830 October 26, 2022 Last Day in the Everglades

It was a beautiful morning for a walk.

Later in the morning, we biked around, our usual path from the campground to the bay and marina.  It is breezier today and it feels less humid. 

We stopped in at the visitor center.  We talked with the ranger about our panther sighting.  She has only seen a panther on one occasion in the seven years that she has been serving here; they are so elusive and clever.  She confirmed that there are bears, panthers, bobcats, and coyotes all living here in Flamingo. 

We both biked to Mrzak Pond.  On the way, we passed great flocks of mostly white birds; ibises and egrets. 

We also saw a few spoonbills. But they were further away and it was harder to get good pictures because of the distance.

This osprey sat in a branch right over our heads. 

We went out again this evening just to see what we could see. We saw this poor diamondback rattlesnake. It had been hit by a car. We had ridden our bikes right by this bridge today!

It was very still and quiet at west Lake. Even the croc was hiding.

There was a new moon. The alignment of the sun, the moon, and the earth is causing the extraordinarily high tide or a “king” tide.

We saw this ribbon snake in the road on our way back.

Of course we drove through that abandoned camping loop. We saw a rather large rat-like creature…this is a bad place to live if you are a small rodent! No other sightings this evening!

We have loved spending time here in the Everglades but we are also ready to move on. Fiesta Key tomorrow!

829 October 25, 2022 Quiet Day

Happy Birthday Kyle!  You make us proud every day and we love you!

Overnight I heard coyotes howling. 

This morning after my walk, I saw a pair of roseate spoonbills flying overhead.  It is such a shock to see big bright neon pink birds in the sky.

We took short bike rides but mostly we were quiet today.  It was hot and still and the mosquitos were out.  We rode around the campground loops, to the bay, and around the marina.  Tim kept going but I went back to the RV. 

By evening, it had cooled off a little and we ate our salmon and beet salad outside.

We went for a drive to watch the sun go down.  There were no clouds and so the sun slipped beyond the horizon with little fanfare.

We went to West Lake to see the stars come out but the mosquitoes were just too voracious and they chased us into the Jeep.  Notice the mosquito protective clothes! Long sleeves and long pants!

We made the loop where we saw the panther last night, hoping to see him again but no panthers out and about tonight!

It was a quiet day and that’s okay!

828 October 24, 2022 Panther Sighting

I took my walk while catching up with family this morning.

This bird was very interested in our mirror!

We took our bikes out to ride around the campground and then to Florida Bay.

We also checked on the manatees, enjoying the only bench in the shade of this sea grape tree.

There was a couple who had tried the visitor center but it was closed today.  The woman showed me her Everglades map.  She wanted to know where to find the flamingos and the other animals in the picture. 

Flamingos are extremely rare to see here and the truth is that the other animals are here but it requires a lot of patience to see cool things.  Most people rent convertible Mustangs at the airport and breeze through.  It is probably often a disappointment, especially during the wet season.  The first time we ever came it was the most magical.  It was January and there were tons of gators and birds.  That first amazing visit captured us.  This place will always be one of our very favorite places.

I worked on the blog this afternoon and Tim took another bike ride.  He saw that the water in Florida Bay was very high.  The nearby grassy areas were flooded.  We were thinking we might take dinner there but made a new plan.

I made Caesar salads with shrimp and fresh mango for dessert.  We packed the car and headed out.  We saw this rainbow.  It hadn’t rained here at all.

We continued to West Lake.  We saw two fishermen trying to catch fish and a crocodile lurking in the water.  Each time they cast their lines, the croc would make its way to the float.  At one point there was a fish on the line and the guy was trying to reel in the fish and the crocodile was on the prowl, coming in quick.  The fisherman caught his line on a tree in his haste to get to the dock and the fish, a snook, got away.

As soon as Tim got the cooler out of the Jeep, we were surrounded by a team of 5 crows. 

We ate our meal, watching the man vs. crocodile show.  The men were aggravated and were hoping that the crocodile would get bored and leave but the croc was still there in the water when we left.

We went to Nine Mile Pond and were there all by ourselves tonight.  No UFO like things.  There was a pleasant breeze and once we sprayed with OFF, we were happy there watching the sun go down and watching the stars pop out.

We headed back to the campground.  There are 3 loops here.  We are in T Loop.  B Loop has no hookups and is mostly for tent campers.  C Loop has been abandoned for years.  It is overgrown and gradually being reclaimed by the vegetation.  We rode bikes on C Loop earlier in the day.  There was a fair amount of scat around.  I wanted to drive through this evening in the dark.  We saw a panther cross the path in front of us!  It was amazing!!  My heart was pounding.  We couldn’t believe what we had seen.  We talked it through together.  It was definitely NOT a bear.  It was definitely NOT a coyote.  It was definitely NOT a bobcat.  It was sleek and brown and had a long cat tail…it was definitely a panther!!!

We rode out to Florida Bay one more time.  Tim had taken the roof off the Jeep and so we stood and looked at the multitude of stars and the Milky Way.

827 October 23, 2022 Dixie Vodka 400

I had some unusual cheerleaders as I took my morning walk. 

A ranger stopped to help this turtle across the road.

This is the first flock of white pelicans that we have seen. They are migratory birds that come here for the winter. The soared on large loopy circles overhead.

Today was the Dixie Vodka 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.  This was a NASCAR playoff race.  When we knew that we were going to be in Florida and there was a race, it was a no brainer! 

I do love the pageantry of a live race; the driver introductions, the invocation, the national anthem, the patriotism, the fireworks, the military jet flyby.  Then, there is the thrill as the racecars come around the corner at the beginning of the competition; the thrum of the engines, the smell of racing fuel, the excitement of the crowd. 

It was hot.  That beautiful Florida sunshine was intense.  I went to get us frozen lemonade before the end of stage 1.  Every line was ridiculously long.  I was in the shade and it was cooler there under the grandstands so I elected to wait behind 50 other people!    It took almost an hour and by that time, Tim had joined me.  We decided to get hotdogs as well.  It was $63.75 for two lemonades and for our sandwiches…WOW!  I will say that the hotdogs were exceptionally delicious and that the frozen lemonade saved the day!

Neither of our drivers had a stellar race but we had fun being a part of it! 

We didn’t leave the track until almost 7.  We decided to stop at the Cracker Barrel in Homestead where we knew that we could get salads for dinner.

We reentered Everglades National Park well after dark.  We didn’t stop to look at the first snake we saw but we did stop for the second.  Tim thought it might have been a python, but rangers on Monday identified it as a water moccasin or cottonmouth. 

We stopped at Nine Mile Pond and got out to look at the stars.  There was no moon and the sky was glorious!  We could see the milky way as it reached out over the Everglades.  At the other end of the white swath, sat Miami with its bright city lights.  The stars at that end were obliterated by those lights.

As we went to leave, we saw what looked like a pair of eyes gliding across the lake.  As we watched and the “eyes” got closer, we noticed that they looked more like lights.  In fact, it looked like a ring of lights around a dome of some sort.  What in the world had we seen?  I though it looked like a UFO on the lake or more accurately like our dish satellite with a string of lights.  Maybe, it was a kayaker with light on his boat.  Weirdly, it came to rest in the high grass along the edge of the lake so that it was almost invisible…like it was trying to hide.  We drove away then after wondering if it might be someone who did not want to be seen.  Maybe it was some kind of research equipment? 

By the time we got back to the RV, we were tired but it took me a long time to settle.  It was a busy and stimulating day. 

826 October 22, 2022 Biking At Nike

Another good three mile walk in the cool morning air.  There was a very fresh pile of what we believe is bear scat right on the campground loop.  We read that animals like to mark their territory with scat and that they often use paths and trails.  That makes sense!

We packed a picnic and took the Jeep with the bikes to the Nike Site Road.  We parked at one end and biked to the other.  Our round trip was 8.5 miles.  It was a nice easy ride on a straight, flat, and newly paved road with gorgeous scenery. It was 78 degrees and we had a pleasant breeze…perfect riding! It doesn’t get much better than that!

We saw lots of egg shells by the road.  We are not sure if there is an animal robbing bird nests or maybe someone used chicken eggs as bait to draw animals out.  It is a riddle! There were more than half a dozen empty eggs.  We are always reminded; the more we see…the more we realize how much we do not know! 

A small snake hit by a car in the road.

Did you know that a single dragonfly eats hundreds of mosquitos every day? we like having these guys around.

We drove to Royal Palm and walked the Anhinga Trail.  This area was crowded with international tourists.  We saw a mama gator and her babies and not much else.  Later in the year, during the dry season, there will be lots of gators and birds here.

We drove to Long Pine Key and found a table in the shade.

After lunch, we drove to Mahogany Hammock and walked that trail.

On the way back we stopped at West Lake and sat watching the water…no wildlife there either.

We grilled bison burgers and brussel sprouts and enjoyed a delicious papaya from Robert’s.

We drove to Florida Bay to watch the sunset.  We are warm and outside and active and eating mostly healthy foods.  We are trying to take care in our retirement.

825 October 21, 2022 Exploring

What a wonderful place to take a walk!  All the way to Florida Bay and back.  A good three-mile circuit! 

These yurts are brand new and sit right on the water.

Some critters.

Home for this week.

We have seen lots of very large scat in and around the campground.  It has probably been left behind since the hurricane.  What is lurking out in these woods?  We asked the ranger and he thinks either coyotes, bears, panthers, or bobcats…that narrows it down!  We are thinking that it might be a good sign.  For a long time, mammals were not here in this part of the Everglades.  Burmese pythons had eliminated all the smaller mammals like raccoons and rabbits and some of the larger animals as well.  We read that bobcats eat python eggs.  Maybe nature is taking care of these invasive snakes in its own way.

We took our bikes and cycled to the bay.  We heard excited yelling and then we watched these fishermen pull in this shark. 

We biked to the marina and watched manatees.  These three were all about getting fresh water from this large pipe.

Some gulls were every interested until they discovered that we were not going to feed them.

Ibises hunting.

A crocodile was sunning himself on the boat ramp.  He looks positively prehistoric!

Later, we packed dinner and road about thirty miles on the park road to a pond.  We saw this sixteen-inch snake on the way in.

We ate our evening meal and watched the sunset.  

At one point there were ten crows waiting to be fed.

The end of another good day.

As we headed back toward home, we watched for wildlife.  Tim spotted another small snake.  We saw some beady red eyes and we think they were night herons standing along the road.

824 October 20, 2022 Flamingo!

I got in a good walk this morning before we left Monument Lake.  The cooler weather does make it easier to get the work done!  As I rounded the third turn of the lake, I saw the big gator laying on the bank.  I gave him wide berth and then decided not to pass that way again. 

We had to stop at Midway to get fresh water and to use the sanitation station. 

We drove 1 ½ hours to Homestead.  Our first order of business was to go to the laundromat.   Once we had clean clothes, we went to the grocery store.  We found a place to park the RV but when I came out with a cart full of groceries, I wasn’t able to push the cart.  The wheels were locked!  Tim had to weave his way through the crowded lot to find me and help me load the groceries. 

We had to stop at Robert Is Here.  I found an article yesterday that called this the “Disney World of fruit stands.”  We got mangos and a papaya and mamey sapote and mango butter.  Tim had a delicious Cuban sandwich. 

Fully supplied, we were ready to drive the 43 miles into the Everglades to the Flamingo Campground.  This ride is one that we always enjoy.  We started to come to southern Florida about 15 years ago.  For many years, it was a favorite place to spend part of the winter.  It is familiar and we know here things are.  We are looking forward to spending time here.

It was almost 4pm by the time we arrived and got settled.  We jumped on our bikes and cycled to Florida Bay.

We went to see the Visitor Center and the Marina.  We were disappointed to see that the construction that had begun when we were here two years ago is still not complete. 

We saw a bunch of manatees.

We saw a crocodile.

We had a picnic dinner and Tim enjoyed his mamey.  This fruit is common to Mexico and Central America.  It has a texture similar to an avocado.  It tastes kind of like a sweet potato or a pumpkin.  Tim really likes it…me not so much!

Much more to explore tomorrow and in the days to come!

823 October 19, 2022 Wagon Wheel Road

We had rain during the night.  The temperature dropped and we finally had cool air.  It felt wonderfully chilly!

Pictures from my morning walk.  This is our big backyard.

A kingfisher suspended on a wire above the canal looking for breakfast.

Pretty flowers.

A giant water bug.

A night heron.

Here comes the rain.

It rained for most of the rest of the day.  We went exploring anyway.  We took a Jeep ride on Turner River Road for about 20 miles north through Big Cypress.  We saw tons of wading birds and lots of hawks and smaller predatory birds.   No bears, no panthers. 

Our exciting sighting of the day; a flock of wild turkeys.

We took Wagon Wheel Road through great expanses of open swamp land.  Even on a rainy day it was magnificent.  Then, because we were close by, we drove back to Everglades City.  We stopped and bought some smoked fish dip.  We found a new lunch place, Triad Seafood.  They had just reopened this week.  It was raining harder and raw and cool and so clam chowder hit the spot!

We napped this afternoon and it still rained.  We ate our fish dip and the sky began to brighten.  We enjoyed an evening walk as the sun went down. 

The sky was gorgeous.  Our whole world was bathed in soft pink and peach and lavender light. 

Tomorrow we will move to Everglades National Park and stay at Flamingo Campground for the next week.  Hopefully we will have enough service to post!

822 October 18, 2022 Monument Lake

We got our morning exercise done and made preparations to move.  We stopped to empty tanks and fill with fresh water.  We traveled 8 miles to Monument Lake Campground. 

We really love it here.  We have been here many times.  When we used to come to visit Tim’s brother. Jeff, we would leave Maryland and drive for long days.  When we finally got to Monument Lake, we felt like we could breathe, the first place that we could truly relax.  It is very pretty.  It feels wilder than Midway.  We are backed right up to the Everglades.  There are no hookups so we will only stay for two nights. 

Enjoy Tim’s video!

When we arrived, we met a ranger who told us that a twelve-foot python had been spotted at the communication tower…100 yards from our campsite.

Tim was walking along the edge of the tall grass and he called for me to come quickly.  There was a three-foot snake right behind the RV.  He did not scare easily and I had lots of time to take pictures! 

We were able to spend most of the day outside.  It was finally a little cooler and there was a nice breeze.  We sat in the shade and enjoyed the peace.

We had our dinner outside as well.  This gator was our dinner company.

Tim biked and I walked this evening as the sun was setting.

This is the first little blue that I have seen.

Tim was scoping out the area behind the RV and called to me again.  This time it was a little alligator.  Wonder where mama was hiding?

821 October 17, 2022 Shark Valley Take 2

We got to Shark Valley before 8:30. 

I saw an area surrounded by tape and with a posted sign indicating that there was an active alligator nest.  Mama was present but I didn’t see hatchlings.

We started biking the trail and quickly came upon this big guy. 

I decided today that I was going to take less pictures.  I just wanted to enjoy the ride!

We noticed that the water was brimming and right to the edge of the path.  We have had thunderstorms and steady rain every evening.  The water level in the Everglades is not only affected by the rain that falls here but also by all the rain that falls in central Florida.  There were less gators and very few birds today. 

Even so, it was a beautiful hot and sunny day and we had a great ride.  I was in my happy place…well one of many!   The breeze was in our face as we rode into the glades; but it felt good and didn’t hinder our riding.  As we got closer, the path was flooded with several inches of water in many areas.

The view from the top of the tower was gorgeous and there was enough wind blowing to cool us down.  It was a nice place to rest and have a snack.

This is periphyton.  It is spongy and holds water.  This becomes especially important in the dry season.    It is an integral part of the food chain and also functions as a habitat for small creatures.

The rest of our ride was almost completely devoid of wildlife.  It is amazing how different our ride today was than our ride last week. 

We were back at the campground by noon.  The afternoon was too hot to enjoy being outside and so we spent the day quietly.