South Florida and the National Parks

Every National Park throughout the United States is different, and each offers something unique for its visitors. Don’t ever assume because you have seen one, you have seen them all, even if they are relatively close to one another.

During the past few weeks, Russell and I have had the opportunity to visit 4 very special National Parks that I had never been to: Cumberland National Seashore (South East Georgia), Big Cypress National Preserve (South Florida), Everglades National Park (South Florida) and Biscayne National Park (South Florida).

Cumberland was absolutely amazing! We went here during our stay in Jacksonville. Cumberland is an island off the shore of Georgia and you must be ferried there. Once on the island there is an abundance of walking trails and history to discover. The Carnegies once owned the majority of the island and remains of their massive mansion still stand today. Much of it however has been destroyed over the years due to age and hurricanes. Trees throughout the park are overgrown in Spanish Moss and create a canopy of cover like no other. There are wild horses on the island, as well as armadillos, horseshoe crabs and sea turtles, which come ashore during the summer months for egg laying. It is absolutely gorgeous and 1 day on the island is simply not enough, even if you take the first and last ferries in and out!

The Park

The Canopy

The Mansion

Wild Horses

Armadillo

Horseshoe Crab

Big Cypress in South Florida is beautiful. Russell and I parked Coco, the RV, in a campground called Midway at Big Cypress for a little over a week while in South Florida. As we drove through the preserve, I felt like I was driving through a zoo. Birds and other creatures that I had previously only seen in a zoo were everywhere: Ibis, Blue Heron, Snowy Egrets, alligators, snakes, lizards, turtles and more! One thing I found amazing were the bromeliads (succulent plants), which grow randomly in the cypress trees. They simply attach themselves. They have no roots, so they do not feed off the trees. They simply live on them.

Alligator

Blue Heron

Another Gator

Sunset in the Park

Bromiliads

Flowering Bromiliads

The Everglades were absolutely incredible. While on one excursion, we took a tram tour of the Shark River Valley, where we saw more wild life, very similar to what we had seen in Big Cypress, since their proximity to one another is so close, but we were able to hear stories and learn things we wouldn’t have known otherwise. One creature we saw there, that I hadn’t seen in Big Cypress was the Wood Stork. These birds are pretty funny to watch. They do kind of a shuffle in the water to catch fish and in my mind; I can just imagine them as a character in a Disney film… kind of the comedic relief. One of the things I found so amazing, as I compared the Everglades to most of the other National Parks I have been to throughout the country, is that while the Everglades has a beauty of its own, there are not the scenic views here that you think of when you compare it to parks such as Yosemite or Yellowstone, because it is so flat. The beauty here is in the wildlife and its abundance.

View from Shark Tower

Ibis

Variety of birds gathered

Wood Stork

Group of Gators

Biscayne National Park was VERY different and unfortunately a little disappointing for us, but we will know for next time. 95% of the park is underwater, which we knew, and includes the northern most Keys in South Florida. These keys cannot be accessed by car, unlike from Key Largo south. The majority of the park is a protected coral reef. What disappointed us was that we were there on Monday. They have a ferry which runs out to the keys… it operates only on the weekends Thursday thru Sunday. Thus we could only walk a ¼ mile boardwalk strip at the Visitors Center and watch a brief 20 minute video of the park. A little sad for us, but we will know for future reference.

Clear water

Walk along the Boardwalk

A view of the Park

Miami in the distance

Although not a National Park, one of my Bucket List items has always been to go to Key West. I don’t particularly know why, other than it was the home of one of my favorite classic authors Ernest Hemingway, and when you watch anything on The Travel Channel about Key West, it always looks so tropical and inviting. Well, I was able to semi-cross Key West off my list!

Russell and I did go to Key West, but we have determined we want to go back and spend a lot more time there. (Hence, why it is only semi-crossed off the list.) There was just so much to see and do, and a day trip was certainly not enough! We walked around the town, had lunch at a fabulous restaurant called Mangoes, purchased cigars for friends back home in Reno, went to the light house and saw Ernest Hemingway’s home. We also made it to the southernmost point in the US (90 miles from Cuba!) Major even got to play in the ocean here, which was so clear and as warm as bath water. It was gorgeous and a fabulous day! Now, just to plan our return trip!

Russell and Major in the ocean

Key West Lighthouse

Southernmost Point in the US

Dry Tortugas was the one National Park we did NOT make it to on our trip to South Florida, this go-around. Dry Tortugas is approximately 70 miles from Key West and can also only be reached by ferry. It is another all day trip of its own. Dry Tortugas was a Union Military prison during the Civil War. It is on our list of places to go when we come back to The Keys in the future. Let me know if YOU would like to join us!

We are now off to the Panhandle of Florida for more fun in the sun before we begin heading back west.

Until next time and more adventures,
Roberta
The Traveling Crafter