Dave'n Aud's XLNT everglades adventure

[sparticle]

I have a little smiling alligator keychain from my last visit to Ma in Key Largo -- it say, "Send More Tourists -- The Last Ones Were DELICIOUS!"

It's really lovely -- makes a great gift.

[daverbee]

Loooooooooseeeeee, I'm ho-ome!
Wow! So much to tell!
I didn't use the digital so you'll just have to wait until I can get the slides developed and scanned. I'll post a trip report later today. Right now, I got work to do!
Great pictures, Aud! I gotta lose some weight!

[Willow Sylph]

Great pics! How lucky for you guys to go on that adventure!

[daverbee]

Ok, here we go. It's a long one so fasten yer seatbelts.
Got out of Jacksonville Friday morn and drove into Naples that evening around 5:30 or so. Nico and Bink were way high up in an oak tree on a hydraulic lift putting up Christmas decorations!
I was greeted by Aud, her sister and her sister's fiance. I also met two now fast friends, Mona and Butthead, Aud's two dogs. Aud told me the other day that Mona has now learned to bark my name. She adored me! Most of you have seen the pic Aud posted a while back of Mona with a mohawk. She's much sweeter than that!
While Nico and Bink finished up, Aud took me on a mini tour of the farm. They've gotta lotta animals! Sheesh! I thought I had a lot wirth two dogs and a cat!
I think this list will be correct:
Two horses.
One mule.
Two goats.
One pig.
10 chickens.
Three parakeets. (Budgies for the retentive among us!)
One parrot.
Two dogs.
One cat.
Great place! Plants everywhere with a lot of orchids! I gotta get down there when all those orchids are in bloom. They also have two staghorn ferns that are the size of my car!
After Nico and Bink were finished, we spent a little time getting the lift back onto the pickup truck and went inside.
Had a dinner of leftover Thanksgiving foods and it was great! Spent a long while talking and then I retired to the guest house for a much needed sleep.
Next morning, I woke up early and put my sleeping bag and camping pads away and did a little bit of yoga to get the kinks out of my back and legs after all that driving. (No, Aud, my back didn't go loopy because I slept on the floor!)
Aud, Bink, and I got our stuff together and headed out the door for a day in The Everglades. Nico was gonna finish up the decorating along with Aud's sister.
We headed out and were soon on Tamiami Trail headed into The River of Grass. We passed so many places I'm so eager to explore in the future! Fakahatchee Strand, Big Cypress Preserve, all sorts of names I've read about all my life but never been able to get to. Now that I've got a place to stay down there, I may wear out my welcome!
Our first stop was at the Gallery of one of my heroes, Clyde Butcher. Clicky! He's the Everglades answer to Ansel Adams.
There's a nice bit of cypress swamp beside the gallery and we found four small gators in there. That's where Aud got the panorama shot and the picture of me and Bink.
Inside, I felt like a kid in a candy store! There's a huge print of a landscape on the front wall. Looks to be about 6 feet by 8 feet! Gorgeous!
I spent close to $150 in there on prints and calendars and stuff and would have spent more if I had more!
Next we headed out for the main event, a trip to Shark Valley in The Everglades.
Click again!
We got our tickets and made reservations on the tram and went back out to a restaurant across the highway for Indian Burgers. Good food! It's a hamburger but served in Fry Bread rather than a burger bun.
Back at the park, we found the alligator guarding the fire hydrant seen at the top of the thread. I really kept waiting for him to lift his leg!
As the tram was loading we had a little bit of a disagreement with a couple I think from Eastern Europe somewhere. Elderly folks, they didn't want to move, so we let them stay where they were. Later on I was able to engage the man in conversation a bit and he was nice.
The tram tour was about 15 miles in length and about half way around you come to an overlook which gives a better view into the Everglades. Didn't see an overwhelming number of alligators, but there were some about. Due to all the water from the hurricanes seeping down to the Gulf, it's especially wet there now, even though it's the dry season. The alligators are able to spread out over a much larger area. Saw a lot of birds! I saw a lot of wildflowers, and I'll try and post a list of the ones that were blooming as soon as I can find my Florida Wildflowers book.
The overlook gave wonderful views! Again, not many gators about but the landscapes more than made up for that!
Bink and I explored a short side trail off the main walk to the overlook and were rewarded by finding a four foot gator on a flooded section of the trail. We all piled back into the tram and headed back to the visitor center.
On the way home, we stopped by a Subway and got subs for everyone. Got home and Nico had finished with the decorating and had time to work on a pergola he was to install for a friend the next day! Wish I had that much energy on a weekend!
I would have to guess that you can see that oak tree from outer space! It was nicely lit and will make a perfect Christmas Tree!
After eating our subs, Nico and I went upstairs to watch a boxing match. A four fight card, I was able to stay awake through the first match but was quickly fading so headed back to my sleeping bag. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. It was raining so that made a nice environment for sleeping.
Next day, biscuits for breakfast! Nico had to get out early to install the pergola, so we said our farewells, and I got my stuff together while Bink made some drawings for me to take home. Packed the car and reluctantly said g'bye to my new friends.
Got into Orlando and got a room, picked up some burritos and nachos (Spicyyyyyy!) for dinner and crashed!
Next morning, Gatorland! You know what to do. I have mixed feeling about Gatorland. On the one hand, they have hundreds of alligators and American Crocodiles. Really nice breeding pool (Almost a lake!) with a huge observation tower. Nice crocodile exhibit.
But, they're kinda patronizing in an annoying way. All their signs began, "This here's a..." I think they were trying to imitate Florida Cracker talk and it just didn't sit well with me. They have this really smarmy song about the guy who caught all their crocodiles that plays over and over and over and over and over on the walk to the croc exhibit. It made "It's A Small World" sound attractive.
I will go back, but I much prefer the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Much smaller in area but more interesting in their presentation style.
After finishing at Gatorland I headed back up I-95 to Jacksonville and home!
I strongly recommend any monkey with the money and the time to go and visit Aud, Nico, and Bink! They are great people and now they are my friends!

[Avalon]

YAY!

[Audreyvgs]

There is an alligator farm here too, but he'd of puked. They have neither presentation nor style. Just a small stinky lake. They charge big bucks to get in too, its just a ploy to get you to take an airboat ride.

We did have fun with Dave!

[Willow Sylph]

Daver, thanks for that thorough description of your visit. It sounds like you guys had such a nice time and I'm so jealous. I want to meet you guys and all of Aud's pets

[daverbee]

Oh!
The best part of Gatorland? In the gift shop, they had a display with tropical fruit trees you can grow in pots. I picked up a Key Lime tree.
(How many of you would have guessed that?)

[tsunamimom]

What a great trip - will have to make an extra effort to get down there while I'm still on this side of the continent!

[Willow Sylph]

How cool. I wonder how hard it would be to keep tropical plantlife alive in California. How are ya Daver? Long time, no talk.