November 18, 2020

Everglades National Park

Long Pine Campground Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida

Happy happy birthday Dre!!

I took a quick walk this morning and then we packed up.  We stopped at Midway Campground to clean tanks and to fill with fresh water.  We drove the short distance from Monument Lake to Homestead.  Our first stop was to fill with propane.  Next, we parked the RV alongside a laundromat and washed all our clothes.  We stopped to mail cards and then headed to Robert’s.  Robert Is Here is an incredible produce market.  When Robert was a kid, his mother sat him on the corner to sell vegetables from the family farm.  At first, Robert didn’t get much business.  His mom made a big sign that said “Robert Is Here.”  From that day forward, Robert and his entire family have built a produce empire.  They sell only the highest quality.  Any overripe fruit goes into their amazing milkshakes.  Any scraps go to the animals they keep in their petting zoo.  Today, we got mangoes, avocados, papaya, pineapple, fresh heirloom tomatoes, corn on the cob, and mango butter.  We love to stop at Robert’s!  We were able to stay away from the milkshakes today…those milkshakes are famous all over south Florida. 

We got to our campsite in midafternoon.  After quiet hour, we drove the Jeep to Royal Palm and walked the Anhinga Trail.  This boardwalk is on the edge of a freshwater slough. 

Animals are attracted to this area and normally we have seen all kinds of birds and lots of gators.  Today, the animals were hiding.  Actually, I think that the water is still too high and fast moving from Eta.  We saw a couple of anhingas drying their wings.

And, a couple of dragonflies too!

As we drove on other park roads, we could really appreciate the flooding.  Many trails and roads have standing water. 

We saw this copperhead warming himself on the asphalt.

Not sure what kind of little creature this is…

We rode bikes around the campgrounds during the golden hour.

Grilled pineapple and shrimp with corn on the cob made for a delicious meal. 

Tim saw a second copperhead this evening as he was taking out the trash.