Days 3&4, Including Airboat Through Everglades!

Day 3: We went to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo. Kevin asked me if we should get a Florida State Park pass. Sure, that is a good idea. Turns out each park gets a certain number of the passes per year. This park had 3 left and the cost doubled tomorrow. Whew!

Feet In The Clear Water, John Pennekamp Coral Reef, SP, Key Largo, FL 01/24

At Far Beach parking area we parked and walked right into the Largo Sound…it was so warm! So fun to see the red mangroves in the water. We saw fish and a little crab. It is a cove with trees on both sides and opened to a key on the horizon. No waves right here. The park has benches along the beach and an outdoor shower to wash your feet off. As we walked to the truck I saw a warning sign that said “crocodilians are present along the trails and waterways of this park.” Kevin laughed and said he was glad I didn’t see that before I went in the water! At the small visitor center they have a video of all sorts of fish and it was closed captioned. Yeah! A sign said, “Florida’s Coral Reef stretches almost 350 miles and is the only barrier reef in the continental United States. This reef is built by tiny coral animals who provide homes for many fish, food we like to eat, protection from powerful storms, and an amazing place to explore.”

People Fishing Off The Old Bridge, Lower Matecumbe Key, FL 01/24

We stopped at Lower Matecumbe Key at Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail. Walking along the bridge for a bit we saw a lot of people fishing. In the small parking lot I saw a car license that said Diplomat. I wonder who they are and where they are from. 

People Enjoying The Water, Bahia Honda Key, FL 01/24

On south through the keys for another hour and to Bahia Honda Keys. We were so proud to show our new Florida State Park pass at the gate. HAHA The sand isn’t as sugar-soft as in Sarasota. It was fun to see people out and a way-older couple, out in the water, up to their waists, holding on to each other and laughing with such animated delight as the waves came in and pushed them around. We walked out into the water, enjoying the sun, looking for shells, and playing with the waves. The temps were in the low 70s and sunny. 

Standing Alone, Lone Key, FL 01/24

We decided to head back north from this point. It was around 3:00pm. Now, ya know, we have this new Florida State Park pass and we “need” (want) to use it! So, we stopped in at Long Key State Park. It was 4:00pm and the sun was making lovely art on the water.

At this place, there is a sign “Campground closed due to hurricane damage”. I told Kevin I hope they build the sites bigger. So many state park campgrounds in the country were built when RVs were much shorter. Sometimes our 5th wheel is too long to fit. We saw big white birds just standing in the water. They were fun to watch: they would fly a little ways and then sort of glide up and then plop straight down in a standing position in the water.

Delicious! Casavana Cuban Cuisine, Homestead FL 01/24

We used our pass and stopped at one more state park. It is called Curry Hammock. We didn’t get out. We were back in Homestead as the sun was setting at 5:30pm. We went right to Casavana Cuban Cuisine Restaurant that I had found the first day on the map when looking for surrounding things in the area. I think the waitress got a kick out of us (a delight) – we told her we were new to the area and new to Cuban food and could she explain. She did a good job of telling us what things were on the menu. Kevin had Churrasco: juicy tender charbroiled skirt steak served with chimichurri sauce and a side of rice and beans mixed, and breaded bananas. I had pork that was in big chunks and breaded. It had onions on the top that was dipped in sour orange juice, orange juice and lime juice. The onions had a unique flavor and I am glad to try it. The white rice didn’t have anything in it but was flavorful. And the beans, wow, so good. I must try to find someone to tell me what seasoning the rice and beans have. I also had the breaded sweet bananas. Interesting: on the menu I saw fajitas. There was a note that tortillas don’t come with it because those aren’t Cuban. HA Cool, right?! Rated: Once A Month.

Gater Park, Airboat At Everglades National Park, Miami, FL 01/24

Day 4: We got checked out of our hotel in Homestead, got fuel down the road, and headed north for an hour to Gator Park in Miami, FL. This is one of three concessions that are approved by Everglades National Park for airboats. The day was in the high 60s and very rainy. So thankful the skies were clear when we were in the keys the past two days.  Hwy 41 in front of the place is under construction so the front of the place was torn up and lots of orange barrels. We got there just fine, though. They open at 9:00am and we were there a few minutes early. Boats run about every 20-30 minutes. For the first tour of the day, we had to wait about 1/2 hour for more people to come to fill up the boat. That was fine. They have a nice park there where you can see several alligators. There is a huge thatched roof over tables. We walked around and also looked at the  airboats. Kevin told me the engines are V-8. Two airboat engines were started and looked liked tests were done on them. The airboat has 5 rows of bench seating and is very wide. We decided to take the back row.

Captain Dan was great. We took off slowly and went a short ways and he stopped the engine. He explained about alligators and the birds we saw. Then he would call the names of alligators and talk to them to come out. Dan has been doing this for 28 years so they know him.  Soon we saw several alligators right next to our stopped airboat.  Go a ways, stop, listen to Dan, see another alligator.

Then said, “Are you ready?!” Put your ear plugs in (that they gave you when you buy your tickets) take off your hat and hold on to anything that can blow away. And then, POW, we shot off like a jet plane! Oh what a thrill it was. I wasn’t scared at all. I didn’t even have to talk myself into not being scared.

It was fun – like spinning around doing donuts in a parking lot of snow, although we would go straight a long ways and then turn and “slide” sideways. I had a blast! So did Kevin. I am so thankful I didn’t get too dizzy. The ride lasted about 1/2 an hour and then we went to an open air building and watched a ranger talk about and show alligators and several other creepy crawly things. This place did a great job, we think. From there we headed west on little Hwy 41 clear to almost the west side of Florida. The route took us through Big Cypress National Preserve and I saw where my friends, Betty & Dan, are volunteering for about 5 months. We will set up a time to visit with them later. What a thrill we had on these 4 days!