We decided to go on a boat tour out into the bay. Before our tour, we walked out to look over the bay. The tour boat is a kind of pontoon boat with plenty of room for the 8 tourists, boat operator and a narrator. It could easily handle 30. Just off the docks, we saw a pair of manatees. Very likely it was a mom and baby. The problem is that water in bay and around the docks is an interesting pale green. It is only possible to see a few inches down. The narrator pointed out and gave us information on the osprey nest. He told us that most years, the pair had 3 chicks. Being right over the “plug”, they are very popular and tolerant of tourists. The plug is a dam placed across the man-made channel. The channel was dug in the 50s to give easier access to the lake but soon it was discovered that water from the bay was changing the salinity. Soon after the everglades was established, the plug was installed to end the mixing. As we pulled out into the bay, we stopped to see two crocodiles. One very large and another that was small. We went out into the bay to a couple of the closer keys and saw many birds. The water in the bay is almost all shallow. Some areas are under 2 feet in low tide. The first key was small but there were some birds. On the way to the second key, we saw several sharks. The second key had more osprey, pelicans, … lots of birds. On the return to the docks, Shawna spotted several dolphins. Several people commented on her sharp vision. No way I could get a camera up quick enough though.
It was a nice ride out and back.
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Time to get out and take some short hikes. Before we left, we noticed these guys were hanging around. They are in the campground almost all the time. We had been warned that sometimes they attack windshield wipers. No really for some reason vultures have learned to pull rubber off of vehicles. There have not been any problems in this part of the park while we have been here but we are careful. We drove up to West Lake and walked the new boardwalk. It was only .4 miles but a very nice walk through a mangrove forest and along the lake. Next Snake Bight Trail. The trail is a bit longer than the first at 3.6 miles round trip. The trails were originally a road for maintaining a drainage ditch it follows to the bay. That is why the trail is very straight. The attempt failed and the result is a slowly filling ditch with a road to the bay built from the digging of the ditch. The trail gave us several interesting things to see. Seed pods. These are about 4 inches by 3 inches. With some really big seeds. I have no idea what these are. Some woodpecker high rises. There were some cactus even in the Everglades. This is called barbed wire cactus. Interesting flowers and moths. The bay access was disappointing. It was low tide. They are pretty serious about bothering wildlife.
Today, we took a ride on our bikes along the shore of Florida bay. Round trip about 2 miles. The bay is the largest in Florida. It’s HUGE! A paved path runs all the way from the campgrounds to the visitor center. It passes the lodge/hotel that is under renovation due to hurricane damage. Interesting choice for building material. If you looked closely, you would find that they are using shipping containers. Warning: Short history lesson ahead and maybe a bit of a rant. This area has been occupied by several different peoples. The earliest being natives known as the Calusa who were here for 1000s of years. They did not practice any agriculture but instead harvested from plants that grew naturally. The tribes of Calusa died off before the end of the 1700's from diseases and being killed by Europeans. They were replaced by the beginning of the 1800's by the Seminole tribes who moved deeper into the Everglades and away from the Flamingo costal area. The area is called Flamingo because of the enormous flocks of flamingos. Hundreds of thousands of flamingos used to live in this area. Live the important word. In the 1893, a village was formed and quickly became an exporter of Plumage from Flamingos, Egrets and other birds. The "harvest" continued to increase until almost all of the birds were gone. If wealthy people decide that an animal has something that makes them look better, then expect that animal to vanish from the planet. People with disposable income as a group are idiots at best. The poor will work to give what the wealthy want to survive. Ok don't get confused I am a capitalist, but people can be really stupid when it comes to fashion. Today, almost NO Flamingos can be found in the Everglades. The last survey found only 147. That is insane. The next crazy thing people did was to start digging canals to "drain" the Everglades in an attempt to grow cotton or other farming. No surprise but it failed miserably. In 1947, the Everglades National Park was established, and some animals and plants started to recover UNTIL people brought in exotic plants and pets. The plants started intruding and replacing native plants. Pet owners (snake owners) got tired of their pets and decided to release them. As a result, there are almost no ground animals in the Everglades. No kidding, the entire time we were in the Everglades, we never saw any deer, pigs, raccoons, rabbits, mice, rats, possums or even squirrels. They are all wiped out by the Burmese Python. The Burmese python was first found in the Everglades in 1979! It took less than 40 years for them to destroy the mammal ecosystem in the Everglades. The rule needs to be: Don't release a pet into the wild. EVER! Hurricanes hit the area and the Visitor center needed a complete replacement. They hope to have the new visitor center, restaurant, and hotel open by the end of the year. Assuming another hurricane doesn’t destroy the work first.
Today, we rented a canoe for 4 hours.
We paddled north in the Buttonwood Canal to Coot Bay.
The canal was originally dug to allow easy access from Florida Bay to Coot Bay. It was a mistake because salty water started intruding into Coot Bay.
Almost all of the banks of the canal are covered with mangroves.
Only in a few locations was there any access to shore. You do NOT want to fall out of your canoe or kayak. Not only is the canal deep but this is not a place you want to swim. Both America Crocodiles and Alligators are in here with us.
Crocodile! Not only a CROCODILE but a big one! We have seen dozens of alligators, but crocodiles can only be found in the wild in the Everglades.
Another crocodile. I don't like the way he is looking at us.
A kind of "What's for Dinner?" look.
Dead crock! Wow!
This huge dead crocodile was floating to one side of the canal. Disturbing but fascinating and for now not smelling. That will not last. I don’t want to be anywhere near it when it starts to stink.
I wonder if it died of natural causes or was it in a fight. I really don't want to run into anything that could take on and beat this big Croc.
We saw several birds. Anhinga are so weird. They swim. Not just dive but swim. When on the surface, only their neck and head are above the water. They don't float like other birds. After fishing, they will get up on a limb holding out their wings to dry out before flying. I tried to get video of them underwater but was not successful. We did get some pictures of a Tricolor Heron.
We made it to the lake. Pretty but very shallow. Most of the lake is only 3 or 4 feet deep.
The trip was 2 miles to the lake and 2 miles back, so we paddled over 4 miles total. Wind helped us a little going to the lake but on the way back we were fighting the wind the whole way.
At the dam or plug as they call it, is where we put in and there is an Osprey nest. The babies have Mom and dad are working very hard to keep them fed.
It was a fun trip. Time for a shower. It will be a cold one because for some reason there is no solar water heating system for the bathhouse even though those require no power at all.
We go on a walk today at Royal Palm. The Anhinga Trail and the Gumbo Limbo Trail. What a weird name for a tree. More about that later. What an interesting sign to find in a parking lot. This is the primary place where cars are attacked by buzzards. Weird! It seems that a flock of buzzards comes here every year during migration. For some reason no one can figure out, they attack rubber on cars. When they do a lot of damage is done. Not only are the windshield wipers torn off but rubber seals around windows are damaged. As you can imagine, having large taloned birds walk all over your car leaves some bad scratches. By now almost the entire flock has moved north, so we did not have to put a tarp over the truck. Look it up and you will find videos of the damage they have done. The Anhinga trail is about 1.6 miles round trip. It is about half road and the other half boardwalk. Anhinga are a strange bird. They swim to catch fish and can stay underwater for many minutes at a time. Later, they will stand on a limb to dry their feathers out before flying There are a lot of fish, birds, turtles, and alligators. Some of the gators are big. Lots of birds Plants and flowers Turtles Next to the Gumbo Limbo trail, which is a .4-mile trail through a hardwood hammock The Gumbo Limbo is a tree. It has red bark that peels off in thin sheets. It looks like it is sunburned, so locals call it the tourist or burned tourist tree. Because of this, people have nicknamed it the tourist tree. A cut branch can be used as a fence post and will start to grow. A living post that will not rot which is really important in the Everglades. The largest of the trees were cut down to make merry-go-round horses. The resin is a medicinal salve as an antidote to the poison wood and bee stings. It was also used as a preservative for canoes and incense by the Mayas. The inner bark was used to make what we now call chicken gumbo soup.
I will have to check on that because it is just weird to think that the idea of the origin of gumbo coming from a tree. We decided to go on some short walks a couple of miles from the campground. Someone has a sense of humor. Many were boardwalks. The Pa-hoy-okee trail is short but gives great views of the land. It is amazing how big the Everglades is and feels so untouched. Next was the Mahogany Hammock Trail. This was a loop into a hammock which are areas of trees and usually slightly elevated over the rest of the land. These are the only dry areas in much of the park. More Periphyton. It is all over the glades. The Everglades depends on this strange plant. The hammock is very dense Palms Hardwoods like Mahogany Strangler fig,… Strangle figs grow around a large tree and then will completely surround it. In the end, the fig will usually surround the tree and its roots. Once the fig becomes strong enough to support itself and disrupts the roots of the tree, the host tree dies. Even though it sounds harsh, the end result is that the rotting host tree becomes homes for insects, birds, and other animals. The ferns are huge. I guess never experiencing a real winter makes growing large easier This little bird has decided that it needs to attack our truck mirrors. He kept trying for several days.
Today, we took off for a shopping trip in Homestead. On the way out, we stopped at the Visitor Center. They have a nice display inside. On the path to the center was this sign next to a tree at the center. WAIT! WHAT! Something caught my eye... POISONWOOD! Isn't it enough to have Poison Ivy? Yes, they have a tree here and in the Keys that is not to be touched. It is considered the most poisonous tree in the world. Whatever you do never bite the fruit because it causes immediate blisters, extreme pain and if swallowed it may kill you. Not only can contact irritate your skin but the sap is poisonous and acidic causing blisters. If you then touch your eyes, you can temporarily GO BLIND! If it catches fire, the smoke can cause blindness. Wow! On our way back to the Everglades, we stopped at what may be the most famous fruit stands in Florida and maybe the country. "Robert is here" has to be the strangest name anyone has ever picked for a fruit stand but there is a story behind the name. Robert as a boy had a small stand out in front of this house. His dad made signs to show that Robert was available to sell and all he put on the signs was “Robert is here”. Well, the name stuck. Of course, they have all the normal items we find at a fruit stand but specialize in having fruits from around the world. I saw many that I had never even heard of or knew existed. We bought some fruit among other things. They have the best smoothie I have ever had.
Today, we visited a missile site. The Nike missile sites were installed all over the country. Nike missile batteries were placed near large cities, military bases, and other critical locations targeted by the USSR (Russia). Our tour was given by Ranger Leon who served in the Coast Guard, then after retirement has been doing these tours for the past 18 years. He was enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable. The building that had been used for command and control, barracks, and administration is now used by the park service. All this area was extremely secure. The saying was shoot first then interrogate the survivor. Of course, they did have some false alarms. One even involved a General who did not realize how bad an idea it would be to get cocky and enter the area without prior notice. He was lucky to only forced to the ground spread eagle instead of shot. They were very serious because nuclear warheads were in some missiles. The security protocol required that prior notice be sent of anyone coming into the area. Second, they must be in pairs so no one alone. Strip searched and then allowed to enter if they could confirm the purpose given in the prior notice stated. The electric fence was at lethal levels so it would be a bad idea to touch it. There was a second fence patrolled by attack dog and guard. Last, an additional fence around the launch sites themselves. Warning History lesson ahead: The Nike system was prompted by the expansionist statements from the Soviet Union. These missiles were developed to knock down enemy aircraft. Because of the development of supersonic bombers, something was needed that could counter that threat. The Nike system 41 feet long and used 4 solid rockets to get to over 2,700 mph. They were controlled by what at the time was state of the art computer systems and guided by ground radar. Most current smart watches are smarter than the computers of 1958 and far more reliable. They missiles were able to reach altitudes of over 100,000 feet. They could have a conventual warhead or a 45-kiloton nuclear one. This means that it could be at least twice the power of the bomb exploded over Hiroshima. Each site would have at least 3 barns. In every battery, there were 3 missiles, and one was always loaded with a nuclear warhead. One barn was on immediate launch status at all times and could launch missiles in less than 5 minutes. The other two were on standby but at least one could be ready in less than 30 minutes. These times were relaxed when threats were reduced. When needed a missile would launch and explode just in front of the target, showering it with metal or in the case of the nuclear warhead take out many planes at once. These only had a range of 45 miles so if a nuclear warhead was used some fallout could strike our cities. The thought was that it would be better to have fallout instead of explosions on cities from much larger enemy nuclear bombs. Very strict security was maintained at the site as I described earlier. No one was allowed to approach unless approved. To reach the missiles required passing three fences, armed guards and dogs. They were authorized if needed "shoot first and interrogate later". If you read the above order, it indicates that they were authorized to use nuclear over the US if required. The Everglades site was the final site to be decommissioned in 1979. The last few years only conventual warheads were on site. This site was constructed because of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Speed was important because the incoming planes could be approaching at over 500 mph. The function of an air defense guided missile system is to deter or minimize the effects of enemy attacks by detecting and destroying enemy aircraft and missiles approaching a defended area. These systems must be capable of effective action against targets operating at any altitude and velocity. The systems must also be capable of trajectory corrections after missile launch to permit interception of targets taking evasive actions. In addition, it is desirable that the systems be capable of self-defense against tactical surface targets. The Improved Nike Hercules System and the Nike-Hercules ATBM System can be used in support of other service group. When on alert, the missiles would be pushed out into position. If a possible launch was called, they would then run around the berm and into a shelter. I would say this ends the history lessons but this whole site is about history. The area looks very different than it did when the military controled the site. As part of the tour, we were able to walk into one of the barns. Inside there was a Nike missile, control equipment, and lots of information. The guys were young. All were under 30 and most still in their teens.
First, we will stay for 6 days at the Lone Pine Key campground which is in the northeast side of the Everglades. No power but good cell service so we have internet. Yes, we will have no AC and will have to use our solar and generator.
Later, we will then move to the most southwestern part of the Everglades at Flamingo Campground for a week. This will put us at the very southern point of the Florida mainland. Big benefit there is that we will have electricity. Yea, AC! Downside, we will have limited cell signal and no internet at all. After that, we will be back at Lone Pine Key for 4 days. Oh Boy! No power. We do run our AC off the generator in the hottest part of the day but can't safely do that for more than 4 hours without cooling down the generator. At least, it is cool at night most of the time. While we are here, we plan to canoe, hike, bike, ...
This morning we got up early for our scheduled tram ride.
We were rewarded with a very pretty sunrise.
Our scheduled time was at 9am but we were told to be there at 8:30am. It was at least a 30-minute drive to the center. We arrived on time, but the gate was closed and did not open until 8:30am sharp. Seems 8am was not when the park opens despite how logical that would be. We did have a nice conversation with some tourist from England.
Shark Valley is part of the Everglades National Park. The name came from Ponce de Leon who found many bull sharks at the end of a river. He named it Shark River. Well that river starts way up here, so someone thought hey this should be named Shark River but since it is hard to see the river how about Valley. Yep, the name was just for marketing.
Soon our tram tour started. The tram takes a meandering path to the observation tower and then a straight line back. The straight road was put in by an oil company exploring the area to no success. As a result, they tried to recover money spent on the land but finally gave up and donated it to the government for tax write offs. That is how we got a lot of the land that we now call the Everglades. I have no problem with tax write offs if they save nature. I'm even ok with a company buying land just to get the write off if that land should be protected.
WOW! It is hard to imagine just how HUGE the park is.
Of course, Gators. Lots and lots more alligators. Love is in the air gator style.
This is a mated pair. The smaller is the female. Once successful they will separate, and she will make a nest to lay her eggs and watch over the babies for the next 3 years. He will just wonder off to try to find another female.
We got a few pictures of a mom and babies. She was about 5 feet off the road.
We did see several single gators. One that was may have just been runoff by mom.
And a crocodile! This is our first crocodile in the wild.
The rangers do not know how this crocodile got this far away from the normal area that Florida Crocodiles are found. All others are at the very farthest southern point of the Everglades. They have determined that it is female and has not mated for several years. She does not tolerate attention from alligators even though some will try. She was right next to the road.
At the furthest point on the road is the observation tower. It is the sister to the tower at Clingmans dome in Great Smoky National Park. It was designed by the same man. The tower gives a view from 70 feet above the Everglades.
Roads and other dry areas in the Everglades are taken from borrow pits or ditches. Soil is only a few inches deep and from there down for a great distance is limestone. Of course, any hole dug in here fills in with water quickly. In these pictures, you can see limestone.
We did come across birds, turtles and fish. The big bird seems to be a stork.
More birds.
Turtles.
We did take a short hike. The Bobcat Boardwalk trail starts a short walk down the tram road, walk on a boardwalk. This is where we got better pictures of the mother gator and her babies.
Many places there is a strange kind of material floating. These algae are called periphyton and is critical for the Everglades. It gives shade and hiding placed for tiny fish, frogs, and turtles from birds. Water is cleaned by it. In dry periods, it holds moisture for extended periods of time which protects plants and some eggs for fish and other animals. It is strange looking. At first glance, it looks like some sort of pollution.
This trail is supposed to have snails, but we only saw a few of them.
Flowers and a couple of moth and butterflies.
We enjoyed the tram ride and the boardwalk. After leaving the visitor center, we decided to drive the loop road. That will be in the next post.
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