Everglades National Park

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this but I've lived in Florida most of my 36 years and have never been to the Everglades.  My brother even lived just a short distance from the Everglades and we never made it to the National Park.  It's been a goal of mine to get there for a few years now but after watching Bill Weir's series "The Wonder List" on CNN last year, I've been even more determined and I finally made it there!  By the way, if you have never watched The Wonder List then you really should check it out.  Amazing footage of places that I've either dreamed about visiting or never knew they existed but now dream about visiting.  The stories told are fascinating and I am captivated throughout the show.  But this post is not about the show so back to the Everglades.

I have always pictured the Everglades as a hot, humid, muggy and bug infested place which may be why I hadn't been there before but visiting it in January completely falsified my previous opinion.  It was beautiful and serene with miles of flat wetlands and swamp land to look at.  I entered the park from the Homestead entrance and immediately drove the 38 miles back to the Flamingo entrance where the boat rides depart from.  The drive was a smooth, easy drive and I barely encountered a car the entire way back which was so nice after the aggravating overcrowded drive back up from the Florida Keys.  I arrived just in time for the 11 am Backcountry Tour.

While waiting to board the boat and looking out into the water my first thought was "Is that...?" and it was a manatee and her baby!  I hadn't even boarded the boat yet and I was already getting to see the wildlife that made Florida famous.  I was lucky that our tour only had 10 people on it.  I think that was a bonus from getting up early and heading straight back to that point without stopping at the many trails along the way.  On the boat tour, we were mostly looking for American Crocodiles and the occasional gator.  The very tip of Florida and the Keys are the only place in America to find the crocodile.  You can tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator by looking at the snout.  A crocodile has a more pointed snout and when their mouths are closed you can see all their teeth whereas on an alligator you can only see a few of his teeth.  Alligators are also darker in color than a crocodile.  By this time in the day, it was still a cool morning for south Florida but the sun had come out so we were hoping to see a few reptiles sunning themselves and different bird species that live in the park.  We had success!  We saw one large alligator and two baby crocodiles as well as many different birds, tangles of mangroves, air plants, and, of course, just being out on the water in the backcountry of the Everglades was peaceful, quiet, and beautiful.

 Manatee

 First gator sighting

 Tricolor Heron

 Baby crocodile

 Another baby crocodile

Big crocodile

After the boat tour, I slowly made my way back to the main entrance, stopping at different points along the way.  One stop included a large crocodile sighting lazing about on the bank of the lake with unassuming kayakers paddling right past the great reptile without even noticing him.  To be fair, the crocodile didn't seem to notice or even care that the kayakers were paddling past or that the paparazzi (me) was taking its picture from surprisingly close by considering these guys can run up to 20 mph if the mood strikes them.  All but the last stop I made seemed somewhat remote, where I definitely ran into people and didn't feel afraid to be out there walking around by myself, but at the same time could have moments alone to take in the serene nature and really enjoy my surroundings without the noise pollution of other people instead of the birds and sounds of nature that I really wanted to enjoy.

 Crocodile and unknowing kayaker

The last stop I made in the park was actually very close to the Homestead entrance at Royal Palm visitor's center and walking the Anhinga Trail.  The trail is easily accessed and has boardwalks over the water that let you look for birds, alligators, and turtles while looking into the water.  There were a couple of alligators basking in the sun next to the walkway that were not even fazed by the dozens of people walking past them and taking pictures with them in the background (myself included).  I had to take the chance to take my picture doing the Gator chomp with the biggest gator that was closest to the sidewalk and I admit that I was more than a little nervous turning my back to the gator while I smiled for the camera and could already see the newspaper headline... Crazy Gator Fan Gets Chomped By A Gator While Doing The Chomp...but thankfully the alligator didn't even stir and the photo op was completed.  In all actuality, it is rare to hear of a gator attack.  According to our boat guide, American gators and crocodiles swallow their prey whole so they do not eat anything bigger than the size of their head.  So as long as you are not being completely stupid and challenging the gator then you should be safe.  Your little dog, not so much...he's lunch size.

This big gator is the one I'm pictured with below.

I only spent part of one day in the Everglades and hope to go back again one day soon because I only scratched the surface of what there is to see in the park.  I know Florida is very humid and buggy during the summer months so I would suggest sticking to our winter months when visiting the park for a more pleasant experience but it is worth the time to make a visit and see if it will challenge your previous expectations as well.

Fort Zachary Taylor

Fort Zachary Taylor is in Key West and is located next to one of the better beaches in Key West.  You can take a guided tour of the fort everyday at 11 am.  Our guide was a Florida Gator so I knew it would be good.  I went to the fort knowing absolutely nothing about it but found the history to be fascinating.  It was commissioned after the War of 1812 when the U.S. realized it needed more bases along the water to protect it from enemy forces.  It was held by Union forces during the Civil War and was 3 stories high with 200 cannons spread out between the 3 floors.  The fort never saw action during the Civil War as it was decided that Key West was not an important hold.  However, because of it's location, they were able to stop supplies from getting to the Confederate soldiers and ended up being an important part of the war.  Eventually the 2nd and 3rd stories were removed to be less obvious of a fort and to not draw as much attention and part of the fort was fortified with concrete walls.  The fort was a part of the Navy base and was mostly forgot about for many years.  In 1968, volunteers began excavations of the fort and found the largest collection of Civil War cannons.  It was interesting to hear the history and thinking about standing in the same place that so many historical things happened in the same spot.

 Cannons lined up in the fort

 The courtyard

Old Civil War cannons that were found buried in concrete walls