The RV Pursuit of Zoos, Golf and Fire Trucks: Florida Part 1: East

Florida: a state full of contradictions. Confederate flags and rainbow flags flying side by side. Alligator zoos next to restaurants serving gator tail. Sun worshippers and skunk ape hunters. They all coexist in this environment which is defined by water. There is water on all sides and water in the middle. As far as I can tell the whole state is sinking. Tiny islands dot the coasts. Barrier islands are the norm. The key islands are connected to the mainland by a hundred fifty mile overseas highway.

We spent three weeks in Florida, a longer stay than in any other state. I wish I had a better feel for the people of Florida. Instead we found ourselves among the aged. We arrived in Florida in October, before the real tourist season of November through February. The snowbirds start arriving then, but there are plenty present already. They are fleeing the Northeast winters, transplants for the winter.

Who are the real Floridians? I think we met one deep in the Everglades. He was tall, tanned, bald, imposing. He was the founder of the Skunk Ape Institute and had an exotic animal park out back. I would have liked to talk with him, but the mosquitos were so fierce that I could not bring myself to leave the RV. Meanwhile he sat there calmly in the heat, barely batting at the clouds of feasting skeeters.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We entered Florida along the Atlantic coast and stayed near St Augustine on a barrier island. On one side of our campground was North Beach, the ocean raging from an approaching tropical storm. A quarter mile away, on the other side of the campground, was the North River, as serene as the manatees that live within its waters. The RV park had a floor of white sand and the roads were tunnels through the tropical foliage.

Atlantic

River

The town of St Augustine had lots to offer. We took a trolley tour at Lukas's request and learned about the town's bloody history filled with Spanish voyagers. Much of the early city, including the fort of Castillo de San Marcos, was built out of a sedimentary rock made from crushed shells, known as coquina. The town has some touristy walking streets filled with restaurants, and also hosts the world's largest cross at 208 feet tall.

Lukas and I checked out the St Augustine Alligator Farm, which is an AZA accredited zoo that houses all twenty-three species of crocodilians. Maximo, the zoo's famed fifteen foot saltwater crocodile from Australia, was having a birthday the day after our visit. All of the alligator tanks were getting a cleaning for the upcoming event, so we saw the crocs roaming about on land more than in the water. If one isn't thrilled enough by the teeth on these guys, there is an adventure course above the zoo. Adventure goers can take the zipline over the open air alligator enclosure which houses at least thirty large gators. It's a small zoo, but very well done. They have a few birds and small primates, but mostly stick with the crocs. It would be great to see more accredited small specialty zoos like this one, rather than the standard mid-size zoo with a little of everything.

Maximo

Life-like zebra carcass in the vulture exhibit

After St Augustine we headed down the coast toward Port St Lucie, a town near the water. Well, the rain and wind were fierce so we stopped a little further inland. Lukas and I had an epic swim in the pool while the storm swirled around us. Next to the RV park was a swamp and we could hear the frogs all night. At low tide we could smell the sulphur from the swamp, a feature we found throughout Florida.

We planned a night in Key Largo to prepare for our journey down the Overseas Highway. The highway is a hundred fifty miles of road which connects all the tiny islands, also known as keys, off the tip of southern Florida. Key Largo is the first of the island chain. At the end of the highway you have reached Key West, only 90 miles north of Cuba. Along the Overseas Highway runs the old Overseas Highway, which is kind of creepy because the old highway will look like a regular road then suddenly there will be a large gap in construction where it has been washed away by a storm. Power lines travel through the water as well. As expected, the water is clear and aquamarine. It's a gorgeous drive.

I made a planning error in Key Largo and chose a dump of park. After navigating the seaweed covered stairs of their advertised swimming area, we literally found a dump floating in the crystal clear Gulf water. Just up the street was the state park and I made a mental note to stay there on the return trip.

When we made it down to Key West we had an incredible RV park waiting for us. The site had its own dock and a personal tiki hut with an outdoor kitchen and TV. There was also an iguana living on top of our tiki hut. As the story goes, iguanas were introduced to Key West during Hurricane George. Since then they have taken over and it is common to see three foot beauties basking on the side of the highway. Unfortunately they are wreaking havoc on the local wildlife, as introduced species usually do. We celebrated our arrival in Key West with mimosas. The iguana declined his invitation to join us.

The most fabulous part of the Keys was that we we were basically on a Caribbean island, and yet we had driven our home there! The Bluewater Key RV Resort was supposedly in Key West, but it turned out it was actually on a smaller key fifteen miles north of downtown. That was a good thing, because downtown Key West was over run with touristy kitsch: bars, shops, mediocre restaurants. It was fun to walk around for a day, but not somewhere I would like to stay.

Did you know that Florida is the only state in the US with a coral reef? As the coral erodes due to weather and nibbling fish, white sand is created. Thus, the white sugar beaches of Florida. Thank you, coral reef! One day I went out on a snorkel boat. Visibility was "limitless" and waves were up to one foot high. It was clear as day and flat as a pancake. The picture below is taken while on the boat and you can see the bottom, thirty feet below. It was incredible. I saw all of my favorite species of parrotfish and angelfish, and much larger than I'd seen on previous snorkel trips. It was so cool to be floating next to a two foot long parrotfish who was crunching away at the vegetation on the coral, totally unconcerned about my presence.

What else did I learn about the Keys? That gulf shrimp is mighty tasty. Black grouper is yummy on the grill with blackened seasoning. Key lime pie dipped in chocolate and frozen on a popsicle stick is too much. Crabbing is popular in the Keys - blue crab and stone crab are the species caught in Florida.

Other highlights: being in my pajamas at the water's edge, watching the full moon rise at night and the sun rise in the morning.

It was also pretty special to be licked by an endangered Key deer. I didn't feed the deer, but obviously someone else had since it came right up to our car.

On our way back north we stayed in Key Largo again. This time we had a reservation at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. True to their name, the park includes the waters out to the coral reef. Since Lukas and Brian had missed out on the snorkel trip, I insisted that they take a glass bottom boat tour of the coral reef. We saw lots of jellyfish, a hawksbill turtle, and a couple sting rays. Visibility was okay, but it was impossible to get a good picture. At least they boys had a chance to get out on a boat and get a sense of the wonders beneath the water's surface.

The land part of Pennekamp park was also worth exploring. Of course since we were in Florida the land part of the park was also mostly water, as in swamps, lakes, a sulfur spring, and the shoreline. White ibises were moseying around in flocks or pairs, poking in the sand for possible food bits. Mosquitos and no-see-ums were biting. And some ants started invading the RV, even bringing their eggs with them! But none of this got us even remotely prepared for our next adventure: the Everglades.

RV PARK REVIEWS

North Beach Camp Resort, St Augustine, FL: A+

Atlantic beach access, North river access, two restaurants in walking distance, playground, pool, white sand roads, lots of foliage, friendly staff.

Treasure Coast RV Park and Campground, Ft Pierce, FL: B+

Paved roads, nice sites, pool.

Riptide RV Park, Key Largo, FL: D

Construction work. Semi truck parked in the dock area with a resident and his pitbull. Small sites, dirty. Dog log in the swimming area! Beautiful sunset, friendly folks (after a couple beers).