Sugarloaf Key

3/3/22
Today we drove south and east across the Everglades on highway 41.  No alligator sightings, but we did see a few lovely Roseate Spoonbills and a couple eagles and lots of pelicans and egrets.  I think I've always imagined the Everglades as wooded and junglyish and spooky.  It's not like that!  There were large open grassy areas that were part swampy, some pine groves and other trees.  Very few inhabitants on this route.  But since we started out in the Big Cypress National Preserve, we did stop at that visitor center.  It was very nice with displays about the ecosystems within the preserve.  And, I got a stamp for our National Park book.

As we got closer to Miami, we turned south on highway 997.  It took us through an agricultural area with lots of landscaping businesses, orchards and vegetable growers.  In Homestead we met up with highway 1 and followed it south and west along the Keys.  Lots of islands and bridges!  We are staying at a KOA campground on Sugarloaf Key, at mile marker 20.  That means it's 20 miles from the end of the road in Key West.  Very nice and fairly new campground, more fairly called an RV resort with all the amenities.  Also, wonderfully landscaped with trees and plants that are suited for this climate.  It's hot (to me!) and the sun is so direct!  We enjoyed some pool time and walking around the drives here.  Of course, I had to take some pictures of the flowers!