While Tim was finishing his exercise regimen I walked. It was in the low 70’s and there was a nice breeze. It was cloudy and it was a perfect morning for walking. I did 2 ½ miles.
When I got back, I took my yogurt and muesli and my second cup of coffee and went outside to enjoy my breakfast.
We are leaving Flamingo on Friday. We have a long drive that day all the way to Stock Island. WE needed to wash clothes and decided to use today to do all of our errands so that Friday wouldn’t be an even longer day. We packed the car with laundry and detergent and quarters. We took coolers and a long list and we drove the 50 miles into Homestead. Working together, we got all of the laundry done in about an hour. We went to Walmart for supplies and then to the mailbox and then to Publix for groceries. We got fresh drinking water at a water fill kiosk. We got gas for the Jeep and drove back toward the Everglades.
We stopped at a park along the way to have a picnic lunch.
Lunch companion.
It was a picture postcard kind of day! Blue skies with windswept clouds…it is so beautiful here!
It was almost 4pm when we got back to our campsite.
We had some quiet time and then Tim went out for a bike ride. I took that opportunity to make the bed and put away our clothes. I cleaned bathrooms and when he still wasn’t back, I cleaned the bedroom and living areas as well.
I was just finishing when he got back. We had a late sushi lunch and we were not that hungry. We each just grabbed something small for dinner.
Last night after we posted the blog, we went and stood on the breezeway at the Visitor Center. It was a warm wind but it was also a stiff and sustained wind at 14 mph.
We drove over to the bay side and got out to look at the stars. The sky was glittering and lovely. We could see the path of the Milky Way across the sky.
We began the day in our customary way. Tim did his yoga and weights and took a short walk. I walked the campground loops and then all the way to the Florida Bay.
We just never know what we are going to see. This guy has been camped here for several days.
These guys were all out with their big cameras and lenses to take pictures of what must be the most photographed pair of ospreys in Southern Florida!
We biked over to the Guy Bradley Visitor Center.
There was a ranger program on pelicans that was starting in a couple of minutes and so we decided to stay and listen. Th ranger, Angie, talked about how the brown pelican has been brought back from the brink of extinction after three significant stressors. In the early 1900’s big wading birds were hunted here for their gorgeous feathers. The fashion trend at the time was for women to wear hats with great plumes of bird feathers.
It was even considered fashionable to wear to whole bird perched on a hat.
Conservation efforts and game wardens like Guy Bradley, helped the bird population to recover.
Pesticides were introduced that included DDT. The chemical caused the pelican eggs to have extremely thin shells. When pelican mothers sat on their nests, the eggs were crushed by their weight.
A large oil spill in 2010 caused more than 1 million birds of all species to lose their lives. The brown pelican population dropped by 10%. These birds are remarkably resilient. Numbers of birds here are still down and worldwide, numbers of birds are decreasing.
We took our bikes over to the marina and saw some manatees.
We drifted over to the boat launch to look for Fred, the resident crocodile, but once again, he was not out.
We biked to Eco Pond and hiked the short trail around the water. There are often a variety of birds here. Today, it was quiet. There are many factors that would explain the absence of birds here including the availability of food sources, the safety and security for the birds in the area, and the season. Migratory birds also use this pond as a stopover.
We got back to the RV and had our lunch and rested.
Today is a very important day. Today is the Dayton 500 or the beginning of the 2025 NASCAR season. Tim has been looking forward to this race. We are not in a good place for TV antenna reception. He was able to find the broadcast on the radio but it was really glitchy. He has NO service through Verizon on his phone. I do have phone service through AT&T and so he was listening to the race on my phone. The drivers had completed 10 laps and the race was stopped for rain…
We drove the Jeep on Bear Island Road. This road was deeply rutted and we could imagine that if had rained this would be a muddy mess!
No birds, no gators, no snakes. Despite the canal being only a couple of feet from the road, the mangroves and vegetation was so thick and dense…we couldn’t see the water at all.
We drove to the boat launch but still no croc.
We parked at the end of the loop at Florida Bay and got out and walked along the “beach.” There is no sand; only hard coral covered with dead sea grass. The water and wind were calmer this afternoon.
This woman on a paddle board was definitely still struggling to paddle against the wind.
We went back to our campsite. The NASCAR race was still delayed. Tim packed some wine and a snack and we drove back over to the “beach.” We took our chairs and sat by the water. We saw some small silver fish jumping. We saw a fin…a shark we think. Tim saw the humped back of what he thought was a dolphin but we didn’t see him again. Crows were waiting to be fed. Buzzards waited nearby. The sun got low in the sky and we headed back home.
I grilled bison burgers and we had fresh avocado and mango.
The race finally restarted…Tim is now fairly well occupied!
I did a slow loop around the entire campground. It was about 1 ½ miles and then I quit. My legs were tired from yesterday’s longer hike.
We took the RV over to the dump station to clean tanks and fill with water.
We packed our bikes and lunches and drove the 30 some miles to the Nike Missile Site. Today is Saturday and the park road is very busy. We thought that this parallel road would be less busy and we were correct. The forecast was for wind of 8-10 miles an hour with gusts to 15. The windsock was pointing straight at us and I stopped to take a picture. When it is windy, we always ride into the wind first!
My hat blew off in a sudden gust and I got off my bike and ran back to fetch it. I was already looking forward to our return trip when I knew the wind would blow us all the way back!
Tim got further and further ahead. He is much stronger than I am and it was hard pedaling! He paused to wait for me to catch up. He asked if I wanted to go back to the Jeep?!? No! It was hard…but not TOO hard. I wanted to keep riding. I told him to just go on ahead and I would get there!
We had been riding in a large open area. We got to an area with trees on both sides and it was immediately easier. The tree line offered wind protection. The last mile was in another open space…but I got there.
We saw several live animal traps placed along the canal by the side of the road. We were wondering what the rangers might be trying to catch.
A rabid wolf spider…harmful to people and animals…I love the zoom on my camera. I never have to get too close!
We passed by a natural sink hole. I do believe that Florida is famous for these.
When we got back to the Jeep, Tim wanted to keep riding all the way to the Missile Site. I decided that 8 miles was enough for me and I went ahead in the car.
We wandered into the hangar to look at the displays. We heard a volunteer, Armando, speaking about the Cuban Missile Crisis. We have heard other presentations here in the past but this guy had lots of energy and passion for his subject. We learned several things that we didn’t know before. The thing that stuck with me though, was how close the US was to an actual nuclear war. There were three Russian submarines in the waters between the US and Cuba. The US was trying to get the submarines to surface. The Russian boat captain and another senior official were ready to fire a nuclear missile. According to their rules, all three commanding officers had to agree and the second in command did not. He was able to talk the other two gentlemen out of firing! Shew!!! Crisis averted.
We found a shaded picnic table at Long Pine Key and had lunch.
We were fairly close tot the park entrance and we only had 3/8 tank of gas in the Jeep. We decided to ride into Homestead for fuel. After that, we drove by Jeff’s old house…oh the memories!
Then, we rode through the farm fields until we found our way back to the main road.
It was almost 4pm when we got back to the RV. We had a long day!
We rested a little while and then I made dinner.
We are having to drive to the marina each night to post the blog. We have to park near the dumpsters…it is the best place to get service. So here I sit, typing away!
After coffee, I took a short walk in the campground.
We drove the Jeep to the Snake Bight Trailhead. Tim wore long pants and long sleeves to protect himself from mosquitoes. I chose to wear capris and short sleeves but I sprayed myself with an ample coating of OFF.
The trail is raised on an old road bed. There hasn’t been any rain and the path was dry. The mosquitoes were mostly absent. We enjoyed the straight and flat trail through this tropical hardwood hammock.
The trees met overhead to form a sort of arch or tunnel.
We saw bromeliads or giant air plants growing on host trees. These plants get their nutrients from the air and don’t need much water.
We walked 1.8 miles to the boardwalk at the end. We could see Snake Bight a small bay within Florida Bay.
We watched birds.
There were lots of osprey flying overhead, their cries piercing the silence. Many carried sticks and other nesting materials and others had small fish grasped tightly in their talons.
There was a bench and we sat, basking in the sunshine and welcoming the occasional breeze.
We hiked back to the car.
Tim drove several miles further to Parotis Pond. The ranger told us that there were three pairs of nesting spoonbills on the island in the pond. She urged us to wait and watch patiently; the hatchlings needed to be fed and the parents appear every 20-40 minutes as they gather food for their young and then return to their nests. We caught sight of these giant birds, neon pink against the bright blue sky. At one point we saw 4 out flying together. I got pictures but no great pictures…it was really something you had to be there to see! Nothing like looking for big pink birds on Valentines Day!
When we got back to the RV, my first priority was to shower off all the grime and bug spray from our hike. We rested until late afternoon.
I got out a couple of crabcakes that I had been saving. I cut up some papaya and made a nice green salad. I had some huge red strawberries as well. We packed our dinner and drove to a small pond on a gravel road. We had our picnic there. We stayed until the sun went down.
On the way back to the campground we hit a couple of areas of intense mosquitoes. The Jeep windshield is covered in bug detritus!
We spent this Valentines Day doing things that we like. Together, we hiked and did some birdwatching and had a picnic. I hope that all of our friends and loved ones found a way to experience some love and joy today!
1209 February 13, 2025 All Dressed Up And No Place To Go!
We were up early. I walked laps around the campground. I could tell that my legs were tired from yesterday’s work. I saw police cars with lights flashing headed into our loop and walked back just to check. Prayers for those who needed medical help here today. We are 41 miles from the park entrance and more than 50 miles from help.
We went to the Visitor Center and asked about hiking trails.
We rode our bikes to the marina. This pair of ospreys has a huge and sturdy nest. Mama was sitting on the eggs while papa was on patrol.
There were a few manatees in the marina.
We went back to the RV. I slept little last night and felt queasy and I had no energy. I slept this afternoon; something I rarely do.
This evening, we showered and dressed. I put on a dress and makeup and earrings and everything! We went to go to an early Valentines dinner at the Flamingo Lodge Restaurant. Sadly, there was a CLOSED sign on the door…no water!
We drove to the marina and went to the food truck. We had pulled pork sandwiches.
We sat by the water for a while…not what we expected…but fine enough!
I took my walk around the campground and then out toward Florida Bay. I was trying to capture pictures of this osprey pair in their nest. Papa was not having it! He spread his wings wide to warn me off.
Tim was riding by on his bike. We both went to sit on a bench by the water.
Tim saw this dead water snake by the edge of the road.
Later in the morning, I decided to take my bike out. I was feeling strong and cycled all the way to Mrazek Pond. 5 miles there and then 5 miles back. Sometimes, the trees around this pond can be filled with all kinds of birds. Today, no birds!
We packed our lunch and drove the Jeep to West Lake. We ate while watching a pair of kingfishers and several osprey hunting for lunch.
We walked the boardwalk trail. Out on the water it was very windy.
We went to see the new Visitor Center.
At 2pm there was a Ranger Program called Mangrove March. We walked around the park listening as Calvin told us about the trees growing here in Flamingo.
These are seeds from the red mangrove trees ready to drop.
This strangler fig has wrapped itself around this palm tree…entangled until one or the other dies.
This evening, we took our dinner and sat by the edge of the bay.
1207 February 11, 2025 Everglades National Park Flamingo Campground
As we got up and got ready this morning, we began to prepare for a move.
We did take the time to exercise and walk before leaving Midway.
We had a big list of things to do. We are going to be camping in Flamingo Campground for 10 nights. This campground is 41 miles from the park entrance in Homestead. We wanted to be as ready as we could to stay as long as we could without having to make the trek back into Homestead. More than likely, we will need to go out at least once…we shall see!
We left Big Cypress at around 10am. We made our way through our list and arrived at Robert is Here Produce Market at around 2pm. We cannot drive through Homestead without experiencing a flood of memories. Tim’s brother, Jeff, lived here and his presence here enticed us to come and visit every year after Christmas. If he had lived elsewhere in Florida, our whole experience would have been very different. Because we came here and we fell in love with this place, we keep coming back. Over the years we have seen many changes. We noticed that Homestead is a lot cleaner and that there are less abandoned stores and properties. There is a ton of building going on here…luxury townhouses and single family homes selling for 300,000 and 400,000 and 500,000 dollars and more. It looks very different. The farm field that always had fresh tomatoes that grew in front of Jeff’s house will have even more houses.
Jeff introduced us to the Everglades and to the Keys. He has been in our thoughts a bunch today.
At Robert’s I chose a key lime milkshake and a Cuban sandwich for my lunch and we shopped for papaya and avocadoes and big fresh tomatoes. Tim got a piece of mamey as well.
We continued on our journey. We used our Lifetime Senior Access Pass at the entrance to Everglades National Park.
We were settled after 4pm.
We ate an easy dinner and then drove the Jeep over to the new Visitor Center. We sat on the upper deck enjoying the view and the breeze coming in from the Florida Bay.
As we sat and watched the water and the sky, the full moon rose up over the mangrove trees. I think we are going to like it here!
We got up early this morning despite having stayed up to watch the whole Super Bowl. What a surprise to see the Eagles dominate the Chiefs. I know two very happy little boys…Oliver and Austin are over the moon!
We packed some water and breakfast and poured a second cup of coffee and off we went. We drove the twenty miles to Shark Valley. We arrived at 8am and parked outside the gate. It was a beautiful morning to be out and pedaling. The sky was clear and the air was balmy and warm. The sun shone.
I biked for a while, I had a good rhythm and I was moving at a good pace. I realized that I was in my own head and that I hadn’t been paying attention to my surroundings. I pulled back and started to notice…of course this meant that I was slowed down by the need to stop and take pictures!
Anhinga out to dry!
Red-shouldered hawk.
Blue thistle.
I noticed a wet trail across the road and we doubled back to look and see what had crossed. We spotted a small gator along the path.
Bright yellow lilies on emerald green lily pads.
Brilliant purple gallinule.
Pickerelweed.
We climbed the observation tower at mile 7.
Today, the alligators were very loud. We could hear a deep throated thrum coming from the swamp. There were at least two males bellowing. Tim tried to get video/audio but the sound quality was too poor. That’s a shame because it was really quite something to hear and witness.
We saw a couple of huge aquatic turtles.
Common American crows…always right there at snack time!
Once again, when we came down from the tower, there was a crocodile sunning herself at the edge of the parking area. Tim rode back to check and see if it was a gator or a croc…definitely a croc! We didn’t know that there were crocs this far north and inland!
The best oatmeal I have ever had…the ambience!
Starrush whitetop. These were tiny dainty flowers.
Lots of dragonflies flying in tandem. This one waiting to find a mate.
Tim and I almost had a wreck. I saw this big dark snake and I wanted to go back to look. Tim turned his head to look and almost ploughed into me. I had stopped to go back! We are not positive but we think this might be a python. It is too heavy and thick to be a black racer. If we zoom in, we can see a pattern on his skin…not positive. This is as close as I was willing to get!
Soon after, we saw this pretty smaller snake. He had been injured either by a tram or bike or perhaps by a predator. We can’t find any picture of any snake that is supposed to look like this one.
I am glad that we had an extra day to do the 15-mile loop at Shark Valley a second time. This is absolutely a highlight for us.
We were tired this afternoon and we rested. I listened to a book most of the day. After his nap, Tim went to sit outside and ended up visiting with our neighbors for a long time.
We took our dinner, butter chicken, garlic naan, greens with orange olive oil and orange white balsamic and we drove the Jeep to Kirby Sorter Park. We walked the boardwalk. About ¼ mile in, the walk stopped abruptly. The boardwalk caught fire, perhaps due to a lightning strike and the walk has yet to be repaired.
We made our dinner and enjoyed a picnic.
We watched the sun go down over Big Cypress.
Another great day in Southern Florida!
Tomorrow we will drive 100 miles south to Flamingo Campground in the Everglades.
I only took a short walk this morning. I knew that we had planned a hike later in the morning and so I wanted to conserve my energy!
We had talked with a camp host about this hike. He commented that it might be quite muddy. We dressed in long sleeves, long pants hiking socks, and old tennis shoes. We were prepared with bug spray and buffs in the event that the mosquitoes became too intense.
We saw this tiny 2 ½ foot alligator crossing the road.
We drove to the Gator Hook Trailhead on Loop Road. I saw other people starting out on the trail. They were dressed in in cute sandals and shorts and sleeveless shirts. I suddenly felt very overdressed. We began to walk. The initial portion of the trail had a layer of gravel and it was nice and flat.
Then, there was mud. There were wooden beams lying across the path with squishy muck between. This is where those nicely dressed people turned around! We were ready for an adventure and we persevered.
There were coral rocks scattered along the path. We had to carefully pick and navigate our way from one rock to the next. When I missed and landed in the mire it sucked my foot in and I had to yank it back out. This hike required good balance and lots of concentration. At one point, I looked around and just laughed out loud. What a thrill to be out there in the middle of the cypress swamp, wending our way! I did discover that the cypress trees grew in drier soil and so I did a bit of bushwhacking. We saw no snakes and no gators and no other people.
We had walked ½ mile in when we came to a place on the trail where we could see the yellow blazes marking the trail but the trail was under several inches of water. This is where we decided to turn back. I later read that in places the water could be 4 feet deep…nope…no way!!! It had been a long time since we had that kind of excitement!
Some very large paw prints out there in the middle of nowhere…panther???
We went back to Monument Lake where we could get cell service so that we could post the blog.
The rest of the day was quiet.
A bit of rain and a rainbow in the campground.
We had a picnic dinner and then Tim set up the outside TV and we watched the Super Bowl on Telemundo …in Spanish. That was the best we could do! Our neighbors came over to watch with us. The mosquitoes were mild. We had fun watching. Tim and the neighbor guy narrated the game. Our little Austin is a big Eagles fan. He is dressed in his Saquon Barkley shirt and he is so cranked about this game…but too nervous to watch! Go Eagles!!!!
1204 February 8, 2025 Midway Campground And Loop Road
We had one more opportunity to walk at Monument Lake. I did several laps on my bike as well. We were in no great hurry. We had less than ten miles to travel. We woke up this morning and the coffee maker did not work and then the fridge went off. Our batteries are not holding a charge despite using the generator for many hours each day. We were trying to be careful to use the generator after our neighbors were awake and when they were out for the day. Monument Lake is so peaceful that even though we could run our generator all day…it seemed a shame to disturb the quiet. The batteries will need replacement, I think. For now, we were moving to Midway. There we have electric hookups which will improve our power situation.
We left before 11am. Checkout was at noon and check-in at 2pm. Tim drove to the Visitor Center and let the coach engine run…another way to charge the house batteries. I drove ahead to Midway to see if our site was available and if we might be allowed to come in early. Unfortunately, the woman in our site was not ready to leave. I found a nice bit of shade with a nice breeze and sat and waited.
Noon came and went and there was no movement. I saw her go to the camp host. She wanted to stay at Midway as long as possible because she was headed to Monument Lake and she would have no ability to run her air conditioning. The camp host very gently informed her that she was supposed to have already left. The guest had the argument that check-in was not until 2pm…but I was already there and waiting and so she was asked to leave. Finally, I was able to call Tim and tell him to come on over. He dumped tanks and then as he approached our spot, she still hadn’t left. He waited patiently, diesel engine running, at the end of her drive as she made final preparations to go and finally, she went! Tim backed into #3. It was then that I realized that there was no water hookup. Tim pulled out and drove back over to get potable water for showers and dishes. We were getting settled at last and we were plugged in! It took us 3 hours to make the “short drive.”
We had a late lunch and had some quiet time.
This afternoon, we took the Jeep and drove Loop Road. This is a 24-mile gravel road along a canal. This is one of my favorite things to do her in Big Cypress. Today was a great day to make this drive. We saw more than a dozen alligators floating in the water and laying out along the roadside.
There were also lots of fish.
Great egrets.
Tricolored herons.
We had rotisserie chicken and avocado toast with boiled eggs for our dinner.
The sun went down behind the trees.
This evening, we had the extra special treat of FaceTime with Kyle and Wade. This is a picture of Wade playing with a spaghetti noodle!
