The alligators at Oasis visitors center in Big Cypress Preserve on our way to the Everglades, a sign about alligators with a photo of one on the road, a gator gliding down the water way- leaving no wake. The water is full of fish, lots of food for the gators etc. On our way to the Everglades, Johnny's toy ( John must have bought that without my knowledge. . .), airboat rides and alligators and stay a minimum of 15 feet from the gators. No overnight truck or RV parking in the Walmart parking lot.
South Central Florida is mostly farms, kind of like the central valley in California. We saw corn, tomatoes, squash and orchids but there are many more crops that come from here. Twisty trees in the campground and dried mud left from hurricane Irma. Beautiful historic downtown Homestead.
Everglades National Park, the beginning of the drive though the pinelands in the park.
The bus in our campsite. Only 1 of 4 loops in the campground is open. The rest are not cleaned up from the hurricane yet. The bathroom only has cold showers. A trail blocked with fallen trees from the hurricane.
Sunset in the campground.The next day it was in the high 70's, sunny and humid. We went kayaking on the 9 Mile lake canoe trail. The trail guide says this scenic trail passes through a shallow grassy marsh with scattered mangrove islands. Watch for alligators and wading birds. The trail is marked with numbered white poles. John leading the way through the mangroves.
Jeff Sambur is still visiting with us. Here he is fighting his way through a tight turn in my inflatable kayak. Me in my lake kayak when the trail widened up some. It was warm enough to boat in my bathing suit.
A huge cockroach that was on my chair under the bus this am. Yellow bladderpods and a pink flower on the canoe trail. A loud crow, the trail map and a sign that says done don't approach the gators or snakes (duh) and vultures may damage cars. Air plants growing on the mangroves, sweet yellow acacia flowers and seed pod from a west indies mahogany tree in the campground.
John still leading the way. The water is really clear here,it is very beautiful. John and Jeff ahead.
Jeff and I switched boats. The inflatable is harder to paddle and Jeff was lagging behind. It does not help that the floor of the boat is separating from the sides so the bottom drags on the plants underneath. Anyway I am now in the inflatable and Jeff in the lake boat. Wide open grassy marsh with mangrove islands, puffy clouds and blue sky. It is much easier to deal with hot and humid when you are the water.
More wide open grassy marsh with mangrove islands. John ahead in a mangrove tunnel.
John took these of me coming through the mangrove tunnel.
Back at the put in of Nine Mile lake John is having a serious discussion with a crow about taking food from the boats. The crow did not listen and was after the food in my life jacket. John chased him off.
Sunset on Florida Bay by the walk in campsites.
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