Florida Trip

West Palm Beach in the distance.

In mid-July, I took a family trip with my Mr. Man and his side of the family.  It was an interesting trip, but not one that I would do again soon.  Florida weather in July is miserable.  Really, really miserable.  It's hot, humid, muggy, and humid (I know I already mentioned it, but it was that bad). Since there were so many of us with different itineraries, my Mr. Man and I flew in by ourselves and met up with his family members in Orlando and drove.

Walking on Old Seven Mile bridge.

Since there were several cars, with my Mr. Man and me having our own rental vehicle, we agreed to explore and eventually just meet the rest of his family members at our final destination.  So, my Mr. Man and I started out from Orlando, drove to West Palm Beach, then to Miami, and finally to Key West (all in one day).

Sunrise in Sombero Beach, FL.

We spent most of our time in Florida doing activities in Key West.  I went parasailing, which wasn't too bad, and visited several interesting sites in Key West (I hope to post a future blog posting here). While in Key West, my allergies didn't act up at all.  What I also found surprising about Key West were all the "wild" chickens and roosters running around.  Really, who would've thought that wild chickens and roosters would be a trademark of Key West.

Outside a post office in Key West.

After being in Key West, we then headed to the Everglades.  It was an interesting experience being in the Everglades, but July is NOT the best time to visit it.  If you ever consider going to the Everglades, go there during January or February, when all the birds migrate back to the area.  Also, don't expect to see flamingos.  There's a very long and sad story about the plight of the flamingos in Florida (you can go here and here to read more about it).  It really is a big swamp and you really do get to see some gators and other interesting flora and fauna native to this state.  It was supposed to be the "rainy" season while we were there, but then I guess Florida must also be going through a drought, like many parts of the U.S.

Birds flocking to the water, in this dried up waterhole.  Everglades, FL.

Looks like a field, but it's actually swampy underneath.  Everglades, FL.

Mangroves in the Everglades.

After two days in the Everglades, we headed to Tampa and Orlando, with a pit stop at Bowman's Beach in Sanibel Island.  Now, if you've ever googled the beaches in Sanibel Island, you'll see that it's known for its seashell covered beaches.  Now, I didn't find really big seashells, but I did find some small seashells.

Milky Way over the Everglades. 

Then we were off to Tampa to have dinner with a friend. We both stayed one night in Tampa, driving to Orlando the next morning to catch our flight to our next adventure.