Heading to the Keys

We left Orlando on Mon., Oct. 26, heading south towards the Florida Keys. We had decided to make it a two day trip, spending the night at Monument Lake Campground in Big Cypress National Preserve (www.nps.gov/bicy), which is located just north of Everglades National Park. This campground has no hookups (no electricity, water, or sewer), and through Dec. 14, no camping fees are charged. Sites are first come, first serve, and only a couple other people were in the campground so we were able to find a pull-through spot located adjacent to the lake (close to the alligator warning sign!) We had feared it would be extremely hot and humid in this swamp area, but to our surprise it was cooler than Orlando with a slight breeze…absolutely beautiful and peaceful. Only down side was that when Russ went outside after dark, he said the mosquitoes were as big as condors! OK, I think that might be a slight exaggeration, but they were big and numerous.

As in most campgrounds, dogs are required to be on leashes when outside your rig, and shortly before sunset we took them for a walk. Abby has so much energy and gets little chance for exercise so occasionally we’ll let her run when no one is around. With the leash attached to her collar, she loves to take the other end in her mouth and keeps herself amused running back and forth under our close supervision of course. Hey, technically she is still on her leash! But like any kid who doesn’t know when to stop, you have to make her, otherwise we think she’d run till she literally dropped. What a funny girl.

The next morning we awoke to a beautiful sunrise and out on the lake Russ saw what he initially thought were possibly alligator eyes! However we’ve seen enough National Geographic documentaries to know that alligators generally don’t blink like that and skim the water. We grabbed the binoculars and eventually determined that they were actually some type of fish, mouths exposed to the surface, opening and closing them rapidly, seeming to gasp for air, as they skimmed the surface. Quite an unusual sight.
About 5 miles down the road is the Oasis Visitor Center, and on our way out of the Preserve we decided to make a stop there mainly to get our National Park book stamped but we also were able to obtain our 9th Junior Ranger badge. The Tamiami Canal runs right alongside the highway, and we saw a variety of birds along the edge waiting to swoop down on the unsuspecting fish. Just inside the Center was a stuffed panther that had been killed by an auto several years ago. Panthers are one of North America’s most endangered species with less than 30 living in Big Cypress, and panther crossing signs can be seen dotting the highway. As we exited the Center, a racer snake slithered across our path but the park volunteer assured us that it was harmless. We walked across to the boardwalk overlooking the canal, and there we finally saw an alligator…several of them in fact.

It was time to get back in the RV and continue south, deciding to make a stop at one of the Everglades National Park Visitor Centers on the way. The road we were taking was not going through Everglades NP (http://www.nps.gov/ever), but we had decided to make this slight detour so we could at least get our book stamped. It was hot and muggy, and the loop road through the park was not going to be very easy to navigate with the motorhome, so after getting our book stamped and walking through the Center, we sat parked in the lot with the generator running (for the A/C) and had lunch before heading back to the highway.

Our destination was John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (http://www.pennekamppark.com/) in Key Largo. Pennekamp SP was the first underwater park in the U.S. and is the site of the only living coral barrier reef in the continental U.S. In fact Key Largo, known as the “Diving Capital of the World” as evidenced by all the dive shops along the road, is the fossilized remains of a coral reef formed during the ice age. There are no natural sand beaches on the island but instead the shoreline consists of gray, limestone-based clay. Water shoes definitely come in handy when walking on it! There are actually very few beaches in the Keys but those that are there give way to spectacular views of the water with its beautiful variations of blue and green coloring…the Atlantic Ocean to the east and depending on the location, the Florida Bay or the Gulf of Mexico to the west. Our site at Pennekamp SP wasn’t anywhere near the ocean (technically Largo Sound) but a short walk or drive would take you to one of its two beaches.

Tues. Russ struck up a conversation with Alex, the man across from us who was trying to set up his satellite dish. They struggled for two hours trying to get it to work along with Dick, another neighbor and friend of Alex’s. I went out eventually to see if I could be of any assistance and finally Alex’s wife, Susie, said “enough!...let’s go to the beach!” LOL We all met at Cannon Beach, including Dick’s wife Beth, and spent a couple hours relaxing, enjoying the water, and getting to know each a little better. We discovered that Dick and Beth would be staying at the same place we would be the next week so looked forward to more time together. The next night Russ and I spent a couple hours with Alex and Susie at their place getting even better acquainted.

I went back to the beach by myself on Thurs. and took along my snorkeling mask. About 100 feet offshore is a marker noting the remnants of a 1715 Spanish shipwreck with cannon replicas deep below the surface. After reading and catching some rays on the beach for about half an hour, I made my way out to the marker and saw some incredibly beautiful orange and green striped fish which I believe were a variety of parrot fish. Wish I’d had an underwater camera with me!

There was nothing great or special about our campsite though there was a swamp/pond right behind and plenty of bugs around dusk. Those no-see-ums sure can bite! We saw lots of birds, and had visits from a snail on our windowsill and an iguana walking by. Halloween night we even had one trick or treater and fortunately we had some candy to give the little princess! Tomorrow we head further south to Long Key State Park, where all the campsites are on the beach…can’t wait!