the people that booked later than us is beyond me. We already had a look at the room of the other hotel that we will move to.
Another day in the marsh. Our first stop was the park visitors center at Shark Valley. We first went on a short hike while waiting to board the tram for a 1.5 hour guided roundtrip to the observation tower. There were many small alligators near the edge of the road. Of course, where there are baby gators, there are mama gators…. so getting out of the tram is not allowed. We saw several species of birds until we arrived at the observation tower at the halfway point. We saw green turtles here and the short walkway there was blocked by a large alligator.
After getting back to the parking lot we continued to Everglades City where we took the boattrip into the Everglades national park. We were lucky enough to see several manatee, unfortunately they only pop up their nose above the surface seconds at the time so I only got pictures of water . Again there were a lot of birds around and just before we got back to the dock we saw a few dolphins.
Driving back to Miami we had some heavy rainfall. By the time we got to the hotel the skies started to clear again.
We drove to Bayside Marketplace on Biscayne Blvd. where we boarded a boat for an harbour tour. After getting a good view of the city the boat brought us close to the homes of the rich and famous. We saw the homes of Gloria Estefan, P. Diddy, Julio Iglesias and many more. After getting back to the dock we walked a short distance to the Metromover, a free elevated tramway that drives a 3 mile loop with very frequent stops. After getting yhe car we drove to Little Havana where a large Cuban community lives. Almost all signs are in Spanish and shops and restaurants cater for Cuban demand. Maximo Gomez Park is a small area with tables where mostly elderly people play domino and chess.
The final stop for today was Miami Beach. South Beach is well known for the Art Deco district with it’s colorful buildings of the 1920-30’s. Almost all buildings are hotels and/or restaurants.
After visiting the Everglades I switched on the GPS and took a look at nearby caches. Almost There is located very close to the edge of the National Park and it was the first choice to try and find it. At the exact coordinates I found nothing but looking at the other side of the fence I soon noticed the ammo box. I had the travelbug I took from the Central Park cache with me and dropped it here. I also took one of the travelbugs from the box so I once again have something to drop in the next cache.
Driving to Florida City from Kendall where our hotel is, only takes 40 minutes. The first time we visited, in 1987, Everglades Alligator Farm was just a little operation where you got a bit of cotton to protect your ears from the air-boat engine noise instead of entry tickets. Now, there’s a paved parking lot, shop, toilets and several air-boats. The highlight of a visit here is of course the air-boat ride. First slow, while viewing alligators and turtles, then full throttle through the marsh making a few 360 degree circles. There’s also a snakeshow with info about the snakes that are native to the area and a chance to hold a live python or smaller snake. Half an hour later we saw the alligatorshow. Again info is given about these animals and the difference with crocodiles.
We then drove into the Everglades National Park and walked a few trails that took us into the marsh on boardwalks. We saw wild alligators, several species of birds and a lot of mosquitos. Despite the insect repellent we used these critters would still attack us with dozens at the time.
Today was a driving day. We drove about 400 Km from Orlando to Kendall, Miami. We checked in to our hotel and then went to Coral Gables. We passed by the Biltmore hotel and then the Venetian pool. The latter was just closing as we arrived but we could get pictures before the gate closed. We just had some time to go to Coconut Grove and have dinner at Hooters to finish the day.
. Again there were a lot of birds around and just before we got back to the dock we saw a few dolphins.