Even though we did a lot of adventuring this month, we did try to take it slow and stay in one area long enough to really get a feel for it and make it worth the move. We stayed at 5 campsites this month, averaging 5 nights in each spot. Only 8 of those nights were paid ($12 ea.) so $96 total for "rent" in December.
We started the month at Mitchell Landing in Big Cypress National Preserve. It was the only site we had to pay for in December, and well worth it for access to the Everglades. We spent just over a week there and took full advantage of the amazing wildlife experience opportunities in the area. Mitchell Landing is a small campground/airboat ramp in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of acres of freshwater swamp that make up Big Cypress National Preserve. BCNP is America's first National Preserve, home to the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribes, and brings in over a million visitors per year. Nearly 200 species of bird can be found here, as well as alligators, Florida panthers, black bear, and river otter. It is WILD, beautiful, and full of life. There are a few visitors centers you can stop at to learn about the history of the area, get maps and recommendations about where to explore, and watch gators basking in the sun from their viewing deck over the water.
While camping at BCNP, we spent a lot of time just driving or riding our bikes along Loop Road. Most of the road is lined by thick trees, but every so often (about 100 meters or so) would be an opening where we would fish in the swampy pools and streams and watch the local wildlife. We saw countless alligators basking along the banks (and sometimes in the road!), tall birds walking through the swamps, lots of turtles, and some really interesting fish. One kind of catfish would leap high out of the water to breathe, and when the whole school was doing it at once, it looked really bizarre.
The Everglades is abundant with life, which includes invasive species thriving. The tropical environment supports fast population growth, and the water makes it easy for them to spread. The invasive species are taking over and causing problems for local wildlife. During our visit there was actually an event called the "Python bowl" where they had cash prizes for anyone who hunted, killed, and brought back the most / biggest pythons. They even offered free training on how to catch and kill the pythons. Obviously with such incentives they have become a huge problem and need to be stopped to prevent local wildlife from suffering further. It really brought on an awareness of what we are transporting and how it could affect local wildlife at our next stop. Even lizards or little frogs (which we have found attempting to stow away on multiple occasions) could be an issue so we've been taking steps to prevent them.
One of our coolest adventures during our time in the Everglades National Park was at Shark Valley!! Shark Valley offers tours of the Everglades via tram rides during the day. This had been recommended to us by a few people, and specifically that we should go at night for the best experience. We drove over after they closed and walked our bikes past the closed gate to the tram trail. It was really dark but we had flashlights and a nice flat paved trail to follow which made for an easy ride.
It was also really windy and chilly that night, so most of the gators were tucked away trying to stay warm. We did spot a baby gator catching and eating a tiny fish. We also saw about 10 adult gators during the trip, most staying cozy in deeper water.
After about 7 miles of biking through the dark, completely alone, we finally reached the lookout tower. It's a huge concrete tower with a stunning 360-degree view at the top. On our way up the winding ramp, we were surprised to find a photographer standing on the ramp with his camera, taking pictures of the tower. He'd ridden his bike out to photograph the tower as the sun went down. We offered to wait to explore it until he was done, but he said he didn't mind if we went ahead. We ended up in a few of his shots and he even sent some of the pictures to us! Even though seeing the photographer out there changed the feeling of being alone in nature, it was really cool to find someone else who was willing to bike over 14 miles to enjoy the beauty of the Everglades at night.
While we were in south Florida, we had to check out the Keys! Camping in the Keys is expensive, and reservations would be needed months in advance. Instead, we took ourselves on a driving tour to explore them. The string of islands stretches about 120 miles off the southeast tip of Florida.
We went to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo which is known for great snorkeling and kayaking. It was gorgeous with clear blue water and a big variety of wildlife. We saw a bonnethead shark not too far from shore. They also have a nice nature trail through mangroves and old citrus trees that the dogs loved.
We stopped for lunch on Plantation Key at Habanos on the Creek. Sitting at a table by the crystal clear water, we watched colorful parrotfish, spiny lobsters, schools of needlefish, and many other tropical fish swim by. I love seafood, but this was the first time I'd seen "dolphin" on a menu. Apparently, it's another name for "the dolphin fish" - Mahi. We tried the blackened "dolphin" and finished up with key lime pie before heading back to camp.
The next day, we drove out to the Turner River Canoe Trail. This water trail flows through thick mangrove forests into grasslands then through the Ten Thousand Islands which are a chain of tiny islands on the coast of southwest Florida. After maneuvering through the islands, the trail finally leads to the ocean. We'd be in close quarters with gators along the trail, but were assured by the park rangers that we'd be safe as long as we respected their space.
About ten minutes into our paddle, we entered into the mangrove tunnels. The trees were really close together and there were vines hanging down everywhere. It was so dense that there wasn't enough space to paddle. We put the paddles down and used our hands to pull us along through the trees.
We even had to lay flat against the kayak to fit under some of the branches. We spent hours swinging through the mangroves like Tarzan. There were also cute air plants growing everywhere, baby gators basking in the sun, and two tiny turtles on a stick.
We even saw a few larger gators during our trip, but it seemed like they didn't mind us passing by. After a few hours of slow progress without paddles, we made it out to the grasslands and enjoyed a break and a stretch.
We checked the map and it was still three more miles to the coast. That meant six, plus what we'd just done, since we had to come back the same way. By that time it'd be dark before we got back to the truck. We decided it was safest to turn around.
One of the friendly park rangers at BCNP recommended Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge's "Marsh Trail". People gather at the viewing tower every evening to catch the sunset and watch the Ibis fly in to roost for the night. We arrived around 5pm and rode our bikes down the short path to the tower, enjoying the crisp evening air.
We climbed the wooden stairs and saw the first few birds flying in from far away.
As the sunset basked everything in an orange glow, we watched huge flocks of graceful white birds fill the sky and cover the nearby trees like a blanket.
After having to turn around on the Turner River Canoe Trail, we were still itching to get our kayak out to the ocean. We'd taken it on so many adventures in lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps, snaking through narrow streams in grasslands... but hadn't made it out to the ocean yet. So, the next morning we headed out at 6am, eager to make it happen. Kyle found a spot we could put in the kayak that was past the mangrove tunnels, but before the Ten Thousand Islands.
The water was calm and clear and the weather was beautiful. We started in a wide open bay area and headed out toward the islands across the bay. Kyle saw a comb jelly floating in the water just a few minutes after we put in! We also saw a ray gliding along the bottom of the bay.
We meandered through the islands for hours working our way out to the ocean. We could have put in at any beach and made it a lot easier on ourselves, but we really enjoyed watching the environment change from tea colored fresh water tinted by the mangrove leaves, to an estuary mix where the river meets the ocean, to pristine blue clear salt water.
It really felt like we earned the view when we came around the final island and saw the water meet the sky on the horizon. It was so beautiful and calm and reflected the soft blue sky like a mirror. We stopped paddling to glide along the smooth surface and take in the serene wonder of it all.
As we sat taking it all in, we heard something to our right surface and take a deep breath. It was the biggest sea turtle we'd ever seen! We could only see it's head, but judging from the size of it this thing was enormous. We'd recently visited Loggerhead Marinelife Center where we learned a lot about the local turtles and that this area is one of their main nesting grounds. They had many skeletons and life-size replicas of the turtles there, and the head of the one floating in front of us was much bigger than any of the examples at LMC. After a few seconds, it slipped back below the water. I couldn't believe it! Turtles are one of my favorite animals, so this surprise visit from such an ancient amazing creature was a dream come true.
Then, while we sat chatting happily about how awesome seeing a huge sea turtle was, we heard a splash to our left. About 100 yards away we saw something moving near the surface of the water and thought it might be a bird. Florida is home to loons, cormorants, pelicans, and many other swimming/diving birds. But, when it surfaced again, it was about 50 yards closer and moving way faster than a bird could have. Then we heard it - a spray of air/water and a quick inhale. Dolphins!!
We watched in awe as three dolphins swam right past the tip of our kayak. They were so close we could hear them breathing, and could see that two had white scars on their fins similar to the scars we'd seen on manatees from boat propellers. The dolphins continued on their journey out into the ocean as we high-fived and celebrated such a cool experience. What ended up being 7 hours of paddling was well worth it, and this was quite possibly my favorite kayak trip yet!
To reward ourselves for our hard work, we stopped at a nearby fish market to try the local specialty - Stone Crab claws. To my surprise, they are actually served cold, pre-cooked & pre-cracked. They handed us a few in a paper tray and we sat by the docks to eat. They were tender, delicious, and refreshing. Watching the sun setting on the water as we ate was a beautiful way to wrap up the day's awesome adventure.
Our next adventure took us to Tigertail beach in the Marco Island area for a beautiful sunset beach walk. This beach is known for seashells, and on our walk to the island we ran into a few people carrying bags full of sand dollars and shells of all kinds and sizes.
We waded across the bay at low tide to get out to the island. We walked almost to the end of the beach, enjoying the cool clear water and collecting some cute shells along the way. We saw a few trees that people decorated with shells, and even got to hold some live sand dollars and starfish!
As the light faded, we headed back toward the parking area. The tide had come in so it was much deeper when we waded back through the bay, it was also kind of spooky since it was dark and we couldn't see what was in the water. That night, we put Mitchelbob's slogan - the "Best ribs in America" to the test. I can't say I've tried all the ribs in America, but these were top notch.
We wanted to get a little closer to Miami to explore, but didn't want to deal with the busy/expensive campgrounds nearby. On Freecampsites.net we found a listing for Miccosukee Casino. They allow RVs to park in their back lot for free as long as you register at their security desk and spend a little money at their casino. They have a few restaurants inside, as well as a spa and arcade. Their machines are mostly slots- no cards or roulette style games. They do have a big bingo hall though. We aren't into gambling, so we ended up paying $10 to use their air hockey table for 30 minutes. We parked far away from anyone else but had another camper show up and back their huge generator right next to our living room window. It was annoying, but we couldn't really complain since it was free and put us in a great spot to explore the Miami area.
We drove down to Miami and were surprised by the countless nurseries and tropical plants for sale. Places like Succulent World lined the roads with miles of plants soaking in the hot Florida sun. Miami is busy, colorful, and full of character. The people are lively and expressive, and we saw lots of expensive cars, big boats, and fancy waterfront restaurants during our drive through tour. We usually tend to stay away from big cities, but really enjoyed our quick visit to Miami.
We're also not really into fast food but if you have the chance to try Pollo Tropical - do it! I'd never heard of this chain before but they make great tasting fresh roasted chicken, tropical flavorful sides, and are fairly priced. They stay super busy but it was so worth the wait. We've probably been back there four times by now. There's also a Pollo Tropical express but as you can guess - it was slightly faster but not quite as good.
After our drive through the big city, we went out to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. We saw a huge iguana sunning himself on a rock just outside the park entrance. The park is gorgeous with lots of great trails to explore, crystal clear water, and friendly resident raccoons! People picnicking at the park started feeding them, and they've now learned to approach people looking for food. This is both cute and dangerous, since they're still wild animals and unpredictable. We had a great time watching them, but tried to keep our distance just in case.
The best part about our visit to the Miami area was Zoo Miami. We went right when they opened - were actually the first two visitors in the zoo - and many of the animals were still waking up. We caught a sweet brown bear snoozing and I got to cozy up to it for a minute.
The zoo had lots of neat exhibits with cool tunnels and ways to get up close to the animals. Getting up close and personal with this giant croc might have been my favorite experience.
We loved the Florida Everglades exhibit. After spending so much time there, we were pretty familiar with the local animals but it was so interesting to read and learn more about the local wildlife we'd been experiencing. The Florida panther is especially endangered, and we hadn't seen even a panther print on our adventures. To chat with one of the zookeepers while sitting next to a sleeping panther and hear about their struggle was very special and an awesome way to get the public motivated about saving these beautiful creatures.
Their aviary was fantastic, and we spent a long time watching and listening to the beautiful birds roaming free around us. I caught the peacocks sleeping too!
We spent around 4 hours at Zoo Miami. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone in the area.
After a few days exploring the Miami area, we headed to our next campground - Hickory Hammock Equestrian Center - where we spent 8 nights free, after applying for an online permit. There were many people camping there with horses, but just as many without. They have a giant barn, plenty of space to park horse trailers, and miles of trails to ride on. They've also got potable water there so we could fill up our tank!
The closest town to HHEC was very small but had an interesting name - Lorida, Florida. Actually pronounced "LorIda", they did have a pretty good local pizza place. Roserios pizza is cash only, family owned with really friendly staff, and the pizza was delicious.
We took a short 4 mile kayak trip at Istokpoga Canal boat ramp. There were lots of airboats, even a wooden ramp made just for them. We saw many during our Everglades adventures, but I hadn't seen one come up on land yet so that was pretty neat. During our kayak trip, we saw a dead hog, a few catfish, many baby gators, and one giant momma gator basking on the bank who splashed into the water when we passed nearby.
While in the area, we browsed a local book store called "Linda's Books". Not only did we find some fantastic reading material (The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan for me & The New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science by Isaac Asimov for Kyle) but we also got to cuddle an adorable kitty who lives in the store! He was rescued as a kitten, loves belly rubs, and is such a cuddle bug. So cuuuute!
We rode 6 miles down the dirt road near camp and had a picnic near two beautiful deep & clear lakes.
It rained on the long bike ride back to camp. It sucked for the humans, but Khaleesi loved running through the puddles.
We love fruit stands and farmer's markets and always stop if possible. This time, we stopped at a large outdoor market and I saw a sign that said "Free hotdog if your name is Kyle." So we went over to the cart, and he really got a free hotdog. I don't think I'll ever see a "free stuff if your name is Tela" sign, but hey... it might happen.
Our last campsite in December was Babcock/Webb WMA. We spent six 6 nights there (free, with online permit). It's a hunting camp and was pretty full during our stay. We got to camp close to Lake Webb, and had a lot of fun kayaking and fishing during our time there. There was also a long paved road around the lake that we biked and roller-bladed for hours.
There were some sketchy looking campers there, but overall everyone was very friendly. We even met a safari guide named Mark who made potato pancakes for us and told us about his adventures in Africa. He also told us about the other people staying there and how they watched out for each other. It was really cool to learn about the community that is going on in a place where neighbors change all the time.
Our last big adventure for the month was a kayak trip out to dog island! We put in under the bridge and not even two minutes later were just feet away from dolphins. They were passing under the bridge when we did, and got within 10 feet of the kayak.
There were two adult dolphins, one of which had many scars on it's fin, and a very small playful baby. We sat and watched the three of them play for a long time, then headed out toward the open water. On our way to the island, we saw a big ray gliding through the water, and found a half-sunken research boat!
We made it out to the island for a picnic lunch. While exploring, we saw lots of neat plants and some prickly pears.
We wrapped up December and 2019 under the Peace River bridge, sitting on a blanket with Khaleesi watching fireworks from the entire Punta Gorda area explode over the water.
December was amazing and 2019 was a huge year for us. We sold everything we couldn't take with us, left Georgia and many dear friends behind, spent time with family in Virginia while planning our wedding, got married at a gorgeous and romantic weekend retreat in the woods, and took off on our honeymoon adventure which has already been epic and more than I could have ever asked for.
We both have flip-flop tans now, and are getting more comfortable with life on the road. We found that some of our favorite moments this month were impromptu things, and we're learning to stay flexible and let plans fall into place. We try to plan campsites no more than a week in advance and try to push for awesome spots that might not work out (not enough space, closed gates etc.) while staying prepared for anything and having multiple options in case our first choice falls through.
We are always finding ways to be more frugal to make this trip last as long as we can, and we've found a lot of free spots are actually even better than paid spots. We don't like RV parks or crowded campgrounds which seem to average around $40 a night here. We like to be on our own, far from other people's generators, and we don't need hook ups or a bath house to make things work. Having a small campfire out in the wilderness somewhere near the water is paradise for us and we've been really lucky recently to find some amazing places like that to call home.
Here's a map of our Florida adventures so far, current as of Dec 31st 2019:
The Everglades is abundant with life, which includes invasive species thriving. The tropical environment supports fast population growth, and the water makes it easy for them to spread. The invasive species are taking over and causing problems for local wildlife. During our visit there was actually an event called the "Python bowl" where they had cash prizes for anyone who hunted, killed, and brought back the most / biggest pythons. They even offered free training on how to catch and kill the pythons. Obviously with such incentives they have become a huge problem and need to be stopped to prevent local wildlife from suffering further. It really brought on an awareness of what we are transporting and how it could affect local wildlife at our next stop. Even lizards or little frogs (which we have found attempting to stow away on multiple occasions) could be an issue so we've been taking steps to prevent them.
One of our coolest adventures during our time in the Everglades National Park was at Shark Valley!! Shark Valley offers tours of the Everglades via tram rides during the day. This had been recommended to us by a few people, and specifically that we should go at night for the best experience. We drove over after they closed and walked our bikes past the closed gate to the tram trail. It was really dark but we had flashlights and a nice flat paved trail to follow which made for an easy ride.
It was also really windy and chilly that night, so most of the gators were tucked away trying to stay warm. We did spot a baby gator catching and eating a tiny fish. We also saw about 10 adult gators during the trip, most staying cozy in deeper water.
After about 7 miles of biking through the dark, completely alone, we finally reached the lookout tower. It's a huge concrete tower with a stunning 360-degree view at the top. On our way up the winding ramp, we were surprised to find a photographer standing on the ramp with his camera, taking pictures of the tower. He'd ridden his bike out to photograph the tower as the sun went down. We offered to wait to explore it until he was done, but he said he didn't mind if we went ahead. We ended up in a few of his shots and he even sent some of the pictures to us! Even though seeing the photographer out there changed the feeling of being alone in nature, it was really cool to find someone else who was willing to bike over 14 miles to enjoy the beauty of the Everglades at night.
 |
| Thanks, random photographer! |
We went to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo which is known for great snorkeling and kayaking. It was gorgeous with clear blue water and a big variety of wildlife. We saw a bonnethead shark not too far from shore. They also have a nice nature trail through mangroves and old citrus trees that the dogs loved.
We stopped for lunch on Plantation Key at Habanos on the Creek. Sitting at a table by the crystal clear water, we watched colorful parrotfish, spiny lobsters, schools of needlefish, and many other tropical fish swim by. I love seafood, but this was the first time I'd seen "dolphin" on a menu. Apparently, it's another name for "the dolphin fish" - Mahi. We tried the blackened "dolphin" and finished up with key lime pie before heading back to camp.
The next day, we drove out to the Turner River Canoe Trail. This water trail flows through thick mangrove forests into grasslands then through the Ten Thousand Islands which are a chain of tiny islands on the coast of southwest Florida. After maneuvering through the islands, the trail finally leads to the ocean. We'd be in close quarters with gators along the trail, but were assured by the park rangers that we'd be safe as long as we respected their space.
About ten minutes into our paddle, we entered into the mangrove tunnels. The trees were really close together and there were vines hanging down everywhere. It was so dense that there wasn't enough space to paddle. We put the paddles down and used our hands to pull us along through the trees.
We even had to lay flat against the kayak to fit under some of the branches. We spent hours swinging through the mangroves like Tarzan. There were also cute air plants growing everywhere, baby gators basking in the sun, and two tiny turtles on a stick.
 |
We checked the map and it was still three more miles to the coast. That meant six, plus what we'd just done, since we had to come back the same way. By that time it'd be dark before we got back to the truck. We decided it was safest to turn around.
One of the friendly park rangers at BCNP recommended Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge's "Marsh Trail". People gather at the viewing tower every evening to catch the sunset and watch the Ibis fly in to roost for the night. We arrived around 5pm and rode our bikes down the short path to the tower, enjoying the crisp evening air.
We climbed the wooden stairs and saw the first few birds flying in from far away.
As the sunset basked everything in an orange glow, we watched huge flocks of graceful white birds fill the sky and cover the nearby trees like a blanket.
After having to turn around on the Turner River Canoe Trail, we were still itching to get our kayak out to the ocean. We'd taken it on so many adventures in lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps, snaking through narrow streams in grasslands... but hadn't made it out to the ocean yet. So, the next morning we headed out at 6am, eager to make it happen. Kyle found a spot we could put in the kayak that was past the mangrove tunnels, but before the Ten Thousand Islands.
The water was calm and clear and the weather was beautiful. We started in a wide open bay area and headed out toward the islands across the bay. Kyle saw a comb jelly floating in the water just a few minutes after we put in! We also saw a ray gliding along the bottom of the bay.
We meandered through the islands for hours working our way out to the ocean. We could have put in at any beach and made it a lot easier on ourselves, but we really enjoyed watching the environment change from tea colored fresh water tinted by the mangrove leaves, to an estuary mix where the river meets the ocean, to pristine blue clear salt water.
It really felt like we earned the view when we came around the final island and saw the water meet the sky on the horizon. It was so beautiful and calm and reflected the soft blue sky like a mirror. We stopped paddling to glide along the smooth surface and take in the serene wonder of it all.
As we sat taking it all in, we heard something to our right surface and take a deep breath. It was the biggest sea turtle we'd ever seen! We could only see it's head, but judging from the size of it this thing was enormous. We'd recently visited Loggerhead Marinelife Center where we learned a lot about the local turtles and that this area is one of their main nesting grounds. They had many skeletons and life-size replicas of the turtles there, and the head of the one floating in front of us was much bigger than any of the examples at LMC. After a few seconds, it slipped back below the water. I couldn't believe it! Turtles are one of my favorite animals, so this surprise visit from such an ancient amazing creature was a dream come true.
Then, while we sat chatting happily about how awesome seeing a huge sea turtle was, we heard a splash to our left. About 100 yards away we saw something moving near the surface of the water and thought it might be a bird. Florida is home to loons, cormorants, pelicans, and many other swimming/diving birds. But, when it surfaced again, it was about 50 yards closer and moving way faster than a bird could have. Then we heard it - a spray of air/water and a quick inhale. Dolphins!!
We watched in awe as three dolphins swam right past the tip of our kayak. They were so close we could hear them breathing, and could see that two had white scars on their fins similar to the scars we'd seen on manatees from boat propellers. The dolphins continued on their journey out into the ocean as we high-fived and celebrated such a cool experience. What ended up being 7 hours of paddling was well worth it, and this was quite possibly my favorite kayak trip yet!
To reward ourselves for our hard work, we stopped at a nearby fish market to try the local specialty - Stone Crab claws. To my surprise, they are actually served cold, pre-cooked & pre-cracked. They handed us a few in a paper tray and we sat by the docks to eat. They were tender, delicious, and refreshing. Watching the sun setting on the water as we ate was a beautiful way to wrap up the day's awesome adventure.
Our next adventure took us to Tigertail beach in the Marco Island area for a beautiful sunset beach walk. This beach is known for seashells, and on our walk to the island we ran into a few people carrying bags full of sand dollars and shells of all kinds and sizes.
We waded across the bay at low tide to get out to the island. We walked almost to the end of the beach, enjoying the cool clear water and collecting some cute shells along the way. We saw a few trees that people decorated with shells, and even got to hold some live sand dollars and starfish!
As the light faded, we headed back toward the parking area. The tide had come in so it was much deeper when we waded back through the bay, it was also kind of spooky since it was dark and we couldn't see what was in the water. That night, we put Mitchelbob's slogan - the "Best ribs in America" to the test. I can't say I've tried all the ribs in America, but these were top notch.
We wanted to get a little closer to Miami to explore, but didn't want to deal with the busy/expensive campgrounds nearby. On Freecampsites.net we found a listing for Miccosukee Casino. They allow RVs to park in their back lot for free as long as you register at their security desk and spend a little money at their casino. They have a few restaurants inside, as well as a spa and arcade. Their machines are mostly slots- no cards or roulette style games. They do have a big bingo hall though. We aren't into gambling, so we ended up paying $10 to use their air hockey table for 30 minutes. We parked far away from anyone else but had another camper show up and back their huge generator right next to our living room window. It was annoying, but we couldn't really complain since it was free and put us in a great spot to explore the Miami area.
We drove down to Miami and were surprised by the countless nurseries and tropical plants for sale. Places like Succulent World lined the roads with miles of plants soaking in the hot Florida sun. Miami is busy, colorful, and full of character. The people are lively and expressive, and we saw lots of expensive cars, big boats, and fancy waterfront restaurants during our drive through tour. We usually tend to stay away from big cities, but really enjoyed our quick visit to Miami.
We're also not really into fast food but if you have the chance to try Pollo Tropical - do it! I'd never heard of this chain before but they make great tasting fresh roasted chicken, tropical flavorful sides, and are fairly priced. They stay super busy but it was so worth the wait. We've probably been back there four times by now. There's also a Pollo Tropical express but as you can guess - it was slightly faster but not quite as good.
After our drive through the big city, we went out to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. We saw a huge iguana sunning himself on a rock just outside the park entrance. The park is gorgeous with lots of great trails to explore, crystal clear water, and friendly resident raccoons! People picnicking at the park started feeding them, and they've now learned to approach people looking for food. This is both cute and dangerous, since they're still wild animals and unpredictable. We had a great time watching them, but tried to keep our distance just in case.
The best part about our visit to the Miami area was Zoo Miami. We went right when they opened - were actually the first two visitors in the zoo - and many of the animals were still waking up. We caught a sweet brown bear snoozing and I got to cozy up to it for a minute.
The zoo had lots of neat exhibits with cool tunnels and ways to get up close to the animals. Getting up close and personal with this giant croc might have been my favorite experience.
We loved the Florida Everglades exhibit. After spending so much time there, we were pretty familiar with the local animals but it was so interesting to read and learn more about the local wildlife we'd been experiencing. The Florida panther is especially endangered, and we hadn't seen even a panther print on our adventures. To chat with one of the zookeepers while sitting next to a sleeping panther and hear about their struggle was very special and an awesome way to get the public motivated about saving these beautiful creatures.
Their aviary was fantastic, and we spent a long time watching and listening to the beautiful birds roaming free around us. I caught the peacocks sleeping too!
We spent around 4 hours at Zoo Miami. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone in the area.
After a few days exploring the Miami area, we headed to our next campground - Hickory Hammock Equestrian Center - where we spent 8 nights free, after applying for an online permit. There were many people camping there with horses, but just as many without. They have a giant barn, plenty of space to park horse trailers, and miles of trails to ride on. They've also got potable water there so we could fill up our tank!
We picked a great spot, near an entrance to the Florida trail, one of 11 national scenic trails in the US. It is 1,000 miles long and runs from south Florida all the way up to Pensacola in the panhandle! The dogs loved hiking through the palms and grassy fields and we felt the trail was a great example of the real wild Florida.
The closest town to HHEC was very small but had an interesting name - Lorida, Florida. Actually pronounced "LorIda", they did have a pretty good local pizza place. Roserios pizza is cash only, family owned with really friendly staff, and the pizza was delicious.
We took a short 4 mile kayak trip at Istokpoga Canal boat ramp. There were lots of airboats, even a wooden ramp made just for them. We saw many during our Everglades adventures, but I hadn't seen one come up on land yet so that was pretty neat. During our kayak trip, we saw a dead hog, a few catfish, many baby gators, and one giant momma gator basking on the bank who splashed into the water when we passed nearby.
While in the area, we browsed a local book store called "Linda's Books". Not only did we find some fantastic reading material (The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan for me & The New Intelligent Man's Guide to Science by Isaac Asimov for Kyle) but we also got to cuddle an adorable kitty who lives in the store! He was rescued as a kitten, loves belly rubs, and is such a cuddle bug. So cuuuute!
After Hickory Hammock, we spent 6 nights at Hampton Tract Campground in Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve near Lakeland (free, with online permit). The campground itself wasn't much to write about, just an open wooded area. The bathroom was out of order and people had even dumped their trash in it. There were a few other campers there but everyone kept to themselves. It rained a lot during our stay here, so most of the time we stayed inside and rode our bikes when the weather was good.
We rode 6 miles down the dirt road near camp and had a picnic near two beautiful deep & clear lakes.
From Hampton Tract, we were close enough to explore Tampa & Saint Petersburg! We really enjoyed the Dali museum. It was really cool to see how his art progressed as he learned. They even had a VR exhibit where you could explore inside his art and see it from many different angles. We also had a great time visiting with friends in St. Pete, who took us on a walking Mural tour.
We love fruit stands and farmer's markets and always stop if possible. This time, we stopped at a large outdoor market and I saw a sign that said "Free hotdog if your name is Kyle." So we went over to the cart, and he really got a free hotdog. I don't think I'll ever see a "free stuff if your name is Tela" sign, but hey... it might happen.
Our last campsite in December was Babcock/Webb WMA. We spent six 6 nights there (free, with online permit). It's a hunting camp and was pretty full during our stay. We got to camp close to Lake Webb, and had a lot of fun kayaking and fishing during our time there. There was also a long paved road around the lake that we biked and roller-bladed for hours.
There were some sketchy looking campers there, but overall everyone was very friendly. We even met a safari guide named Mark who made potato pancakes for us and told us about his adventures in Africa. He also told us about the other people staying there and how they watched out for each other. It was really cool to learn about the community that is going on in a place where neighbors change all the time.
Our last big adventure for the month was a kayak trip out to dog island! We put in under the bridge and not even two minutes later were just feet away from dolphins. They were passing under the bridge when we did, and got within 10 feet of the kayak.
There were two adult dolphins, one of which had many scars on it's fin, and a very small playful baby. We sat and watched the three of them play for a long time, then headed out toward the open water. On our way to the island, we saw a big ray gliding through the water, and found a half-sunken research boat!
We made it out to the island for a picnic lunch. While exploring, we saw lots of neat plants and some prickly pears.
After we ate, we fished our way along the old bridge. There were plants growing on it and birds sunning themselves. It was a beautiful day and we were so excited to be able to kayak with dolphins two times in the same month!
December was amazing and 2019 was a huge year for us. We sold everything we couldn't take with us, left Georgia and many dear friends behind, spent time with family in Virginia while planning our wedding, got married at a gorgeous and romantic weekend retreat in the woods, and took off on our honeymoon adventure which has already been epic and more than I could have ever asked for.
We both have flip-flop tans now, and are getting more comfortable with life on the road. We found that some of our favorite moments this month were impromptu things, and we're learning to stay flexible and let plans fall into place. We try to plan campsites no more than a week in advance and try to push for awesome spots that might not work out (not enough space, closed gates etc.) while staying prepared for anything and having multiple options in case our first choice falls through.
We are always finding ways to be more frugal to make this trip last as long as we can, and we've found a lot of free spots are actually even better than paid spots. We don't like RV parks or crowded campgrounds which seem to average around $40 a night here. We like to be on our own, far from other people's generators, and we don't need hook ups or a bath house to make things work. Having a small campfire out in the wilderness somewhere near the water is paradise for us and we've been really lucky recently to find some amazing places like that to call home.
Here's a map of our Florida adventures so far, current as of Dec 31st 2019:
