Meals on Wheels – Biking in the Everglades

We headed out with our bikes on Wednesday, 11/23, to the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the Everglades National Park. No sharks here, but we did find gators galore!  There are several access points/visitor centers for the Everglades, but Shark Valley was the closest to our campground and had a 15-mile paved bicycle path through the Everglades. Since this is Florida, the elevation gain was 0 feet. Really. Happy me.

The trail was flat as a board, but no shade either. 

The trail started behind the visitor center and bordered a canal. We hadn’t gone more than a few yards when we saw the first alligator… another 15 yards, another gator… and it continued. We started counting and saw 70 alligators in the first seven miles on the trail. There were big ones and small ones and we even saw 7 babies! Yes, even baby alligators are cute. Can’t say the same for the really large guy trying to munch down a poor turtle. Most were sunning themselves on the grass beside the path and didn’t seem too concerned about us, but a few of them looked interested in the “meals on wheels” riding by. Lol. They got a wide berth.

Smile!

They're cute when they're little!

Chillin' in the canal.

Could I recommend an orthodontist?

This guy skipped the meals on wheels and went for the boxed lunch instead. Lol. 

At mile seven, there is an observation tower with views of the Everglades or the “river of grass” as it’s also called. Most of the area is grass prairie growing in a shallow sheet of water with scattered “hammocks" of higher ground where trees and shrubs grow. 

Spiral ramp to the observation tower.

Lookout or alien ship? Lol. 

Swampy goodness as far as you can see.

The second half of the ride didn’t have quite as many gators, but our total at the end was a whopping 89 alligators. Wow!  The variety of birds was also fascinating. I’m no birder, but it was still fun to see so many herons, egrets, osprey, cormorants, and many I couldn’t identify. 

The park offers a tram ride or you can walk the 15-mile loop, but bikes are the best option in my opinion. You can take your time and enjoy the wildlife, and there is no way I’d want to walk 15 miles in the Florida sun with no shade. It was a fun ride and great introduction to the Everglades.

Don't know what he is, but he sure is pretty.

Cormorant drying his wings in the sun.

Blue herons are as common as robins here. 

Well camouflaged. 

Happy Thanksgiving! (Belated, I know.) Thursday, Rog smoked a turkey breast on the Treager. We had sweet potatoes with our Vermont maple syrup, stuffing, roasted brussel sprouts and lots of cinnamon bread of course! All delicious. The weather was sunny and hit 87˚, so we opted to eat our Thanksgiving feast outside. 

Home is where you park it. 

Thankful for so much!

We certainly have a lot to be thankful for! We are healthy, happy and loving life. I’m glad that Rian was able to join us in October in the Great Smokey Mountains – the wildfires there now are just devastating. We drove through Gatlinburg and it’s hard to believe the town has been nearly wiped out. So sad. I’m also glad that Randi and Ryan were able to visit and do Universal and Disney with us – seeing pictures of the awesome dinner Randi and Ryan prepared made me a little homesick. While I miss family and friends, I gotta say that 87˚ and sunny, beats 50˚ and raining any day! Maybe you all could join us?? Lol.