Carol and I are up early the next morning to take the first Shark Valley tram ride. It is a chance to see the whole 16 miles of the trail and to hear what their naturalist trip narrators have to say about the terrain and the wildlife. We spot a nice selection of wading birds, a purple gallinule, and Carol gets to see her first gators and even a croc.  We check out a couple visitor centers as we headed back home.  It is a great outing.

Day 2 Kent and I head for the loop drive off 41 to get in some trail walking and wildlife watching along the slough.  Our first stop is Gator Tail trail, a swamp slog during wet season, but we are well into dry season and hope to make it into the cypress at least part way.  The coolest find, a barred owl patiently posing just off the trail.  Cypress trees are just greening up with tiny soft needles all along the branches.  Wildflowers dot the trailside and marsh.  We start on spongy soft soil.  It transitions to gooey mud squished all around a labyrinth of pot holed limestone (they call them solution holes).  A few inches of elevation change and we find ourselves weaving through a maze of cypress knees.  It is all treacherous underfoot but cool to see.  At one mile in we encounter the ultimate obstacle, standing water about knee deep.  Time to retrace our steps and say so long to this swamp.  A records check says we got turned around in that same place back in 2017.

We continue along the loop drive and encounter the local flagman…must be just in time for shift change.

There is water standing along both shoulders and at a slow roll we spot lots of slough regulars: herons, egrets, anhinga, cormorants, and gators.  We walk the tree snail trail and spot 25+ residents. Check out some pics.   It is after 1 o’clock and just passed 90 degrees.  We head home for some shade time and to clean up.  Carol and I go on an airboat ride this afternoon.

The need for speed

It is not very ecologically friendly but we are going to splurge on an airboat ride through the mangrove tunnels.  We idle a bit sight-seeing and looking for wildlife but the real focus is highspeed turns through the tunnels.  It is great fun!  We traveled with Josh, captain for Everglades City Airboats.  Dinner is at The Island Café in everglades City: Crab Cakes, a shrimp basket, and scallop dinner.   We top it off with some great, tart key lime pie.  Delicious.

Mangrove tunnels in the kayaks

Kent and I are on the water by 7:15AM to head out on the Turner River Canoe Trail.  We have been warned at the visitor center about lots of gators (they won’t bother you) and heavy use this time of year.  Neither problem materializes as we launch then set off through the tall grass marsh.  Slow current and light tail wind help us weave our way through the quiet marsh.  A few gator heads and a smattering of wading birds keep us company as we make our way toward the mangrove tunnels.  The low rumble of amorous gators floats our way. We come to the wall of trees and spot the tunnel opening.  Just as we turn in, we hear a great clattering and splashing then catch sight of a photographer gathering tripod and equipment to clear the tunnel path.  He’s been out taking pictures to catch the morning light through the mangroves.  We maneuver by and continue on zigging and zagging a winding route under the mangrove canopy.  We certainly won’t be sneaking up on anything!  Kent has a brilliant idea, take the paddles apart so we can use a 5-foot oar instead of a 10 feet paddle.  Much better in this tight space.  We combine the shorter paddle and some hand over hand directly in the mangroves and successfully emerge from the far end of the tunnel.  Frustrating sometimes but a fun paddle.   We make a turn in open water then dive into tunnel number 2.  It is a mess, heavily overgrown and lots debris just under the surface.  We make it through but it is not really fun.  Can’t wait to meet the tour groups as we try to make our way back through on the return trip!  We are in open water again sliding along between the grasslands (a recent burn) and mangroves again.  It is quiet and lovely. A flock of rosette spoonbills swoops by.  There are red shoulder hawks and lots of ibis.  Kayak hips are complaining a bit.  Time to turn around.  We are a bit better at the mangrove maneuvering and all goes smoothly as we meet only a few outbound boaters.  Overall, it’s a great trip.  Glad we did it.

One more outing – Corkscrew Preserve

It is an Audubon preserve with a long boardwalk that loops through first pond cypress then huge bald cypress.  It is very windy interfering with birding other than the waders but they make a pretty good showing.  Our best finds, a yellow-crowned night heron adult and juvenal.  A group of racoons make an appearance.  Anhinga, egrets and lots of herons are hanging out.

We close out the day with another dinner out.   This time we try Joanie’s Blue Crab Café on 41 right in the park.  Carol’s neighbor highly recommended it so how could we not?  Check out this pic.  Quite the place.  Throw in a tornado watch and rain blowing sideways to add some more local flavor.  I go all in and order a Swamp Combo – gator, shrimp, grouper and frog legs – all fried or course and delicious.  Carol gets a beautiful bowl of she-crab chowder.  It is not just what she expected but tasty.  Kent enjoys his grouper basket.  More key lime pie and we are stuffed. I have a big box of leftovers!

Last day – biking Shark Valley

It is 47F as we get up.  There is a steady breeze out of the north making it feel like 40. We hoped for a cool day for this trip but wow, this is a bit more than expected.  Still, Kent and I are going.  Saddle up and here we go.  A tailwind is nice as we roll along the slough with little effort.  Best looks; a puffy red shouldered hawk, a handful of purple gallinules, wood storks, and quite a few green herons.  We make a quick stop at the tower for the long view then start the long hard pedal into the wind back to the start.  Yep, its pretty hard work and yep that was a pretty long ride (15.4 miles) for out of practice.  You would think we would remember that from last time.  We’d do it again…..after a few days.

Ok, it’s been 4 months.  Time to bid farewell to our winter home.  We gather up and load up to head to Lake Wales.  We are set to check out a few new places and a couple familiar stops.

It is strawberry season, actually even Strawberry Festival week in Plant City.  Carol joins us as we head for Parkesdale Market for their famous strawberry shortcake.  I go for the whole deal, shortbread, ice cream, strawberries and whipped cream.  It is delicious just as I recall.  Getting there is messy though.  Our trusty Garmin, Beatrice, sends us right through the thick of festival traffic.  What a mess!  It was worth it (so I say.   Kent did all the driving).

We fit in a bit of family time.  Kent’s Uncle Bill is in nearby Winter Haven.  It has been 4 or 5 years and it is great to catch up with him.  Bill turned 80 years young March 5 and he is looking great.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park protects a large tract of Florida dry prairie.  We start with a leisurely tour, a narrated swamp buggy ride.  Our guide is the preserve manager, he leads their fire crew that plans, sets and manages controlled burns so we get sort of a pyro’s view of the place but leave with an interesting overall view of the terrain and how dry prairie, wetlands, marsh, swamp and sloughs inter-relate.  Not a bird guy or a wildlife guy he is a plant guy.  We check out some often-overlooked carnivorous plants and wildflowers that thrive in the cool damp earth at the base of acres of wiregrass.

We take a short prairie hike to get a closer view then call it a day.  It is in the 90s and as one might expect, shade is hard to come by on the prairie.  The park is a dark sky location for star gazing but we just drove in for the day so we will have to save that activity for another time.

Back at camp we have been admiring the graceful swallow-tail kites as they swoop and glide overhead.  Today we get a reminder that they are skillful predators.  Grackles heckle a kite as it swoops and approaches a towering live oak.  The kite out maneuvers the pursuers and lights atop, seemingly ending the conflict.  Nope.  Moments later there is a loud ruckus as it appears the kite is falling down through the branches then is swoops high into the sky and away.  Our parting view, what looks to be a baby bird held tightly in the kite’s talons.  After the fact we spot the targeted nest, and a dove moves in making loud protest.  Guess that’s whose home was raided.  Nature can be brutal.