Everglades National Park

A short drive from Sunshine Key brought us to the home of thousands of alligators, crocodiles, snakes and birds in Florida’s Everglades National Park. In fact there are so many alligators not only in the Everglades but in all of Florida that I started looking in my water glass before taking a drink.

These are the Everglades and they are found no where else ion the planet. We had planned to spend several days exploring the park.

This is the only place on the planet where alligators and crocodiles coexist. If you look at the everglades on Google earth you can zoom into the Flamingo Campground at the southwestern tip of mainland Florida. Despite the name Flamingo, there are none to be found, they have migrated elsewhere as their ideal ecosystem has changed. The area is wild and inhospitable to say the least. In fact there are signs posted claiming that during the summer months, the Everglades are inhospitable to humans. To say the mosquitos are abundant would be an understatement.

We experienced a “bearable” mosquito day and it was a challenge keeping them off. In fact the area in which we were camping is the area where the federal government and chemical companies alike come to test their mosquito repellents. We tried homeopathic remedies first but shortly resorted to DEET as it was the only thing to keep them at bay. The kids said one night in the Everglades would be enough and we agreed.

We checked out Flamingo visitor’s center and were getting all of our questions answered by a very knowledgeable Ranger Taylor when I realized the ranger standing next to him was the same ranger that we had met months earlier in Acadia National Park in Maine. In fact, he had run the kids through their junior ranger program and swore them in as Junior Rangers in Acadia. Kyra and I had complemented his hair when we were in Acadia. She wanted to say something so I urged her to pay a compliment letting her know she would probably never see him again. Or not. We did a little catching up to find out he was assigned to the Everglades for the winter. Good luck with that.

They were closing for the day so we headed across the parking lot to the Marina and discovered our first crocodile of the trip.

The kids were freaking out. It swam into a drainage culvert directly below our feet. We were three feet above him as he inched his way into the pipe. It was tempting to reach down and touch him. Our smarts and the threat of a five thousand dollar fine for feeding or harassing any animals in the park kept us from making any such attempt. The temperatures were mild but after one night and an attempt to take a walk, the mosquitos sent us packing.

We stopped by the ranger station and had our favorite ranger to read the kids the National  Park oath prior to heading out.

After experiencing Flamingo we garnered even greater respect for the men and women who endure this part of the world to share it’s story with others.

We headed out of the park to make our way west across the southern part of the state. We had been told of a casino that allowed overnight camping for free so we made that our next stop as we headed toward the gulf coast.

I found out there were a few perks to staying here when I checked in with security. They offer first time gamblers thirty dollars to get started on the gaming floor and two for one buffet discounts. I came back and let the kids know we were eating out. We took advantage of the buffet and then headed down to the gaming floor. The kids spent some time in the arcade while Laurel and I took turns with our free starter money on the gaming floor. I slowly lost my thirty bucks on the quarter slots and then traded spots with Laurel. She proceeded to win enough to cover any out of pocket experiences and line our pockets an additional five bucks. The kids didn’t want to leave the arcade but it was time to go to bed as the next day we were headed to Big Cypress National Park which comprises the upper portion of the everglades.

Big Cypress National Park

This is the northern portion of the everglades and is slightly less inhospitable to humans. We opted for a guided tour to learn more about the park. We were greeted in the car park by a somewhat imposing mud snake.

There are alligators everywhere.

The tour culminates in a visit to a concrete overlook which rises over the landscape with a view of it’s most menacing residents.

These prehistoric creatures are at the top of the food chain but are typically afraid of humans and typically scatter when you get too close. We stayed the recommended distance and then some.

 

While the alligators are the stars of Big Cypress we were completely blown away when we witnessed a blue heron take off from the water near us with a four foot snake in it’s beak and fly off to finish his meal. While this corner of the world is wild and full of dangerous creatures we learned this ecosystem is in trouble due to changes in rainfall and climate. The parks efforts are concentrated on preservation and education in hopes of bringing attention to the state of the Everglades unique ecosystem.

Not getting enough of the everglades we headed a short distance across the east to west roadway known as alligator alley to Midway campground where we had a reservation for the night.

No Swimming? Midway campground has a lake the size of a football field surrounded with campsites. Reservations only, no walk ups, it’s located about halfway between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts on highway 41. The campground hosts, who spend the winter here had no great concern over the several local gators who occupy the pond. As I cautiously walked the dog near the lake shore I noticed a couple gators following us as they heard the jingle of Charlies collar. Not wanting to become their next meal, Charlie opted for his happy place.

South Florida with it’s alligators, panthers, anacondas and all it’s other wild creatures is a must visit. Take DEET.

Near Miss Number Two

Heading towards Fort Myers on the west coast to see an old friend we narrowly avoided our second major near miss of the trip. Running along the north side of the roadway there is a canal full of, you guessed it, alligators.  The left side is full of…alligators.

Fifty miles per hour was slow enough to catch a glimpse of wildlife and fast enough to not overly irritate the drivers behind us. Under way less than ten minutes on highway 41 AKA, “Alligator Ally”, a minivan was entering the roadway heading towards us at the same time a person was running across the road in about the same spot. As we slowed, the person stopped in the middle of the road and turned around. I’m thinking, “what the”? He started back toward the van to prevent it from coming into our lane. As we closed in, passing closely, the fellow reached into the window of the van steering it back to the safety of the shoulder.  With my heart in my throat and thankful for our safety we realized the guy had stopped to take a picture of a massive gator on our side of the road. He had failed to place his van in park and his quick action averted a catastrophe.

This habitat is unforgiving.

Notice the tail of the other gator next to this big boys head.

Later Gator.