Miami Vice – 2nd May

We took our time leaving the Keys this morning. After all, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world and why’d you be in a hurry to leave, right?
Eventually, though we were back on the mainland and heading up US 1 toward Miami.

Our passage through the outer suburbs was uneventful. Before long, eyes boggling at the causeways and bridges and sheer spectacle of the skyscrapers here, we were approaching our destination: South Beach.

South Beach is famous for its Art Deco buildings, high-society cafes and restaurants and, of course, the beach itself. There is an amazing vibe here. The whole strip gives the illusion of a veneer of modern glamour, laid over the old glamour still left from the ‘30s. It is classy and ostentatious and trashy all at once, and above all, it’s a beach.

Parking is at a premium here. Parking lots are flat rate $20 and on-street parking is very rare so we were lucky to get a spot right on the strip on a parking-meter, for $1 per hour. We walked up and down the strip. It was busy, being a hot, sunny Sunday. There is a totally different vibe, depending on whether you walk up the east side of the street or the west side, or the boardwalk or the beach. The place is quite unique in its atmosphere and local beach culture. Very cool.
On the subject of the beach, we were both a bit surprised at the skimpyness of some of the bikinis here. Topless women and g-strings were not uncommon (God bless ‘em). More than you’d ever see on an Aussie beach, I reckon.

After a couple of hours, we headed westward and, after cutting through Miami’s outer suburbs, we again entered Alligator Alley on US 41. This time, we stopped at the Gator Park, inside the Florida Everglades National Park. We took a 40-minute ride around the ‘glades on an air boat. It was a tremendous experience. The boats are great fun and the guide was great. We saw several animals in the wild there, but of course, the star of that show was ‘Jumper’ the Alligator, who just floated there and watched us as we floated slowly by, 2 feet away.
After the airboat tour, we went into the little show arena for an ‘educational’ presentation. We made a simple mistake. We sat in the front row.
The handler was excellent. Very informative and educational, but the education was tempered by a great deal of fun at the audience’s expense. He waved a live South American scorpion (almost the size of a mouse), around right under our noses. He tried to get Pia to kiss a toad (but she put up a good fight).
There was much yelling and panic when he managed to spray us all while manhandling a skunk. It was a moment before we all realized that we didn’t smell anything, and there in the front, stands a handler with a live skunk in one hand, an empty syringe in the other, and a wolfish grin on his face.
And he showed us a couple of alligators. He showed us how to restrain a 12-footer by hand (just in case we ever need to, now we’ll know) and we each got to hold a juvenile alligator. Even Pia did it. All in all, the Gator Park was a great time.

We made another brief stop on our way back across Alligator Alley, at the Skunk-Ape Research Headquarters. All I wanted was a cold drink when I pulled over but as soon as I saw where we were, I was weirdly excited. The Skunk-Ape (so named because it is a primate that is purported to smell like a skunk) is a local legend around here. It is the local variation on the Bigfoot mythology. They are supposed to grow to around 7-feet tall and reach 700-pounds. With black bear, panther and alligator all over the ‘glades, a primate would have to be pretty fearsome to survive.
Scientifically speaking, there are no known primate species (besides humans) in the ‘glades, but there are thousands of square miles of unexplored swamp here, too. You never know…

By now it was late afternoon and we decided to drive back to Edna’s in one hit, so that we could spend the evening with her before she flew to Ohio with Gary and Norma in the morning. The drive was very pleasant as the sun set spectacularly over the Everglades and the evening brought a cool change to the wet heat of the day. We got back at 9pm and had a chat for awhile. Another Diem thoroughly Carpe’d.

Jumper the Alligator, in the wild, no telephoto lense used

Pia's new friend, not. Note the gator's mouth is not taped shut

MacArthur Causeway, Miami, FL

Mark on Miami Beach

Mark at Jolly Roger RV Park, Marathon, FL

Street Scene, Art Deco District, South Beach, Miami, FL

Why don't they build buildings like this anymore?

Feathered Friend posing at Sunrise, Jolly Roger RV Park, Marathon, FL

Pia has seen Spaceship Troopers too many times, The Big Lobster, Islamorada, FL