Florida Keys

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.