05-22-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops

Friday, June 20, 2025

05-22-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops

22 May 2025, Biscayne National Park, Southern Comfort RV Park, Florida City, Florida

Jeeps – 3

Another adventurous day. We booked a 9:30 AM, three-hour boat tour at Biscayne National Park, the Biscayne Heritage Tour. The boat was not crowded since there were only 13 passengers in total. This tour took us out to the Keys, and our narrator, Pablo, talked about some of the history of the Keys in this area.

Tequestas were the original inhabitants of the Keys in this area.
Mark Honeywell, yes, the Thermastate family, bought Boca Chita Key in early 1937. Apparently, this Key was nicknamed the Party Key. It is now part of the National Park.
Israel Lafayette Jones, an African American, purchased his first key in 1897, the 63-acre Porgy Key, for $300. In 1938, Israel purchased Old Rhodes Key. Israel and his brother, Samuel, farmed pineapples and Key limes. In 1911, Israel bought Totten Key for $1 per acre.
One of the Keys we went by has a tree that has poisonous sap. Some of the original indigenous people used the sap to poison the tip of their arrows. Pablo talked about how if you stood under one of these trees and the sap dripped on you, it would burn your skin. Today, the National Park does not allow anyone on the island. The indigenous would tie prisoners to the trees and let the sap eventually kill the prisoners.
Ragged Key is currently owned by the family that owns all the palm tree farms in the Florida City area, and there are a lot.
There is a nuclear power plant down the shore from the Biscayne Visitor Center that powers a quarter of South Florida. According to Pablo, most of the crocodiles in this area live and breed near the power plant. They like the cool water tunnels under the plant. Manatees also come. Manatees drink the cool, fresh water discharged from the plant.

We docked on Boca Chita Key for about an hour to explore. The lighthouse built by Honeywell was just refurbished and looks new. It is not a working lighthouse because the Coast Guard would not give him permission. For one thing, the lighthouse is on the wrong side of the island. The four of us took a trail that was only about ten minutes long, but took us from one side of the island to the other. Most of the trail was covered with trees. We had to stop and spray ourselves with mosquito repellent. They were everywhere. Once we got off the trail, it was better.

We found a few coconuts and returned to the boat after exploring the other side. Pablo and the captain cracked them, and we enjoyed the milk and meat. It was so yummy! We saved the rest to take home.

The ride back was pleasant, but it was getting really hot. I pulled an ice pack from our cooler and laid it on my head, then my arms and legs to help me cool down. I could never live in Florida. It is too hot for me.

For dinner, we went to Shiva’s BBQ. Our waitress was Patrice, and what a hoot. She was so much fun. I saw fried Okra on the menu and about jumped out of my seat. I was so happy! Shiva’s was the first place I had seen it on the menu since we left. It was so yummy. All of our food was excellent. If you ever get to Florida City, look them up. We all took home doggy bags, and Barry ordered one pound of pulled pork to take home and freeze. Everything was incredible, especially the okra and peach cobbler.

On the way home, we could see lightning and then hear thunder. Within ten minutes of getting back, it started pouring. The storm lasted about 20 minutes and was wild, but a great way to end an extraordinary day.