Sunshine Trip: Day 2

I slept in a little on Saturday morning since Friday was such a long day. I really didn't have any plans other than the Indians vs. Marlins game that night in Miami. I figured I would take my time driving on over to Miami since I had the majority of Sunday to explore South Beach.

I started Day 2 of the Sunshine Trip by heading to the De Soto National Memorial. To be honest, I didn't know that this park existed until I check my national parks passport and found it was about 15 miles from my hotel. This memorial recognized the exploration of Hernando De Soto, a Spanish explorer who navigated through what is now the American southeast in search of gold and other riches. The lasting legacy of De Soto is somewhat split: some see him as a great explorer while some see him as a brutal conquerer and tragically stubborn. At the memorial, I took a short walk on the nature walk through the costal mangrove forrest.

I then headed south and east through Big Cypress National Preserve to Miami. I ate a very satisfying lunch at a hole in the wall barbeque place. I also stopped at the Big Cypress National Preserve visitor center to see what the preserve was all about. Essentially Big Cypress is a big swamp that is an extension of the Everglades. In fact, Big Cypress is often referred to as the Western Everglades. A big focus in the visitor center was that Big Cypress swamp is a important ecosystem that is home to many different animals (including the Florida panther and) and naturally cleans the drinking water for southern Florida cities. I walked along the boardwalk at the visitor center and saw a few alligators in the water below. I think Big Cypress would be a good place to backpack but the ranger said that it is only recommended to backpack in the winter month before the swamp floods and the bugs get too bad. I finished the day off by driving to my hotel, walking to Marlins Park (to be documented in an upcoming post), enjoying the game, and hitting the sack.