Following our great weekend in Delray Beach, we stocked up on some supplies that we may not find elsewhere on our trip: cold cuts, rolls, grape juice, and yellow cheese. Then, a three-hour trip on the Florida Turnpike brought us to the entrance of Everglades National Park. Our Seniors Pass, which we bought on our last trip, got us into the park for free, and we stopped at the visitor’s center to get some background information and maps of the area.
Everglades National Park was established in 1947 and covers 1,500,000 acres. The name often brings up images of swamps, alligators, snakes, and jungles. But the reality is different. Much of the land is flat and covered by prairie-looking grass. But it is not dry prairie; water is just below or on the surface. Some of it consists of dense trees such as pine; much of it is the Florida Bay, a shallow lagoon between the southern tip of Florida and the Florida Keys. Some of it is indeed marsh, but rangers say that the marshes are not the “real” Everglades.
There is nothing like the Everglades in the world. The ecosystem is a story of balance – two seasons, dry and wet; tropical and temperate species which co-exist. And it is the only place in the world in which alligators and crocodiles live together.
Before driving to our campground we stopped at the Royal Palm parking area from which we took two hiking paths. The first was the Anhinga Trail, a self-guiding trail along a boardwalk through a sawgrass marsh where we saw local wildlife in its natural habitat, all in fresh water. As the Everglades is mostly water, there are few real hiking trails; thus, the walks we took were mostly on boardwalks, built over the wet areas.
We saw and photographed anhinga birds, American alligators, tri-colored heron, great blue heron, purple gallinules, great egret, osprey, and other birds we’re not sure the names of, yet. (We thank those folks who gave us some of these names.) The Everglades is home to some 300 species of birds and is a birdwatcher’s paradise. We became real fans of watching these large, graceful birds in flight. In fact, the alligators (which are abundant) were interesting to find (some are hidden in almost a Where’s Waldo way), but they all look the same. The birds, in their variety and numbers, were stunning.
The second hike was along Gumbo Limbo Trail, a path through wilderness that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Did I mention we were not far from a Nike Missile Base?
After an hour’s drive through the park (38 miles) we reached Flamingo campground, on the Florida Bay near the southern tip of the Everglades, our home for the next two nights. Due to damage from Hurricane Irma in September 2017, only one of four sections of the campground is currently in use. The rangers cleared the campground from debris and only recently were able to resupply usable water for the campers. They are now starting to work on the other parts of the campground.
February 6th, day 2 of our Everglades excursion
Hiking today was in a different part of the park; the habitat is more salt water. Here we found the highly endangered American crocodile, manatees (large, relatively docile mammals), crabs, and again, multiple types of birds we could not name.
We learned to see the difference between the alligator and the crocodile. Crocodiles live in salt water; alligators in fresh water (thus, alligators are found further north in Florida, crocodiles in this southern, salt water area). Crocodiles have a blunt nose; alligators have a long, narrow snout. Crocodiles show all its fierce teeth; alligators look like they are grinning.
After a 3-½ hour hike in the morning which led us along the Florida Bay and onto a trail, we returned to our camp spot for lunch and a well-deserved nap. Weather-wise, we have been very lucky – it stormed last night; during the day it has been cool and windy – this is a good thing. Normally, the Everglades are very hot and humid with clouds of mosquitoes ruling the area. Though we were warned about the mosquitoes, we have yet to be bothered by them due to the heavy breezes.
Even on this trip we are still impressed with how friendly and creative other campers are. In addition to the standard RV rigs which we discussed during our first trip, there are many homemade vans and station wagons which are being used as campers. There are also a variety of tents, small and large, including one that has an air-conditioner. People bring dogs, bikes, canoes, kayaks, motorboats, and motorcycles. Though most people are here to vacation, we are meeting more and more who have sold their homes and are living on the road full-time, not out of need, but out of desire. Some work from their RVs and some are retired.
February 7th, day 3 of our Everglades excursion
After packing up up our RV and leaving the Flamingo campground, we began our 38-mile ride out of the park. On the way, we stopped to take two more short hikes, across boardwalks to small islands called “hammocks.” These little pieces of land are just a few inches above the water and are an oasis for trees and nesting wildlife. Compared to our previous trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, it seemed strange to see signs on the road reading “Elevation 3 feet.” Elevation in the park is measured in inches, not feet.
We know that storms, such as hurricanes, and fires are a natural part of nature that allow for new growth to replace the old. At one time, fires would be put out as they occurred; now, however, the philosophy is to let them burn and allow nature to take its course. At times, rangers use a “controlled fire” in specific areas to allow light to reach the ground and promote new growth.
The same is true of hurricanes. A good part of the park was hit very hard during Hurricane Irma and others before it. However, we already saw new growth and re-birth.
After leaving Everglades National Park we headed to our next destination, the Big Cypress National Preserve (729,000 acres, created in 1974), which is just north of the Everglades and is a part of the Everglades ecological system. A preserve differs from a national park in the way it can be used: for example, oil and gas exploration and extraction, hunting, and private land ownership are allowed in the preserve (controlled and regulated), but not in the national park. It is also home to Seminole and Miccosukee Indians.
We camped in the middle of the preserve for one night and took a few hikes – one in a cypress forest, for which the park is named, and one along a boardwalk near the visitor’s center.
We will return next week for another night after we spend three days, including Shabbat, in Key West.