We are back from a jaunt to the river of grass, or the sea of grass

[frkelly74]

We took a drive down to the Keys two weeks ago and went by the everglades and I thought it was an interesting place. So the Boy and I went back to do some camping at the National Park Campgrounds at Flamingo. First advice is be prepared for mosquitoes. Second is have enough gas to get back to Florida City, It's 40/45 miles and while they will sell you gas at the campground, it was about $5.25 a gal. Cheaper than a tow for sure but more expensive than it needs to be if you plan ahead. We spent 3 nights and had some fun. We cooked over an open fire and ate food that mama doesn't cook. We experienced Spam from a can and it was edible. We took a couple of canoe trips, one on Florida bay and one in 9 mile pond/ swamp area. The Bay cruise was nice because I could take off my shirt and feel the wind and not get bit up. the swamp one was good experience and we saw gators and birds and some gars and got slightly lost in the mangrove maze. I had the feeling that I was lost and it was unpleasant. I believe that there is a Crocodile in residence there also. It was a tan/ grey color with slight greenish patches in front of its hind legs and had teeth sticking up from the bottom jaw and was not shy and was huge. The gators were blackish and did not have teeth sticking up. They were also not shy but not as huge. The guy cleaning the restrooms said it was Crockzilla and had been reported before. The guy at the canoe rental said it was not a croc as they prefer salt water. I think it was. We saw bald eagles on a nest, manatees, dolphins, buzzards, ravens, crows, there is a difference, all kinds of water birds , owls hooted all night, and I saw a shooting star. The night sky was beautiful, I have never seen so many stars in such a clear sky. I saw a Unimog roll in and it made my Kia Sedona look pretty sad. We are back and unloaded and making more plans. The boy did manage to lose his watch someplace and I hope it turns up. I suspect maybe in the car someplace or the laundry. Camping in non electric sites is $20 per night unless you have a Senior passport which cuts the price in half. There is after hours self registration via cash in the envelope. The showers are good enough, hot water and flush toilets. There were at least a hundred empty sites to pick from when we were there. We had fun.

[kenyerian]

Sounds like a great trip. Have to put that in the bucket list.

[johnson1942]

i didnt know there was more than one sea of grass. in western nebraska and western s.dak where they come together there is BLN grass lands that are very hilly and no trees and really good grass. miles and miles of a sea of grass. looks like waves on the ocean. you can see hundreds of square mile from a high hill. now i know there are more than one sea of grass in the USA.

[Blackwater]

Most folks who've never had the opportunity to see or get to know the swamps and bogs have no way to know how full of life they are. The mosquitoes are a part of that. Even worse are the biting "sand gnats" in some places! Horse flies can HURT, too! But it's one fascinating place, if you can and know how to deal with the very real dangers in them. Hang around swamps and marshes very long, and you'll soon learn how to deal with danger as a matter of course. And the wildlife therein is multitudinous and fascinating as well. Swamps and marshes aren't good places for those who are fearful or expect the world to always be pleasant and amenable. Ya' gotta' MAKE your way in them, and you really need to know how to do it, lest the cottonmouths, rattlers or other critters make you sorry you ever went there. God created estuaries as a breeding ground for so much life, and "estuaries" have the libs and tree huggers and bunny lovers all excited, but show them a fresh water estuary (swamp) and they have NO use for it! Folks who live in and among the swamps HAVE to be both tough and knowledgeable. And hopefully wise in how they deal with it all. Wisdom being a scarce commodity today, and getting scarcer, seems to me to bode not well for our swamps. Idjits would love to pave them all over and maybe build condos and homes on them. But then, they'd wonder where all the life went!

Atlanta yuppies who were used to being catered to built homes and lots in the Ga. mountains, and once many got there, they did all they could to make it just like what they'd fled! And THEN, they wondered why it wasn't nearly so nice any more! Idjits do what idjits do, and THEN, can't seem to find where they went so wrong! And as Sonny and Cher said, "The Beat Goes On." Go see stuff like this when you can. And oh! BTW, watch out for those 30' pythons! They're not "user friendly" either in those everglades. They've been reported as far north as south Ga.!

Florida is rather unique. If you're a fisherman, fresh or salt water, it's a "sportsman's dream." I have a number of relatives down there, and they've all caught 10 pound bass, I think, even in spite of all the stumps and snags that tend to let them break you off. Just be sure to take a big pile of luck when you go!

[waksupi]

I'd like to go back to the Keys again, interesting area. It's been 40 years since I was in the area, and imagine it has changed a lot. I was painting motels and residences while there, and then got into shrimping for awhile. The only thing holding some of the buildings together was the layers of paint, the termites had everything ate that was wood.

[Oklahoma Rebel]

yes, reptile lovers rejoice, the American crocodile has been on a slow but sure, incline there have been 18+ ft specimens seen,but don't freak out yet, they are only on the very south tip of fl. so far, although the occasional pet turned loose story (such as Burmese pythons) may occur. crocs cant breed that fast though

[Blackwater]

Waksupi, your story reminded me of a friend up in N. Ga. who was in Viet Nam for a couple of tours. He spent a lot of time in the boonies, and took everything BUT the bugs pretty well. To this day, he can't stand insects buzzing about him. And FL has tons of them. Maybe even more than Ga. (shrug) It's just part of the package deal, but thankfully, they're not everywhere - at least not badly. It's the places I love where they're "thick as flies." I guess I'm not too bright?

Thank God for Thermacells these days!!!

[MaryB]

Spend a week in the Louisiana Bayous sometime. We canoed the length of the MS river over the course of 2 summers and when we got to the end we canoed off into the bayou to stay for a week. Great people who don't have much but you will never leave hungry! Just don't ask what the meat is :mrgreen: I had a little bit of everything including nutria(edible but not something I would want a steady diet of). We pulled crawfish traps, fished catfish, hunted nutria one day... week I will never forget and a culture that is so different yet the same as the one I grew up in where company got fed and don't argue, you are going to eat!

[frkelly74]

The boy did ask how come nobody sprayed for the bugs like they do at home and was informed that " out here, you are definitely part of the food chain."