More fun in the Everglades! After leaving its northern boundary, we drove 3 1/2 hours south to get Flamingo Campground where one of the guides said “you’ve reached the end of the road”. And boy did we! It was 38 miles from the main Everglades visitor center near Homestead, FL to the Guy Bradley Visitor Center in Flamingo, FL with nothing but the ‘Glades in between. You definitely needed to be fully provisioned before heading to the campground; no early morning runs to the convenience store for milk! We start this week’s adventure at the southernmost point on the map below.
The newly opened Guy Bradley Visitor’s Center was just a mile before the campground, also adjacent to the Marina where a visitor can rent bikes, kayaks, or take an informative boat tour narrated by a naturalist or park ranger. There were tons of trails to explore. Maybe, just maybe, we will see the elusive Florida Panther. But poor Murphy will have to stay at the campground; no pets allowed on the trails or boat tours. Sorry buddy!
Sitting at the edge of Florida Bay, the view in Flamingo was spectacular. Murphy and I enjoyed the sunrise over the bay on our early morning walks (he had to stay on the paved roads).
The park had several daily programs led by a park ranger. Between the 4 of us (Gary & Wendy were camped right next to us), we enjoyed talks about bats, birding, and the Everglades. We enjoyed a back country boat tour spotting crocodiles, tons of birds, and humans out kayaking. On a sad note, the visitor center was named after Guy Bradley who was murdered in 1905, protecting a Everglades bird rookery from plume hunters.
The four of us ventured out and rode our bikes to an off-road trail, ending at a boardwalk overlooking Snake Bight Bay (a bight is a bay within a bay, in this case Florida Bay). Lots of birds to view around the boardwalk area. The 3.2 mile roundtrip trail was full of roots, so a bit bumpy. I thought my back handled the ride well, but it was very sore the next few days, so I took it easy.
Wendy & Gary went on a hike while my back was recovering. I happened to be walking Murphy when they returned to the campground. They stopped and Wendy exclaimed, “We saw a panther.” “No way”, I replied. I was so bummed. She got out her phone and showed me a picture. Wendy recently upgraded her iPhone and the close-up pictures she was able to take were amazing. As I glanced at the photo while I couldn’t believe she got that close, she said something like “Well, we saw a picture of one on the trail”. I laughed, she definitely got me on that one. The endangered Florida Panthers (also known as the Florida Cougar) were on the brink of extinction with only 20 left and due to inbreeding their kittens had birth defects. Eight Texan pumas were brought in to help with the genetic depletion. There are now an estimated 230 Florida Panthers but they are still endangered as their habitat continues to decline due to population growth. One of the most common causes of death is vehicle collisions as more roads are built in their range.
As we headed north for home, we stopped at Fisheating Creek Campground near Lake Okeechobee. Dave, Wendy and I enjoyed a canoe/kayak trip on the creek with Wendy spotting an alligator on the bank. We also went on a bike ride on the Lake Okeechobee Trail and stopped at Roland Martin Marina in Clewiston, FL where Dave and I stopped during our Great Loop adventure. Does anyone remember the Roland Martin Fishing Shows? (A long, long time ago). After the 26-mile bike ride, my back didn’t hurt too much as it was all on a paved trail. Yay! We also enjoyed a fun dinner at the dog friendly Ortona Tavern. Gary was feeling under the weather the last few days, so Wendy bought him Chili dogs with onion rings to aid in his recovery. It seemed to work as he seemed much better the next day.
We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the Everglades and its surrounding area and the trip was better with good friends along.
Stay tuned for next week’s blog as we are headed to Costa Rica!
Our amazing lands Brenda, What Mosquitos? Dave, and do I get to go to Costa Rica Murphy.
Thank you for sharing your unique experience at the tip of Florida. Enjoy every moment of it! Stay healthy and stay safe. Reta
Was really an amazing adventure! Lived in Florida for over 45 years and had never been, learned quite a bit about trees, birds, bats & wildlife in the ‘glades. So glad we got to share the experience with you, Dave & Murphy. Til next adventure, I’ll work on improving my vegan brownie muffins without “dents” in the middles.