Road Trip - Day 18 - Fort Myers - Day trip to the Everglades

Road Trip - Day 18 - January 18th

Day Trip to the Everglades

Adventure being in our vision, we headed out for Everglades City, on the northern edge of the park, where we planned our Airboat tour across one of the famous Mangrove Swamps (called Jungles by the locals). 

Interestingly, road signs on the way indicated that we were entering panther country - but we were not lucky enough to see one. 

After paying for our tickets for the 90 minute tour, we were introduced to a 2-year old alligator, up close and personal. Sylvia, Mark, and myself took turns to hold him for a photo-op, and Vera ventured close enough to prove that she was within inches of the creature.

When it came to my turn, he wiggled about a bit and then proceeded to pee profusely. The handler informed me that all was well - it was just Gatorade!! Although young, it had razor-sharp teeth.

The guide assured us that the alligator didn't bite, but in the next sentence told us how he had been nipped the day before, showing us the marks on his hand. He added that, had this baby reptile gotten hold of him properly, his finger would have been shredded....  but, not to worry - because he didn't bite!!!! Maybe Vera was the wisest, after all!

Boarding the Airboat, we set off at idle speed while in the 'no wave' zone.

This gave us an opportunity to get some great shots of pelicans that seem to proliferate the area, along with other birds such as cormorants, ospreys, the inevitable seagulls, and numerous huge turkey vultures. 

Speeding up over open water, we stopped at Totch Island, owned by the Airboat Tour operators. The guide explained that the whole area was having a problem with pythons, which are not native to the area. Apparently, during Hurricane Andrew, a local reptile zoo was destroyed and all of the snakes escaped into the wild. He explained that a python can give birth to a clutch 3 times each year, and each clutch can number 80-90 baby pythons. Since these are Burmese pythons, they have no natural predators, and so they have multiplied in numbers unabated. They feed on local fish, small mammals, and have even attacked alligators. No record of any human victims as of yet - and we did not want to be the first!!

We learned that although alligators can exert a pressure of 35 lbs plus when closing their jaws, they have absolutely no power to open them if they are resisted. Those who capture them have to first ensure that they can keep the jaws closed while immobilizing the reptile. 

For me, the most exhilarating part of the ride was when we entered the mangrove swamp inlets, which wove through the jungle in countless swerves and loops.

An old railroad bridge

It was here that we spotted a wild alligator, about 6 ft. long, idling in the water. He didn't look very big from our vantage point, but the operator suggested that it would not be wise to take a dip in the water at any point!

At one point, we approached the shore line where there were a legion of raccoons. They appeared to scuttle upon our approach, but were actually scrambling over the mangrove branches to get closer to us - probably expecting food.

The operator warned us not to touch them as they could bite and this would need a rabies shot. He allowed them to drink from a water bottle. 

After our return to the dock, we searched out a place to eat where we had Gator Nuggets.

They tasted like chicken, but the texture was rather like calamari, though not as chewy. Glad we sampled them, but probably that will be the last time. 

On the way back to Fort Myers, we were met with a superb orange sunset - a fitting end to an adventurous day. 

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