Big Pine Key, No Name Key

We took a little trip today.....looking for some hiking......wildlife.......a change of scenery.  We got a map at the National Key Deer Refuge visitor center and hit all three hiking trails......none of which was longer than a mile :/

My, what big teeth you have!

Very different terrain from our favorite northern Michigan trails!

Controlled fires encourage pine rockland forest growth and inhibit tropical hardwood growth. The pine forest is critical habitat for Key Deer.

Ibis

Flat trails

Between trails #2 and #3 we stumbled upon the No Name Pub where David and his friend, Joe, had gone several decades ago.  It's still there and they're still serving homemade pizzas (although we had grouper sandwiches).

Yes, we found it!

We saw several Key Deer on Big Pine and No Name Keys.  They aren't afraid of people, that's for sure!  They're smaller than whitetail deer, maybe three feet tall at the most.

Key Deer are an endangered species.  Once there were only 50 left on these islands.  Now there are more than 600.

Cute little things!

Looking east (?) from the end of No Name Key

This trail should have been called The One-Mile Trail That Leads Nowhere.

Little did we know this trail would lead nowhere. 

We suspect the area floods with storm surges because we saw lots of things along the trail that belong in the ocean (horseshoe crab).

Shell

Crab pot marker

Unfortunately, we saw two boys on miniature motorcycles :(

The trail that lead nowhere -- it was a nice day for a walk...sunny, breezy, and 70 degrees :)

We rented a car for a week.  Duncan visits in two days!

The abandoned railroad bridge on our drive back to Virginia Dare