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We spent the next three nights in Florida City, a small city right on US Route 1 (a major US highway along the east side of the country from Key West right up to the Canadian border) and just east of the Everglades. Our first port of call was Wal-Mart for some food. Just look at that white trash in the centre shot hehe.

 
 
Wal-Mart is absolutely massive, and they have everything! A supermarket (with these massive tubs of ice cream; it's not hard to see why the Yanks are so overweight!)...
 
Weapons...

 
 
Bikes...
 
Entertainment...
 
Tacky clothing, the lot!

 
The following two days were spent right here!
 
We didn't see any :(
 
 
The Everglades National Park is an amazing place. At 1.5 million acres (6,000 square-kilometres), it is only 20% of the size it once was! There are a number of car parks and trails within the Park, and it really needs a lot more than the two days we could spare to properly explore it.

 
 

We started off on the Anhinga Trail. It's only a half-mile round trip but is one of the most popular trails in the park due to its abundance of wildlife including birds, turtles (this one looks like it's beached itself), and...


 
'Gators (and lots of them)!
 
Lazy-looking bastards aren't they! It's a hard life.

 
 
The easiest way to tell an alligator from a croc? A crocodile has a very long, narrow, V-shaped snout, while the alligator's snout is wider and U-shaped. Because of the wide snout of the alligator it packs more crushing power to eat prey like turtles that constitute part of its diet. There, don't say this website doesn't teach you anything.

 
After leaving the trail we drove the 30-something miles to Flamingo. Flamingo was also devastated by Hurricane Wilma and the visitor centre, lodge, restaurant, and marina store were shut down and the area closed off to all visitors not escorted by a park ranger. Six months later the visitor centre, marina store and boat ramps were reopened, but the lodge and restaurant remain closed.
 
Nice view! :)
 
 
In Flamingo we hit the water again for some more canoeing (and more burning off of bad American diets).
 
 
Every so often a boat would go past giving us a good ride on its wake :)
 
The only gator we saw while canoeing was this dude - impressive!

 
The following day we headed to Shark Valley in the northern section of the park for some cycling along the 15-mile (24kms) Tram Road, which is actually more of a cycle path than a road.
 
Meet Mo.
 
 
There were several 'gators lazing about the place, some right next to the path. They didn't seem too phased about me standing and taking photos just metres from them. They start to hiss and open their mouth if they feel threatened as opposed to just spontaneously having a go at you, so provided they aren't doing that then you're fine (so don't be worried Mum ;)

 
 
Mo spotted a baby alligator...
 
...and I almost ran over a big turtle.
 
Tram Road is a big loop road with an observation deck at its southernmost point. This is looking back north.

180-degree View from the observation deck.

 
When we got back to the car I noticed a 'scenic route' marked on our map not too far from where we were that veered off the main road and met up with it again some 30 miles (50kms) later. I didn't realise that most of it was unsealed though; the Cruiser was about to get treated like a hire car ;) These turkey vultures were sitting across the road with their wings outstretched until we stopped just metres from them. They certainly weren't bothered by us, nor the car horn, but they soon shit themselves and flew for cover when I floored the accelerator and flew at them myself hahaha! Wildlife is fun ;)

 
 
After a while we were starting to wonder what was so scenic about this road. Sure it was fun screaming down there at 100km/h, accelerating at vultures on the road, and covering the car with shit, but aside from bush there wasn't a lot of scenery to be seen..
 
But then we found it - classic Everglades swamp! We passed only two cars coming the other way while following this road; other than that it was silent and these swamps on the road side were really tranquil and pretty!
 
 
I see you.
 
 
Before leaving Florida City we raided Wal-Mart one more time and Mo was handed a "Moms Matter" bag on our way out (because she looked like a white trash teen mother of six kids or something). In it was disposable toilet scrubbers, and toddler juice - HAHAHAHA! Hey kids, your mum matters - give the old bag some toilet scrubbers so she knows it!

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Page Comments


Hahahahaha!! Vote for Pedro!!
- Aaron
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check out those sweet bikes!!! bet u could get at least 3 feet of air!!! bah ahhahahahahaha!!! very rude morag by the way, not impressed!! :)
- Charlotte
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Just joking mate. Good to hear you're having a great time all of the world. Hope you look after that hillbilly Davydd if he comes a visitin'
- Adrian

Hahahaha you're still a bastard Storen!! :)
- Aaron

The gators! You could have stuffed one and mounted it. Although being a kiwi... I must also say that by mounting it I meant mount it on the wall ;)
- Adrian

Hahaha tackle what exactly - the 'gators, the vultures, or Mo?? ;)
- Aaron

Why didnt you try to tackle one of those things? ;)
- Adrian