FLORIDA TRIP

Dave and I recently got back from a trip to Florida.  He had meetings and then we had some free time to check out some new places.

While Dave and the other Board members were in meetings, the spouses got to go play. So where better to go play than Disney's Magic Kingdom? We had a wonderful time, got to know each other better and laughed a lot.  
The next day we all took a tour to the Deseret Ranch in Florida.  It was interesting to see how they ranch in a different part of the country. 

They have different cows than we are used to seeing. They produce calves that are finished in the Midwest, eventually becoming high-quality beef.  I was curious why they had to have these type of cows.  They said to withstand Florida's environment.  
Currently Deseret uses a three-way rotational breeding program using Angus, Brahman, Simmental, Red Polled and South Devon cattle.  I could probably do an entire blog about the Ranch and compare them and us.  But I will save that for another time.  

Above is a picture of a "turn about".  It is a sorting, or as they call it, "parting" gate.  A person stands in the middle of it and opens one of five gates to let the cattle through into different pens.  I wanted to get the cowboys in there so I could practice on them.  

Here is a little of what the rancher told us: 
The Ranch maintains a herd of approximately 42,500 cows and is divided into 14 management units. The average unit runs approximately 3,100 cows. At Deseret, a single cowboy typically manages about 1,200 cows. The cows on each unit are further divided into smaller herds, and each herd rotates among several pastures to promote pasture health and optimize cattle performance.

There was a lot of information to take in.
They also have a large citrus farm that we got to visit.  We tasted some of their juice oranges. They were delicious, but quite messy.

Dave really liked the old truck they used to pick up and move the barrels of oranges.  He thinks we need one on our ranch.  
The oranges are actually picked by hand, put in the barrels and moved along by the big trucks. 

Leaving the ranch a small gator was crossing the road. You could also see them in any water along the road.  We asked about the trouble they have with gators and the livestock. They said they never go after the cows, once in a while a brand new calf if it gets close to the water.  If they get a large problem gator they take care of it. 

This was a big one.....They took CARE of it..

When the group events were finished we headed South to the Florida Keys with a couple of our friends.  Our first stop was Key Largo.

Unfortunately, the first few days were kind of cold.  We really wanted to get out into the water and see some sea life, so we took a glass bottomed boat. The boat ride was fun, we saw several fish and coral and even a shark.   And I didn't have to get wet.

In the Harbor there was The African Queen.  The boat from he classic Bogart movie.  (Or a replica anyway.)

Also there were several pelicans there and throughout our travels.  I thought they were cool birds.

I forgot to mention that on the way to the Keys we drove through some of the Everglades. We wanted to take an airboat ride, but weather and time didn't allow for it this time around.

Our next stop was in Marathon.  It is about half way down the Keys.  They have a lot of fishing, boating and other water sports there.  Again, the weather wasn't cooperating but we saw some sites.  

This is a state park near by.  It had a beautiful beach. The weather was finally starting to warm up.  We should have rented a kayak here.

There they also have the famous Old Seven Mile Bridge.  I copied a little info about it below:
 The Old Seven Mile Bridge is not only spectacularly scenic, it also brings you as close as you can to experiencing Henry Flagler’s historic “railroad that went to sea.” The bridge, an engineering marvel of its day, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  
There are two bridges in this location. The older bridge, originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, was constructed from 1909 to 1912 under the direction of Henry Flagler as part of the Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension, also known as the Overseas Railroad.
After the railroad sustained considerable damage due to effects of the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the line was sold to the United States Federal Government, who subsequently refurbished Seven Mile Bridge for automobile use. Dismantled trackage was recycled, painted white, and used as guardrails. It had a swing span that opened to allow passage of boat traffic, near where the bridge crosses Pigeon Key, a small island where a work camp for Flagler's railroad was located. Hurricane Donna in 1960 caused further damage.

The current road bridge was constructed from 1978 to 1982. The vast majority of the original bridge still exists. As of 2015, the 2.2 mile section to Pigeon Key is open to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Next we headed down to Key West. 
 The highlight for me here was jet skiing on the ocean. We went on a tour that took us around the Southern most point and into the Gulf of Mexico.  I even learned to drive the thing and it was so much fun.  I may have scared Dave just a little a time or two while I was driving. 

We had to check out the night life on Duval street.

Eat famous Key Lime Pie.

We saw the sun rise and set from the same place.

We soaked up some rays on the beach.

We played around and had some laughs.

Before we knew it, it was time to head home.  There are still so many more things we want to do there.  So I guess we will all have to go back some day.
Thank you to our dear friends for helping to make this a wonderful and memorable trip.

So home we came.  And this is what we saw:

YEESH.... I think I want to go back now..