July 2022

July 31, 2022July 31, 2022

Weekend Getaway in Key Largo

Living in South Florida, we can easily enjoy a weekend getaway in the Florida Keys. Last month we headed to Key Largo for a long weekend. The last time we were in the Keys was in 2013 and we stayed in Islamorada. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a very good time because they were experiencing freezing temperatures.

Scott and I selected Key Largo because it was a shorter drive from Fort Lauderdale and I found a great hotel, The Reef House. This resort recently became part of the Opal Collection and it didn’t disappoint.

I had reserved an ocean view room with a king size bed. Ironically, this room was not expensive at all. The room was nicely appointed and we had a great view.

The Reef House Resort

After we checked in, we explored the grounds. This resort offers so much! You can book all of your water adventures in the gift shop, including boat rentals or you can rent paddle boards and kayaks from the tiki hut. Walking the resort we found plenty of moorage for your private boat, along with activities for volleyball and corn hole.

The resort does have two restaurants and a bar on site. When we checked in we got script for a free drink, so we stopped there next. The bartenders were so incredibly friendly, that we went back each night for a night cap. They also have live music during happy hour.

Sunset Dinner

The Reef House is walking distance to three other restaurants a block away. We were told to head to Big Chill, which Jimmy Johnson (the owner of the Miami Dolphins) owns. The restaurant is huge and has plenty of outdoor seating. Scott and I grabbed a great seat next to the water and enjoyed the sunset. While the music and scenery was fantastic, we wouldn’t go back for a meal due to the terrible service and no food being delivered.

Watching the sunset, we realized we hadn’t seen a sunset since we left Seattle in March. What a beautiful sight it was.

Walking back to the resort, we really felt like we were on vacation. This is one of the reasons we moved to Florida. We can enjoy a weekend getaway and feel like you’re miles away from home.

Stay tuned for our next blog, as we head out to snorkel at Christ of the Abyss. As always, thank you for following our blog and our journey. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel (see link below) and follow us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

July 17, 2022July 17, 2022

Alligators & Airboats

When you think of the Everglades, you immediately think of alligators and airboats. Living just a short distance from the Everglades, we had to check out Everglades Holiday Park. The Everglades National Park is a subtropical wetland ecosystem that spans 1.5 million acres across south Florida. This park was manmade by the Army Corps of Engineers to help with the torrential rain fall during the summer months. It’s actually the largest and slowest rivers in America, flowing at 1 meter per hour. It’s also the only place on earth where alligators and crocodiles and co-exist.

Everglades Holiday Park

The park was only about a 40 minute drive NW from Fort Lauderdale. It wasn’t too crowded and we were on the boat within 15 minutes of arriving.

When I think of airboats, I was thinking of a smaller version, something like this below.

Instead, we were on a much bigger boat that could occupy up to 30 people.

Our tour guide is very passionate about the Everglades and the alligators. The tour was more educational than I was expecting. If you are wondering if the engines are loud – they are!

Here Alligator

Our airboat took off right away and we headed down the Lilly pad covered river.

Our guide knows each of the alligators and is familiar with their resting spots, so we headed towards one of his favorites. Low and behold, there he was. He had just returned for mating season.

The park is also full of rare plants, mangrove trees and birds. Airboats can easily glide over the water avoiding any fouled props since they use giant “fans” for propulsion.

As we were learning about different plant species, this baby alligator came over to say hi. Isn’t he cute?

In Search of More Alligators

We thought our tour was at the end, when a tourist spotted another alligator. Our airboat headed over to her direction and there she was. Turns out, she’s not a friendly one and headed straight into the mangrove trees.

After the tour, they also have a fifteen minute presentation by an alligator rescue handler. He actually is not employed by the park, but rather he rescues nuisance alligators. Here they are rehabilitated and they use them to study their life cycles.

When the presentation was over, we then got to hold a baby gator. It did not have the feel I expected. The skin was actually very smooth and weird feeling.

I expected the tour to be a little bit hokey, but it was very informative and we learned a lot. You can’t live in South Florida and not have an understanding about what the Everglades are. Be sure to check out the park if you are in the Fort Lauderdale area.

As always, thank you for following our journey and we would love it if you would subscribe to both our blog and our vlog (see below). You can also follow us on social media at @boatingjourney #boatingjourney.

Cheers, Scott and Ally

July 10, 2022July 10, 2022

Exploring Florida’s Nature Parks

Moving from the Pacific Northwest, Scott and I are spoiled coming from an area that is surrounded by nature parks. Our goal was to find some local nature parks that we could enjoy long walks.

The first nature park that we found was the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. It’s located about 10 minutes from our home, towards Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Hugh Taylor Birch Park

The walking trail in Hugh Taylor Birch Park is about 2 miles long. While you can’t actually “hike” anywhere, we did enjoy the scenery. There is a park fee of $6 per vehicle and plenty of parking lots to choose from. At the gate, they also give you a map of the park so you can navigate easily.

Hugh Taylor Birch moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1893 in search of ocean front property. Eventually, he found an 180 acre parcel with a3.5 mile ocean front that he bought for $1 an acre. In 1940 he built his art stucco home and passed away the following year at the age of 91. He wanted other generations to enjoy his estate, so he donated the park to the city. Learn more about this great park here.

The park doesn’t have actual “walking trails”, but the road that loops the park is a one way road. Walkers and bikers seem to share the bike lane with no issues. Scott and I decided to walk clockwise heading to the river first.

Once we got to the river, we realized this is also a water taxi stop. There is also a fairly long dinghy dock for boaters to raft up to.

The trail hugs the river for most of the way on the west side of the park.

Bugs in the Park

As we left the river side, we headed deep into the park. The scenery was beautiful, but be prepared. I had sprayed my legs and arms with bug spray and I was wearing a tank top. I forgot to spray my back and I got eaten alive resulting in GIANT welts. These had to be no see ums, because we didn’t really see any mosquitoes.

Kayak Rentals

The park also offers kayak rentals. You can rent them at the gift shop at the Park & Ocean restaurant, but you can’t go outside of the lagoon.

Park & Ocean Restaurant

Scott and I were starving by the time we reached the Park & Ocean Restaurant. They had indoor and outdoor seating with live music outside. We sat at the bar and ordered some sandwiches, which were delicious! The restaurant also offers moonlit kayak tours, but I don’t know that I want to get into a lagoon in the dark.

Our plan after lunch was to walk through their patio out to the ocean, but unfortunately a huge squall moved in with lightning. Time to head home.

Anne Kolb Nature Center

The following weekend we decided to try out another park. Located in Hollywood, the Anne Kolb Nature Center had great reviews and it looked interesting.

This 1501 acre park opened in 1996 and is the largest in the park system. It features a coastal mangrove wetland rich in plant and animal life, including some threatened and endangered species.

The park is known for having a large variety of butterflies. I tried to capture them on camera, but they were flying everywhere.

Park Trails

There are basically three trails you can take in the Anne Kolb Nature Park. First, we took the Lake Observation Trail, which brings you out to a lookout point. This trail is about a quarter of a mile each way.

Next we headed down the Mud Flat Trail. Part of the trail is gravel and this is where you will find blue land crabs. They dig holes along the trail and you will see them pop in and out of the holes. This trail is about a third of a mile each way.

We saw all kinds of wildlife along this trail.

Fishing Pier Trail

The Mud Flat Trail brings you back to the entrance of the nature center. From there we walked across the parking lot towards the ICW, where we found another couple of lookouts. This seemed like a great fishing spot, as there were quite a few people fishing. This is a very short walk at only 263 feet.

These are both great parks for walking and we plan on going back to explore more.

As always, thank you for following our journey! Next week we’re headed to “gater land” where we explore the Everglades on a jet boat. Please be sure to subscribe to our blog and our vlog (link below). You can also find us on social media @BoatingJourney #BoatingJourney

Cheers, Scott and Ally