In the early Summer of 2006 we visited southern Florida and its three national parks: Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas.
Everglades offers an abundance of wildlife, the most famous of which is the American Alligator, but there are also a lot of other birds, reptiles and mammals.
American Alligator
Anhinga
Osprey
And the endangered Wood Stork:
Wood Stork
Biscayne, on the other hand, is mostly under water, so its treasures are not easy to explore:
Soft Coral on the ocean floor in Biscayne National Park
Of course, like everyone else, we took the ride through the Florida Keys to Key West. We made many stops, but Bahia Honda Key is the best.
Bahia Honda Key
Wind Surfer at Bahia Honda Key
The diminutive Key Deer is a unique species at Big Pine Key:
Key Deer
We reached the “southern most point of continental USA” in Key West, where tourists flock to take pictures.
Key West
The sunset at Key West is a spectacular scene.
- Sunset at Key West
But our trip did not actually stop there! We took a boat ride to Dry Tortugas National Park, an island 70 miles (113 km) west of Key West.
Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park
Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park
Bush Key is where the sooty terns are nesting and was closed to tourists, we could only admire it from across the turquoise water.
Bush Key
Bush Key
Return to Travel Index Return to my home page