Into the Glades

We still had quite a few miles to go before reaching the Everglades so we made sure we took off on time.  We were on the road by 8am.  It was a little bit of a chilly morning but it was supposed to get rather warm, particularly as we were going south.  It was also cloudy.  Something a bit unexpected after so much sunshine over the last several days.  The clouds stuck with us most of the day, which may have worked to our advantage.

To break up the 4.5 hour drive, we stopped at the John D MacArthur Beach State Park, which is near all the Palm Beaches (North Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and probably a few more).  This state park was established in 1989, and preserves some of what little beach front property there is along these barrier islands.  The high-rises can be seen to the north and the south, but here is an oasis of beach and dune and trees, and part of an inter-coastal waterway.

I had expected this place to by very busy as it is a popular park, today is Saturday, and the temperatures by now were in the pleasant 70’s.  But the clouds and the wind must have kept most people home,  because the one parking lot we parked in was completely deserted, and most of the others had very few cars.  The beach itself was occupied by perhaps a dozen people.

We took a pleasant walk on the beach and then headed back to the RV for lunch.  After lunch we hit the road again.  The snorkeling and the kayaking that this park offers will have to wait for another time.

Another couple of hours on the Florida Turnpike brought us to Homestead, where we fueled up and drove into Everglades National Park.  We picked up some maps and suggestions at the visitor center, and then went to the Royal Palm Trailhead and took a walk on the Anhinga Trail.  This is a short trail through the grassy swamp areas that offers a variety of wildlife viewing.  We wandered about this area, seeing the alligators and the turtles and the herons.

Back in the trailhead parking lot, we had smoked brisket for dinner, another one of those freezer meals specifically for times like these when we don’t have time to prepare anything.  This one was prepared weeks ago, when I smoked an enormous brisket which we enjoyed for several meals afterwards.  Some of that brisket went into ziplock bags and were stored away for this trip.  3.5 weeks into the trip, and many of those freezer meals are now gone, opening up space for more ice cream.

Cell signal here is still good and we talked with family until got dark and then drove to our reserved campsite at Long Pine Campground.  Beautiful evening and quite warm--it’s still 75 degrees.  May make it a bit difficult to sleep.