Cast your mind back to a TV programme in the late 60s, Gentle Ben, about a park ranger, his family and their pet bear, Ben, set in the Florida Everglades. The ranger was forever whizzing around on his little air boat and didn't you think to yourself "That would be fun"? Well it is!
Paulette organised this tour some months previously and both sisters shouted me a seat on the Sawgrass Recreation Park air boat tour. So the day before the wedding we moseyed on out to the Everglades in hope of recreating a scene from the show and to spot an alligator.
We found the place without too much trouble as it had the only buildings for miles around. (The air boats were a bit of a giveaway too. ) We tumbled out of our vehicles into a blast of hot, wet air so quickly scurried into the main building which housed a great little souvenir shop where we whiled away a happy time buying 'gator themed goods. (I am now the proud owner of an alligator Xmas tree ornament)
After sorting out the extra seats we were introduced to Captain Charles, who was to be our very knowledgeable and charming pilot and guide on our 30 minute ride.
The Everglade region is a vast tropical wetlands. It has its source near Lake Okeechobee, near Orlando, and covers an area of about 6000 sq miles. It is basically a large - 60 miles (97 km) wide and 100 miles (160km) long, slow moving, shallow river. It flows at a rate of less than a mile a day, seaward to Florida Bay on the west coast of the peninsular. The sawgrass marshes, on which we were sailing, are just one of many interconnected eco-systems which include cypress swamps, estuarine mangroves, hardwood hammocks, pinelands and the marine environment of Florida bay. It is a host to a myriad species of fish, mammals and birds, but we saw few in the wild. What we did see, however, is what we came to see - 'gators!
They certainly are tricky critters to spot, cleverly appearing as floating logs, until you see their glinting eyes. And "oh my, what big teeth you have." (And when they loose a tooth, it grows back. They might go through 2000 - 3000 teeth in a lifetime)
Alligators have a bit of a bad rap and are often mistaken for their more aggressive cousin Crocodile. They have a wider and rounder snout that resembles the shape of a 'u' (crocs a 'v'). The muscles that close the jaws are exceptionally powerful, however the muscles for opening their jaws are relatively weak. And although I personally would not like to test it, apparently an adult man can hold an alligator's jaw shut with his bare hands.
A male can grow up to 18 feet and live for 50 years in the wild. Large males are generally solitary, territorial animals and we met one of these fellows - a chap named Snaggletooth. And even if his snaggle tooth fell out, they would still know it was him because he can reliably be found in the same area.
We also saw (or thought we did) several smaller specimens but very few birds. It was a bit early and the water too deep at that time of the year for the wading birds, who apparently flock there when the water levels drop. Although apparently, where sawgrass is, very few animals, other than alligators, live.
Like all ecosystems, the Everglades has a very delicate balance, which up to about 30 years ago was in dire danger of being permanently upset. There has been a lot of restoration work done, but it is only the tip of the ice berg. Large tracts of sugar cane growing areas have been bought up by the government, and returned to its natural form, which in turn presents a totally different set of problems, namely the health of the ordinary American. In a conversation between Joel and his friend Lonel at the wedding, they were discussing the effect that fructose, (corn syrup) was having on the obesity and type 11 diabetes rates in America. This cheaper, more readily available form of sugar is metabolised by the body very differently causing all sorts of health problems.
There's no easy answer is there?
In the photos you might notice that we have, what appears to be a very bad case of excessive earwax - that's not the case. With our tickets, we were handed a little bag of earplugs and given a demonstration on how to insert them effectively. They were pretty annoying, but it turns out they were necessary. The noise of that powerful boat was deafening, and if we didn't wear them, when Captain Chuck stopped to show or tell us something, we would not have been able to hear .
Our ride was all too quickly over, but there was a... a..., I hesitate to call it a zoo, a few enclosures where you could see a few examples of the Floridian wildlife, including the Florida Panther, one of the most endangered mammals on Earth, with only an estimated 100 left in the wild. Frankly, it was all a bit too sad to see these lovely creatures being kept in such mean surroundings although, in fairness, they did look healthy enough.
Unlike, poor Paulette, who picked up a nasty bug, but managed to hold it together; until she reached the car park, that is. After leaving a rather unorthodox gratuity under a tree, we quickly departed and with only one wrong turn made it home to ready ourselves for the evening soirée .
The evening before the wedding was a lovely event. Catherine, Julie-Anne's mother, had worked very hard cooking up the most exquisite food to serve beside the pool beside their apartment. Each mouthful was served on little spoons or in little glasses: gazpacho and mushrooms are just two that I can remember, except last of all, the chocolate mousse, made with REAL chocolate. Fortunately she had over-catered these, so there was enough to have another one (or two).
Rose and I quickly realised this was NOT a paper-plate type of event, no matter how fancy the paper plates were.
It was yet another lovely balmy Florida evening, gorgeous food and drink, and a wonderful blend of cultures; French, American and Kiwi. It was this evening the announcement was made, as to where we were to meet the next day and what time and to be sure not to be late! We did wonder why they were so adamant, but it did lend a certain sense of mystery and excitement. Our anticipation levels were very high but even so, our expectations were exceeded. Oh what fun we had!
Paulette organised this tour some months previously and both sisters shouted me a seat on the Sawgrass Recreation Park air boat tour. So the day before the wedding we moseyed on out to the Everglades in hope of recreating a scene from the show and to spot an alligator.
We found the place without too much trouble as it had the only buildings for miles around. (The air boats were a bit of a giveaway too. ) We tumbled out of our vehicles into a blast of hot, wet air so quickly scurried into the main building which housed a great little souvenir shop where we whiled away a happy time buying 'gator themed goods. (I am now the proud owner of an alligator Xmas tree ornament)
After sorting out the extra seats we were introduced to Captain Charles, who was to be our very knowledgeable and charming pilot and guide on our 30 minute ride.
The Everglade region is a vast tropical wetlands. It has its source near Lake Okeechobee, near Orlando, and covers an area of about 6000 sq miles. It is basically a large - 60 miles (97 km) wide and 100 miles (160km) long, slow moving, shallow river. It flows at a rate of less than a mile a day, seaward to Florida Bay on the west coast of the peninsular. The sawgrass marshes, on which we were sailing, are just one of many interconnected eco-systems which include cypress swamps, estuarine mangroves, hardwood hammocks, pinelands and the marine environment of Florida bay. It is a host to a myriad species of fish, mammals and birds, but we saw few in the wild. What we did see, however, is what we came to see - 'gators!
They certainly are tricky critters to spot, cleverly appearing as floating logs, until you see their glinting eyes. And "oh my, what big teeth you have." (And when they loose a tooth, it grows back. They might go through 2000 - 3000 teeth in a lifetime)
Alligators have a bit of a bad rap and are often mistaken for their more aggressive cousin Crocodile. They have a wider and rounder snout that resembles the shape of a 'u' (crocs a 'v'). The muscles that close the jaws are exceptionally powerful, however the muscles for opening their jaws are relatively weak. And although I personally would not like to test it, apparently an adult man can hold an alligator's jaw shut with his bare hands.
A male can grow up to 18 feet and live for 50 years in the wild. Large males are generally solitary, territorial animals and we met one of these fellows - a chap named Snaggletooth. And even if his snaggle tooth fell out, they would still know it was him because he can reliably be found in the same area.
We also saw (or thought we did) several smaller specimens but very few birds. It was a bit early and the water too deep at that time of the year for the wading birds, who apparently flock there when the water levels drop. Although apparently, where sawgrass is, very few animals, other than alligators, live.
Like all ecosystems, the Everglades has a very delicate balance, which up to about 30 years ago was in dire danger of being permanently upset. There has been a lot of restoration work done, but it is only the tip of the ice berg. Large tracts of sugar cane growing areas have been bought up by the government, and returned to its natural form, which in turn presents a totally different set of problems, namely the health of the ordinary American. In a conversation between Joel and his friend Lonel at the wedding, they were discussing the effect that fructose, (corn syrup) was having on the obesity and type 11 diabetes rates in America. This cheaper, more readily available form of sugar is metabolised by the body very differently causing all sorts of health problems.
There's no easy answer is there?
In the photos you might notice that we have, what appears to be a very bad case of excessive earwax - that's not the case. With our tickets, we were handed a little bag of earplugs and given a demonstration on how to insert them effectively. They were pretty annoying, but it turns out they were necessary. The noise of that powerful boat was deafening, and if we didn't wear them, when Captain Chuck stopped to show or tell us something, we would not have been able to hear .
It was lovely flying through the sawgrass prairie on a beautiful day, with the warm wind blowing through our hair and the slight hint of anticipation in seeing an alligator in the wild. I would like to say it was good to be out in the wilderness, away from the "stink of the street" , but even here, we could hear the distant roar of the traffic and see huge, black pylons incongruously strung across our horizon.
It was a reminder - America is a huge country and there are LOTS of people; people with needs to be serviced.
Our ride was all too quickly over, but there was a... a..., I hesitate to call it a zoo, a few enclosures where you could see a few examples of the Floridian wildlife, including the Florida Panther, one of the most endangered mammals on Earth, with only an estimated 100 left in the wild. Frankly, it was all a bit too sad to see these lovely creatures being kept in such mean surroundings although, in fairness, they did look healthy enough.
Unlike, poor Paulette, who picked up a nasty bug, but managed to hold it together; until she reached the car park, that is. After leaving a rather unorthodox gratuity under a tree, we quickly departed and with only one wrong turn made it home to ready ourselves for the evening soirée .
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| Selfie - Me and Em. Captain chuck in the background. |
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| Captain Chuck showing us the area that the Everglade cover. |
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| During breeding season, the female builds a nest of vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near the water. |
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| Is that a log or is that .... |
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| Whoops - he was there a moment ago. |
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| Ol' Snaggletooth. You can see why he got his name. |
Panther, cougar, puma, mountain lion - all the same creature, it's just the region they come from that gives them their name.
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| When we were little,' the Mock Turtle went on at last, more calmly, though still sobbing a little now and then, `we went to school in the sea. The master was an old Turtle--we used to call him Tortoise--' `Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn't one?' Alice asked. `We called him Tortoise because he taught us,' said the Mock Turtle angrily: `really you are very dull!' - Alice in Wonderland |
This totem pole was dedicated to the Seminole Tribe of Florida. There were two clans - the Bird Clan and the Panther Clan. ( A rare token gesture acknowledging the native Americans)
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| The 'gator hunting team. |
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| Pre wedding soiree |
Rose and I quickly realised this was NOT a paper-plate type of event, no matter how fancy the paper plates were.
It was yet another lovely balmy Florida evening, gorgeous food and drink, and a wonderful blend of cultures; French, American and Kiwi. It was this evening the announcement was made, as to where we were to meet the next day and what time and to be sure not to be late! We did wonder why they were so adamant, but it did lend a certain sense of mystery and excitement. Our anticipation levels were very high but even so, our expectations were exceeded. Oh what fun we had!
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| Our boyz. |
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