Thursday 22nd December – The Florida Keys

Our motel room - they clearly knew we were Wizard of Oz fans (picture over bed)

I had a better sleep than the night before but still had to endure some loud people.  We maxed out the room this morning, I filled up on bagels and we utilised the Wi-Fi until it was check-out time.  In fact, we borrowed some more once in the RV outside to call a few people as well!

View of the Miami skyline as we drove past

Water, water everywhere.... a sample 'Keys' image!

Despite having our next State Park booking for tonight on the opposite coast of Florida, today would be our only opportunity to see some of the Florida Keys having failed to find anywhere affordable to be able to stay there for just one night.  We crawled South through Miami, down route 1, so by the time we crossed the long bridge onto the keys it was 130pm…. This will have to be a fleeting visit! We crossed several of the bridges along the chain of islands but we could only go so far as it was an estimated two hours to Key West right at the end.  But it gave us a feel for what the Keys are about.  Our biggest regret about not being able to spend more time on the Keys is missing out on some of the World’s best scuba diving and snorkelling at the John Pennekamp coral reef state park.  It boasts not only some of the most beautiful corals but also plentiful opportunities for diving wrecks of ancient Spanish galleons.  I say regret…. Instead we are looking upon it as a reason to have to come back to Florida some time to make up for this omission from our trip.  Maybe when we’ve won the lottery or flogged a spare body part or something?! 
We got as far as Islamorada and, despite having had the luxury of eating out for the last two days, we were lured into the gorgeous Morada Bay beach café and bar.

Enjoying a fruit smoothie and a mojito

A very smiley iguana

I had a lovely salad (right) and treated myself to some Key Lime pie, (when in the Keys) which was delicious, whilst Simon supped a mojito.  Bliss…

Not wanting to tear ourselves away from the Keys too soon I wanted to find a suitable place for a quick dip in sea – Gulf of Mexico or Straits of Florida, I wasn’t fussy.  But we struggled to find a location near the roadside that wasn’t either weedy or plagued with jellyfish so I managed to resist! 

Example of jellyfish and weed....

Still, looks amazing for jet-skiing.....

It was time to start the long drive across the base of Florida to Collier Seminole (CS) State Park, our home for the next seven nights including Christmas.  Route 41, otherwise known as the Tamiami (Tampa to Miami) scenic Highway, took us right through the Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve.  Which would have been amazing, if it hadn’t been dark!  It was pitch black to either side of us and we imagined the swamps and the wildlife out there that we were missing.  But then I saw my favourite sign of the journey so far. ‘Panther crossing’.  Along with flashing signs requiring drivers to slow to 40mph in case of any big cats in the road.  I did what I was told but sadly no panthers were forthcoming.

We arrived at CS at 830pm having rung ahead earlier in the day to obtain the gate code to be able to access the site out of hours and found our way to our new site.