Florida Keys and Everglades

We decided to take a road trip.  We love exploring Florida.  We visited the Everglades National Park and then went on to the Florida Keys.  We went all the way to Key West.    Florida is beautiful!!

We stopped to take a rest while driving.  We always enjoy stopping at fresh fruit stands and trying new things.  

Welcome to Everglades National Park

There were all kinds of birds and insects in these wetlands.  Jake loves insects and bugs so he spotted most of them for us.  

 There were alligators everywhere we walked.  It was kind of crazy at first knowing they were right there, but then we learned they were harmless to us tourists.  

 Beautiful trees.  Love this picture!!

Loving our beautiful walk

A few signs we thought were funny as we drove through the park.  We thought the one on our left would be interesting to all of our family out west - elevation 3 feet.  The one on the right says, "Warning - Vultures may cause damage to vehicles."  

Our next stop was the Florida Keys.  We went all the way to Key West the first day.  This is our second visit to the Keys.  We will definitely be going back again.  Such a beautiful place.

Key Lime Pie for our dessert girl.  Yummy!!

Watching street entertainers before the sun set.

 Dinner on Duval Street

I always find it so funny that these just roam around everywhere.  I grew up thinking they belonged on farms

We went on a snorkeling trip 8 miles out into the ocean.  It was a first for all four of us.  We have just been waiting for Jake to be old enough so we could all do it together for the first time.  Jake and Sydney did amazing.  The reef was beautiful and we saw all kinds of colorful fish.  This was definitely the highlight of our visit to the Keys.  We got a few pictures on the boat, but of course were too busy in the water to take pictures of snorkeling.  Next time we need a water proof camera.  

 On our way back from snorkeling

  The sun was setting as we were riding back in.  It was perfect timing.  

 On the way home we stopped at some of the other Keys. In Islomorada we stopped to feed the tarpon and relax for a little bit.

When driving through the different Keys, there is water everywhere.  We decided to just stop along the road and get the fishing poles out for awhile for a break.

We stopped in Key Largo to do some snorkeling off shore.  There was lots to see.  Jake and Sydney couldn't get enough snorkeling in by the end of this trip.