Rusty Pelican to Everglades

I've always been a sucker for cityscapes. It's probably my upbringing in crummy little factory towns--where there was never a sky scraper in sight.

We paddled the Matanza river in St. Augustine, where the mangroves are starting to take hold and the oyster beds are recovering. It's the Inter Coastal waterway, that was apparently constructed by Uncle Sam to make shipping possible beyond the range of U-Boats.

But as much as I love birding, and paddling, and learning about the hydrology of a place, I can't go to Florida without visiting Miami. I love to dine at the Rusty Pelican, a swanky place on the way to Key Biscayne, where you can watch the sunset on the buildings across the water, and watch the city come alive at night.

From Miami we lit out to the Everglades. Back into wild Florida. I snapped photos of birds and alligators from my rented bike.

Tonight we Ubered to South Beach, where the people watching is always fabulous. And tomorrow we head to the Gulf Coast--where I have never been. Apparently it is a place of burrowing owls where I look forward to paddling again...