Everglades Isle memories

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Sunset from the Clubhouse porch accompanied by a great gin & tonic!
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The Taj is on the right – taken from Everglades City Air Boat Tours
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Our site along the river – Everglades all around us!

Airboats Alligators Sawgrass marshes

The safest way to travel through the mangrove marshes is by airboat – nothing in the water & no brakes or reverse.  An exhilarating ride through tights twists of mangrove tendrils & branches. Don’t miss it – everyone love an airboat ride!

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A view of the Preserve from Rte 41
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Mother Alligator with babies on board!

Big Cypress National Preserve

Cypress trees – undressed for the dry season, bromeliads blooming, orchids dangling, water moving all the time, and alligators sunbathing everywhere.

 

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“River of Grass”

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The random tree & bushes collections are small hills or marsh “mountains” where the larger wildlife live – birds, snakes, small mammals & alligators nest there
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Water is several feet higher than normal – due to heavy rain in January & February & increased runoff from interior  
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Under the river is a floor of limestone with vegetation and algae supporting the vital ecosystem – there are five different habitats here – there is no place like it in the world!

Everglades Isle Motorcoach Resort

A small luxury resort in Everglades City with great RV sites – A Class only and 28 ft minimum.  Lots of large, beautiful motor coaches here – Tiffins, Prevosts and a few Entegras!  We had a site along the river – there are 61 total sites. On the river so you get the noise from the Airboats across the way who do tours of the mangroves in the Everglades.  We took an hour tour and it was terrific – exciting, interesting and informative.  We did also took a narrated tram tour in the Everglades National Park as well as a drive along the Loop Road in the Big Cypress National Preserve.  We saw many alligators, herons, egrets, birds and beautiful plants as well as palm, cypress, and other trees.  This area is beautiful beyond words.  We will definitely return next year.  The heavy amount of rain and runoff from the big “Lake O” has affected the amount of birds in the park – normally there are thousands feeding during the winter.  However, the water is too deep – there are not as many as are expected in what is normally the dry season.  We hope next year is more typical.

The River of Grass – the name given to The Everglades – by earlier tribes and used by the woman who lead the effort to save them – is unique, fascinating, teaming with life and light.  The weather during the day changes how you see what is essentially a river,  – (120 miles lone by 60 miles wide) and illustrates its beauty differently minute by minute. Clouds reflected in the pools of water offer spectacular images complemented by soaring birds, languishing alligators and sweet wildflowers.  I will post many of the hundreds of photos we took during our two weeks here soon.  Visit this place, love and respect it – it is the only place like it in the world!

 

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The Taj is in front of the green Honda – Site 8 – even a cloudy morning was lovely here.

 

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