My Week at Trail Lakes Campground

 

Trail Lakes Campground is a unique campground. Be sure to click on the link to see some great drone photography that gives the full flavor of this special environment in which this campground resides. I've always wanted to "be in the Everglades."  The name itself conjures mystery and wonder. Everyone knows this vast, largely uncharted biosphere is home to numerous rare and endangered species like:

American Alligator and American Crocodile...

...the elusive Florida state animal, the Florida Panther. There are
only 70-160 left depending on what you read; and...

...the Manatee.

A common sight traveling south on SR-29; every mile
or so, drivers are alerted. Being they are nocturnal hunters,
speed limits are posted, "55 DAY, 45 NIGHT." 

Researching the Everglades, I learned

• the Everglades is actually a river that's constantly moving...from Lake Okeechobee to the north southward some sixty miles wide and a hundred miles long. It too is being destroyed by construction and related drainage projects;
• that it's the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators coexist in the same environment. Crocs tend to occupy the more coastal salty areas while gators prefer the inland fresh water;
• that it provides drinking water for 7 million Floridians;
• that there are nine habitats providing a home to 16 endangered or threatened species; and
• fire is common in the Everglades and important. It's necessary to maintain the complex system of interdependent ecosystems allowing them to thrive.

Speaking of fire, Tuesday afternoon George and Vicki picked me up for an afternoon of air boating out of Everglade City and an early dinner to follow. The incredible air boating experience will follow but after dinner about 6:30 when they were bringing me back to my campground about 10 miles east, we were stopped and told that a wildfire ahead has caused US-41 to be shut down; Officer said it may be twenty minutes or a couple of hours. We were five miles away and there were no roads to circumvent the affected area and come in from the other direction. I spent the time waiting back at G/V's  RV. After contacting the Highway Patrol periodically, we got the 'all clear' around 10:00 pm. I was grateful my RV was not involved in yet another fire.

THE CAMPGROUND:

Approaching campground entrance on SR-41. Miami 80 miles straight ahead.

Office, Store, Museum, Reptile Exhibit and Skunk Ape Research Center.

Read all about the massive, smelly 7', 700 pound primate HERE.

The Skunk Ape: Florida's Bigfoot/Yeti 

The campground is gated and an entrance code is needed.
George provided this photo; he said the test is to see if
you can figure out the code. If you said, 1, 2, 3, 4, you're correct.
Guess the 5 is pushed for extra measure.

Water, 30-amp service but no sewer.

A small picnic table and a 3' galvanized fire ring.

A few steps through the brush gives an idyllic look at one of the ponds.
(A pond become a lake when it's deep enough and cannot support plant life.)

A Chickee Hut

"The Indigenous built Everglades chickees are styled after the original native American chickee huts and are built by locally residing Seminole native Americans. The thatched roofs allow air to pass underneath and through during the Florida Everglades summer months."

Lots goin' on beneath the surface. School of fish no doubt.

AN AIRBOAT ADVENTURE:

Vicki's excellent choice of airboat tour companies afforded us
an incredible 90 minute tour; one of the best adventures I've
ever experienced.

This family owned and operated has a small fleet with the quietest airboats we've seen (and heard). Check out their website HERE for great drone shots. Our tour through the "River of Grass" was captained and narrated by the owner's son-in-law, Steven.

Instructions and tips for making our trip safe and educational.

We lucked out by being the only three scheduled for the 2:30 pm tour.
Well designed for the task, the headsets allowed for two way conversation
with Steven while muffling the sound of blades moving the air. This company
developed a manifold system that greatly reduced the engine noise. Nothing
could be done to reduce the sound of the blades.

There's no way I could describe and share the wonder of the Florida mangroves. Captain Steven says it takes 2-3 months of training (and memorizing) the routes before they let drivers out on their own. There are 496,000 acres of mangroves. 

The main reason I chose to include the Everglades in my Winter Adventure itinerary was so I could meet up with granddaughter, Sara who lives and works in Miami. After graduating URI, she continued her education and is also a 2020 graduate from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science with a degree in Professional Science. She has interned and written extensively on the Protection and Management of Mangrove Ecosystems in Blue Parks Marine Protected Areas by Region. In July she accepted a full time job with

Florida International University as a Senior Researcher in their Coastal Wetland Ecology lab based in North Miami and is conducting field work in Everglades National Park. She's also worked the beaches of Miami during the sea turtle hatching season (March to October). 120 miles of the Florida coast is home to the annual event. She worked her area late night and early morning patrols to protect against racoons, birds and humans to make sure these little critters made it safely to the ocean.

I was so fortunate to have this tour in her backyard...her playground. She is my mangrove guru.  She's studying mangrove ecology and using GIS for her research which mainly focuses on impacts from sea level rise and climate change. She's in charge of directing graduate students on mangrove surveys which includes driving their research boat through the Everglades. She's been focused on mangroves throughout her masters degree and has found her true dream job in Miami.

After viewing some sites along the tour, I've included a one-minute clip of the experience.

We passed V/G's RV. at Everglade Isles  
Alas, Stella was not in the window waving.

Mangrove roots dropping from branches above.

On the way out, Captain Steve caught a glimpse and we slowed down.

On the return trip, the basking gator at the edge of the grove changed positions.
Thanks to a great camera and the ability to zoom.

Your bio lesson for today: Mangroves are halophytes (salt tolerant plants) due to the fact that their main water source is derived from the ocean. There are three main ways in which mangroves control the salt absorbed from the water. These include Accumulation in which salt is stock piled in certain parts of the plant for example, leaves, until it reaches a high concentration and the portion of the plant is shed. Alternatively, Excretion is the process by which salt is removed from the plant via the salt glands on the upper surface of the plants leaves. Finally, Exclusion occurs in the membranes in the root systems of some mangroves, these membranes disunite the salt from the water allowing the plant to absorb the water whilst excluding the majority of the salt."

Source: https://homebushmangrove-ecosystem.weebly.com/mangrove-adaptions.html

The upper side of a mangrove leaf has a thin coating of salt. 

The murky brown color of the water is due to the decomposition
of mangrove leaves dying and dropping into the water,
decomposing and producing tannic acid.

When Captain Steve paused early in our trip, he asked if everything was going all right. Was the speed okay?...not too much rocking or swaying? When Vicki told him she wanted to go faster, you'd think you had given a kid his new toy. Her request was music to his ears and this one minute is a sampling of what I captured on video...an 18 minute ride that outdid any you'd experience in Disney. Enjoy the trip through Sara's backyard.

Thank you, Captain Steve

Back at their campsite, we relaxed before riding down to the on-premises restaurant-bar, the Lighthouse Club and Tiki Bar.

Maryland crab cake, tater tots and Cole slaw...

...and a toast to the end of a terrific and memorable day.
Strawberry daquiri, Lemon Drop Martini and to George's clean hands.

Thanks for joining me here in the Everglades. Friday afternoon, Sara joins me, Jason on Saturday and the subject of my next blog. Can't wait. Be sure to click on those links provided; loaded with good information.

Oh...and this just in: 

Wintry Mix, Hazardous Outlook For Hudson Valley

Rain, snow and sleet will freeze solid, so clear storm drains ahead of time and expect icy roads Thursday night and Friday.

Sorry.