Day 4 - Friday March 22, 2013 - Kayaking in the Mangroves, Bird Sanctuary, Snorkeling at the coral reef and Everglades Night Sounds Hike

Day 4 - Friday March 22, 2013 - Kayaking in the Mangroves, Bird Sanctuary, Snorkeling at the coral reef and Everglades Night Sounds Hike. WHAT AN AMAZING DAY! First off we had the chance to sleep in this morning – the wake up call did not happen until 7:15am. Breakfast in the Tiki Hut (which was out side by the pool) consisted of eggs, sausage, toast, bagels and lots of other good things. Our first activity for the day took us out on the water kayaking among the mangroves. We found a kayaking partner, got our life jackets and paddles and line up with our guides to go though some kayaking etiquette and skill instruction. Our three groups headed off in different directions to learn and observe the wildlife among the red mangroves in Key Largo. We learned that there were 3 different species of mangroves in Key Largo – Red, black and White. There is also a close “cousin” - the Buttonwood. The Mangroves help protect the coast from storms and also serve as very important nurseries and habitats for the wildlife. Everyone did very well maneuvering around in the channels and no one ended up in the water. The splashing from the paddles and some sea grass throwing ended up making many of us quiet wet, some even soaked. We had 2 hours of enjoyment cruising around before it was time to head back to the shore. Everyone made it back and got the kayaks on land just before the rain started. Hungry, we headed to lunch at a local popular spot - DJ’s Diner. We got to sit down and enjoy a wonderful lunch of cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken salads. The atmosphere was cool and the service was great. After lunch we headed to a Wild Life Sanctuary where we meet two very funny parrots - Pickles and Francesca - along with lots of other birds. We also found crab spiders and tasted an edible plant. The area by the water was beautiful. We now had about 30 minutes to go back to the hotel and repack our bags for our afternoon activity – Snorkeling at the Grecian Rocks coral reef (a marine sanctuary) about 7 miles off of the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Again we got fitted for wet suits – short sleeved. During the boat ride to the reef everyone was given their floating device, mask, flippers and snorkel gear along with instructions on how to snorkel, what to do and what marine life we could expect to see. Once we were in the very clear, very aqua blue and somewhat cool water, the short swim to the reef proved to be extremely rewarding. Since this was an Atlantic Ocean reef the colors were somewhat subdued with more gray, brown, green and some purple. What color the reef lacked was easily made up in all the many different species of tropical fish. We saw Rainbow fish, Angelfish, Parrotfish, Barracudas. We also saw invertebrates such as Brain coral, Sponges, Sea Cucumbers, Conch shell with and with out the actual mollusk in it, sea urchins and sea anemones. Among the rare animals some of us were lucky enough to spot a turtle, a stingray and a small reef shark. The 90 minutes in the water went by very fast and before we knew it the siren went off and it was time to return to the boat. What a spectacular time we had. All enjoyed a quick shower and a wonderful pizza, pasta and salad dinner, before we boarded the bus for our evening excursion – A Night Walk in the Everglades. This activity required us to use our senses of hearing and night vision sight (with some help from flashlights) to make observations of the wildlife in the park at night. It’s amazing what you can hear if you just stop talking and listen – frogs (which if you touch them and then rub your eye, your eye will really sting), crickets. You could also hear movement in the water, the distant sound of cars, airplanes and people. Other observations such as light pollution from Miami and from the bathrooms close by were made as well. Coolest of all were all the bright red dots we could see when we shone our flashlights over the water. There were lots and lots of them and as they came closer we realized they were Alligators. There were so many of them everywhere you looked. The Alligators came in all sizes and in the dark they looked especially impressive. We also checked out the constellations in the beautiful night sky. The park provides tarps and cords for their visitors to cover their cars with because the vultures at the park are really bored and love to pick off the rubber parts off of cars. That’s crazy. Our bus ride back to the hotel was great for napping. It appears we wore some chaperons out (Mr. Baker and Mr. Lohr). Key Lime pie was served once back at the hotel to celebrate Mrs. Hotchkiss’ birthday. It was the best pie ever. Interesting facts of the day: 1. There are Panther and Alligator crossing signs along the roads. 2. The urine from the Pig Frog really stings when rubbed into one’s eye.