Friday morning found us mounting our bikes with eight others including a National Park Ranger and riding 2 ½ hours through the varied “dry” landscape of the Everglades. This is the dry season. The vast grasslands which are from April through November covered with water are now solid earth. Grass gives way to pines, then to hammocks of hardwoods including mahogany. No wildlife observed on this trip.
The afternoon found us at the Anhinga Trail, a series of elevated paths and boardwalks that border and cross a wetland. The entire walk was less than a mile but it took three hours. Alligators, too numerous to count, lay in the afternoon sun. Ibis, herons, cormorants, anhinga, turtles, gar, egrets, woodstorks, vultures, oscars, owls and hawks were some of the wildlife spotted during our walk.
The humidity increased throughout the day and there were severe rain storms nearby. We experienced no rain but the air was still and heavy. As we sat inside the RV under our lights, we were beset by swarms of small insects including the dreaded “noseeums”, which leave a welt after they bite. These insects are so small that they can crawl through the tight mesh of our window screens. After applying the Mom Aune technique of grabbing the vacuum and sweeping the lights of bugs, we realized it was a loosing battle. By 8:30 we retired to the bedroom, void of lights, for a relatively uninterrupted night’s sleep. The
last thing I did do before I closed the door to the bedroom was to shoot two puffs of RAID into the living area.
With our early departure to bed, we were up before the sunrise. The temperature was 73 degrees and the humidly was 100%. We rode off to see the sunrise and visit wildlife sites near the campground. The sun rose over Florida Bay. Saturday morning fishermen were following the channel out to the f
ishing grounds. As we looked out across the massive bay, it was hard to imagine that the huge expanse of water, much of it is less than 2 feet deep, most less than 6 feet. But channels were dredged to allow fishing boats to traverse.
We rode past the empty lodge again, sad commentary of a past exuberant life. Three years ago visitors could easily access this site, stay in hotel-like settings and eat in nearby restaurants. Tours to the varied biomes were readily accessible. Now these opportunities have been washed away by two successive storms, Wilma and Katrina, and Congressional inaction.
We arrived at the Marina and viewed the adventurous from the Miami area launch their boats. Families, male buddies, and some singles were readying their gear in hopes of catching tarpon, shark, snook, trout, redfish, or other fish. We stopped at the Marina to again look for the resident crocodiles. None sighted.
On the way back to the campground we stopped at Eco Pond. Two photographers (tripods and lens 2+ feet long) and a “bird watcher” were already present. One noted that a belted
kingfisher was present but we could not see it. We rode our bikes around the pond and the roseate spoonbill was most impressive. Immersed in their morning feeding ritual, the ibis, egrets, bitterns, wood storks, blue herons, and great white herons appeared oblivious to us as we biked by.
We spent the day around the campsite, working on the rig and enjoying the ambiance of being on the southernmost tip of the mainland USA. Bud and Alyce joined us for ice tea in the afternoon. It was time to say goodbye. We will probably not see them again. They have added so much to our Florida experience. We wished we had stopped and visited them in their beautiful farm in upper PA. At 84, they believe they have at least 7 more “good years” in them. They have made their Florida reservations for next year. As we said our goodbyes, it was revealed that Alyce, when their youngest daughter was five, had returned to work as a school secretary. A school secretary – a principal’s favorite person and all this time I thought this friendship was prompted by Bud.
The evening took us back to the elevated path and boardwalk of Anhinga. In the dark of night we heard the sounds of aquatic life around us. As we shined our lights across the water, the nocturnal alligator was revealed in its glory. The feeding frenzy was on. They were on the prowl. They were too numerous to count, their eyes luring at us just above the water. Interestingly, my LED headlamp revealed white eyes, the incandescent flashlight revealed red, gliding along the surface of the water. Eerie and unnerving, but another taste of the natural, after another cold shower. Alligator eye photo attached.
February 10
As we readied to leave, Alyce and Bud approached us again. This time they carried a packet of frozen fish, trout, recently caught in Florida Bay, and a conch shell that he had retrieved from Tampa Bay. We were on the road by 9 a.m. and drove the 100+ miles to Midway, a campsite on Highway 41, midway between Miami and Naples. This location provides excellent access to the sites of Big Cypress National Preserve. It is basically the same landscape and has similar wildlife of the Everglades. National Preserves, like the National Parks, are maintained by the Dept. of Interior, but more and varied activities are allowed. Private concessions, exploration via ATV, mining, drilling, logging, and other activities can take place in a Preserve.
In the late afternoon we drove Loop Road, a narrow dirt road through the glades and wetlands. Again, the unique landscape and wildlife caused us to pause at several places. The alligators and the aforementioned birdlife were abundant.
The afternoon found us at the Anhinga Trail, a series of elevated paths and boardwalks that border and cross a wetland. The entire walk was less than a mile but it took three hours. Alligators, too numerous to count, lay in the afternoon sun. Ibis, herons, cormorants, anhinga, turtles, gar, egrets, woodstorks, vultures, oscars, owls and hawks were some of the wildlife spotted during our walk.
The humidity increased throughout the day and there were severe rain storms nearby. We experienced no rain but the air was still and heavy. As we sat inside the RV under our lights, we were beset by swarms of small insects including the dreaded “noseeums”, which leave a welt after they bite. These insects are so small that they can crawl through the tight mesh of our window screens. After applying the Mom Aune technique of grabbing the vacuum and sweeping the lights of bugs, we realized it was a loosing battle. By 8:30 we retired to the bedroom, void of lights, for a relatively uninterrupted night’s sleep. The
last thing I did do before I closed the door to the bedroom was to shoot two puffs of RAID into the living area.With our early departure to bed, we were up before the sunrise. The temperature was 73 degrees and the humidly was 100%. We rode off to see the sunrise and visit wildlife sites near the campground. The sun rose over Florida Bay. Saturday morning fishermen were following the channel out to the f
ishing grounds. As we looked out across the massive bay, it was hard to imagine that the huge expanse of water, much of it is less than 2 feet deep, most less than 6 feet. But channels were dredged to allow fishing boats to traverse.We rode past the empty lodge again, sad commentary of a past exuberant life. Three years ago visitors could easily access this site, stay in hotel-like settings and eat in nearby restaurants. Tours to the varied biomes were readily accessible. Now these opportunities have been washed away by two successive storms, Wilma and Katrina, and Congressional inaction.
We arrived at the Marina and viewed the adventurous from the Miami area launch their boats. Families, male buddies, and some singles were readying their gear in hopes of catching tarpon, shark, snook, trout, redfish, or other fish. We stopped at the Marina to again look for the resident crocodiles. None sighted.
On the way back to the campground we stopped at Eco Pond. Two photographers (tripods and lens 2+ feet long) and a “bird watcher” were already present. One noted that a belted
kingfisher was present but we could not see it. We rode our bikes around the pond and the roseate spoonbill was most impressive. Immersed in their morning feeding ritual, the ibis, egrets, bitterns, wood storks, blue herons, and great white herons appeared oblivious to us as we biked by.We spent the day around the campsite, working on the rig and enjoying the ambiance of being on the southernmost tip of the mainland USA. Bud and Alyce joined us for ice tea in the afternoon. It was time to say goodbye. We will probably not see them again. They have added so much to our Florida experience. We wished we had stopped and visited them in their beautiful farm in upper PA. At 84, they believe they have at least 7 more “good years” in them. They have made their Florida reservations for next year. As we said our goodbyes, it was revealed that Alyce, when their youngest daughter was five, had returned to work as a school secretary. A school secretary – a principal’s favorite person and all this time I thought this friendship was prompted by Bud.
The evening took us back to the elevated path and boardwalk of Anhinga. In the dark of night we heard the sounds of aquatic life around us. As we shined our lights across the water, the nocturnal alligator was revealed in its glory. The feeding frenzy was on. They were on the prowl. They were too numerous to count, their eyes luring at us just above the water. Interestingly, my LED headlamp revealed white eyes, the incandescent flashlight revealed red, gliding along the surface of the water. Eerie and unnerving, but another taste of the natural, after another cold shower. Alligator eye photo attached.
February 10
As we readied to leave, Alyce and Bud approached us again. This time they carried a packet of frozen fish, trout, recently caught in Florida Bay, and a conch shell that he had retrieved from Tampa Bay. We were on the road by 9 a.m. and drove the 100+ miles to Midway, a campsite on Highway 41, midway between Miami and Naples. This location provides excellent access to the sites of Big Cypress National Preserve. It is basically the same landscape and has similar wildlife of the Everglades. National Preserves, like the National Parks, are maintained by the Dept. of Interior, but more and varied activities are allowed. Private concessions, exploration via ATV, mining, drilling, logging, and other activities can take place in a Preserve.
In the late afternoon we drove Loop Road, a narrow dirt road through the glades and wetlands. Again, the unique landscape and wildlife caused us to pause at several places. The alligators and the aforementioned birdlife were abundant.
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