November 23, 2020

Paurotis Pond to Mahogany Hammock

Flamingo Campground Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida Day 4

The mosquitos were hateful early this morning after all the rain we had yesterday.  I only walked a mile and a half.  I knew though that we would get plenty of exercise later today.

Crawfish maybe??? This one was poised for a fight. remains of his friends lay scattered on the pavement. I think the birds like them!

The hawk of the morning!

We left the Jeep at Paurotis Pond and rode our bikes.  It was a lovely morning with bright blue sky.  The few clouds were lavender smudges.  This part of the park road took us through open Everglades.  This national park is over one million acres.  Here, you have a sense of vastness.  The long swaying sawgrass, golden in the morning light.  The prehistoric looking birds, delving into the swampiness for their breakfast.  As you look across the great expanse, you are apt to see a tall white neck peeking above the grass.   The silence is complete.  We have always loved coming here.  To us, it is an amazing place.

A Halloween pennant…a kind of skimmer.

Often when we are riding, I am reflecting and sometimes composing an essay in my head…most of the time, “un-blogworthy.”  But today, I as thinking about how fear prevents us from enjoying life.  Several people have expressed their fears for us as we travel.  Certainly, there are many things that we could and should be afraid of.  COVID, political mayhem, economic uncertainty, weather, crocodiles, snakes, alligators, mosquitoes, sunshine…But each day we choose.  Primarily, we choose to be as smart as we can and protect ourselves the best way that we know how.  My current perfume could be called “eau de skeeter” and nobody is more socially isolated than we are…But we also choose to embrace life, to soak up the warm sunshine, to exercise our bodies, to appreciate the beauty surrounding us, to seek experiences that bring us joy and we choose to bask in the restorative power of nature.  That’s what we are doing here.

We biked the 5.5 miles To Mahogany Hammock.  We sat for a while under a shade tree at the hammock.  A hammock is a slightly higher and drier piece of land that exists in the midst of all of this flowing water.  Hardwood trees are able to grow here.

Then we biked back to Paurotis Pond.

We had decided to make a trip back into Homestead today.  Our first stop was at Chipotle for salads with grilled chicken.  We placed our order online and then ate outside on the adjacent patio.  We had the company of these grackles.

We stopped at Home Depot for a special tool to adjust the Jeep headlights, and then at the grocery store, the gas station and of course at Robert’s.  The Kent mangoes from Ecuador are outstanding as are the large Florida avocados and we enjoyed these for our dinner with smoked fish dip made in the Keys.

This is a good life.

After dark, we went for a Jeep ride.  It is both creepy and thrilling to ride out here in the absolute dark!  We did get out and walk around at the marina.  It was such a gorgeous evening.  The moon won’t be full for another week but it was already bright enough to cast shadows.  We saw a night heron devouring a fish but no crocs or gators or manatees tonight.  Driving down the park road, we saw birds and bats. 

November 22, 2020

Rainy Day

Flamingo Campground Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida Day 3

Once again, I took my morning walk around the campground loop and out to Florida Bay.  There are so many hawks. We must have seen a dozen today, one with a small snake in its talons.

I watched this osprey take off from the nest.  He flew out over the field and using his feet, broke a branch from the top of a dead tree and returned here to make it part of his love nest!

We pedaled from West Lake almost 4 miles to Nine Mile Pond.  We could see that the skies ahead were threatening.  It began to rain lightly and then more steadily.  We finally turned back. 

Once we got back to West Lake, the rain had stopped so we walked the boardwalk trail. 

This damage must be from Irma in 2017.

It began to rain yet again as we walked to the parking lot.

It rained all afternoon until after sunset.  It was probably good that we had a lighter day today…our legs were tired from our long ride yesterday.  I had a good book to read, Tim followed the Ravens game which ended in an overtime loss.

We made eggs and toast for dinner…just a regular kind of day.  I hope that the sun shines tomorrow, we are ready to go out and play!

November 21, 2020

West Lake

Flamingo Campground Everglades National Park Homestead, Florida Day 2

I took my morning walk around the campground loop and out to Florida Bay.

Later this morning we pedaled from Flamingo to West Lake.  We probably biked about 18 miles…the first 9 in a 9mph headwind. 

We passed recovering mangrove trees.  Three years ago, Hurricane Irma swept through southern Florida.  There was significant damage to the park.  One of the casualties was this area of mangroves.  The salt water from the bay was pushed up inland and smothered these trees.  The mangroves were unable to tolerate the extended period of salinity and died.  Scientists estimate that it will take about 35-40 years for these trees to regrow.

We were riding along the road and I saw a flash of pink.  Four roseate spoonbills were roosting in the trees with some ibis.  Typically, spoonbills are hard to find and difficult to capture in pictures…so it was exciting to be this close and get such good images.

Mrazek Pond was deserted but for a few anhinga and an alligator.

We stopped at Coots Bay where we saw a myriad of birds…ibis, egrets, heron, spoonbills, and wood storks.

When we got to West Lake, we sat by the water, enjoying the gentle breeze and the beautiful lake.  What a wonderful reward after the work of getting here!

The tailwind propelled us home.  Tim caught sight of this snake skin…not sure what kind of snake…but it was large!

We saw a gator on the bank along the road just six feet from where we were biking.

We wandered through the marina and saw 4 manatees.  This one swam close enough for a photo. 

We spent the afternoon outside enjoying the warmth, the breeze, and a good book! 

We grilled bison burgers and drove the Jeep over to Florida Bay where we watched the sunset while eating our dinner…Bliss!!

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.