Key Largo, last day

I have really enjoyed Key Largo.  It's a place for outdoor activities, for sun, water, and sand.  We started off the day by kayaking around some of the islands (there are many, many mangrove islands, some no more than 10 feet across!).  It was high tide, so it was easier to navigate, with more options of places to go.  During low tide, some of the fields of sea grass are actually above the water.  During high tide, they are at least two to three feet below the water.  Plus the water was clean and clear, refreshed by incoming ocean waters.  I will miss this place.

After kayaking, I sat under the tiki hut and read for awhile.  The tiki hut is right on the water, and it is at least 10 degrees cooler than being out in the sun.  It was so comfortable, delectable.

I have a few photos of views from our campground:

This is looking across the water at one of the mangrove islands.  A coromant is spreading it's wings out there in the middle of the channel.

 

Here is the neighbor's tiki hut:

Inside the roof of our tiki hut:

I have wanted to take a photo of a "baby mangrove", and I finally got one!  When the tide is high, a baby mangrove looks like a stick with a leaf on top.  This one happens to be four "sticks", but they often appear singly.  Mangroves create islands.  There root systems catch particles in the water, and gradually build new islands as their numbers grow.   And they start just like this:

I finally had time to read more of "Bartram's Travels" (1791) today.  William Bartram was religious, which occasionally comes through in his writings.  He was also wise.  He understood, way back then, the importance of protecting our environment and all of its resources.  His words are the perfect prayer, asking for the wisdom and understanding we need to protect our earth: "O sovereign Lord! since it has pleased thee to endue man with power, and pre-eminence, here on earth, and establish his dominion over all creatures, may we look up to thee, that our understanding may be so illuminated with wisdom and our hearts warmed and animated, with a due sense of charity, that we may be enabled to do thy will, and perform, our duty towards those submitted to our service, and protection, and be merciful to them even as we hope for mercy."  

Excuse me for introducing religion to my blog, but I was surprised by Bartram's sentiment.  Was he one of America's earliest environmentalists, perhaps?

Tomorrow, we head north to Titusville, just south of Daytona Beach.