Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park, Islamorada, Florida

I've shared a couple of posts recently about places that we visited on our recent stay in the Florida Keys, and today I wanted to write about Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park in Islamorada, a perfect place to stop and stretch your legs as you drive through the keys.

The park is really easy to find - it's on your right as you drive down the Overseas Highway and it's well signposted. There's a large car park, and on the day we visited there were only a couple of other visitors. Do check the opening times as it's currently only open Thursday-Monday. It costs just $2.50 per person to visit, there are toilets, a water fountain, a museum, and several short self-guided trails. There are also some guided tours available, check the website for details. 

We spent about an hour and a half here. We would have spent a little longer, but it started to rain quite heavily so we headed for the museum! We had plenty of time to walk all the trails at a leisurely pace and to spend time in the museum afterwards. There are picnic benches dotted all around, so it's a great place to stop for a packed lunch.

We started with the Hammock Trail which takes you through a tropical hardwood hammock. There are all sorts of interesting trees and plants to see, as well as various wildlife, like these huge spiders that greeted us at several corners!

 

You can borrow a guide book to take around with you if you are looking for detailed information, or else there are plenty of informational signs to explain the things that you are seeing. The trails were well marked and pretty easy to follow, the area covered by the park isn't that large so you are unlikely to get very lost.

As you walk along the paths you notice that they are lined with small rocks filled with fossils. This area was used as a quarry which was still active into the 1960s. The trains running through the Keys were used to transport the fossil covered stone back to the mainland. There are remnants of the quarrying equipment remaining across the site, and plenty of information to help you understand the quarrying process.

A couple of trails take you through the old quarry itself where you can see the vast walls of rocks, marked with lines from the drilling equipment. It's fascinating to wander past these rock faces which are covered in beautiful fossils. You can see stand among the fossil corals and realise that once all this was underwater.

After a quick rush through the downpour to the Visitor Center we spent some time in the museum. It's a mixture of the geological history about fossils found in the park, and the industrial history of the area including the quarry and the railway. Although small it's really well done with plenty of information.

If you are driving down through the keys then Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park is a great place to stop for a break, and also a really good introduction to the history of the area.

If you are looking for other activities to do in the Florida Keys then you may also be interested in these posts:

The Old Seven Mile Bridge at Marathon Key

The Turtle Hospital at Marathon Key

The Turtle Hospital, Marathon Key, Florida

Recently I wrote about our trip to the Florida Keys, and our attempts to spot sea turtles from the Old Seven Mile Bridge. Unfortunately our efforts were unsuccessful, but luckily as an alternative we were also able to visit the wonderful Turtle Hospital just down the road!

We visited on the final day of our holiday before driving to Miami for our flight that evening. It's recommended to book tickets in advance, but there seemed to be plenty of availability. We booked the evening before, and lots of people were accommodated without booking. You must visit as part of a guided tour, which lasts around 90 minutes. 

Our visit began with a short presentation in the education centre. We were shown pictures of the different species of marine turtle, and learned to identify them. We were also told about the problems that the turtles face in the ocean, both locally and worldwide, and all about the work of the Turtle Hospital in treatment and rehabilitation. It was really interesting! 

Then we were able to watch a turtle having an operation, which was fascinating to see. Many turtles rescued suffer from FP (fibropapillomatosis), benign tumours that can cause problems with vision, feeding and movement. It can either be the reason for the initial rescue or discovered when they are admitted for something else, like a boat injury. It seems to be caused by toxins ingested by eating weeds in the sea and is very common. These tumours can be removed gradually using laser surgery leaving just a small scar, and that is what they are doing in the photograph below.

In total at the centre we saw forty-three turtles. The turtles which are being treated before release are kept in large tanks. This one has a flipper missing after an injury, but is still able to be released.

There are however some turtles which need to remain at the centre. For example there was a turtle at  that is blind, and many of the turtles suffer from a condition called 'bubble butt'. This is caused when the turtle suffers an injury which traps gases inside the shell and causes it to float. Weights can be attached to help the turtle to swim, but as the turtle grows it's not a practical long term solution for a released turtle. So there is a large outdoor tank at the hospital which houses these turtles and is filled with sea water (and smaller fish that have made their way in through the pipes!)

At the end of the tour you have the opportunity to feed these turtles which was a lot of fun.

I was interested to learn that any turtles that you see in captivity, for example in an aquarium, are all turtles that can't be released back into the wild for whatever reason. The places hosting the turtle are usually proud, and happy to share more information. For example I looked up OD who now lives at Shark Reef Aquarium in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, who was rescued by the turtle hospital, and Miko at the Frost Museum in Miami that we saw in the museum the previous week.

As you can probably tell I learned a huge amount from our visit to the Turtle Hospital, and we were all really glad that we made the effort to visit. There was such a lot to see and it was so interesting. I would definitely recommend a visit if you are in the area!

The Old Seven Mile Bridge, Marathon Key, Florida

We recently spent a few days in Marathon, part of the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys are the string of small islands which stretch from the south eastern tip of mainland Florida to Key West. It takes about two hours to drive from Miami to Marathon Key, which is located in the Middle Keys. We stayed at the Isla Bella Beach Resort which is a fantastic resort in a beautiful location, and is situated just opposite the entrance to the Seven Mile Bridge.

The Seven Mile Bridge connects Knight's Key, part of Marathon, to Little Duck Key. There are two bridges here, the modern road bridge and an older bridge. The older bridge was originally a railway bridge and was then converted to a road bridge before the new bridge was completed in 1982.

Although most of the older bridge is still standing, it has fallen into disrepair and only the 2 mile section which connects Marathon to Pigeon Key has been restored. Reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, it can be used to access Pigeon Key and is also a lovely walk with great views and the opportunity to look for sea life in the water below.

There is a good sized car park at the entrance to the bridge. There were always spaces when we visited (late October) and I would imagine that turnover is pretty quick as many people just hop out for a quick look. There are also some informational boards so that you can find out more about the history of the bridge.

The walk across the bridge to Pigeon Key is 2 miles, however entrance to Pigeon Key is only possible with paid admission (see details here - Pigeon Key. Paid admission to Pigeon Key also includes transport across the bridge via tram. If you just want to walk across the bridge like we did (or run, or cycle!) then be warned that it can be a hot walk with no shade (although there may be a breeze), and because it's just a bridge there are no toilets or other facilities along the way or in the car park.

There are distance markers painted along the bridge so you can see how far you have left to go if you are walking to Pigeon Key. Initially we set out to walk the entire distance, but we quickly realised that there was no benefit if you aren't planning to visit it! In fact you only really need to walk a few hundred metres across the bridge to really appreciate it.

If you want to look for sea life in the water below, a good tip that we were given is to stand at the part of the bridge which is over a pillar. You can identify this by looking for where two parts of the outer railing have a smaller gap in them, like in the photo below (there is an inner railing in front of this one):

The water below here was often smoother and so it was easier to see underneath the surface. We were also told that this is where the larger sea creatures lie in wait for the smaller fish. 

We spent quite a lot of time looking for sea life over the bridge! It took several visits, but we saw jellyfish, lots of really large rays just under the surface, some creatures that looked like huge sharks with their fins above the water, and lots of things jumping and splashing before we could see clearly what they were! We also saw lots of birds. People on the bridge at the same time saw turtles, but we kept missing them!

The Seven Mile Bridge is also a lovely place to watch the sunset, either from on the bridge itself or from just to the side. In the photo below you can see the new road bridge in the foreground, and the restored old bridge is the blue one just behind to the right.

If you are visiting the Keys then the Old Seven Mile Bridge is a must stop. It's a great way to break up the long journey from Miami down to Key West, it's easy to find, and if you are staying in Marathon then you have a great opportunity to pop back at different times of the day to see what you can spot!