The Treasures of The Everglades

I had an earlier start this morning in my second visit to the Everglades National Park as it was some 20 degrees cooler than the usual morning here.  After getting an egg'n cheese sandwich and glass of OJ, I left most of the small windows and a couple of the larger windows partially cracked for Tiger and Molly (roof vent open too, in case the temp should rise before I returned).  I headed for the park just around 9:00 a.m. and the temp probably around the mid to upper 40s.

First stop was at the park entrance sign to get a picture (well, after getting 8 gallons of gas in the Jeep just around the corner).  I had whizzed past the entrance sign on my first trip as it is not very conspicuous and there were a couple people there getting their pictures taken by each other when I passed there Friday.
 
The next stop happened to be just across the road where I encountered my first alligator (near the exit from the park) and this time there were a couple birds on the side where I stopped and a large blue heron took off from the other side -- no alligator this time.

After that, I set my sights on getting to the end of the road to Flamingo to check out the campgrounds and see if there happened to be a beach there -- possible fishing spot.  The Visitor Center at Flamingo is bright pink and I had hoped there might be some birds of the same color around.  No such luck and the beach had no sand -- only clay and mud.  Beyond the horizon lay the Keys and some folks were seeing the bay on one of those twin hull tourist boats and a couple fishermen were plying the waters from another small boat.

Sites at the campground were $14 without electrical and $30 with per night -- Tiger and Molly are okay as long as they stay in the RV.  That's a lot cheaper than the Key West are where $100 per night is about typical -- Key Largo will be around $45 per night.



The Keys are beyond the horizon



After leaving Flamingo with some slight disappointment in lack of wildlife and quality of the water and beach, I had decided to make as many stops on the way back as I could.  First turnoff went to Bear Lake and paralleled a canal where canoers and one of the tourist boats passed by -- had hopes of maybe hearing/seeing a manatee somewhere along the canal (had the window down and rolled slowly along the dirt road hoping).  No such luck and I didn't get to Bear Lake.

Coot Bay Pond

Turned around and retraced the few miles of dirt road to continue to the next stop -- Coot Bay Pond.  Nothing much there except a few concrete picnic tables.  Took a few pictures and moved on.

Next came Mrazek Pond just by the road and did see one large gator on a far bank sunning itself with 3 or 4 waterbirds on a root or branch just by the water.  There also happened to be a really large blue heron farther to the right of the gator and further across the pond with a number of other small water birds flitting about and fish jumping here and there.

Mrazek Pond (binoculars please)

I skipped Rowdy Bend Trail and Snake Bight Trail to stop at West Lake where I walked the platform trail out and around the turnaround.  Met a man (Saban) and his two sons fishing from the platform railing -- no luck today they said as they packed their gear and were heading back to the three little piers at the boat ramp, restroom area and pavillion.  I gave them my last two little pieces of "Fish Bites" for them to try and after seeing one of them give up on the "pink" artificial bait, I headed for the next stop (Nine Mile Pond).

Passed Hells Bay (Canoe Trail) and Noble Hammock (Canoe Trail) on the way to Nine Mile Pond and took the quick pull-off and parking lot -- kept on going slowly through as nothing seemed appealling at the location and the pond had little happening on the surface (other than small wind-whipped ripples).

I skipped Mahogany Hammock (going off to the west) and passed the previous stops from last Friday as I headed to Royal Palm and the Anhinga Trail.  This is where the treasure hunt ends and the most unbelievable sights will amaze you.  If there is one place you vsit in all of the Everglades, this must be at the top of the list (it is on mine for sure).  It is the first stop on the left after you pass (pay) the Ranger Station and it is a short drive down a paved road to the Visitor Center there.  The Anhinga Trail starts as asphalt by the pond near the Visitor Center and changes to elevated wooden platforms with railings that wind out into the marshes and over or around the pond(s).

You start out in awe of the occasional gator and the birds and fish in and around this small pond but, as you walk on and around the winding wooden pathways you will come upon some of the most unbelievable scenes of creatures and wildlife.  A true paradise to behold and pictures can only begin to show what you could see -- don't step too far off the walkways and platforms.

Picnic Grounds -- for Alligators, of course.

So in my accidentally saving Royal Palm and the Anhinga Trail for last, I felt immeasurably rewarded with getting the very best to remember as vividly as possible.

Anhinga Trail - Take the Walk

I also had hoped to stop at "Robert Is Here" fruit stand to check out a "Jackfruit" if they had any -- supposedly can get up to 80 pounds each (sweet pineapple-vanilla flavor).  They were having their 52 year celebration and the parking lots were full -- decided a nap would be good instead.