Canoeing in the Everglades

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.