816 October 11, 2022 Lake Okeechobee

I walked circles in the campground alternately stopping in the laundry room to switch clothes.

I also drove into Belle Glade. I wanted to get more drinking water before we head south.

We got a late start on our adventure of the day. We took the Jeep and bikes and drove to Pahokee. We biked only a short distance today; it was 90 degrees!

Pahokee has a nice marina area on Lake Okeechobee. This is the third largest inland freshwater lake in the lower 48 states. It is 36 miles long and 29 miles wide at the widest point. Okechobee was named by indigenous peoples. It means big waters. The lake is alligator infested with about 30,000 American alligators.

This lake has been repurposed as a flood control measure. With mutiple pumps, canals, dikes, and dams, as well as the immense berm and levee, the lake serves as a collection point for floodwater. This water is then strategically released into the Everglades and surrounding farmland. There is a wonderful walking and biking trail along the top of the levee but it is often interrupted by construction and service work on the equipment necessary to control water flow. Recreation here is incidental and not the primary use of the lake.

We traveled along the eastern edge, through Canal Point and Port Mayaka before turning back.

We discovered a taco truck and purchased chicken quesadillas for our lunch. We took our meal back to Pahokee.

This evening we had a light meal of avocado toast with soft boiled eggs and pistachios…YUM!

We drove up onto the berm for one last Okeechobee sunset.

We have enjoyed being here and biking every day. We are headed to Midway Campground in Big Cypress tomorrow and will stay for five nights. We may not have good cell service or WiFi so we will post as we are able!