Visiting South Florida

This year on our way down to visit my Grandparents we stopped at the Florida Everglades to look around and see if there was anything good. First we did an airboat ride!

We thought it was so cool, that we took videos!   Click the play button below.

We seen gators, lots of gators.

Chris thinks his truck is cool.  We had to take pictures of it.

Besides gators, there is lots and lots of grassy wet fields.   They go on for miles.

We went on a 16 mile bike ride though the Everglades called Shark Valley.  It was pretty cool and I would do again, assuming temperatures were tolerable.

Wheelie man.  This was going on the whole ride.

The gators could have cared less that we were there.   Every once in awhile they would open their eye's to see, but otherwise pretended you were not even there.

Baby Gators.  This were pretty neat!   There were more piled on this rock, but Chris got a little too close.

Spoonbills along the trail.  Beautiful pink colored birds. Then Woodpeckers!

Halfway tower on our 16 mile ride on Shark Valley that overlooked the Everglades.

The next day we headed down further into the everglades and did more of an off road bicycle ride.   We went 6 miles into the woods and did not see ONE other person along the way.  It was pretty cool just being out there alone and exploring.

This was the route that we took on mountain bikes.  The part that is not along the road is really straight into the thickness of the everglades and we only seen wildlife, not one person.

We stopped at a pond along the way and this guy was curious what we were doing. (Bottom Left)   Then Chris is posing with the Crocodile. (Top Left.  Then on the right is just a beautiful prairie with wild flowers in the Everglades National Park.

This was the pond we found 6 miles into the everglade woods.

This was probably one of the most southern spots that you can get to without entering the keys.

Crocodiles!  In talking to a park ranger, he suggested we go down past their Marina and typically there are crocodiles.   He was right, this guy was right out in the open sunning himself.

And we seen lots and lots of wildlife.  More Birds!

We seen more birds!

After finishing up with the gators and crocodiles, we made it down to visit my Grandparents.

Here we were fishing under the 7mile bridge.   In the distance you can see the "new" bridge that is currently in use and closer to us is the old bridge that is decaying. 

Grandma got a shot of Chris and I.   Looks like the only picture I have of them was from behind when they were not looking. :(

Next was heading down to Dry Tortugas or the old Fort Jefferson 70 miles west of Key West.   We used a company called Sea Plane Adventures which included actual Sea Planes to get to the island.   Super cool experience flying out there this way.   The flight was just approximately 30 minutes.   They also have boat rides, but they hold over 100 people and it takes 2-2.5 hours one way.

Our flight took off at 7:30am, so we were just in time for sunrise.  Here is the other plane which was in the air with us.  

Here we are once we have approached the Dry Tortugas.  It's just absolutely beautiful from above and the history of the fort was an experience in itself.

There were hermit crabs all over the island.  Chris thought this was great and was playing (torturing) them until finally he got pinched good.  I found this pretty funny and well deserved.

Dry Tortugas is known for a popular snorkleing spot.  Here I am with the GoPro in action.

Shocking here that this guy got into the water.   He was almost eaten a few times, but managed to survive.

Inside Fort Jefferson

Walking the perimeter of the fort, the moat was pretty cool.

Towards the end of the day we learned that there was a resident crocodile in the moat!

This was the remains of an old dock.   The colors of the water were just beautiful.  this picture does not even do it justice for seeing it first hand.

A nice relaxing day and before you known it it's time to return home.   Here we are back up in the air.

Old sunk ship along the way.  Also throughout the water you could see turtles, hundreds of them.

This here is the closest we got to famous "most southern" landmark this time around.

We finished the day off with the most beautiful sunset.   I think they say that about everywhere.