ON YOUR OWN

We've done the tourist boats, but after you've snorkeled a couple times, it can be annoying to keep bumping into strangers in the middle of the ocean. We like to rent a boat from the park's concessions and head out on our own; many private companies also offer rentals. This can be pricey, but if you have enough bodies to split the total, not necessarily much more than it would cost to go out in a bigger boat. And this way, you can zip to the (uncrowded) reefs of your choosing, on your own schedule.

You have to be an experienced boater and navigator to captain yourself. The area is full of shallow reefs and rocks that can be as dangerous as they are picturesque -- hence the shipwrecks. But the rewards are plentiful. I've swum alongside giant sea turtles and sneaked up on nurse sharks.

To me reefs are like the Rockies, landscapes of canyons and mountains -- albeit filled with lobsters and anemones. When I lived in the northern half of the United States, I flew thousands of miles and spent a month's salary just to get to experience the quiet peace of watching this hidden world. Now I can drive an hour and do it in a day.

There are several decent dining options in Key Largo. We like to stop at Key Largo Conch House (formerly known as Key Largo Coffee House; everything in Key Largo seems to have a past life) to say hi to Romeo, the African gray parrot, and the resident dog. You can dine on omelets, cappuccinos, salads and smoothies on the wide porch of this restored Victorian, or sit among the trees outside this laid-back restaurant. Last time we were there, the couple next to us had a baby marmoset in a pet carrier, which Cole went, er, bananas over. Ah, the Keys.

But since we generally opt to spend extra to get a bayfront cottage at the Pelican, we usually save our money for cooking and dining waterside. You can buy fresh fish from Key Largo Fisheries a few blocks away, throw it on the barby, and eat right on the dock, watching the sun drop behind the mangroves and sailboats and keeping an eye out for manatees, dolphins and sting rays swimming by. Isn't this what living in Florida is all about?

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