November 20, 2020

Flamingo

Flamingo Campground Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida

Morning walk.

Today we made the 34 mile trek from Long Pine Key to Flamingo. It took us all morning. We drove in and out of all the access roads. At Paurotis Pond, we stopped for our breakfast. We watched the mullets throwing themselves out of the water. We looked for birds. Often there are storks and heron and roseate spoonbills here…but today it was very quiet. We had this American Crow for our company. He was not scared of us at all and seemed to be waiting to share our yogurt and granola.

Tim spotted this little 12 inch alligator on the bank. His mother was probably not far away. Mama gators keep their babies close for about the first two years.

Our campsite for the next ten days.

This afternoon we took our bikes out to explore. This was our first glimpse of Florida Bay.

At the marina we saw this crocodile on the boat ramp. Crocodile survive in salt or brackish water. They do not live in fresh water lakes, ponds, or rivers like alligators do. However, alligators can also tolerate brackish water. This is the only place in the world where you can find both alligators and crocodiles living in the same habitat.

An alligator in the marina.

An osprey on his nest. Female osprey choose a mate based on the quality and size of the nest. This guy is a master builder!

We found another crocodile at the second ramp…this even bigger than the one before.

We cycled as far as the bridge.

Sunset in the campground.

We took the Jeep out for a ride after dark. No snakes or critters tonight.

November 19, 2020

Nike Missile Site

Long Pine Campground Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida Day 2

I saw this bird on my morning walk…I thought it was an osprey until I looked at my pictures tonight…beautiful eagle!

Our campsite.

We spent the morning back in Homestead. We wanted to make sure that we have everything we need/want before we drive another 34 miles to Flamingo Campground where we will spend the next ten days. There are NO services all the way in the bottom of the Everglades. We fueled the Jeep, got a couple last minute groceries, got some bug spray, and went to Robert’s. Today we decided to get Cuban sandwiches for our lunch…YUMMY!

We stopped at the Everglades Visitor Center for postcards.

This afternoon, we took the Jeep and the bikes to the Nike Missile Site. The road to the site is actually closed but there is a nice long stretch that is nice for cycling. We biked 5 miles into the wind first. If we have a choice, we always start with the headwind. See the windsock…the winds were steady blowing at about 16mph with occasional gusts…good work on a bike!

Then, we tuned around and with the wind pushing us, we sailed all the way back to the Jeep. Tim wanted to ride down to the site…it meant climbing over the gate meant to keep people out.

The Nike Missile Site was an active military installation during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Men were stationed here to deter Cuba from launching missiles/nuclear weapons directed at the East Coast of the United States. Whenever Russian planes invaded the airspace, these soldiers had 4 minutes to prepare the US missiles for launch. The planes would skirt the edge of the airspace and then retreat. The Cubans were watching via satellite to see how long it took to be launch ready. For further motivation, the families of the soldiers lived on the east coast where the nuclear warheads would be sent. These men could get it done! In the past, we have been fortunate to take a tour here and listen to a retired marine, who had been active duty during the Missile Crisis, tell the stories of this place.

This gate leads to a hardpacked trail directly form the campground to the road…of course it is not passable.

We saw one little gator.

We went to check out one of our favorite picnic spots but it is closed and seems to be waterlogged!

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.

November 17, 2020

Naples

Monument Lake Campground Big Cypress National Preserve Ochopee, Florida Day 4

I began as usual with my walk around the lake.  Every morning while I walk, Tim does his yoga, stretching, and workout. 

Today, I saw this small alligator swimming close to the edge.

As I rounded the northern end of the lake, I saw this guy.  He was about 8 feet long and laying on the bank just 20 feet from the gravel path that I was walking on.  I was by myself, no one else around, and I felt a little creeped out.  I turned around and walked back the way I had come.  I went to the RV and grabbed my bike and went back to take this picture.  I stood behind the picnic tables and used my zoom…

We really wanted to spend at least one day biking in Shark Valley while we were staying here.  Shark Valley is a portion of Everglades National Park.  It is a 15-mile loop into the everglades.  It is an amazing place to cycle, one of our very favorite places to ride.  Unfortunately, Shark Valley is submerged in several inches of water after Hurricane Eta.  Hopefully it will reopen about December first but we had also heard that it could take 3 months for the water to recede enough to allow visitors back in.  All the rain from the entire state of Florida either flows into the ocean, the gulf, or through the everglades.  Because the water is so slow moving and the vegetation is so dense, it takes a long time for water to be dispersed.  So today, we had no real plan.   We decided to drive west to Naples and get groceries and supplies for our time in Everglades National Park.  We took a bike ride on the bike path in a fairly congested area of town.  It was loud and crowded and culture shock after being in such a remote area. 

We stopped at this construction site…because when we are biking and we see a construction site, we always have to stop.  Tim still likes looking to see how things are being built!

We got sushi for lunch and drove to Collier-Seminole State Park.  We had our picnic by the mangrove swamp. 

We went for a short nature hike that ended abruptly with inches of water on the trail.

We got back late in the afternoon.  We took our sunset ride around the lake.

We ate grilled tilapia with garlic, lime and honey with a blue cheese, walnut pear salad.

Tomorrow we will move on into the National Park.

November 16, 2020

That’s How We Roll

Monument Lake Campground Big Cypress National Preserve Ochopee, Florida Day 3

My morning walk was around the Monument Lake. Soon after, we packed our cooler and set out for a Jeep adventure. We took the gravel Turner River Road for 20 miles into Big Cypress National Preserve. This area is rich with all kinds of wildlife. Supposedly, Florida panthers and Florida black bears live here. We didn’t see any but we did see a lot of other beautiful birds, flowers, insects and even an alligator on our little safari. Enjoy our pictures of the day.

Killdeer

Tricolored heron

Anhinga

Florida Lubbers

Red Shouldered Hawk

Swamp Potato or Bull Tongue Arrowhead

Swamp Lily

We had a great day!

We grilled salmon for our dinner and spent time talking to family.

We rode our bikes in loops around the lake at sunset.

November 15, 2020

Everglades City

Monument Lake Campground Big Cypress National Forest Ochopee, Florida

Last night I could see millions of stars from my bedroom window.  The Milky Way was visible.  I happened to see two “falling stars” probably the result of the Taurid or Leonid meteor showers. 

I did a couple of loops around Monument Lake this morning.  It took me awhile because I stopped to take pictures!

Oceanblue Morning Glories

Not sure what kind of bird this might be…I thought some sort of small raptor. I got a new App on my phone, Picture Bird, where I can enter a picture and the bird is identified for me…this is a Northern Mockingbird!

George, the mayor of Monument Lake.

We drove about 25 miles to Everglades City.  We rode our bikes along the water, through town, and across the bridge. 

We stopped and got fish dip and crackers for a light lunch.

It was pretty hot this afternoon so I had a lazy book reading day…I wish it was a really good book that I could recommend…

This evening we took a walk around the lake to see the sunset. 

Our RV site across the lake.

We met a woman who appears to be camping in her car/hammock.  She told us that she stayed here at Monument Lake during Hurricane Eta because she had nowhere else to go.  She said that there was a long while that she couldn’t get out of her car.  She said the rangers came to check on her and that if she truly needed to evacuate, she would have.  The resilience of people never fails to inspire me!

Tonight, we grilled chipolte chicken and tortillas with fresh guacamole and asparagus.

We were looking forward to another rocket launch from Cape Canaveral this evening.

We just came in from watching the launch…it was really cool! We could see the glowing red of the afterburn as the rocket ascended into the night sky above the horizon. It was far bigger and much brighter than any star. This picture does not do it justice…There are four astronauts onboard headed for the International Space Station. Cape Canaveral is 190 miles away (as the crow flies).

November 14, 2020

Monument Lake

Monument Lake Campground Big Cypress National Forest Florida

I took my morning walk around the lake.  On my first lap around, I saw this little gator peeking at me.  As I approached, it slid backward into the water.

On my send lap, he was perched on higher ground.  As I approached, he did not move.  I gave him wider berth and quickened my pace.  I was not sure if he was accustomed to being fed and I was quite sure that he could scramble out of the water and toward me faster than I could run!  I didn’t make a third pass…I walked in the campground. 

I noticed the sheriff’s county car in the park next door and headed over.  It was the same officer to whom I had surrendered the debit card yesterday.  She got out of her car and told me that she was able to track down the very grateful owner and meet her at a gas station to deliver the card.  She said “Not many people would have done that nowadays and I am very grateful to you.”  My response was that we all need to practice small acts of kindness in order to make a difference…I believe that!

We were headed to Monument Lake before 9.  Every year, for many years, while Tim’s brother, Jeff, was alive; we came to southern Florida for a couple of weeks every winter.  We had been once right after he passed away but not then for a couple of years.  Monument Lake was always the first place that we truly relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine, warmth, and the aspects of nature that don’t exist anywhere else in the states.  We should have anticipated that the hurricane last week would have left behind a lot of standing water.  Between 10-18 inches of rain fell in this area.  The canals are filled, as is Monument lake.  Fortunately, we are camped in a dryer section.

We set up, had lunch, and rested for a short while.  This afternoon, we took the gravel Loop Scenic Trail to see what we could find.

Cypress swamp.

Bromalid.

Flora….Florida Holly or Peppertree.

Baby Gators.

Great white herons.

Bigger gator…

Normally we see tons of alligators on this trail.  We are thinking that because everything is so flooded and the water is moving so rapidly through the culverts here…they might prefer to be resting elsewhere!

When we reached the paved portion of the trail, there was about 6 inches of standing water to plow through.

Sunset from our front yard.

November 13, 2020

Enjoying Lake Okeechobee

South Bay RV Campground South Bay, Florida Day 2

I was still tired from yesterday’s 16 mile bike ride, but I got up and began my morning walk. I walked the perimeter of Shiner Lake here in the Campground. I saw lots of little gators in the water.

As I began my second lap, I saw a sheriff’s car at the park next door. I still had not been able to resolve the issue of the “found” debit card. I had tried calling the debit card company, I had tried calling the local police, I had tried looking up the name on google and then Facebook. I had also sent an email to customer support but I had NO results. When I saw the Palm County Sheriff Department car, I went to file a report. I was able to give the debit card to the officer who was going to try to locate the owner…shew…sometimes it is a lot of work to do the right thing…but it’s not my problem anymore!

We took our bikes to the Paul Rardin Park and began our bike ride on the levee from there.

So many buzzards…

At the town of Pahokee, the trail was blocked for construction on the levee. Lake Okeechobee is the second largest fresh water lake in the contiguous United States. It has an average depth of 9 feet. Right now the water level is at 13 feet because of recent rain. The levee is important to the towns surrounding the lake. Miles of levee are currently being reengineered. In any event, our ride was over. We did only about 8 miles today and that was enough!

We drove to the Pahokee Marina and took a walk.

A long time ago, the pioneer families in this area of Florida discovered that sugar cane grows well in the soppy, muddy, muck. There is a Domino’s Sugar plant not far from here and other processing facilities as well. It is the wrong time of year, but after the sugar cane is harvested, they burn the fields. The whole world smell like caramel and burnt sugar.

This afternoon I drove about 15 miles to the town of Clewiston to get supplies. Beginning tomorrow, we will be in Big Cypress National Park at Monument Lake for 4 nights. We have clean clothes, empty tanks, and plenty of water and groceries.

This evening, we got Mexican carryout from Dos Amigos. We took our food to John Stretch Park.

As we were returning to the campground, Tim saw what he thought was a vapor trail from a rocket. I looked it up on the Cape Canaveral site and there was a launch just moments before. We drove to the top of the levee but by the time we got there, much of the trail had dissipated…but oh so cool!

I absolutely love this life we are living. I feel happy, content, and alive. I am so very grateful.

November 12, 2020

Biking Adventure on the LOST

South Bay RV Campground South Bay, Florida

I began my day with a walk to the Saint Lucie Lock Recreation Area.

It was very warm and humid already…so early in the day. I was hoping to walk across the locks but due to COVID the locks were locked. It was still a nice walk.

There are tons of squirrels everywhere…probably because there are trillions of acorns! Our RV was backed up to the water underneath a huge live oak tree. Yesterday, we heard acorns dropping on the RV roof all afternoon. By evening they had stopped…when the squirrels went back to their nests to rest!

We took the short drive through farmland to South Bay. Our new site backs up to a small canal. There is a sign right behind us that warns that alligators are present…yes they are!

By noon, we were finished with laundry and lunch and we set out to ride our bikes on the LOST or Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. The trail is paved (mostly) and goes for 25 miles along the berm around the lake.

Little white birds or LWB’s…mostly ibis and egrets.

We saw dozens of these turtles, many crossing the trail.

This alligator had to be 8 feet long!

The trail was paved…until it wasn’t. About 4 miles in, we hit a 1.5 mile stretch of hard gravel/sharp coral. It was very hard riding for awhile, bumping along and trying to avoid the larger sharper pieces of coral. We didn’t want to be thrown or puncture a tire. I didn’t take time to take a picture…because I was concentrating very hard on making it through the obstacle course. We decided to ride a little bit further to see if the trail conditions improved and viola…nice smooth pavement that led us to the Paul Rarden Park. We took a water break in the shade of a big old banyan tree. We were emerging from the park when we found a debit card laying on the path. We saw, far ahead, a woman on a bike and assumed that it was hers. We raced against the headwind to catch up with her. Her name was Sharon. She was a spry, energetic, great grandmother who was out for a long ride. It was not her card…however…as we were talking, she mentioned a detour to get around the rocky trail. She was going to take a farm road around, along a smaller canal, past the golf course, and up to the levee…if she could find it. We told her that we wanted to be part of her adventure and off we went!

We hit some muddy patches.

But, for the most part the road was better than that coral stuff!

I’ve said before that one of the things that is very different while traveling in this COVID world, is that we miss meeting people along the way. Today we got to meet this amazing person! Sharon lost her husband and decided to sell her house and she travels in a camper. She walk and bikes and enjoys the world without fear because of her very strong faith. Have you ever met a person so vital and self reliant and confident that it changes how you think? I know that I will always remember Sharon, her resilience and her wonderful energy and love of life! Thanks for our adventure today! She totally outdid me on the bike, hooting and hollering when she crested the hills!

November 11, 2020

St. Lucie Canal

Phipps Park Campground Stuart, Florida

My morning walk was loops around the campground. The air was thick and soupy. But it felt good to be warm and moving.

We had another short ride today. We decided to get off of 95 south for awhile and took some back roads. It was a ride through agricultural land. Everything was swampy and filled to the brim as a result of Eta.

On our way, we stumbled upon a gourmet farmers market. We chose papaya, mangoes, strawberries, heirloom tomatoes, squash, flatbread, and smoked fish dip. We had a delicious lunch when we arrived at Phipps Park.

We took a great bike ride along the canal and then out of the park and through the surrounding neighborhood streets. We saw lots of critters.

We grilled chicken feta burgers and had caprese salad, fresh mango and fresh strawberries for our dinner…YUM!

We got school pictures today and we wanted to share smiles!

Today is Veteran’s Day. We wanted to thank our family and friends who have served. We respect and admire your sacrifice.