Trip Way South to the Everglades

 

The first week of February Jan and I took a trip down to Everglades. Other than driving through the Everglades on Alligator Alley Jan an I have never visited the Everglades. 

For this trip we rented a class "B"rv. We had been wanting to try one and this fit the bill.  This one is made by Winnebago. It is like driving a really big van. Inside there is room for two to sleep, shower and cook dinner. On top are several solar panels that keep the batteries charged. I was also surprised to find the mileage acceptable, 16 to 17 MPG. 

We camped at the Everglades Flamingo which is the southernmost tip of the Florida peninsula. This is semi-primitive camping, no hot water in the showers. But other than that is is a very nice campground. the sites are very large and spread out. We never felt that the other camper were too close. At night the lighting at the campground is very subdued and we could see lots of stars.

The first full day in the Everglades we had planned a boat tour from the marina. We met our Captain Al at about 10 am on Thursday the 4th and boarded with 2 other couples. As soon as we left the dock a saltwater crocodile was spotted sunning himself on the bank near the marina. Come to find out that the marina was one of their favorite spots to hang out. We were told that there was an even bigger one that visited here but we did not see it, Jan was glad about that.  

The tour started on the "Buttonwood" canal. This waterway was dug by Henry Flagler of the East Coast Railroad fame. The canal was dug about 1922 to allow his railroad to run across the Florida Bay from Miami to Key West. But after it was dug the ground in the Everglades and Bay was found too unstable to support the bridges the railroad needed so the train route was moved running along the eastern Keys south to Key West.

We were hoping to see lots of birds from our boat. We did see a few and the first was a tri-colored heron sitting in a red mangrove . But as Captain Al explained most birds were out on the bay having their breakfast at this time.  While we did see a few birds on out boat tour such as Snowy Egrets, American White Ibis, Great Blue Herons, and Anhingas. 

What we did see was lots of Mangroves. Red Mangroves that grow near and in the water. Then behind them are the Black Mangrove and them farther upland is the White Mangrove. Also growing in the same area are Buttonwood trees as well as Mahogany trees. It was quite interesting to see these trees growing undisturbed in their natural habitat.
In this picture you can see the Red Mangrove with their prop roots growing down into the water. Next behind them are the Black Mangroves. The other trees are farther inland. 

I learned that if a hurricane blows most of the leaves off of a Red Mangrove it will probably die. Not because of the loss of leaves but because of the salt in the water. The leaves provide the energy the plant needs to filter the salt out of the water. With out that energy the mangrove cannot filter the water and draws saltwater in and up to the trunk and branches, killing the tree. 

Our captain also pointed out several orchids growing in branches along the bank. Unfortunately like seeing birds we were came at the wrong time to see the flowers. But once I knew what I was looking for I spotted several orchids on out trip. The one seen here is the Florida Butterfly Orchid.  

Also in the branches we saw hundreds of bromeliades sprouting from branches of the mangroves like some sort of Dr. Seuss creature.

One of the more esoteric bits that I learned during this trip was about the Unigrid. If you have ever been to a National Park Service site you have probably picked up a unigrid brochure there. The design of the unigrid brochure was created for the Park Service in 1977 by the Itialian designer Massimo Vignelli. 

His design is still in use today virtually unchanged. This design carries over to the NPS web site too. Not only are the brochures from the NPS well designed they also carry plenty of good information for your visit. 

Later on Thursday we took a bike ride around the campground. We were staying in the "T" Loop Campground and rode around to see the "B" loop. "B" loop turned out to be closed because of past storms and Covid. According to one of the grounds keepers we found out there that the park service was allowing the area to return to its natural state and to protect the Cape Sable Thoroughwort.  We did not see any of the Cape Sable during our visit. I'm hoping to see some next time we visit. 

On Friday February 5th we went to an early morning ranger talk at the campground amphitheater. There we learned a little of the history of the town of Flamingo. I had wondered about that the whole time we had been there because I had yet to see a single Flamingo. The ranger told us that the early settlers of the area developed a taste for flamingos and ate them all and the flamingos have never recovered. So the only flamingo there is in the name.

Actually many birds were killed during the early years of the settlement of the area we were camping in. During the late 18, early 19 hundreds the bird population of the everglades was being decimated for their feathers to be used in women's fashion. 

Birds were shot while nesting en-mass, processed in Flamingo. The feathers were then shipped to Key West and then to New York to be used by the fashion industry.  This went on for many years until the news story of Guy Bradley. 

Bradley began his career as a plume hunter but then seeing the decline of the birds became a game warden protecting areas set aside by the State of Florida and the Audubon Society. One morning while at home in Flamingo Guy heard gunshots. Going to investigate Guy was killed by bird poachers.  His death because of feathers caught the attention of news papers and their readers. Using bird plumes quickly fell out of fashion and his death galvanized the need to protect the Everglades. 

In Flamingo one of the trails is named for Bradley.

Later on Friday we drove up toward the entrance of the park to attend another ranger talk. This time the history was a little more current but still of far reaching importance. 

The Cold War and the Cuban missile crisis. Deep in the middle of the Everglades is a Nike Hercules Missile Base. Construction of the base was completed in 1964. There are 22 buildings and 3 missile barns. 

This was truly the tip of the sword in in south Florida. The men and missiles there were protection for the United States from bombers and missiles the USSR had places in Cuba. Able to respond in a moments notice this base played a crucial role in preventing the Cold War from heating up.

Jan and I had a great time in the Everglades and plan on going back. Maybe next time the lodge will be completed at Flamingo and we will have hot showers.