Sunday, June 14th – They day started like all the rest; Hotel Breakfast. Only this time no pool session afterwards. It was time to pack up and get on the road.
After getting packed up and the Santa Fe loaded, we made one final stop at the Tarpon Creek Marina to do some last minute souvenir shopping. Got some great deals including a half priced Tervis tumbler. After that, we were on the road towards home.
First stop of the day was at the Islamorada Bass Pro Shop. We didn’t buy anything but had to stop and look anyway. Turns out they had a replica of Hemmingways ‘Pilar’ which fit in really well with the week (see Hemmingways Day 2).
Our next stop was at the John Pennekamp State Park. We didn’t even make it through the gate before it was evident we would not be going out to the reef for snorkeling due to the weather (go figure). However, they were still renting kayaks and paddle boards AND they were still running Fast Cat glass bottom boat tours out to Molasses Reef. We opted for the glass bottom boat.
We had a few hours so they boys threw on the gear and went for a snorkel through the glass flats with Amy joining them for a little while. They saw Grouper, Parrot Fish, Baracuda, Snapper, and a lot of upside down jellyfish.
Three o’clock rolled around and it was time to hit the boat. We opted to take the queasy pills right away while most opted not too. With 6-7 foot swells in the Florida Straights it was only a matter of time before many regretted not taking the pills.
The trip was absolutely awesome. We saw a small Green Sea Turtle, a very large Goliath Grouper, a ton of smaller reef fish, and tons of coral. Amy and Devon saw a monster Baracuda just as we were leaving the reef. The trip was something I’d love to do again and highly recommend it for anyone in Key Largo.
The rest of the ride home was long and tiring as it seemed to take forever. It was good to be greeted by our senior family member Dakota. He was in good spirits. It was obvious that he was well taken care of while we were gone by Devons girlfriend Jamie. We owe her big time!
It was a great trip but it’s good to be back in my own bed.
