Photo Friday: The Everglades
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Now, I know that no one headed there to celebrate the big game likely has The Everglades on this trip's to-see list. But I wanted to tell you about it for Photo Friday because my friend Roxanne and I went there during our Miami visit.
It was my idea, and she went along. Neither of us really knew what to expect. We figured if birds like this one were comfortable around the gators, we'd brave the trail to see them.
Whoa, it was surreal!
We got a good way down the trail before realizing we hadn't really thought it through. Those birds could fly, but we were starting to feel like bait on legs.
There were gators E V E R Y W H E R E. In some spots, 20 or so piled on top of each other like old tires. But that wasn't as menacing as the lone guys sunning themselves closer to the trail.
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Like this one. We walked within ten feet of it, and I don't need the photo to remember.
The fact of the matter is that gators are nocturnal and feed primarily at night. So Roxanne and I, along with all the other two-legged visitors on the trail, were not likely to be part of their lunch. The park service keeps it well maintained, with nice wooden bridges built on the marshy areas. If you're planning a trip to The Everglades, weather-wise, this time of year is best to go. If I ever make it back to the area, I'll probably do like Moon Travel Guide author Laura Martone wrote about yesterday, and see it next time by boat.
For more Photo Friday travel stories, visit Delicious Baby.
On Another Note:
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What a wonderful gator pic - I can't believe you got that close to him on foot! Good for you, Wordy.
P.S. Thanks for the shout-out about my recent post - I sure didn't expect to spark a controversy with that one. Guess that's what I get for writing it in the wee hours of the morning. Hehe.
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I didn't read it as controversy. It's good food for thought. But since I'm more worried about BEING food, I've decided I would not get in that water in a canoe. Or a kayak? Come on.
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I have always wanted to make a trip to the Everglades. Glad you got to see so many gators, but wow it does look you got pretty close!
Isn't the Everglades also the area where there have been some recent issues pythons? I thought I remembered reading an article in The New Yorker last year...
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Yeah, it was go-to-your-happy-place close actually.
I would NOT have had that stay-calm ability if I had seen any kind of snake, but I do recall cringing at news about Florida's python problems. I thought it was the Keys, but just looked it up -- you're right... they're all over the Everglades too. Eeek. I am such a snake-phobe I'm glad I didn't know this in advance. More reason to tour by boat!
By the way, the article I mentioned is from the travel blog of a Moon Guide author living in the Keys researching her next book. If you're interested in visiting the Everglades/Keys, her blog is a great source of info on the area.
Thanks for your comment!
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That was such a great weekend. Thanks for taking me along! Yeah...snakes might have put a whole new tone to that trip.
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You think? You would have been carrying me out of there like the crying baby I know I'd become.
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WHOA!!! I have this bizarre fascination with gators...I am scared to death but at the same time I can't look away! The Everglades are a beautiful part of the state aren't they?
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Ohhhh yeah... if you visited this park, you'd have plenty to look at!
I certainly thought this area was beautiful. Most of the Everglades are marshy and only accessible by boat though. It's just south of Miami, which is totally glamorous, of course. And just north of Key Largo... Yes, yes, beautiful spot!
Thanks for your comment.
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We just passed the Everglades a few weeks ago while driving to the Keys. We opted not to stop but seeing these photos makes me regret that decision. Exciting to get so close to all of those 'gators.
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It's quite a spot for wildlife viewing -- I've never seen as many varieties of birds and critters anywhere else. But I bet you had a great time on your visit in the Keys... we only went to Key Largo, but exploring that area further is on my list! Thanks for stopping by. Happy travels!
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what great photos. up here in the north, we forget that winter can happen in different ways.
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Yes, this is the most popular time to visit. I can't imagine walking around there in swampy summer heat!
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I would TOTALLY freak out if I saw one alligator, much less 20 piled on top of each other. And I'd probably be much too traumatized to take a picture!
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I have one of the gator pile saved on a different computer -- I didn't go searching for it, because it is a little too traumatizing to look at. Brrr. Thanks for your comment!
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LORDY that gator is way way way too close for my taste! You're a brave woman.
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If by brave, you mean clueless, you're totally right.
Seriously, there were a lot of folks out there walking around. One man was even hanging out near that pictured gator with his two year old kid. I'll admit -- That particular scene has given me nightmares since.
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Seeing it by boat sounds like a good idea. Kayaking might be fun, but not if you meet a gator! I imagine it like the movie Adapatation and the scenes where they're looking for the rare orchids.
A few years ago I met an environmental engineer who specialised in wetlands. She was from Florida but lived in New York because there was more work there. "Florida doesn't care about protecting its wetlands," she told me.
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I loved Adaptation! Would love to have seen some orchids, but we didn't go wading around off-limits like that.
I don't know anything about Florida's efforts to protect wetlands, but I hope things have changed since your environmental engineer friend moved away. I lived in Louisiana, where lots of people and organizations care about the wetlands, but it's still a fight for funding to protect them. Thanks for your insightful comment.
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Thanks for focusing on one of my favorite parts of South Florida--the Everglades. The traffic is heavy here this weekend, but as you say, the energy is good, and the weather is beautiful. I'm sure that gator is sunbathing today.
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Are you in Miami? Wohoo - I bet it's wild there this weekend. Glad the weather is nice -- I'm going out on a limb here, and will suggest that the sunbathing gator is rooting for the Saints. Or not...
Thanks for your comment - have fun this weekend. I've only visited Miami one time, but it entices me to come back!
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Wow, I was just thinking, "She really gets around!" and then I read your reply to previous poster that you've only been to Miami once & I was thinking, "She sure does know how to make it memorable!"
Quite the Gator!! The bird is gorgeous and you are brave! (Braver still to have cld me "Bon Bon" ;)
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Uh-oh... did I cross the line? The beauty of this whole Internet thing is that you can be called whatever name you want... I'm all for honoring that wish!
I think a trip to Miami would be memorable no matter what you ended up doing. Your Windshield Thinking is memorable wherever you go too!
Thanks for your comment. Have a great day!
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No, no, it's my fault! I'd had an earlier version of the post (dang editing profusely!) where I'd kiddingly commented about the "Bon Bon" & so I was thinking you were pulling my leg. (In my head, it was still there!) In reality, "Bon Bon"'s fine ~ all my nicknames I enjoy!
Thanks for the fun, your great comments, the awesome headlines and RTs & of course, the (wonderful) word-wire!
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whoa, sug. you know these suckers (love how you say they were stacked like old tires) look sluggish but they can run light the wind. but they're slow on the turns, so 1 word: serpentine.
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I sure hope you didn't have to learn this bit of info the hard way.
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I took an airboat tour of the Everglades some years back, and had a blast! I loved seeing so many different varieties of birds unfamiliar to me...the gators, maybe not so much so :lol:
The boat trip is definitely worth exploring (and as an aside, I also remember hearing that motor boat propellers are the biggest culprit in manatee injuries, and the manatees didn't seem to be hanging around in gator territory-is the water even deep enough to accommodate them there?).
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You know, that is a very good point -- I'd find another place to hang out if I were a manatee. I don't remember seeing anything about them in the park info when we were there. I think manatees inhabit nearby Biscayne NP -- or at least near. I'd never heard any controversy about air boats until I read that comment on Laura's blog. But without doing a bunch of homework on the matter, I feel pretty confident that the National Park Service wouldn't allow them they caused significant damage to the environment. Thanks for your insightful comment!
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