Smoky and Shann's Excellent Adventures: January 9 -- our last full day in the Florida Keys

Drifting with the current
in Long Key State Park.

After our busy day in Key West yesterday, we thought we would take it easy today. However, when we checked the water in the lagoon outside our door, it was calm, just perfect for canoeing. Then we glanced down the lagoon and saw several brown pelicans sitting in the mangroves just a stone's throw away. This combination of calm water and several nearby birds was more than we could resist, so we grabbed the paddles and life jackets and scooted the canoe into the water.

Brown pelican.

First we paddled against the current beyond where the pelicans were perched and then let the boat drift with the current back past the birds. A couple of times, several pelicans flew right over our heads, emphasizing just how large these birds are. With a wingspan of between 6 and 8.2 feet, these were quite impressive. We saw more pelicans today than we have all week!

We marveled again at the rich marine life among the mangroves. What fun to paddle the canoe into a small inlet, drift with the current, and look at all the different fish. Yesterday we discovered a jellyfish that settles upside down on the bottom of the lagoon in Long Key State Park, with tentacles reaching up. At first we thought these were some kind of plant, but when we upset one by accident with the canoe paddle, we discovered it was a jellyfish. When you look closely at these creatures, you can see them pulsating. Pretty cool!

As we paddled through a new section of the mangroves today, we came upon a fairly shallow area that had lots of starfish, some of which were pretty small. We decided it must have been the starfish nursery! Smoky used his GoPro camera to take some videos of the magical underwater world we were witnessing.

Yellow-crowned
night heron

While we were exploring along the edge of a section of mangrove, we noticed a yellow-crowned night heron sitting right at the edge of the water. This was our first spotting of a night heron this trip. Smoky had a great time photographing this bird.

We both decided that paddling a canoe in such lovely, clear water where you can see to the bottom is a very calming activity. We were quite sad to think that this was our last day here.

Reluctantly, we hauled the canoe out of the water and stored it away. Time for a late lunch.

Lazy Days Restaurant outdoor seating.

Today we decided to head north toward Islamorado and the Lazy Days Restaurant. This place is right on the ocean in an area that actually has a sand beach. The open air building takes great advantage of this location, with tables on the sand overlooking the ocean. What a great way to enjoy their featured dish -- lionfish cooked Lazy Days style: lightly coated with Panko bread crumbs, pan fried and then topped with diced tomatoes, scallions, parmesan cheese and Key lime butter! We had heard about the lionfish invasion of these waters, where it is doing a lot of damage. Here is an excerpt from an NPR feature story in December 2014:

"It's believed aquarium owners first dumped lionfish off the coast of Florida in the mid-1980s. Since then, the fish have spawned at a rate that would make rabbits blush. Lionfish are now devouring reef fish from North Carolina across the Caribbean."

Our waiter told us that there is no limit to the number of lionfish you can kill, but doing so is a bit tricky, since the fish is poisonous. However, once the venomous spines are removed, the fish are not only safe to eat but quite tasty. It is a light, moist, very mild-tasting fish. Try it when you get a chance! You'll be doing our coastal reefs a great favor.

After lunch, we walked along the beach front and onto a short pier to see some preening cormorants perched on the posts. Smoky was able to get really close to these birds without disturbing them.

Female cormorant

Male cormorant

Rather than having dessert at Lazy Days, we opted for ice cream. We had read about Mrs. G's ice cream parlor on Islamorado just a couple of miles from our lunch spot. Mrs. G. had 40 flavors of ice cream from which to choose. Smoky picked vanilla with sea salt caramel and I had butter pecan. Both were really good. I asked for the smallest serving they had, which was a "kid's size," and it turned out to be two scoops! Smoky had a "small," which was almost three generous scoops! We were so full that we could hardly eat dinner. You know I'm serious when I tell you that we passed up the last two pieces of key lime pie in our refrigerator!

Tomorrow morning means packing and heading north toward the Everglades and on to Naples. We have a lot of great memories from this week. Who knows what the next few days will bring.

Before I close, I want to add a few more of the great bird pictures Smoky captured today.