1200 February 4, 2025 Love Is In The Air
We got up and got packed for a trip to Shark Valley. It was very foggy. The sun tried to break through as we made our way east on 41.
By the time we got to Shark Valley the fog had taken over once more.
We biked on the paved path into the Everglades.
We met a couple who was visiting here from Poland. They had their Range Rover and bikes shipped over and they were out to enjoy the ride as well. They have been in Florida for the past several weeks and their next destination is South America…world travelers!
There were thousands of dew-covered spider webs.
We made our way 7 miles to the observation tower. This is one of Tim’s favorite viewpoints. He likes being able to look out at the Everglades for as far as the eye can see. I love riding on the path and being IN this place. We figured that we have ridden here more than a dozen times. Each time it shows up different.
As we stood in the tower, we could hear a pair of owls calling to one another. We heard a male alligator bellowing. We watched a pair of purple gallinules with their comically large bright yellow feet walking across the lily pads.
We saw a huge turtle and a couple of smaller ones.
There were several gators and we heard a great thrashing and splashing. The larger gator was chasing the smaller. Not sure if he was trying to intimidate another male or of he was looking for love.
We got back to our bikes and spotted what we thought at the time was a large alligator at the edge of the parking area. We actually found out later that this was a huge crocodile!!! We both noticed that he was a different color and I thought his snout looked more narrow…we were not aware that crocodiles lived in Shark Valley!
8 more beautiful miles. It was not crowded today and we got to spend a lot of time…just us…in this magnificent place.
A wood stork plodding through the swamp, looking for breakfast.
We drove back to the campground and we were ready for lunch and naps!
The Miccosukee are serious about pythons in the Everglades!
It was very pleasant with a mild breeze and we spent time outside this afternoon. A pair of woodpeckers kept us entertained.
Eggs and grilled toast for our dinner followed by another lovely sunset.
