EVERGLADES (Day 4)

We drove south, past giant Okeechobee Lake, to Florida City and our cheap motel. While the area itself left a lot to be desired, it was a good central location for seeing the surrounding impressive sites.

Our adventure of the day was the Everglades Alligator Farm. There were many shows and feedings. The feedings, however, were simply for our entertainment. The real feeding takes place only once every 4 weeks when all 800 alligators tear through 1,000 pounds of meat. But for now, just one bucket of beef chunks was tossed out. Several of the bigger alligators knew exactly what the bucket meant and wandered up hissing and snorting loudly. It was quite unnerving!

We were also given the opportunity to hold a baby alligator. Even a one-year-old baby had its mouth taped shut because although small, it could still do some damage... such as take off a finger.

Some facts:

- Florida is the only place in the world that has both alligators and crocodiles. Alligators have black skin and prefer fresh water, while crocodiles have grey skin and like brackish (salty) water.

- There are 1.5 million alligators in Florida.

- Sometime people think alligators are green because of the moss (duckweed) that sticks to them.

- Alligators grow about one foot per year for the first 4 to 5 years.

- Alligators have a blind spot right at the tip of their nose.

- An alligator has an automatic slam-shut reflex if anything gets in its mouth. It's far too strong for you to pry its mouth open, but if you tap its nose, it will open its mouth (although you probably shouldn't try this at home).

Since the farm wasn’t technically located in the protected area of the Everglades, they could offer airboat rides. It was a good combination of slow cruising through the vegetative waterways and high-speed rides and spins in some of the more open areas. It was an incredibly smooth ride! We saw lots of birds... a swamp chicken (or Common Moorhen), a Grackle, a Great Blue Heron... but no 'gators.

Lawn gators to take home:

We drove to the neighboring Everglades National Park where we walked along the Anhinga Trail. It was packed with birds!... black & white Anhingas, Double-crested cormorants with their curved beaks, Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets (known as the "Gentleman of the Swamp" due to its elegant form), a Green Heron fishing from a branch, and even an endangered Woodstork and an osprey. All of the birds were unbelievably close and most stood motionless waiting for a hapless fish to float by. There was an incredible amount of alligators too. It was dry season so the water was very low.

As dusk settled in, so did the birds into the trees.

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