WEBVTT - Getting Below The Surface Of Biscayne National Park with Sandra Ramos 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.160 Ever since I was a kid, when I would rent 0:00:02.240 --> 0:00:05.200 Jaws from the local video store on a weekly basis, 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:08.920 the ocean has simultaneously been the most captivating place for 0:00:08.960 --> 0:00:12.320 me and also my worst fear. That's true. I used 0:00:12.320 --> 0:00:15.680 to rent Jaws in and practically every week, and I 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.200 don't know why your parents didn't just buy it. Yeah, 0:00:18.280 --> 0:00:20.959 me neither. We probably wasted like hundreds and hundreds of 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:23.759 dollars in that rental video and I probably single handily 0:00:23.840 --> 0:00:26.960 kept that video store on life support for for years. 0:00:27.200 --> 0:00:29.320 Well that's really nice of you. Yeah, Well, I was 0:00:29.320 --> 0:00:31.800 just doing my part, I guess. But really it's a 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:34.400 testament to the ocean and the mystery of that watery 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:37.080 wilderness that kept me coming back for more. And it's 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.160 part of the fact that it's always been my greatest fear. 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:41.639 It was something I always wanted to face an experience 0:00:41.680 --> 0:00:44.080 for myself as well, and that's exactly what we did 0:00:44.159 --> 0:00:47.440 in Biscayne National Park in South Florida, the largest aquatic 0:00:47.479 --> 0:00:50.320 park in the National Park Service. Yeah, this is a 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:53.480 park where getting into the water is paramount. You can't 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:55.320 come here and not do something at least on top 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:59.440 of the water, if not under it. After all d 0:00:59.600 --> 0:01:03.360 seventy two thousand acre park is water, and as excited 0:01:03.400 --> 0:01:05.880 as I was to dive in, literally, I was also 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.479 facing a lifetime's worth of built up fear and anxiety. 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:11.640 But part of your love for national parks is about 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:15.680 facing fears, even if they're unrealistic as jaws. Yeah, I'm 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:18.680 gonna put on my snorkel flippers, sidestep that little bit 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:20.920 of shade you just tossed my way, and make the 0:01:20.959 --> 0:01:23.960 plunge into this episode on Biscayne National Park, which also 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:30.440 features a very special guest, Santa Ramos. So stay tuned. Hi, 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:32.760 I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This is park Landia, a 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:35.880 production of I Heart Radio. We sold our loft in Chicago, 0:01:36.319 --> 0:01:38.840 moved into an RV full time, and now we're chopping 0:01:38.920 --> 0:01:42.560 the country with our dog Finn, exploring America's national parks. 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.560 And today we're talking about Biscayne National Park in South Florida. 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:52.880 As we mentioned, Biscayne National Park covers a little more 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:55.640 than a hundred and seventy thousand acres in South Florida 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.840 in the Biscayne Bay, just south of Miami. Literally you 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:01.320 can see the Miami sky line from this park and 0:02:01.360 --> 0:02:02.960 it only takes about an hour to get here from 0:02:03.000 --> 0:02:06.320 South Beach to which is crazy and really awesome. Obviously, 0:02:06.360 --> 0:02:09.120 it's even less if you're in downtown Miami or South Miami, 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.280 so it's super accessible for city dwellers or visitors to 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:14.640 Miami who might be looking for a change of pace 0:02:14.760 --> 0:02:18.200 from all the South Beach clubs or volleyball competitions he 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:20.919 might be participating in. Yeah, even though it's only about 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.000 forty miles from Miami, Biscayne National Park feels world's apart 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:26.880 and that's a great thing to have, such a like 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:30.400 great getaway so close to that. Yeah, And now I've 0:02:30.440 --> 0:02:32.440 been to Biskey in a couple of times now, once 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.040 with you in RV as part of a Greater South 0:02:35.080 --> 0:02:39.919 Florida Evergates trip which was epic and amazing, and recently 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:41.840 as well on a solo road trip which I was 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.880 driving through like Miami and the Keys. And on that 0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:46.840 trip I was able to start my morning with coffee 0:02:46.880 --> 0:02:50.120 and pastries in Windwood, this really awesome neighborhood in Miami, 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:53.440 and then literally like an hour later, I was at 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.880 Biskaying National Park with plenty of time to make my 0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:00.000 voting reservation out to Bocachi to Key, so it's about 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:01.920 to both worlds. You can have it all. Yeah. Not 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:05.200 many national parks can claim this kind of convenient proximity 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:08.000 to major cities, which just goes to show that there's 0:03:08.040 --> 0:03:11.640 always gems in your backyard. Yeah, and Biscayne is an 0:03:11.639 --> 0:03:14.680 absolute gem. Not a lot of people are really aware 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:16.720 of this one, I think, especially in the context of 0:03:16.760 --> 0:03:21.040 South Florida, where nearby Everglades gets all the attention. I 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:24.040 think not only is Biskain much smaller size wise convert 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:26.679 to Everglades, but it only gets about half a million visitors, 0:03:27.040 --> 0:03:29.720 which is nothing to scoff out, of course, but still 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:31.920 you know. Yeah, it's actually a great thing though, since 0:03:31.960 --> 0:03:34.360 this keeps the park less crowded and easier to explore, 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:36.800 which is important because a lot of the activities here 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:41.600 require advance reservations and tours for their tours. Plus, since 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:43.480 we're driving in our v it makes it easier for 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:46.160 us to get that little parking space. Yes, and that's 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:50.160 very important too, because the Dante Fascale Visitor Center parking 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:53.720 lot is really tiny. It is another thing that is 0:03:53.760 --> 0:03:56.160 that Biscayne is a much younger than Everglades as well. 0:03:56.520 --> 0:04:00.680 It was designated in National Park in six years after 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:03.280 Everglades is made a National Park. Yes, I feel like 0:04:03.280 --> 0:04:06.680 Biscayan and Everglades really have a sibling type relationship going on, 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:10.080 and Biscayne obviously would be the younger sibling who too 0:04:10.080 --> 0:04:13.120 often gets overshadowed about the popularity and accomplishments of the 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:15.520 older sibling. I feel that, Yeah, And I'm not just 0:04:15.520 --> 0:04:18.560 saying that as someone who has two younger siblings and 0:04:18.720 --> 0:04:22.680 happens to be very accomplished myself. So that's just a 0:04:22.680 --> 0:04:26.280 coincidence that has nothing to do with this metaphor. I'm sure, Yeah, 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:29.880 what a coincidence, Um, But it is true enough Biscayne 0:04:29.960 --> 0:04:33.080 does get overshadowed a little bit. It really deserves to 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:36.800 stand out more though, because it's an entirely different park 0:04:36.920 --> 0:04:39.560 than the Everglades, which is right next doorm. It looks 0:04:39.560 --> 0:04:43.159 and feels nothing like that park. Yes, and most importantly, 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:46.480 Everglades is absolutely not a park for swimming or snarkling 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:48.919 or going into the water in any capacity for a 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.560 very good reason. But a Biscayne it's the opposite. It's 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:55.919 all about literally immersing yourself in the ocean. Sure, there 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:57.680 are a lot of wild animals here, but you can't 0:04:57.720 --> 0:04:59.600 go swimming or snarkling in areas where there are a 0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:03.240 crocodile else. Um, and definitely aren't any like great white 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.520 sharks here, you know either. Jaws was not filmed here, 0:05:06.720 --> 0:05:09.440 that's for sure. Yes, But do you remember when we're 0:05:09.440 --> 0:05:11.360 out here on our story going trip and after we're 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:13.520 all back in the boat. I remember there was some 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.440 kids on the tour who asked he like, asked the 0:05:16.520 --> 0:05:18.599 guys if there are any sharks in the area, and 0:05:18.640 --> 0:05:22.320 they said yes, which was pretty or if I'm not 0:05:22.360 --> 0:05:24.800 the answer I expected nor wanted. I was like, wow, 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:27.840 I'm glad you didn't bring that up beforehand. I mean, 0:05:27.839 --> 0:05:30.559 that's not really surprising though. Um. I think in any 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.400 open ocean water there's at least a possibility of sharks, 0:05:33.720 --> 0:05:36.920 but still nothing too dangerous. Is scary? Sure, I just 0:05:37.000 --> 0:05:39.159 I would rather not think about it. You know. The 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:42.719 most common sharks here, fortunately, are more docile sharks like 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:46.359 lemon sharks and the sharks, both of which actually sound 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.200 kind of sweet and even like maternally even. But then 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:51.440 there have also been sighting some other sharks like hammer 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:55.360 heads and black tip sharks in bull sharks in Biscayne Bay, 0:05:55.440 --> 0:05:59.440 which are all sharks from my nightmares, but really you're 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:03.279 more likely to see manatees here than sharks, and worst 0:06:03.279 --> 0:06:06.680 case is crocodiles which live among the shores. But like 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:09.640 we learned at Everglades, American crocodiles only eat things that 0:06:09.680 --> 0:06:12.760 can swallow things in one bite. Um, so they have 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:15.800 no interest in people. Great. I'm actually happy to see 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.000 crocodiles from a safe distance, and I would love to 0:06:18.040 --> 0:06:20.280 see more of them, but I definitely do not want 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:21.760 to be in the water when I do, so, of course, 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.640 I'd like to see them from a boat or from 0:06:24.720 --> 0:06:27.880 the land when I'm on the land. But anyway, let's 0:06:27.880 --> 0:06:30.200 talk more about my nightmares and our storcle trip here 0:06:30.200 --> 0:06:35.080 at Biscayne Trails. So our trip to Biscaine was after 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:37.640 we spent a few days at Everglades in January. Uh 0:06:37.720 --> 0:06:40.080 this was a great time of year to visit Florida's 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:43.400 national parks since the weather is most comfortable and you're 0:06:43.440 --> 0:06:46.159 more likely to see wildlife. Yeah, for better or worse. 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:48.480 But we had planned to drive our r V to 0:06:48.760 --> 0:06:52.239 Biscayne for the day, and we had prebuked a snorkel 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:55.839 excursion hosted by the Biscayne National Park Institute. They do 0:06:55.920 --> 0:06:59.479 a fantastic job, by the way they do, They absolutely do, 0:06:59.640 --> 0:07:03.039 And this was during the government shutdown, and so there 0:07:03.080 --> 0:07:05.919 was they were just doing such a great job of 0:07:06.000 --> 0:07:09.040 keeping things afloat. Yeah, literally they were, I mean, we're 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:11.800 floating the boat. And they were also keeping the park 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:15.360 accessible and safe for visitors like us. So the main 0:07:15.480 --> 0:07:18.040 visitor center when we were here was closed because of 0:07:18.080 --> 0:07:21.800 the shutdown, but the Biscayan National Park Institute made sure 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:24.760 that people who did make trip reservations like us were 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:27.559 able to keep them and enjoy their time at the park. 0:07:28.560 --> 0:07:31.000 And we had a we had a great time. I'm 0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:32.960 I was so relieved because I didn't know what to expect. 0:07:33.000 --> 0:07:34.960 Everything was kind of up in the air and all 0:07:34.960 --> 0:07:37.320 the parks were handling it differently. So yeah, so it 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:39.840 was nice. So when we got first got to that park, 0:07:40.040 --> 0:07:42.480 we walked along the boardwalk trail as we waited for 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:45.360 our tour to start, which was a really great way. 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:48.080 That was really nice to start it. Yeah, since this 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.720 park is almost entirely ocean, there really is not a 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:55.360 ton of hiking. I mean there's no hiking. There wasn't 0:07:55.360 --> 0:07:57.920 even a ton of like walking or land activities here, 0:07:58.320 --> 0:08:01.680 but this one trail is awesome and totally worthwhile. It's 0:08:01.760 --> 0:08:04.920 called the Jetty Trail, and altogether it's a little less 0:08:04.920 --> 0:08:07.720 than a mile out and back along this main grove 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.360 line coast and on a boardwalk to this long, narrow 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:13.240 jetty out to a birding area where you're likely to 0:08:13.240 --> 0:08:16.320 see lots of pelicans and herons and frigate birds and 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:19.880 morganzas and a whole bunch of others. But that's only 0:08:19.880 --> 0:08:22.040 if the tide isn't too high that it washes out 0:08:22.080 --> 0:08:24.840 the trail, of course, because first time we were here 0:08:24.920 --> 0:08:28.240 it was open and accessible in great last time I 0:08:28.280 --> 0:08:32.040 was there, most of the trails underwater, so it's still beautiful. 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:35.360 But yeah, I remember the water being royal blue and 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.200 the mangrove forests were just bright green. The colors were 0:08:38.200 --> 0:08:40.760 so vivid, and the trail had several benches lined up 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:45.240 along the shore, perfect place to sit and just dream. Um. 0:08:45.320 --> 0:08:49.720 It was literally picture perfect, um. And it was just 0:08:49.920 --> 0:08:54.920 beautiful lookout over Biscayne Blay, especially in the morning. Yeah, 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.520 also a picture perfect place to for me to sit 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.760 and contemplate my worst fears looking out for all of it. 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:04.719 It's right there. Like the mere notion of jumping into 0:09:04.800 --> 0:09:08.000 deep water in the open ocean. It was filling me 0:09:08.040 --> 0:09:11.240 with anxiety and excitement though too, I was kind of 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.360 going back and forth there. Yeah, I'm really glad we 0:09:13.400 --> 0:09:15.319 got to do that snorkel trip though, Um, this is 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.640 our first time doing something like this together. Especially cool 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:20.880 to do here because not only did we learn a lot, 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:23.760 but we got to snorkel by the third largest coral 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:27.160 reef in the world. That's right, amazing, like a fact 0:09:27.200 --> 0:09:28.760 I had no idea about. I didn't know there was 0:09:28.800 --> 0:09:31.200 a coral reef of this size anywhere off the shore 0:09:31.240 --> 0:09:33.560 of the U. S that's for sure. So the Florida 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:36.800 reef here is the largest of its kind in North America. 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:40.120 So if I'm going to plunge into my aquatic nightmares, 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:44.679 I'm glad it was here in a very pretty setting ocean. 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:48.320 So for that snorkeling trip, we made advance reservations online 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.080 with the Skiing National Park Institute, which works with the 0:09:51.080 --> 0:09:54.760 park to provide great guided trips um to its like 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:59.920 park islands and into the open waters for things like kayaking, swimming, shipwrecks, 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:03.840 and of course snorkeling, yes, of course. So our snorkel 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:06.360 chip took about three hours in total, and it left 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:09.839 in the morning with a pretty moderate group size, probably 0:10:09.880 --> 0:10:13.040 about twenty of us, all situated on this speedy boat, 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:17.400 which got us out several miles into the ocean and 0:10:17.800 --> 0:10:20.520 the national park, the Biscayan National Park Institute. They provide 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:24.880 all the gear, so it's pretty pretty easy and open 0:10:24.920 --> 0:10:27.200 for everyone. So you just make sure to bring water 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:30.760 and sunscreen, like the basic necessities like that, and plenty 0:10:30.760 --> 0:10:33.679 of adrenaline. Of course you're gonna you're probably gonna need that. 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.839 The guides base their snorkeling location for the day based 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:43.320 on weather conditions, and for ours, they took us out 0:10:43.360 --> 0:10:45.520 past the keys to the open ocean where the coral 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:48.960 reef was, and I was so nervous to actually suit 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:50.800 up and jump off the side of the boat. It 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:53.600 this is like something that really goes against everything my 0:10:53.640 --> 0:10:55.760 mind is telling me to do. All my instincts and 0:10:55.840 --> 0:11:00.760 like a lifetime's worth of, you know, obsessive watching Jaws, 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.920 because I've been so conditioned from movies like that and 0:11:03.960 --> 0:11:07.880 others like open water and deep blue Sea and White Placid, 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:11.640 Giant crocodile. So you know, this is not something that 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:16.280 I'm inclined to do necessarily, but honestly, as soon as 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.480 you jump in and open your eyes underwater, all of 0:11:18.520 --> 0:11:21.440 these ideas, all my fears of Jaws were immediately replaced 0:11:21.440 --> 0:11:24.920 by movies like Finding Nemo. It was suddenly super colorful 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:27.839 and tranquil and relaxing, and Finding Nemo was obviously much 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:32.000 less terrifying than Jaws. Really, um, the only fish we 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:34.640 saw here were small and harmless and beautiful too. It 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:37.079 was just a rainbow of color. It was a rainbow 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.640 of color. And the fish that you're going to see 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:42.520 potentially out by the reef for our fish like queen 0:11:42.559 --> 0:11:47.199 angelfish and blue neon gobies and purple sea fans, all 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:51.640 zipping around between floral shaped coral polyps and sponges, which 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:54.440 all of this is like swaying and billowing beautifully back 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:57.280 and forth and the gentle tide, and it's captivating to 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.800 watch and super relaxing. Actually, yeah, And they give you 0:12:00.840 --> 0:12:02.679 like an hour out there to sim around and look 0:12:02.679 --> 0:12:05.160 at it all. But I could have just floated out 0:12:05.200 --> 0:12:07.360 here for much longer. There's just so much to look 0:12:07.400 --> 0:12:10.800 at from the sea grass and algae gardens to all 0:12:10.840 --> 0:12:14.760 these beautiful schools of fish. Literally hundreds of different like 0:12:14.840 --> 0:12:17.600 fish species at Biscayne, more than two hundreds of which 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:19.760 live in those reefs. Yeah, and a lot of them 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:23.600 have adorable sounding names, which really helps, like parrot fish 0:12:23.679 --> 0:12:27.360 and squirrel fish and even things like Christmas tree worms, 0:12:27.400 --> 0:12:30.480 so precious is beautiful. But even though they all sound cuddly, 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.520 make sure and keep your distance and not touch any animals, 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:37.760 including coral. Coral reefs are incredibly fragile. It's very vulnerable 0:12:37.800 --> 0:12:41.000 to human touch as well as just the oils that 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.360 come off human skin too, So keep your distance and 0:12:43.400 --> 0:12:47.359 be mindful of that now. And these ecosystems are super important. 0:12:47.559 --> 0:12:50.439 Um there's some of the most biologically diverse and important 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:53.439 ecosystems on the planet, and the reefs here account for 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:56.800 more than half of Biscayne National Parks protected waters. Yes, 0:12:57.000 --> 0:13:00.760 that's absolutely true. So the snorkeling trip just all together 0:13:00.800 --> 0:13:03.280 and our experience in the water, I thought was really amazing. 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:06.439 Not only was it reassuring and relaxing for me, kind 0:13:06.440 --> 0:13:09.600 of immediately erasing all my anxiety and replacing it with 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.360 the serenity, but we saw a lot and we're able 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:15.720 to capture a lot on camera because you brought a 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:17.960 go crow. Yeah, and it was just one of those 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:23.240 moments where you just realize that you are in the 0:13:23.280 --> 0:13:27.880 ocean and you're being able to watch this this beautiful 0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:30.120 school of fish and all these fish come by and 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:32.320 the algae and everything is just waving back and forth, 0:13:32.400 --> 0:13:36.679 and you just forget about the world and you realize 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:41.000 where you're at, what you're doing, and just how immersive 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:45.640 that experience was. I remember I just literally chased fish, 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.319 like I found one, and I like tried to follow 0:13:48.360 --> 0:13:50.520 up for like ten minutes, and that's all I did. 0:13:50.600 --> 0:13:52.400 And I went from that one. When I got distracted 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:55.120 like Dory and finding Nemo, I just went another fish 0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:58.199 and I just so I was literally Dory and this 0:13:59.120 --> 0:14:03.760 experience because I just loved just watching it. And you know, now, 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:07.520 I think I understand why Dory it was such a 0:14:07.520 --> 0:14:09.360 great character as because that's all of us when we 0:14:09.440 --> 0:14:11.960 visit national parks and we get into wildlife, because you 0:14:12.040 --> 0:14:14.679 just you're inspired by the world. So it's not that 0:14:14.720 --> 0:14:19.600 she forgot everything, it's that she saw everything. Yeah, and 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:22.160 she just has so much pure excitement and there's an 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:26.040 Innocence Store too. Unfortunately, you have more better memory than Dorry, 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:29.880 So we're here talking about it. I don't know, sometimes forgetful, 0:14:31.200 --> 0:14:33.640 but I agree with the sentiment, like when you're underwater 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:35.960 at a place like Biscayan National Park by the coral, 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:39.240 we kind of washes away, like all your kind of 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:42.960 day to day mundane stresses and stuff. Like when I 0:14:42.960 --> 0:14:44.760 was out there storm, when I certainly wasn't thinking about 0:14:44.760 --> 0:14:47.200 like oh I have a deadline later, or like oh 0:14:47.480 --> 0:14:50.280 taxis is in three months, you know whatever, like all 0:14:50.320 --> 0:14:52.440 that stuff didn't matter. It didn't I was out there. 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:54.400 I was just thinking like, oh, I'm here in this 0:14:54.600 --> 0:14:57.880 moment in an environment that is very unusual and foreign 0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:01.120 to me and to most humans. It really is. And Ellen, 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:03.360 if you ever want to just talk to us about 0:15:03.440 --> 0:15:06.520 fish and wildlife, just let us know. We'll be here. 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:10.360 We'll be here. And we also were ready to drive 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:12.600 back into because this trip is so inspiring for us 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.960 that we actually got our own circle gear and went 0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:18.760 so absolutely and I realized I have to shave my 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:22.800 beard whenever I want to go Snorkeling's for it's a nightmare. 0:15:23.120 --> 0:15:25.640 Talking about nightmares, like that's worse than getting eaten by 0:15:25.720 --> 0:15:31.040 jaws for me, But I'll do it because snorkeling is amazing. Yes, 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:35.800 it is history, but it's not all reefs here at Biscayne. 0:15:35.840 --> 0:15:38.720 The park is actually divided into four different categories of 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:43.560 protected ecosystems, including the reef. There's also the shoreline, mangrove forests, 0:15:43.720 --> 0:15:46.240 the shallow waters of the bay, and the keys like 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:50.000 Elliott Key and Boca Cheeta Key. And keys, by the way, 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:52.560 different from islands because they are formed in the surface 0:15:52.560 --> 0:15:55.800 of coral reefs, while islands are landmasses that get surrounded 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:59.200 by water or they're formed by volcanic events. Keys look 0:15:59.200 --> 0:16:03.280 a lot like islands, so easily confused, kind of like 0:16:03.320 --> 0:16:05.760 how alligators and crocodiles can look like at first, But 0:16:06.080 --> 0:16:10.440 when you examine the details and just the geography of 0:16:10.880 --> 0:16:15.400 keys and islands, they difference has become more clear. Yeah, 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:18.120 and those different like ecosystems are where you're more likely 0:16:18.160 --> 0:16:21.880 to see more of the park's famous wildlife, like manatees 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:25.280 and crocodiles and sea turtles. Yeah, there's a lot here. 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:28.680 And there are even a few alligators too that have 0:16:28.760 --> 0:16:32.800 been known to to dabble in Biscayne, but they prefer freshwater, 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:35.840 which is why you'll primarily see them at Everglades next 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.600 door or most any other waterway in Florida, which is 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:41.000 kind of chilling. Yeah, So let's back it up and 0:16:41.040 --> 0:16:43.560 talk more about the history here a Biscayne as well, 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:48.120 because even though there's keys look small, they're actually have 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:51.040 a surprising amount of human history as well. They do, 0:16:51.400 --> 0:16:55.400 and very surprising. So it all started with Native peoples 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:59.960 of the Glades culture who first inhabited President Day Biscayne 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:03.280 a like ten thousand years ago before it was entirely 0:17:03.280 --> 0:17:06.480 filled with water, and then some four thousand years ago 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:09.040 the quest of people lived on the keys and along 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:12.080 the shore. They did this until Spanish explorers moved into 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:15.280 Florida and took over the area. Jokes on them, though, 0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:18.439 because the coral reef here is responsible for lots of 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:21.760 Spanish shipwrecks, uh, some of which you can explore on 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:24.520 those snorkeling tours. All in all, they are about more 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:27.600 than forty shipwrecks within the parks waters. It's a lot, 0:17:27.920 --> 0:17:30.120 and that would be so cool to go back here 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:34.080 and do like a shipwreck snorkel touring. I've never done 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:37.000 anything like that, but the keys were eventually used for 0:17:37.000 --> 0:17:41.040 farming things like pineapples and tomatoes weirdly enough into the 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:44.960 nineteen hundreds, but the areas, hurricanes and Rocky Train just 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:47.480 made it too difficult to keep doing that, right. My 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:50.280 favorite thing is what happened next though. Once the keys 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:53.639 were largely abandoned for farming purposes, they were transformed into 0:17:53.680 --> 0:17:56.639 the next big thing, party mansions. It's kind of crazy. 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.080 We learned about this on the boat ride past uh 0:17:59.119 --> 0:18:05.160 Bocacia Key actually about how in the early rich Miami 0:18:05.200 --> 0:18:09.240 residents started building mansions on the keys as their vacation 0:18:09.320 --> 0:18:12.520 home and party pads. Yes, as one does. And it's 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:15.720 just so laughably absurd and decadent, which I think is 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:20.119 why it's so like intriguing and hilarious, which it's just 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:23.600 like par for the course for humanity. Right. So you 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:26.000 have people like Mark C. Honey Well who had a 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:31.160 mansion on Bocacia Key, and he gave this mansion its 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:34.639 own lighthouse, which you can see today if you go 0:18:34.680 --> 0:18:38.160 to Bocacia Key and it's one of the most photographed 0:18:38.240 --> 0:18:41.600 sites in the park. It's gotten pretty iconic. And then 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:45.760 there was also the Coco Lobo k Club, which was 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:49.800 owned by rich party animals like Garfield Wood and b. B. Roboso, 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.920 who was actually close friends with President Nixon. And then 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:56.800 there's this whole another part of the park called Stiltsville, 0:18:56.960 --> 0:18:59.439 the series of buildings that were built on stilts jutting 0:18:59.440 --> 0:19:02.520 out of northern Biscayne Bay, and this served as a 0:19:02.600 --> 0:19:05.960 gambling mecca and drinking den during Prohibition for a while. Yeah. 0:19:06.000 --> 0:19:08.680 At its height, there were twenty seven different structures only 0:19:08.720 --> 0:19:11.679 accessible by boat, but like most most things in this 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:14.440 part of the country, hurricanes made it very difficult destroyed 0:19:14.440 --> 0:19:17.919 several of them. Once the remnants of Stiltsville was added 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:20.600 to the National Park in Night five, there were only 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:25.960 seven structures standing, and today you can visit them by permit. Yeah. 0:19:26.040 --> 0:19:28.919 And as crazy and ridiculous as all of this lavishness 0:19:28.960 --> 0:19:31.760 and for volity sounds, it didn't stop there. Some people 0:19:31.800 --> 0:19:35.080 in South Florida weren't content with simply having island party mansions. 0:19:35.520 --> 0:19:37.560 They also wanted to string all these keys together to 0:19:37.640 --> 0:19:40.399 form a continuous driveable route from Miami out to q 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:44.240 West to capitalize more and more on tourism to the area. Yeah. 0:19:44.280 --> 0:19:47.119 Since Key Largo was the first reachable by car, a 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:50.040 lot of people saw these similar keys and Biscayne Bay 0:19:50.119 --> 0:19:52.520 as neglected or wasted, like they had no value of 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:55.040 their own, so they wanted to connect them all and 0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:57.719 build homes on them too. And not only that, they 0:19:57.760 --> 0:20:00.359 wanted to dredge up acreage from the bay to create 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:03.879 a jet port and a seaport, and then even established 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:09.000 this larger island city called Islandia, which is nuts. And 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:12.600 even though park Landian Islandia share of suffix, I do 0:20:12.720 --> 0:20:16.760 not approve that, you know. No. Unfortunately, neither did a 0:20:16.800 --> 0:20:19.200 lot of other advocates who wanted to protect the area 0:20:19.200 --> 0:20:22.960 as a national park, including Juanita Green, a newspaper writer 0:20:23.040 --> 0:20:26.639 for the Miami Herald, and even vacuum titan Herbert W. 0:20:26.840 --> 0:20:30.040 Hoover Jr. Who visited the area as a young boy 0:20:30.520 --> 0:20:35.280 and became obsessed with it and really appreciated and valued 0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:39.919 it's you know, natural features, And so because of this 0:20:40.000 --> 0:20:42.960 he tried to persuade government legislators to protect it by 0:20:43.000 --> 0:20:45.280 taking them on blimp tours over the bay and showing 0:20:45.280 --> 0:20:47.879 off how beautiful it was, like, I can't make the 0:20:47.920 --> 0:20:50.680 stuff up blimp tours. No, you really can't. Uh. And 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:54.399 with the support for National Parks protection rising, these greeted 0:20:54.400 --> 0:20:57.320 developers were getting angry and spiteful, so they decided to 0:20:57.400 --> 0:21:00.280 bulldoze a six Lillon Highway and Eliott Key and hopes 0:21:00.320 --> 0:21:02.920 that if they messed it up enough, no one would 0:21:02.920 --> 0:21:06.080 want to protect it, after all, selfish monsters. It's just 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:08.639 it's so immature, right, It's like, oh, well, if we 0:21:08.720 --> 0:21:10.480 can have it, then we're just going to mess it 0:21:10.480 --> 0:21:13.000 all up and no one can have it. Horrible, you know, 0:21:13.080 --> 0:21:16.760