I have to say, the last week or so has been amazing. I missed a few photos from Tampa/Clearwater.
The boat from Clearwater Marine Aquarium to the Winter/Hope exhibit
Because Otters are just cute at Clearwater
Hope, from Dolphin Tale 2
A heron at De Soto National Memorial, right on the beach
Once my friendly RV tech from Tampa got done with fixing the windshield wipers, we hit the road from Tampa, and came down to the Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and Biscayne National Preserve. The kids got Junior Ranger badges 12, 13 and 14. We got to see so many Alligators, heron and lizards like I've never seen them. We went to the Oasis Visitor Center at Big Cypress National Preserve and the boardwalk had an immediate view of 53 alligators of various sizes and shapes, and I'm amazed that the kids ever wanted to leave, because they loved them so much.
One gator crossing over the back of another - kids were fascinated
\This guy bothered to raise his head
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The gator in our path
Because, gators
After that, we wandered down to Shark River Visitor Center in the Everglades, and took an amazing tram tour which allowed us to see more alligators (adult, juvenile and baby), turtles, heron and tons of other birds. There was one alligator on the sidewalk where we walked, which was a little intimidating, but we all successfully walked past it and some of the people behind us scared him back into the water, which was almost more scary, but at least let us NOT have to pass him again on the way back down. After all of that, the kids managed to squeak out Junior Ranger badge #12 - the Everglades.
Gators rock
We spent the second night at Gator Park, which was not the best RV park, but it served our needs. We did not hook water up, and the sewer we only hooked up just before we left to drain the unmentionables from the tank. Electric was spotty, and every time we ran the AC, the power flickered. We would probably not stay there again, although for south Florida, the price was about right. We rose early and headed west again to see if we could see panthers and other mammals along a loop that one of the ranger suggested, but alas, nothing. We headed back to the Big Cypress Visitor Center and got Junior Ranger badge #13. Of course we had to hit the boardwalk again to see more alligators and fish and even a few more soft shell turtles. We loaded back up and headed to Florida City for the night - Gateway to the Keys. At Biscayne National Park (Junior Ranger Badge #14), we found some people fishing who let the kiddos give it a try...
Fishing the pier at Biscayne NP
Charles reeling in a wee fishy
Tomorrow, we travel south to Key West and 9 days in the sun, hopefully to include relaxation, snorkeling, kayaks and beach time. We bought several packs of sunscreen, a bottle of tequila (for me alone), and some new beach toys, so we're ready for the beach!
Until the next... see you at the beach!
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