Will Smith - Miami

After our laid back month in central Florida, it was time for some adventure, so we headed south to Will Smith’s fifth favorite city (according to his lyrics). We actually didn’t party, and the heat wasn’t exactly on, but we did have quite a few adventures. Charlotte took the week off of work, so we were basically on vacation. I realize our regular day-to-day is life already kind of vacation-like, but this was even more vacation-y.

We started the adventures on the drive down from Peace River RV park in Wauchula.

We found an old-school rest area on the side of a two-lane highway, where we stopped to eat lunch. It was just a clearing with some room to pull off the road, grass, picnic tables, and trash cans. Luckily, we had brought our bathroom with us.

Then, we stopped to explore the Swamp Visitor Center for Big Cypress National Preserve. They had a nice little boardwalk we explored. In the ranger station we got some great information about visiting Big Cypress as well as the two National Parks in the area. Izzy was able to pick up a Junior Ranger activity book which worked for all three parks.

We then made it to Miami Everglades RV Resort, which has a Miami address, but is out in the weird agricultural suburbs. There are lots of small fields, some of them completely enclosed by netting growing mostly what looks like ornamental plants, along with some fruits and vegetables. Quite a difference from the big corn and bean fields in the middle of the country. The RV park first tried to put us in a site way too small for our rig. We didn’t even attempt to park in it. Luckily they weren’t too full and they quickly found us a better sized site.

The weather on our first full day in Miami didn’t look great for exploring outside, so we headed out to do some shopping. There was an IKEA about 30 minutes away, so of course we had to stop by.

The next day, after a slow morning, we got out in the afternoon and made it to Everglades National Park. First we visited the Royal Palm Visitor Center and hiked the Anhinga Trail, where we saw all kinds of animals and got our first up close gator encounter.

Anhingas are big birds that don’t seem to do much. They’re mostly known for spreading out their wings to dry out their feathers in the sun. But on our way back to the truck, we were lucky enough to see one in action. It dove underwater, caught some unlucky fish, then popped back up the the surface where it swallowed it whole.

After getting the fish down, it popped out of the water and up onto the railing by the trail to do the famous anhinga pose.

Izzy saw and learned enough on the hike to complete several sections of her Junior Ranger activity book. On our way back out of the park, we stopped by the main visitor center where Izzy obtained her badge for the Everglades.

The next day, we drove Big Cypress National Preserve’s Loop Road Scenic Drive, where we got to see plenty more alligators as well as some very interesting landscape.

Izzy’s favorite part about the drive was that we were going so slowly that we allowed her to stick her head out the window to better spot animals.

After reaching the end of the loop road, we went to the Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center. This was right on highway 41 which we had driven to get to Miami. It was a fairly unassuming building with a small pond or wetland between it and the highway, but there was quite a bit to see in that tiny amount of water.

The water was very densely populated with fish of all kinds and sizes, and the water was clear enough to seem them easily. It was really odd to see in what I can only assume is a natural habitat.

There were also plenty of birds, including this one we caught flying overhead, which we assumed was a flamingo until we more closely examined the photo.

Of course, we also had to sit down to complete more pages in the activity book so Izzy could earn another Junior Ranger badge.

One of the park rangers put together a little scavenger hunt for Izzy. The ranger hid some toy animals among the trees and bushes for Izzy to find. They were all things that alligators like to eat. When Izzy found them she stuffed them into the mouth of a plush alligator.

The next day, we visited the third National Park in the area, Biscayne. This park’s territory is mostly out in the ocean, but they have a nice visitor center and a hiking trail along the shore.

After completing all the requirements in her activity book, Izzy earned the Junior Ranger badge for Biscayne. She was also awarded a special patch for earning badges at all three area National Parks. As a reward for all her hard work on the badges, we bought her a Junior Ranger vest at the giftshop.

On the way back to the RV that evening, we stopped by famous south Florida fruitstand, Robert Is Here. This place sells a wide variety of fresh fruits, as well as fresh fruit smoothies. They also have some vintage tractors for kids to climb on, and animals on display.

On Friday, we ventured down just a little ways into the Florida Keys. Maybe next year we can get one of the coveted Thousand Trails reservations out in Key West. This time, we spent most of the day at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.

We went to Cannon Beach, and found a nice spot with some shade. The sand was certainly not as nice as Siesta Key, but Izzy still had a good time playing while Charlotte and I relaxed. After a while we had a picnic lunch.

After lunch Izzy and I decided to test our our new snorkeling gear. After getting her toes in the water, Izzy decided it was too cold and went back to playing in the sand. We had seen something coming up out of the water occasionally, and thought they must be dolphins, so I went out to investigate.

I hadn’t been snorkeling in a long time, my swimming skills had deteriorated due to lack of practice, and the water was cold enough to make my body want to hyperventilate. The beach dropped off very sharply, with the light colored sand at the bottom giving way suddenly to darkness. All I could see were rays of light shining down at an angle through the cloudy water in front of me. Earlier, I overheard someone mention that it wasn’t dolphins but tarpon jumping out of the water, so now I was afraid a giant aggressive fish was going to jump out of the murk and into view just inches from my face. I kept at it though, convincing myself that snorkeling is a fun cool activity and I wouldn’t have another chance to do it again anytime soon. I never did find whatever was breaching the water, but I did spot the sunken cannons the beach is named after.

After getting cleaned up and changed, we headed into Key Largo to find a place with outdoor seating for dinner. We ended up at Skippers Dockside, which is a typical beach town bar and grill, with plenty of seafood options. They had a huge outdoor seating area overlooking a nice canal, the food was good, the beer was cold, and there was even some solid live music. We had a great meal, and even took home a slice of Key lime pie.

For our last day in Miami, we decided not to battle any weekend crowds or rain and just took it easy, staying at the RV park. Izzy and I checked out the pool once it cleared up, and after I found a creative solution to a frustrating problem purchasing laundry cards, we got our clothes washed. Overall, it was a great park, and we’ll likely be back for some more adventures in the future.

So that wraps up our week in Miami. Quite a few adventures for just a single week! Tune in next time as we head back to central Florida.

See you down the road.