Everglades National Park – Homestead, Florida

It was our first visit to this park in the 39 years we lived in Florida.  Talk about taking your sweet time visiting somewhere.  It is 39 miles from the entrance of the park to get to Flamingo Campground.  This national park offers hiking trails, places to kayak, and an abundance of wildlife.  The black, screaming vultures circle the campsite looking for anything to scavenge and hoping some camper will drop some food so they can dine.  Our site is large, but it has no natural fauna separating each area, so privacy is non-existent.  Earmarked shady sites have one tree which doesn’t provide much shade. One of the campers told us the wind in your friend in the Everglades.  Lucky for us, this was the case for most of the week and kept the mosquitos at bay.  This campground has neat eco tents.  The tent looks like a bungalow with beds and electricity.  Interesting for a night, but I would not be a fan of strolling to the shared bathrooms in the dark among who knows what creatures may be lurking.

We kayaked on the 9 Mile Pond Trail.  As Mitch was inflating the kayak, I was searching for launch sites.  I came across one I thought was a discarded tire by the water’s edge.  Getting closer, I had a “HOLY CRAP” moment as I realized it was a 5 to 6 ft. gator sunning himself.  The alligator’s spiky dark grey body splayed across the opening, protecting and stopping us from trespassing in his territory.  Decision made – launch from the other site.  We started to meander through the fields of mangroves and noticed gar fishes in the water.  I spent the next twenty minutes trying to capture a photo of these elusive creatures but to no avail.  They were too quick and perhaps camera shy.  At the halfway point, we met a couple on a canoe.  They suggested we turn around as the water was shallow and not easily passable.  After our previous kayak experience, we took their suggestion.   Up ahead,  I spotted an alligator’s scaly head and beady eyes treading the water, causing tiny ripples around his body. I immediately told Mitch to stay back as I didn’t want to become gator bait. Perhaps, the gator thought he was a tour guide as he continued to swim in front of us without caring there was a kayak trailing him. Thankfully, after a while, he veered off into an open area, and we continued on our way.  Did I say we were in the Everglades?  Gators, crocs, and Everglades are synonymous and should be an expectation should you plan to visit.