Phase two of our vacation embraced our National Park tradition. Everglades National Park in 2018 marks fourth straight summer visiting national parks. As you can imagine it was hot and humid, but we kicked things off with a boat tour of the 10,000 islands off of Everglades City. We also saw the damage from Hurricane Irma a year earlier that the area was still recovering from.
A nice thing about visiting the Everglades in the summer is that it is their slow season, which means we got a lot of hands on attention. At one visitor's center we arrived just as it was time to take down the American flag, so Reese had the honor of helping fold the flag. It was pretty cool, and the ranger was very good to us.
Home base for most of our Everglades adventure was the Lemon Tree Inn in Naples. We decided not to camp out in the Everglades for many good reasons and this place was a perfect alternative. We had a pool, were walking distance from downtown Naples, and free breakfast.
We were also within walking distance of the ocean, though to be fair, it was not a short walk, especially in the heat and humidity. The girls made sure we were aware of all of these factors on a consistent basis. Because our 10,000 island boat tour did not yield any manatee sightings, we were pretty sure that ship had sailed. However, while standing on this very pier pictured here, John and Reese had a magical manatee experience. It made John's day and Reese didn't want to stop talking about it. They tried to text Sarah and Callie to come back, but the cows of the sea move pretty fast in the water, so they missed it.
After a couple of nights in Naples we made our way to Homestead on the other side of the park, and that journey brought an unexpected highlight. We had forgotten to return our room key before leaving the Lemon Tree Inn, but a phone call provided us with the information that we could simply mail it back. Lo and behold we just happened to be right near the smallest operating post office in the country. To say Sarah was excited by the fact that we actually got to use the services of this establishment is an understatement. John was just mad that he had forgotten to return the room key.
This cross park excursion opened up a couple of quick side hikes, all with the potential to see gators. Our walks in Big Cypress National Preserve did not yield any gator sightings, but we did see some amazing trees and air plants. The landscape, the trees, and the plants were so unusual that you can see why they are part of a preserved environment. It's a very different national park experience than Yosemite or Grand Tetons, that's for sure.
At the Shark Valley Visitor's Center we rented two adult bikes, got the girls' bikes off the car, and headed down the bike path for a 45 minute bike ride. We would have done the full loop but closing time was around the corner and a big thunderstorm loomed in the distance. However, we still got to check out some incredible birds and even a few alligators along the way. It's a bit strange when you become accustomed to riding your bike with your family on a path while alligators relax just a few feet away in the water.
All of this activity meant we had earned a treat, and luckily Sarah found the perfect place and led us to it. In the middle of nowhere southern Florida is a place called Roberts that is known for good produce, amazing milk shakes, and a unique animal kingdom. The shakes were good, the animal kingdom was a little strange, and we were soon on our way.
After we spent the night in Homestead we entered the Everglades at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Once again, it was a slow time and we arrived just as it opened. We met Ranger Daniel as he opened the center and we even got to help him raise the American flag. Callie and Reese had been completing their Junior Ranger Activity Book which meant they received their third badge of the trip. Daniel was fantastic, and we soon learned he was going to be leading the very walk we were planning on doing later that morning. We just needed to get ready.
Reese was going to be readier than most because she had spotted the perfect gift, Halloween costume, and ranger walk outfit in the gift shop. And how could we not get it for her, especially once she promised that this would be her Halloween costume for sure. Ranger Reese was all set for adventure and sight seeing.
Ranger Daniel was pretty smitten with his assistant ranger and we had a great hike with him through the boardwalks of this part of the Everglades. He was a very cool guy - he grew up in Miami and had a passion for the national parks ever since he was a kid. And he had stayed in the Everglades in part because he was dedicated to educating people from the region about the beauty of the park. In short, we lucked out with being there while he was on duty.
We had to capture the moment by getting a family photo with the beautiful scenery in the background with our newly minted Junior Rangers. However, the cuteness continued when Ranger Daniel asked to take a picture with Reese and asked us if we were okay with him putting it up on their website. We are not sure if it ever happened, but either way Ranger Daniel holds a special place in our heart.
This was a road trip vacation, so once all the hikes and good times were over, we had two days worth of driving ahead of us to get back to Lexington. Those miles on the road had exposed the girls to a new experience - the Race Trak gas station that had a frozen yogurt bar. The great thing for us is that it was free for kids, so the girls went crazy. We put off the visit until the second to last day and it was worth the wait. If nothing else it made the long hours in the car much more manageable. That's one more park off of our list and we can't wait to find out which one is next.
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