Friday 22 February 2008 started with a final swim in the pool at the Wilderness Lodge and some more Disney shopping before checking out. It was then a blast down the road to Florida City, one of the main gateways to the Everglades National Park. A swim and a spa was enjoyed after the drive and before dinner.
Saturday 23 February was into the Everglades National Park. After a stop at the Ernest F Coe Visitor Centre where we booked a 1pm boat ride, we started the drive through the Park. There are quite a few stops and walks etc on the drive down to Flamingo but we were spoilt by the very first stop at Royal Palm where we walked the Anhinga Trail. It was very hot and humid, which left Kieren very unhappy and keen to just get back to the car. However the range of wildlife we saw up close was amazing. This included crocodiles, turtles, fish and a range of bird life including anhingas.
After lunch at Flamingo, we did our two hour boat ride. We didn't see much wildlife, mainly crocodiles, alligators and bird life. We were on the lookout for snakes and manatees but whether because it was the middle of the day or some other reason, we didn't see much. If we had known this, our time could have been better spent at some of the stops along the roadside. We were probably also spoilt by having seen so much back on the Anhinga Trail. Highlight of the boat trip was Olivia recognising the captain (Bob) from our 1000 Islands boat trip back in August! He splits his time between the two areas, following the seasons.
We stopped at a crocodile farm on the way back as being the only nearby place offering airboat rides, airboats being banned from the National Park due to the damage they do. However the farm didn't appeal to us and as it turned out, my desire to do an air boat ride (stemming from watching Gentle Ben as a kid!) was one of the main things we missed out on doing from our original plans for this road trip.
Malcolm
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