Leaving Key largo

We saw our first alligators of the trip at the Everglades Alligator Farm. Here is my photo of an American adult alligator in captivity, measuring 13 ft. They can get up to 21 ft!

Today is Monday, February 9. I write this blog with bittersweet feelings. It is because today is our last day here at the Marina Del Mar in Key Largo and in the Keys all together, since arriving in Key West in the first week of January. We have really enjoyed this unique area of the United States that has a distinct beauty, culture and a relaxed pace that is all its own.

We have come to realize that our location here in Key Largo has become more convenient as the days passed. We walked or rode our bikes to nearly everything we needed to do except for three times when we rented a car to go sightseeing and to visit friends twice in the other Keys. Bike rides have taken us both to get our haircuts and to a local homemade ice cream place. The Sunday flea markets with fresh local produce have helped sustained us. The leisurely breakfasts here in the hotel with the guests and our fellow boaters have been great. Eating in the local restaurants has given wonderful tastes like conch soup and Key Lime Pie made with real key limes. We have grown accustomed to the music and happy hour laughter from the patrons at the Coconuts Bar next door as a way of entertaining us as we prepared and ate our dinners on board. (I just realized that most of our highlights mentioned here are about food)

We have an unbelievable amount of excitement building up! Tomorrow Freedom’s Turn will take us northeast about 35 miles to the “Gateway of the Keys “area to Boca Chita Key State Park in Biscayne Bay, on the inside or Gulf side. We will join our friends Jim and Lisa on the boat Kismet for a one night anchorage at the park’s free dock. Then another night or two in Ft. Lauderdale where Freedom’s Turn and Kismet, on Thursday or Friday, weather permitting, will make our 75 mile run crossing the Atlantic to begin another cornerstone of the trip; cruising the Bahamas.

Hopefully the local weather does what the four marine weather internet sites we check daily are telling us! The winds surrounding southeast Florida and east to the Bahamas will give us a decent weather window of one or two days of fairly calm seas with the Gulf Stream flowing north and the winds out of the south and southwest at 6-14 knots. Since we want to travel east and north, the Gulf Stream hopefully will give us an extra 2-3 knot of following seas, pushing us north. These conditions should make a safe crossing to the West End of the Grand Bahama Island where we will report in at Customs. We’ll make our way in the next few days, to the Abacos, where both boats have a one month reservation at the Sea Spray Marina and Resort on Elbow Cay. Jim and Lisa have already made this trip a few years back and we are very grateful we can travel with them on their second trip.

Getting one month reservations really brings the average per night costs down significantly. From our slip, we will come and go; visiting many other places with the big boat or the dinghy during our month there.

Before leaving Key Largo, we just wanted to share a few more photos of some of the highlights for us. One place we enjoyed was the Everglades Alligator Farm, where Charlie and I finally got to get some great looks at alligators and crocodiles. The Everglades Alligator Farm is located in southeastern Florida on the edge of the Everglades National park. The following information is from the brochure given to us from this farm.

“Alligator farming was licensed by the State of Florida in the 1980’s as a way to ensure the survival of the American Alligator. In the 50’s this ancient reptile had almost become extinct. Poaching to satisfy the demand for hides used in high fashion items such as purses, belts, and shoes caused the wild populations to decline to dangerously low levels. Commercial alligator farming supplied the market with a legal source of high quality hides and meat, thereby allowing populations in the wild to rebound to astounding levels. By 1987 the American alligator was removed from the Federal endangered species list.”

The article went on to say that the Native American Crocodiles are almost extinct. It is the Nile crocodile that we see much more often in nature and in captivity in the U.S.

The Florida Everglades is the only place where the Alligators and crocodiles live together. These hides below show the reptiles different markings. The main difference between the alligator and the crocodile is that the crocodile’s snout is narrower.

Alligator skin on left, about 1/3 of a 25 Ft Burma Python skin in the middle, and a crocodile skin on right, all captured here at the Everglades alligator Farm.

Feeding time above. They were getting rats for their meal.

We sawing an alligator feeding area, a breeding pond, both an alligator and snake show and took an airboat ride into the Everglades, which let us skim the waters in a rush. I did not attend the snake show but Charlie did and he said he got brave enough to hold a baby python. I missed out on a photo there! During the alligator show, I could not, as much as the adventurer in me was crying out, to seize the moment and hold a baby alligator when given the opportunity. If only I could have done it, I would have been so proud. But alas, I just could not hold it.

Currently, the Everglades as well as most of Florida are experiencing their dry season. On our airboat ride, the water was only 1-2 feet deep, in some areas. Our tour guide told us if we got stuck, one of us had to get out and push our boat out of the mud.

Then he proceeded to tell us what you find in these waters besides swamp grass, fresh water and no tides: many kinds of snakes, (including pythons) fire ants, alligators and crocodiles. Interesting and exotic but no one wanted to volunteer to be the one to get out of the boat if needed to push. (Of course he was kidding…. we thought) During the fast and wet ride, which lasted about 20 minutes, we saw many birds, gorgeous vegetation, and alligators! The experience was really fun. (I pretended we were in the opening scene from CSI Miami where the airboat rushes through the swamps)

Our airboat ride is about to begin

Here we go! We reached a speed of 65 mph!

We had to wear hearing protection because of the loud noise of the airboat motor.

Another boat coming in

The alligator show!

On a car rental day, Charlie and I stopped at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center. Their mission is to provide a refuge for sick and suffering wild birds and to increase the number of birds, both common and endangered. Many of the sick birds there are due to environmental toxins and the injured birds come from man’s fishing related accidents. There were Owls, Falcons, Hawks, and a large pelican station.

Yesterday, a large powerboat came in next to us for one night with several men on board, all dressed in khaki pants, white short sleeve shirts, blue baseball caps and blue life jackets.
We learned that these men were Boy Scout leaders training to lead the next local Sea Scouts program, specifically the ‘Seals’ division of the Seas Scouts program. “Seals” stands for Sea Explorer Advanced Leadership. The “Seals” badge is equivalent to the Eagle Badge, only focused on marine knowledge and boating projects. In order to be in this program, youths ages 14-21 try out from a selection of difficult marine related tasks. Since becoming co-ed a few years back, the Seals program has flourished the men said.

Finally, I want to mention that one day I was walking near the place here at our marina where people can get on the Glass Bottom Boat tour when I heard a familiar voice from Okemos! Millie Martin, one of my friends from the Meridian Senior Center where I retired from, was passing me! Her sister was with her and we were delighted to exchanged hugs and warm hellos!

It is time to finish and get this blog published.

The day is done, and we will settle into our master stateroom berth soon, the tides will move our boat up and down two feet during the night and the winds and waves will rock us back and forth.

Life is good.

Good night.

Sincerely,

Linda and Charlie