Monday, 1 December 2014
Miami, Florida 
Temps: Hi 82F (28C) / Lo 70F (21C)
After being overwhelmed by the crowds at Miami Beach last night, we wanted a different experience today … something that involved nature and wildlife. So, we headed to Shark Valley, about 27 miles (43 km) from where we’re staying in Kendale Lakes.
Let me clear something up right away. We didn’t go to an aquarium or other such attraction to see sharks. Rather, we went to the 1.5 million-acre Everglades National Park — well, to a teeny-tiny portion of it anyway.
As you can see from the map to the right, I’m not kidding when I say that we visited a very small part of the Everglades — the red squiggly-line marked by a red-star is the route of the tram ride we took through the sawgrass prairie to see what we could see on this exploratory trip into the immense park.
Contrary to its name, there are no sharks where we went; just alligators, birds, a lone salt water crocodile, and more. The name comes from the Shark River Slough, the main avenue of water flow through the Everglades. As the ranger explained, people got lazy over the years and shortened the name to Shark Valley.
Normally, I would regale you with all kinds of information about the very special ecosystem we visited today. But I am running out of time to finish posting about this portion of our four-month trip. If I don’t get this done before we embark on a month-long cruise three days hence, it will be next year before I’ll get back to it. Hence, if you want more information about the park, you will need to rely on the links I provided above.
Anyway, we arrived at the Shark Valley Visitor Center around 10:15a. Since our National Park Pass has expired, and we won’t be needing one for a while, we just paid the $10/vehicle entrance fee — not a bad deal, really, since it gains you admission to the park for seven days — if you’ve got that much time.
The ideal way to see what the area has to offer is by bike or on foot. I can’t keep my balance on a bike; and it was too hot to walk the entire 15-mile (24 km) loop. So, we did the next best thing and took the guided tram tour. Mui was offered a military discount on the normal adult fare of $23, so we ended up paying $18/person for the two-hour tour.
Don’t be fooled by this photo, which I took at the Observation Tower
before all the passengers re-boarded; we were full up for the tram tour.
Unfortunately for us, the tour was sold out, so there was no room to spread out once we boarded the tram. We ended up in seats in the last row of the first car. The advantage — or so we thought at first — was that the ranger was on the same car with us. Tip: if you want to hear what he is saying, sit closer to the front, or in the second tram. With the engine right behind us, I could make out only part of what he was saying. Another tip: the best side of the tram — especially for the return leg of the tour — is on the left. On our tour, most everything was on the left side on both legs, so I’m glad Mui asked the ranger in the visitor center for her opinion before we left the building.
The tour was interesting, and served as a good introduction. We were on a schedule, however, so the tram didn’t stop for bird sightings, except on a few occasions. We did stop at several alligator sightings, however, which pleased most of the visitors on the tram as they had already told the ranger that was what they most wanted to see. We had better gator encounters later when we ventured a short distance down the road after the tour was over. Tip: if you’re going to walk/bike the road, go to the right from the visitor center — the gators are more easily seen there.
It took us about 45 minutes to get to the observation tower, where we got off the tram and walked to the top of the 65-foot (20m) high tower for a look at the expansive view of the ecosystem. It was also here that the ranger pointed out the salt water crocodile that was lazily swimming in the river. After 20 minutes, we returned to the tram to complete the loop back to the visitor center.
Before we left, however, the ranger and the tram driver unrolled the skin of a Burmese python that was killed in Shark Valley. Why specifically show us the skin? Because these snakes are an invasive species released into the Everglades accidentally — or more likely, intentionally — by pet owners who can’t/won’t take care of them anymore. A major threat to the native species of the Everglades, over 2,000 of them have been removed in the past 12 years or so — just a fraction of the population that is thought to be breeding in the park and surrounding area. (More info here.)
This 14-foot (4m) long snake skin is from a Burmese python that was killed in Shark Valley.
So what kind of wildlife did we see on the tour? Gators, of course — and plenty of them; and the salt water crocodile. Also, pied-billed grebe; ibis; great blue heron; great egret; little blue egret — my first immature one as well as several adults; tricolored heron; anhinga; golden silk orbweaver (spider); wood stork; red-shouldered hawk — later when we were walking the trail.
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Anhinga (female) | Little Blue Heron (immature) |
So, enough with the words. Now for a bunch of photos …
Ibis
American Alligator
Anhinga (female)
Anhinga (male)
We were surprised that people were allowed on the paths where alligators
were sunning themselves. Mui made sure there were others that were
within easier reach of this gator before he agreed to a photo op ;-)
A closer look at Mui’s photo-op companion. No; he is not plastic.
The little blue heron (left) was having a hissy fit and kept chasing the tricolored heron away.
Wanna see my pedicure?
Red Shouldered Hawk
An anhinga drying its feathers …
… in the company of not one, but two alligators.
My what big, sharp teeth you have!
Now for a story that falls into the “You Can’t Fix Stupid” category. All through the tour, the ranger told us stories about how people walk up to gators to pull their tails, pet them, or whatnot. I took the stories with a grain of salt — until we saw a kid try to do just that. We couldn’t believe our eyes. And worse, his parents were encouraging him so they could take a picture of him petting the gator. The kid was reaching down, with his fingers just inches from the gator’s tail when we called out to stop him and told him that what he was doing could easily get him killed. His parents’ reaction — “oh, we had no idea alligators were dangerous.” Duh!!! And double duh!!!
Does this animal look even remotely pet-able? I think not!
It was close to 2:00p when we left Shark Valley. Stomachs growling, we drove back to Miami. I had an errand to run, so we stopped at a mall not far from Mary Jo’s, and while there, decided to have a late lunch/early dinner. Perusing our options, we settled on Earl’s Kitchen+Bar. I ordered the soup of the day — cream of mushroom — and Caesar salad combo, which was served with a thick slice of pan bread. Mui was feeling carnivorous, so he ordered the “Bigger Better” burger — big indeed it was. As good as the food was though, the hot toffee sundae we split was the pièce de résistance ;-)
Vanilla and chocolate gelato with candied pecans — yummy!
I’m glad we went to the Everglades today even though it was just a short visit. Eventually, we will return to Florida in our motorhome and explore this national park in depth. For now, today’s brief foray was a good introduction — and we saved a kid’s life by being in the right place at the right time! That alone makes it a good day ;-)
