We decided to go to the Florida Everglades first.
We took a tour of part of the Everglades with Everglades Safari Park. I didn't know much about the Everglades or how close to Miami it was before that day.
Alligators live right there!
Our first airboat ride was awesome! The boat is so loud we had to wear earplugs.
It was so fast. We would even drift the turns. It was so much fun!
The tour guide knew right where to find an alligator. Apparently alligators claim their own individual territory and stay there.
The guide parked the boat and talked to us about the alligators and the Everglades. This alligator wasn't shy; he came right up to the boat after we parked in his territory.
The Everglades were gorgeous.
We saw several alligators and turtles in the water heading to and from the Safari Park.
Back at the Safari Park, Josh and Carley got to hold a baby alligator.
After the Everglades tour, we headed to Miami Beach.
Originally I wanted to visit South Beach but traffic and parking were so ridiculous. It probably took us an hour to get to nearly Mid-Beach before we finally found parking!
I actually don't know what beach we ended up on. All I know is we were in Miami Beach, Florida at the Atlantic Ocean and that was good enough for us.
The sand wasn't a soft as in the Caribbean and the water wasn't as clear but the ocean was still surprisingly warm. The kids dove right in!
This picture just makes me smile. Josh is swimming in the background and all we can see is his feet sticking out like a whale's flukes. In the far distance is the Carnival Glory, our cruise ship, heading back out to sea. We wished we were still on it!
One of the reasons to head to the beach after spending many days on beaches during our cruise was to check Life List #59: Swim in the Atlantic Ocean off my list! Check.
For that matter, Life List #58 is "go on a cruise" so I guess I can check that one off too!
Looking back through the vacation pictures to post on the blog has been a real treat. I do remember the little things that were irritating such as Josh and Carley bickering a lot, Carley saying "this isn't as fun as I thought it would be", or the several other things. But those irritants don't matter much. All I see and feel from these photos are joy, adventure and fun. I had such a wonderful time. I'm so thankful for my hard working husband who was able to provide us with such a great experience. I am so appreciative that he and I were able to give this experience to our kids.
Cheers!
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