The Everglades FL

After leaving Sarasota a few hours drive brings us to Chokoloskee Island where we are staying the night at the Parkway Motel. Chokoloskee Island's a bit off the beaten track, but it's known as a great place for fishing and as a jumping off point for exploring the Everglades.  After settling in, I explore the area with camera in hand.

Parkway Motel

Chokoloskee Marina

That evening we have dinner on the deck of the Camellia Street Grill, chosen based on recommendations from Yelp. Again Yelp hit the mark (although not always). The grouper was the freshest of all the restaurants I had tried in Florida... the waitress said it had been caught locally that morning. Peter tried their stone crabs and they were excellent.  Locals tell us they only harvest one claw from each crab at a time so it can still fend for itself and with time, grow it back - a renewable way of harvesting a resource, but labor intensive. No wonder stone crabs are so expensive.

Entrance to Camellia Street Grill

Local fishing is big

We really enjoy the view of the sunset from our table on the deck. However we soon discover why most of the locals are sitting inside - the no-see-ums come out and are soon making us uncomfortable. Fortunately, a quick application of deet keeps most of them away. Deet's good to have handy for this part of Florida.

View of the sunset from our patio table

After a nice breakfast at the Havana Cafe (to get us ready for Havana tomorrow), we book a tour of the Everglades with Speedy's Airboat Tours, which was recommend by the owner/manger at the Parkway. While waiting for the tour to start, we amuse ourselves with the gator kitsch and trinkets for sale. David, I promise to get you a gator tooth necklace the next time we're in Florida.

Sign at Speedy's

That big of a gator can do you some harm

Gators must be common around here

I'm hoping to see some gators up close on this tour. Several years ago I had the opportunity to go on a kayaking trip through the Everglades with a group of women. They said nightly camps were on specially build platforms to keep campers safe from gators at night.  Even though work and family prevented me from going on this adventure, I've been curious about gators and the Everglades ever since.

Getting ready to leave on our airboat

Our guide starts down a narrow maze of tunnels through the mangrove swamp

Then we break out into the wide open grasslands

Grasslands in the Everglades - so where are the gators?

Our guide takes advantage of the more open water by doing some high speed turns and even a 360 spins. It's great fun, but where are the gators?

Airboat wake on a high speed spin

There's a gator lurking under the tree. Wow, they are hard to spot at times

All too soon, it's time to return through the mangrove maze back to the harbor.

Tunnel through the mangroves

That looks like a fun place to live

Harbor at Everglades City

From Everglades City we head north and then east on Florida Hwy 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail and a scenic route through the Everglades. Our first stop is the Welcome Center at Big Cypress National Preserve where we learn about the local fauna and flora, including the nesting habits of gators, but still no live gators are to be found. Our next stop is Kirby Storter Roadside Park in Everglades National Park. Besides restrooms, this stop features a short hike to a gator hole. Gators must be close.

Gator tracks in concrete at Big Cypress Welcome Center

Boardwalk trail to gator hole

over and though the cypress swamp.

Gator hole is beautiful, but where are the gators?

Nice short hike, but still my quest for gators goes unanswered. Our next stop is the Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve. The Ranger at the Welcome Center promised us we are almost guaranteed to see big live gators here.

This is looking promising - although this sign would seem like common sense. Guess you never know with tourists.

Look! A big one lurking in the shadows

Not a great place for a heron to hang out

The Ranger was right. There are big gators everywhere in a gator hole just in front of the Oasis Center.


Happy to get my fill of gator snaps, we get back in the car and drive to Monroe Station where we turn onto the mostly gravel single lane Loop Road (click on map link). We are delighted to find lots of birds and virtually no traffic.

Why does a crane cross the road?

Large vulture

Wood Stork

Occasionally we see more gators lazily hanging out on the grassy strip alongside the road. Towards the eastern end of this scenic loop we come to the remains of Pinecrest, which was a thriving logging community in the 1930's. Because of the area's seclusion, Al Capone is rumored to have hung out at a local speakeasy run by one of his relatives. However, it's evident Pinecrest's glory days have come and are long gone.

Do not feed the gators

... or the Rednecks in Pinecrest for that matter.

We've enjoyed our day of cruising through the everglades and hope to return to again to explore it more fully... but Cuba beckons and it's time to check in with our travel group in Miami.

Sunset at Everglades City