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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Our Florida Beach Adventure - Day Five

"While the big crowd down the rivers are gettin' drunk on sea grape wine; I'm gettin' high watchin' eagles fly havin' myself a time. Wet my whistle every now and then with a sip of cool Gatorade; Watch the sun go down and let the world go 'round down in the Everglades." ~ Willie Nelson


Exhilarating! That is what came to mind as the airboat captain opened up the throttle and sped down a sawgrass trail to begin our tour through Florida's Everglades. I was both surprised and impressed at the maneuverability of the craft. Carrying 9 passengers (ourselves and a family of 5 from Germany) we were off to explore this swampy wonderland. After a short ride through the grassy trails we entered a mangrove forest. The water trails twisted and turned among the mangrove trees as we craned our necks in search of wildlife. The trees themselves are beautiful, exposed roots digging deep for the saltwater they need to live and waxy green leaves reaching towards the sun. Our captain stops the boat and tells us that the waters of the Everglades are brackish - usually salty enough to sustain the mangroves but not so salty that the alligators cannot live there as well. As if on cue, we see a large male gator floating in the water. The captain allows the boat to drift right up to him for some amazing photo opportunities. Once the gator tires of our company he slips beneath the water and swims several feet away. Captain then describes the other wildlife that can be seen in the Everglades: bobcats, deer & raccoons during dry season; gators, fish and snakes during wet season. "If a snake were to jump into this boat," he asks, "how would you know if it was poisonous?" We didn't know. "You know it's poisonous if the captain jumps into the water!" This guy is cool. After an hour-long ride we returned to the dock where we each got the chance to hold a baby alligator. I served as photographer; I don't do reptiles.


We were back at the Edgewater by 2:30 and opted to spend the remainder of the afternoon poolside. Having finished my first book, we stopped at Walgreens where I purchased a copy of John Grisham's "The Litigator". De'Lisa and Olivia ventured out to Barnes & Noble as Walgreens' selection was quite limited. Alternating between our chairs in the shade and the coolness of the water we wiled away the afternoon - my large Five Guys soda cup now contains a homemade wine spritzer.


Tonight offers yet another beautiful sunset, viewed this time from one of the Adirondack chairs near the beach. We talked briefly with a couple from Norway - they've been here five days and have four more to go before continuing on to Miami before heading home. "You don't get the long holidays like we do, do you?" my cigar-smoking new friend asked. "No, we don't," I said, taking a sad draw of my Bacarrat. If there is one thing Europeans got right it's their vacation schedules.


We have one more day at the Edgewater before hitting the road for home. As we head back to the suite we stop and reserve a beachfront spot for tomorrow. This is quickly becoming a favorite place.

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