Miami, FL

Before I get into my stay at Miami, I need to post something that I forget a couple of post ago.  While I was in Midway Campground at Big Cypress National Preserve, I saw the following on my phone.

I know the weather has been strange this year, but 75 degrees and a 50% chance of snow!!!  I got a kick out of this.  Actually this was not WeatherBugs fault.  At the campground I had a very slow data connection and I looked at Clayton, GA’s weather and then switched to my local weather.   Each section slowly changed with the 50% snow being the last to change.  I captured the screen before it change to Sunny!

February 13 – 17, I stayed at Miami Everglades RV Resort.  It is in southern Miami surrounded by nurseries – not kids, but plants.  Next door to the campground is a Bromeliad/Orchid nursery, I think wholesale only.  I enjoyed looking at the nurseries in the area.  My campsite was shady and several days the high was in the low to mid-70’s, Perfect!! 

I was supposed to work on my Spring and Summer traveling plans, while there – I didn’t!!  I still plan on going up to Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, but don’t have any solid plans yet.  I need to make a few reservations soon as some of the state parks fill up.

While in Miami, I ran a few errands and spent 2 days sightseeing.  I went to Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.  That was a great way to spend a day.  When I got there, I took the tram tour to get an idea of the park, then walked about 4 miles after that.  I was lucky and there were only 3 of us on the early morning tram, so instead of the big, loud tram we went in a long, quiet golf cart type vehicle. 

The garden has miles of beautiful trails.

One of the first things I saw was a Rainbow Eucalyptus.  They are native to Australia and I believe I took a few pictures of these trees when I was in Australia years ago (1989 & 1990).

As the bark peels, the green of the tree turns blue, purple and then red as it is exposed to air. 

While on the second half of the tram tour, we went around one side of a lake and I was a bit surprised to see an American Crocodile.  I would have expected alligators, but a croc???  The guide said they have a few in the area and we were lucky to see one.  I walked back later, but he was gone.

 

I knew there were crocodiles in the Everglades, but never dreamed they were in Miami!!  I know it is not that far away, but still…

There was a beautiful tree or bush that I had never seen before called the Flame of Jamaica.  Sorry, my picture of the tree is not good, but I wanted to include it.

The flower of the above tree is below and I am suspicious that they are really bracts (modified leaves), with the yellow inside being the flowers   --

They have a nice Butterfly house which I enjoyed.

Almost as interesting as the butterflies are the paved trails in the house. 

Different leaves were pressed into the cement and all of the leaves came from the gardens.

Orchid --

They have a 560  foot  Pergola with many different plants and has at least one thing blooming all year.  While I was there 3 or 4 different vines were blooming.  Below is the flower on a Golden Chalice Vine.  The flower is huge, about the size of my hand and I have big hands!

While searching for the crocodile (after the tram tour), I spotted a large iguana across the lake and while watching it a smaller iguana decided he wanted in the photo also. 

I have many more pictures taken at the Garden, but I need to get to my other day of sightseeing.  In all my trips to Florida, I have never been to the Keys.  Well, I went this time– sort of!  I only made it to Key Largo, where I visited John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.  There I took the glass bottom boat tour.  I was fortunate in the boat was not too crowded, I had read reviews that sometimes there is so many people it was hard to see.  In my case it was few enough that we could move between the 2 areas to get a good view.  Below is one of the areas.

My pictures through the glass aren’t great, but I’ll post a few anyway.

It’s a bit hard to see, but there are several yellow and black fish in the picture below.

We watched a rather large school of some type of Parrotfish swim by.

 

Below is a Brain Coral.  This huge coral was broken a long time ago, when a boat dropped it’s anchor on it.   Based on it’s size, they believe it is about 800 years old.

In the past, I posted signs that I had not see before.  Below was a new one for me--

If I could post this on the day I wrote it, I would actually be up to date with my blog – Surprise!!  But, I am currently in Everglades National park where it is 86 degrees at 2:00 (It’s too hot!) and there is no cell, internet or TV.  So I’ll post when I leave here and get to Jonathon Dickinson State Park.