Islamorada Vacation – Part 3
My final installment of pictures of our Islamorada vacation! I apologize if these have gotten boring, but really, there was so much to take pictures of that I couldn’t resist!
One of the biggest highlights of our trip was going on a guided fishing charter, just Dan and I. Dan has been dreaming of doing this, and I am thankful that this dream came true for him – he worked hard to save that money! As much as it has been something he always wanted to do, I have to say I equally loved it just as much – it was incredible! We had an amazing guide/captain, which made it all the more memorable!
My first catch, a lizard fish – the teeth on that fish were huge!
We went fishing on the outskirts of the Everglades National Park. It felt like we were in the middle of no where, out in the Gulf of Mexico. It was an incredible feeling – just us, the water, and God. So many times I found myself just marveling at God’s creation and what He created! Many times we found ourselves speechless.
God even surprised us with a sighting of dolphins!
Dan’s first catch…
My mangrove snapper, with our guide in the background
We both caught a fish at the same time – lets not talk about whose is bigger 😉
The ladyfish were crazy to catch – such fighters and very aggressive!
Dinner for the next couple of nights! Dan doesn’t really like fish, but he LOVED the mangrove snapper! Incredible, I must say!
Our guide filleting our fish
Let me tell you, we were in the sticks of the ocean!
I didn’t know pelicans could turn their heads a full 180 degrees – it is awkward to watch, yet jaw dropping!
The sunsets were so gorgeous
What a picture – you have tarpon in the background, a giant sting ray in the bottom, with pelicans just swimming by…
This egret wants a piece of our fish!
Another gorgeous sunset! We ate a dinner at an outdoor restaurant and watched the sunset. One of the most beautiful settings I have ever eaten a meal in!
A tree growing in the middle of a bridge…odd, right?
Crab just crawling along the oceans edge
Another thing we were looking so forward to was snorkeling! We weren’t sure how good the snorkeling was, but our first day at Bahia Honda State Park, was incredible snorkeling! The water was so clear, the sun was shining bright, and it wasn’t too wavy. We even were able to see some colorful fish!
And a sting ray that came EXTREMELY close…a little too close for my comfort, but amazing nonetheless
Loving it out there!
It looks like we are in a pool, but this is on the bayside of Bahia Honda State Park – in the Gulf of Mexico
We had so much fun snorkeling!
Our ride for the week! A tad small, but worth every penny because it got insane gas mileage!
Our fish we caught and cooked up for supper!
One of my most favorite meals while down there! Kale salad with freshly caught fish
We are continuing our Sterk Skip-Bo tourney that we started 1 1/2 years ago. I am currently ahead 35-30 and we play the best out of 3. You do the math and know that we have played a LOT of Skip-Bo in the past 1 1/2 years 🙂
It was hard to see this vacation end, but our home is in Minnesota. It took a day or two to get adjusted to the keys and it took us a day to get adjusted back here in the colder weather. But, we are so thankful that God has brought us to where he has. It was good to take a step away, get refreshed, and refocus. We are hoping to head back there someday…
