Florida Day 8

The cat is still there, still hanging out by the hotel door, but as we were walking out one of the hotel maids was feeding her. The maid had a bag of cat food which means she probably feeds the cat regularly. I still feel bad she doesn’t have a home, but I feel a little better knowing someone is caring for her at least a little bit.

This morning, after returning to Cozy Corner for breakfast, we drove down to Biscayne National Park. Since the National Park is like ninety-five percent water we couldn’t do much except walk along the super short boardwalk. There are boat tours, but after Alaska our budget is extremely taxed. We could either do a boat tour here or at Dry Tortugas. Since you can’t get to Dry Tortugas at all without being on a boat, the choice was essentially made for us.

Upon arriving, I took the short walk which was less than a mile round trip. The boardwalk ran along the side of the mangrove trees. Looking to one side were the trees, the other was the bay, and down below the water was so clear I could see small long greenish colored fish swimming. (There are roughly 600 types of fish that live in the bay.) The trail lead out to a point where a sign warned tourists not to swim. G3 walked with me but Kati opted for the air conditioning in the visitors center.

After our walk, we stopped into the visitors center to watch a short film about the national park and as we were leaving, a ranger invited us to join him for an impromptu ranger walk/talk. Always eager to learn something, I joined him but just for a brief time since I knew G3 and Kati were eager to visit the Dexter sites. Biscayne is the largest marine park in the National Park System. (Note it is designated a national park not a national seashore.) President Johnson created it in 1968 as a National Monument. In 1980, President Carter expanded it and upgraded it to a National Park. The name of the Bay dates back to Ponce de Leon who named it after the Bay of Biscay in Spain.

Biscayne National Park has the longest forest of mangroves on the Florida coast. The mangroves protect the shoreline by reducing the rate of erosion. They also provide a safe haven for small sea creatures. The park protects coral reefs between Miami and Key Largo as well as the northern most keys. Key Largo is not the northern most, it is only the northern most key that has been built up and is accessible by road. The coral reefs have historically been exceptionally dangerous for ships. There were at least fifty documented shipwrecks in the bay, some of which can be seen on a boating/snorkeling expedition.

What is the difference between a key and an island? I thought a key was just a fancy name for an island but I was wrong. Islands are formed by geological activity, such as volcanic eruptions. Keys are formed by a biological process. The Florida Keys are made of limestone that was formed from fossilized coral. The vegetation on them is a result of birds dropping seeds.

I was happy to see more manatees swimming in the marina. There were two calves, one according to the ranger, was a new born. She was so tiny—compared to her mother—and cute. Manatees were an endangered species due to irresponsible boats and habitat loss. However, five years ago, conservation efforts revived the population enough that they were taken off the list. Sadly, they might soon regain their endangered designation. Last year, ten percent of the population died due to starvation. The sea grass they eat is dying due to too much algae in the water. Manatees can weigh up to 800 pounds and in order to sustain themselves they need to eat ten percent of their body weight a day.

That is an awful lot of sea grass per manatee a year.

As we were heading back to Miami, we drove through a tree farm. Kati was once again enthralled by the different types of palm trees. I’m surprised she didn’t pull over to take pictures.

Last summer, G3 had asked us to detour through Albuquerque on the way home so he could visit key locations from Breaking Bad. This year, being in Miami, Kati and G3 decided they needed to do something similar, except with a Dexter. The tour isn’t anything official or organized. It consisted of Kati plugging various locations—Dexter’s apartment building, a fountain, the Venetian Bridge, etc.—into the GPS and driving around Miami. It was far more overstimulating and stressful than the Breaking Bad tour had been. Miami is much more crowded and there is nowhere to park. After hitting a few sites Kati called it quits because navigating through Miami was a nightmare. It doesn’t help that Miami drivers are perhaps the most selfish and inconsiderate drivers I’ve ever experienced—and we have driven through a fair chunk of the country. They make New York drivers look friendly and kind.

Oh, since  Dexter buys donuts for his colleagues, Kati decided donuts were a must. Therefore, we stopped to get donuts at The Salty Donut. They only sell overpriced gourmet donuts so four donuts cost more than any donut ever should. Actually, I didn’t have a donut. I opted for a honey and sea salt cragel—mix between a croissant and a bagel, but mostly like a circular croissant—instead. It was good, but at that price I’d pass on ever getting it again.

After our aborted attempt to complete the Dexter tour, we decided to head over to Miami Beach to go swimming. To quote G3, “Of course I want to go swimming. It’s an iconic beach.” I’ll give him that. It’s in movies and TV shows and people talk about it and it’s one of those places that’s cool to be able to say, “I was there.” But I’m not a fan and I have no desire to ever come back. As much as I love Cape Cod, that’s about how much I dislike Miami.

True, it’s a Saturday and at home we always avoid the beaches on the weekend because the crowds are crushing and miserable, so it might not have been as awful another day of the week. Still, I can’t imagine it not being bad. By the time we crossed the bridge over to Miami Beach it was three o’clock. Kati then proceeded to drive north in search of a parking spot. People were flooding the streets and cars were everywhere. We moved along at a pace slower than most people walk. By the time we finally found a parking spot it was nearly four o’clock. It took us just about an hour to find a place to put our car—an hour. Even back in Jersey it’s never THAT bad. Luckily, Kati found a promotion that gave an amazing discount on parking and I’m not sure if we were supposed to pay to access the beach but we didn’t see a pay station—nor did we look for one—and no one asked us for money, so as far as I’m concerned, it was free.

When G3 was a toddler, even into his early elementary years, he hated the feel of seaweed on his skin. If we got to the beach with mom and Dad and there was a forest of seaweed lining the shore, he’d raise his arms and demand to be picked up, carried over the seaweed, and deposited into the water where no seaweed would brush against his legs. This afternoon, when we got to the beach, there was more seaweed lining the shore than there ever was in Mattituck, but it was a different kind. Out on long island it’s the slimy green seaweed. Here it was a rough yellowish brown seaweed. I half expected G3 to declare that he wasn’t going into the water, but I’m happy to report that he seems to have gotten over his aversion to seaweed, at least a little. He walked through the seaweed, but still didn’t like the feel of it on his flesh.

The water was warm. Too warm. I am used to going into the water to cool off, but there was no cooling off here. However, since it was so warm, we did stay in the water for over an hour. While we were swimming, we saw several pelicans both floating on the waves and flying overhead. They were fun to watch, especially since we don’t have them at home.

I have to admit, if all the people in Miami suddenly disappeared, along with their cars, Miami probably would be a nice place. The blue water and the palm trees make it look pretty, until your eye is drawn to chaos all around.

When we got back to the hotel the kitty cat wasn’t in her usual spot. I hope she has a cool place to hang out during the hotter part of the day. I would be very upset if something bad happened to her.

For dinner, we drove into Little Havana. G3 wanted Cuban food. I had never had it but I am always up for trying a new ethnic cuisine. Kati looked online and found Habana Con B. The Google reviews were favorable. An overall 5.0 rating with more than 1500 reviews. And the reviews did not lie. Everything about the place was fantastic. The owners were very welcoming. Pleased even to have obvious out of place tourists in their restaurant. It was a small but exceptionally quaint space. One wall was painted to look like Havana: colorful buildings and the old fort along the Caribbean Sea.. The food was amazing. Easily one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. I had shrimp in a creole sauce with a side of rice and beans and a second side of fried plantains, which I absolutely love. It was delicious. Kati and G3 had shredded beef stew with white rice and plantains. Kati doesn’t care for plantains, but I was happy to take them off her plate. If I am ever back in Miami—which I can’t foresee ever happening—I would definitely go back there for another meal. Eating there really made me want to go to Cuba. I have been wanting to go to Cuba for years, but now I am feeling a pressing desire to get on a plane.

The cat has not returned. I fully expected her to be sitting outside the hotel when we got back, but she wasn’t. I spent two days fretting about her being alone and unloved because she hadn’t moved. Now that she has moved, I’m afraid something happened to her.