Long Key State Park.

Today, we will visit Long Key State Park. It is not a big park but is not as heavily used as others in the area. That will allow us to keep enjoying nature and avoid crowds.

We would have taken the hiking trail but the damage from Hurricane Irma is still very evident.

Our biggest disappointment was the trash. We have found that the Keys have lots of trash on the shorelines. Much of it may be storm debris. I hope it is not just laziness.

We grabbed a couple of bags and started picking up trash. We filled and dumped into the trash containers 14 bags and several odd items. A 25 gallon plastic barrel, several small plastic tubs, and a florescent bulb. Weird! We filled the trash containers and flagged down the campground staff to warn them that they were full. They thanked us for cleaning up so much of the shore.

Along the shore the rocks (fossilized coral in limestone) were the home for some colorful snails. We have not found out their name. They were all sizes and colors. They are waiting for high tide. 

Time for a bit of fun for us. We did some snorkeling but found more grass than fish. The one thing we did find was pretty fantastic. It was a very large Bahama Sea Star, also called a Cushion Sea Star. They are protected so cannot be collected or sold in Florida.
​starfish video

Back at the campground and we relaxed watching another beautiful sunset.