January 29, 2023 @ 15:00 EST
Site visit #67
A long time ago, the river of grass we call the Everglades started at Lake Okeechobee. Water overflowed from the lake and slowly made its way to the Gulf of Mexico as a slow, very wide river. Enter 20th-century man, who wanted farmland and housing developments in southern Florida. They dammed and drained much of the northern half of this river.
Of that which remains, the southwestern portion became Everglades National Park, and the rest is now the Big Cypress National Preserve.
Far less developed than its National Park cousin, Big Cypress is a land of hiking, kayaking, camping, and such. There are two visitor centers along Tamiami Highway (US 41) and we stopped at both. In the first one (Nathaniel Reed Visitor Center) we watched a fascinating film about the evolution of the river and efforts to preserve it today.
The second visitor center (Oasis) has a walkway along a small canal, where numerous alligators were sunning themselves on the warm winter’s day. The canal was also home to numerous birds and fish, which were clearly visible in the shallow waters.
Oasis is also the southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail, which runs 1400 miles to Florida’s panhandle. This makes it the second-longest hiking trail entirely within one state (behind Ohio’s Buckeye Trail).
Since we weren’t hiking, kayaking, or camping, and the day was getting late, we didn’t stay too long at either location and headed to Florida City and our motel for the night.
Steve
