Return to the Glades

So here we are, back in Florida. We had such a great time last year, we decided to repeat. Today, it was the Everglades National Park (Shark Valley). No sharks, but lots of critters. Here's a few....

South Beach & The Everglades

We breezed into Miami on Monday afternoon and checked in on South Beach.

This is great! We're in the Art Deco District, maybe 300 yards from the ocean.

We had dinner at Tequila Chicas, then walked out to the beach. Suprisingly,the water was the same temperature as the air as we treked the beachline.

Tuesday, we hit Starbucks, then headed almost due West to the Everglades.

First, we stopped in at "Gator Land" and took an air boat ride out into the "swamps".

Then we went on another few miles and went into the NPS Everglades.

Rhoda got tired of me asking questions of the Rangers and proceeded to rent a couple of bikes.

In spite of the 94 deg temp and 70% humidity...best move ever! Baby gators, Big Mama, big honking black snake. Wow!

Returned to South Beach and had dinner on the sidewalk at the Cardonzo Hotel.

A Great Day!

We arrived in Orlando Monday evening....no problem. Checked into our "Hilton Grand Vacation Club" condo and settled in.

Tuesday morning we Disney Rookies headed over to Epcot. Breakfast was at the Norwegian Bakery. We bypassed the incredible pasteries and opted for the waffles and coffee. Good pick. The waffles were fantastic, and I avoided a 911 trip to the Cardiologist.

Did we hit all the cool rides? Yes
Did we see all the cultural stuff? No, not all.

Dinner at the Mexican Exhibit area, fireworks over the lake...and home.

Late Wednesday morning we went to Typhoon Lagoon.

Wave Pool, Lazy River, Killer Water Slides.....the Crushin Gusher.

Today (Thursday) we opted for Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Now we're talking real animals, kinda like a zoo, but better.

We took the "Safari Tour". A giraffe tried to eat our jeep.

Golillas, Tigers, Elephants, Birds, Dinosaurs...you know, the usuals. Oh yeah, and Giant Rodents!

......More to come.

Heading for Florida

Monday we'll head out to Florida for ~15 days. Orlando, Miami Area, the Everglades, Key West, et al. We'll post a few updates here.