February 11-12, 2018 Big Cypress Swamp, Florida

There was a seafood festival in Everglade City so we decided to go. The line to get into started 5 miles from the festival, so we turned around and went to the Crab Cafe instead.

There were lots of bikers at the Crab Cafe. Behind the cash register on the saw it says You saw it here Ochopee, Fla. There were lines at the restrooms. I saw there two potties on the patio next to the closed gas station next door, John says it is a potio!

88 degrees, humid we decided to to a wet hike. In the wet season this area is covered by a few inches plus sheet of water all heading to the Everglades, then the gulf. It is dry season now so it is mostly dry, or mud or pockets of water. We headed into a cypress dome, it is a depression in the limestone that retains water year round and cypress trees grow taller than the surrounding area. It is full of absolutely clear water and lots of greenery. John in the dome.

A stump in the dome, gulf fritillary butterfly and lance leaved arrowhead white flowers. Very green. The cypress are conifers, but deciduous so their needles turn red and fall off in the fall, that is what is floating on the water.  

Purple pickerel weed in the dome, red milkweed and fine leaved white top sedge on the dry plain. The water is crystal clear, the water is mid calf deep here-you can see where you are walking.

Me standing in the clear water. John behind some cypress. The plants attached to the cypress are air plants, they get their nutrients from photosynthesis and water from the air(humidity) Many are orchids. 

John took this of me in the yellow flowers and air plants.

John with a huge cypress knee. The knees are part of the cypress roots.And John walking in the dome. 

A quill leaf blooming- one of the air plants. John photographing a pickerel weed flower. 

These flowers and bug were seen on the walk up Skillet Strand. Black and yellow bug, white and yellow flowers, spider lily, tree ear. Purple lobelia, red maple seeds, orange poppy and another spider lily. 

We walked up Skillet Strand looking for more domes but the foliage was too thick so we gave up. John in the bushes. White flower, another view of the purple lobelia and a yellow pea flower.  

Yellow common primrose willow, and two views of a queen butterfly.

February 9-10, 2018 Big Cypress Swamp, Florida

Very hot, mid 80's and very humid. No shade in the campground. We have no hookups so we can only use the AC when we run the generator. It is nice in the shade beside the bus. Nice  breeze.

The bus at park service Burns Lake Campground. The first night the bugs were the worst I have ever seen. Little gnat like things, nothing that bit. They were tiny and many  got through the screens. It was miserable. When John got up in the am this was how many bugs were on the outside of the screens. They has short lives and were dead. John has a bug 'bunny' in his hand.  We put up our screen bug tent and went into town and bought a thermacell bug killer. Must have worked, there were none the next night.

We went to Fakahatchee Strand state park. The boardwalk over the cypress freshwater swamp  is 2000 feet long and the audubon guide said it was the most delightful walk in Florida. It was lovely and green, but not sure it was THE most delightful walk here. It was green and ferny. John on the boardwalk.

Welcome to Cypress Bend Boardwalk, ibis,stranger fig, green vine, unfurling fern and a great blue heron. This building is a Miccosukee Indian Chickee. Before the white man arrived  the indians lived in these, without the walls. This one is a gift shop.

On our way home we stopped at Joanie's Blue Crab cafe for a beverage on their nice cool deck out back.  Sunset last night.

85 today, sunny and humid, perfect day to be on the water. We paddled the Turner River today into the Everglades. It is known for its mangrove tunnels. It is really beautiful. The red plants are air plants. the derive all their water and nutrients from the air. Some of them are orchids. John paddling in a mangrove tunnel. It is very narrow and has a canopy of mangrove branches and leaves. 

There was lots of wildlife there. Here are two of the many alligators we saw. Wildlife resting area, and these giant leather ferns-they can reach 13 feet tall. This is a stand up paddleboarder exiting one of the tunnels. We ran into her in the tunnel. The canopy is so low she had to sit on her board to get through. I was having trouble getting my paddle stuck in the branches and roots. She told me to just grab the branches and swing though like Tarzan. It worked well. 

In the more open area between tunnels. John and the SUP ahead of me. The southern cattails are 10 feet tall.  

We had lunch at these picnic tables we found by the palm trees. Only ones in there. John in the tunnel on the way back out. 

The water photo has water strider bugs running zigzag patterns away from my boat, a quill leaf bloom, one of the air plants, swamp lilies a type of amaryllis, and wild tree trunks. Pink flowers, red berries and purple flower getting ready to bloom.

John took this shot of me in the mangrove tunnel. Sunset from camp tonight.

February 6-8 , 2018 Marathon, Florida keys to Big Cypress Swamp, Florida

80 degrees and sunny, bit of wind.

It was a beach kind of day. John walking on Sombrero beach. Here is something you don't see everyday, a woman stand up paddle boarding with her pet duck.

I have no idea if these are plants or animals but they are living/living on the floor of the RV's parks swim area in the ocean. There were some great clouds today, but they disappeared before sunset. But still a nice sunset at the RV park.

I paddled around the RV park on the gulf this evening. The water was really clear and the colors were lovely. 

Pelicans settling in for the night in a mangrove. The sun setting between the trees on the way back.

Dragon and Stonehenge looking clouds at sunset.

We are leaving tomorrow. Will miss these views. 

The park is sold out. We were really lucky to get a spot. John called just after they got a cancellation. 

We are now camped at Burn's lake in the Big Cypress Swamp. Lots of flowers.  Some are in  my book. Blue Eyed grass, yellow flower and lawn orchid. Fine -leaved white-top sedge, two of old field toadflax, the first one is closer up and white flower.

White asters, sunflower, two of large-flowered Sabatia,red flower, white flower, common blue hearts

Sunset tonight.