In about 20 miles, we turned into Shark Valley in Everglades National Park. This is a really popular area of the park so we arrived a little early – around 830 to ensure a parking space and bike availability. After getting our stuff together, we began bicycling the tram trail. The loop is about 15 miles total, so a little long to hike in the Florida sun, but just right for bicycling. But even on bicycles, the going was slow and certainly not because of rough terrain. The trail was paved and as flat as could be, but we stopped so many times to see wildlife. We saw lots of alligators, including some babies.
Besides being small, they are easily recognizable by their yellow stripes. And where there are babies, the mom is nearby keeping an eye on them. Alligators are one of the only reptile species where the mother watches over her young. We also saw a large number of wading birds, including great blue herons, green herons, snowy egrets, tricolored herons and more.
In the dry season, the wildlife congregates around the remaining pools of water and makes watching them great. At one such wet spot, there were a number of white ibises pecking around in the shallow water for prey.
At the half-way point on the tram trail, we parked our bikes and made a stop at the observation tower. Near the restrooms, I spotted a huge banana spider or golden orb weaver.
A tram had stopped so the observation tower was a bit crowded, but the views from up here were great. It’s no wonder why the Everglades is referred to as a “river of grass”.
Once we got some pictures, we headed back down and started to finish up the loop. Along the way back, we spotted many more birds and alligators.
There were a few juvenile white ibises, who have brown instead of white feathers. At another stop, we saw a number of wood storks. A local guy who had stopped here said it was unusual to see so many storks at once.
Near the end, one alligator had his mouth wide open showing his teeth right along the trail.
Finishing up the loop, we returned the bicycles and then walked the short Bobcat Boardwalk trail.
Then we left Shark Valley and continued heading west on Tamiami Trail. Our next stop was the Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve. The boardwalk in front of the visitor center was a great spot to see more alligators basking in the sun.
At the far end of the boardwalk, a beautiful female anhinga was perched.
The Oasis center marks the southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail, a more than 1000-mile trail running through the state. While we couldn’t hike it all, I wanted to hike a few miles on it while we were here. We didn’t go far though as it got really overgrown and there were lots of bugs out. We did see a few pretty butterflies though, bugs I don't mind.
The white peacock butterfly was really beautiful. And the Gulf Fritillaries have a bright orange color.
Next, we headed to the Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center for Big Cypress. Here, we joined Ranger Lisa for a short talk about mangroves and manatees. Then we drove the Turner River-Wagon Wheel loop scenic drive and again saw many birds and gators along the canals. The Turner River runs along the canal and there were lots of birds, including gallinules and egrets.
Back on Tamiami Trail, we continued west to Everglades City and checked into our hotel – Ivey House. We had dinner at Triad Seafood Market. I had gator bites and Sandy had stone crab and we enjoyed our dinner outside and enjoyed the sunset views. Then we retired for the evening, getting in one last shower at Ivey House.
No comments:
Post a Comment