12/12/24

On our first day in the Everglades we took a short drive to the Everglades National Park where we collected the Junior Ranger booklet and we set off on our first walk called The Pinelands Trail.

On the trail we saw a red-headed woodpecker and a variety of plants. 45 minutes into our National Park day we had already seen 105 birds including great white herons, turkey vultures and egrets and were already on our second walk through the grasslands, but it was quite windy so we moved on. On our third and last walk before heading to the Flamingo portion of the park, we did a walk though a mahogany forest where the trees seemed to stretch into the sky endlessly.

At Flamingo we were greeted with a pleasant surprise in the form of a manatee feasting on algae by the marina. For the final walk of the day we went to the Royal Palm board walk over wetlands where we saw loads of fish, hundreds of turkey vultures, two red-bellied turtles, two great blue herons, 30ish egrets, an anhinga, a handful of great white herons, purple gallinules, four adult alligators, and one 30cm baby alligator all amongst the lily pad covered lakes.

13/12/24

It’s second day in the Everglades and this time we’re doing a 24 kilometre bike ride next to a river filled with alligators! While my parents were hiring the bikes I went a turned in my Junior Ranger booklet and collected my Everglades National Park badge.

After starting our bike ride, and not even two minutes in, we saw a gator lazing by the river and then another and another. By the time we reached the half way observation tower we had seen 58 alligators! Coming back we biked into extremely strong winds and while I was slowly biking I noticed a shape in the grass – a snake which I later learned was a cottonmouth snake, one of four venomous snakes in Florida.

Closing up our bike ride, our total amount of gators spotted was 79. Finally when we exited the National Park, we took a relaxing airboat trip around the Everglades adding a couple extra alligators to the amount we spotted.

16/12/24

Not in the Everglades but for our second day in Miami we took a hop-on hop-off bus around to a outdoor art museum called Wynwood Walls with a baby hulk, a decorated train carriage, and a picture of Gotham 2.

On the next stop of our journey we went to Little Havana where there were chickens, owls, and even a bat in the street . For lunch we went to Sala’o Cuban Restaurant and I had braised beef that was then grilled and marinated with Cuban mojo ( basically citrus, herbs, and salt).

Miami Nights ( and day )

06/12/24

On the first day of our 6 day adventure in the Keys we had a slow start hanging out at the pools before we went to the car rental place and got B.O.B. (Big Ol’ Beast) – an eight seater beast.

Driving down to Long Key we saw lots of wildlife such as pelicans, fish and the Raptor migration. Later we checked into the Lime Tree Bay resort and went for a swim in the pool. Finally to wrap up the day we went up to the Florida Boy Bar and Grill and we had Alligator bites (basically fried chicken but with alligator).

07/12/24

Still in Long Key we started our day off with a trip to the beach where we saw lots of small fish and a pelican diving into the sea. Fun fact: Long Key used to be called Rattlesnake Key because it looked liked a rattlesnake’s open jaw.

For the main activity of the day we went to Long Key State Park where we went on a 1.1 mile walk through the mangroves. In the mangroves there were lots of animals such as crabs of all different sizes, skinks, and a variety of fish. Some animals we could have seen were crocodiles, snakes and horseshoe crabs.

08/12/24

On the road again, this time heading out to Key West. On the way we stopped off at the Dolphin Research Center where we saw, parrots, sea lions, a tortoise, and Dolphins getting trained ( with a couple of mistakes!). Continuing down the road we stopped off at Key Fisheries for lunch.

Next on our trip a seven mile bridge across the ocean. Nearing the end of the bridge we stumbled across the Bahia Honda State Park where I got my first junior ranger badge and we saw a Southern Black Racer snake, which is a non-venomous species of snake, relaxing in the sun. Still at the state park while watching a pelican fishing we saw hundreds of tiny birds running up and down the beach.

Later on Big Pine Key while driving to Key West we saw a deer munching on some grass by the side of the road. When we arrived at the resort I won five dollars off my mum by serving a shuttlecock into one of the pockets of a pool table from ten meters away. At the end of the day after dinner back at our apartment we saw a gecko on our balcony wall.

09/12/24

We started off our day with a short walk into the centre of town in Key West where we went for the first activity of the day, the Hemingway House, home of author Ernest Hemingway. On our way to the Hemingway House we saw hundreds of chickens roaming the streets which we later learned were protected descendants of the original cock fighting chickens before it became illegal in 2004.

Inside the house we learned that Hemingway was an avid big game hunter, deep sea fisher, he was an ambulance driver for the military, he wrote books and poems, and he had a six toed cat called Snow White which was a gift from a friend.

Next we went for lunch at the Old Town Tavern and Beer Garden. Wrapping up our day we went to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park where we saw cannons half buried from the 1800’s, and we also saw two iguanas lounging in a tree.

10/12/24

After a long morning of driving we arrived at the Pigeon Key visitor centre where we caught the Pigeon Key Express which took us along the original seven mile bridge. Once there we took the tour around the key where we learned about Henry Flagler who brought the Florida economy back after the American civil war by building hotels, trains and even the seven mile bridge.

After the tour we fed tarpon and even a nurse shark. Nearing the end of our drive we saw the giant lobster statue ‘Big Betsy’ alongside the road.

11/12/24

For our activity of the day we had a short drive to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park where we caught a glass-bottom boat tour to the coral reef. Once there we saw lots of sea creatures like parrotfish, angelfish, barracuda, green sea turtles, eagle rays, great white herons, osprey, frigatebirds, and more.