The boat we took on the 10,000 island tour
So, yesterday was lazy, and today was action packed. We left as soon as we could this morning and headed for the Everglades. We entered the park on the northwest corner, by Everglade City. Once there, we stopped at the National Park office, where boat tours are sold. We arrived there 15 minutes before the Ten Thousand Island tour was leaving, and were advised that if we wanted the next Mangrove Wilderness tour we should buy it before we left on the Ten Thousand Island tour. Unable to decide which tour would be better, we decided to buy both. We grabbed some sunscreen and water and jumped on the boat for the Ten Thousand Island tour.
Osprey nest with dad in the background "supervising"
This tour was on a medium sized boat, and had about 25 people aboard. There was a cover which provided some much appreciated shade. We headed out into the Gulf of Mexico, through the ten thousand islands. Our guide told us there was actually more like 14 thousand islands, which changes with high tides. Some little islands get covered up, only to reappear at lower tides. These islands are actually groves of mangrove trees, with very little to no actual land. The mangrove trees are the only trees that will grow in salt water….actually this water is a mix of salt and fresh water, an estuary. The water is very brakish brown, which comes from the leaves of the mangrove trees. These trees have leaves all year round, and shed their leaves all year round. The leaves have a lot of tannic acid in them, which turns the water around them brown. The roots are all intertwined, and mostly above the water, at least at low tide.
The 6 passenger boat we took on the Mangrove Wilderness Tour
We saw a few dolphins on the trip, and several birds. (the double crested cormorant, the royal tern, osprey, the swallow tailed kite). We meandered in and out of the islands for about an hour, then returned to the docks.
Tight quarters in the small channels
Once there, we had about 5 minutes before the Mangrove wilderness tour was scheduled to leave, so we refilled our water bottle and jumped into a small 6 person boat. (Alas, no cover, and at first it was very hot in the sun.)This boat went closer to the mangrove islands, and the guide repeated much of the same information we heard on the first boat tour. The best part was when we turned up a small creek. Here, the trees grew over us, tunnel like, and provided some welcome shade. We motored up as far as we could, before the guide told us we’d need a canoe or kayak to go further.
Another osprey
When we returned from this boat trip, we were melting in the heat and humidity. But we had to make one more stop. A few miles up the road there was a picnic area we were told that always had alligators. Sure enough, when we went along the boardwalk and looked down into the stream, there were alligators! They looked like they were just laying in the water, looking like logs, until a fish happened to swim by a little too closely. Then, snap! The alligator could move very quickly when food was involved.
The smallest official US post office
By now, we were really melting, so we just drove through the north end of the park without any more stops. We passed many air boat tour places, which would have taken us through the “river of grass”. By this time the landscape had changed to swampy grass for miles and miles and miles. There were areas of trees, and then there were areas which had been drained in years past and turned into farms.
Turtle not too far from the alligators
We came to our resting place for tonight, an RV park called Miami Everglades Resort, which is about 15 miles from Miami itself. Yea! For plug-ins! Yea! For air-conditioning! Yea! For pools! Since we’re in Miami, we can and are watching the basketball championship game (it’s half time now).
Alligator "eying" a small fish
Total miles driven today=133
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