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Day 29 Sat. 12/25/04 140 miles 2380 Total
Our last day in the everglades. Before breakfast we hiked the nature trail along the shore then looked for warblers and woodpeckers in the fig trees near the marina. We also saw a juvenile bald eagle perched near the shore. Today was our last day in Flamingo, deep in the Everglades. As we exited the park we stopped at a canal crossing a couple had told us about. There we spotted a gorgeous Vermillion Flycatcher male- bright red head and body with black wings. We drove out and around to the Tamiani Trail (US-41) and headed west across Florida. We stopped at Shark Valley, an access to the northern Everglades, and took the tram ride. Lots of birds and alligators and an interesting narration by a Park Service volunteer from Amherst, MA. We then drove to Naples, FL for the night. For the next couple of days we will explore the wildlife refuges in southwest Florida.
Day 30 Sun. 12/26/04 47 miles 2427 Total
A pretty quiet uneventful day, a lot like being at home rather than on the road. After a short run we to breakfast at the campground social hall. We then headed towards Fort Myers Beach where we’ll spend the next four nights. Along the way we stopped at Walmat and a supermarket to do some shopping. The campgrounds in the Fort Myers area cater, not surprisingly, to seasonal “snow birds”. The few transient sites they have available are small and near the road. So, that’s where we are! After getting set up at the campground we headed off to explore the local area and ended up at an outlet mall (see, I told you it was like a day at home ;-). We spent a quiet evening reading about the places we will go birding tomorrow and surfing the web.
Day 31 Mon. 12/27/04 0 miles 2427 Total
We awoke to 42 degrees and a 35 degree wind chill. No big deal for us but the local folks are wearing all of the clothes they own! We headed out early for the Ding Darling Refuge on Sanibel Island. In the Visitor Center we met a volunteer who was 93 years old. She grew up in Milton, MA went to Milton Academy and graduated at age 15. MIT was the only school that would accept a 15 year old. She later switched to Simmons. Fascinating lady. The wildlife drive was full of wonderful birds though we had seen the same species before on this trip. There was one spot where five different species were feeding quite close to the road which afforded great photo opportunities. There was also lots of hurricane damage evident to the wooded areas. It was even worse when we drove up to Captiva Island for lunch. The lady in one shop we visited told us that an hour before landfall, Charlie was forecast to hit Tampa as a Cat II. Thirty minutes before landfall it had shifted south to within 50 miles and been upgraded to Cat III. When Charlie came ashore it was right on the island as a Cat IV hurricane. The fire chief told everyone, “It’s too late to evacuate; get into an interior room under a mattress!” Lots of roof damage and they were without power for SIX weeks. However, they were spared the much worse water damage that would have resulted from a big storm surge. We drove to the end of the island and hiked on the beach for a couple of hours. We watched a flock of black skimmers blast into the sky for no apparent reason, then looked up to see a bald eagle flying by. Sunset found us at the end of the island where we found a snowy plover, a life bird for us.
Day 32 Tue. 12/28/04 0 miles 2427 Total
We were up late web surfing last night so we slept a little later. We still got to Fort Myers Beach near low tide to check out the birds. The trail along the lagoon south of the Holiday Inn is reported to be the best place in Florida to see Long Billed Curlew. That may be but best was not good enough for us this morning. We had a very pleasant walk on the beach and got some good pictures of a Reddish Egret and we saw dolphins offshore but no Curlew. We then drove inland to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary run by the Audubon Society. Here there is a beautiful 2.2 mile boardwalk across the swamp. Amazingly, the parking lot was full since this is their busiest week of the year. Still we had a delightful stroll and spotted five new birds for the trip including a gorgeous Summer Tanager. We stayed almost until closing to try to see a Painted Bunting at their feeder but no luck. We then drove through rush hour traffic back to the campground. After supper Sandy prepared some more appetizers for New Years Eve.
Day 33 Wed. 12/29/04 0 miles 2427 Total
A quiet day today. We did laundry then went back to Sanibel Island for some shopping and a Nature Boat tour of Tarpon Bay in the Ding Darling Refuge. Tomorrow we drive to West Palm Beach to visit friends, including some from NH.
Day 34 Thur. 12/30/04 128 miles 2555 Total
We started the day with a jog around the campground. This RV park is in a very pretty location. It would be delightful if it had about 1/3 the sites. As it is, the RV’s are crammed next to each other and it’s more like a parking lot with water and electric hookups. After breakfast we headed west across Florida on Rt-80 and arrived at the Lion Country Safari campground about 2 PM (you can probably guess which tourist attraction this place is near). The sites are fairly small, but compared to Ft. Myers Beach they seem very roomy. After lunch we drove into West Palm Beach to see Al & Eileen Kates. What a joy to see them after so long. We were also greeted by a big box of mail and several packages. All the stuff we ordered on-line since we left the kids in Jacksonville, we had sent to West Palm. Al had graciously dedicated a corner of his garage for our stuff, complete with a sign that read, “Greenbaum Depot”.
Day 35 Fri. 12/31/04 0 miles 2555 Total
New Years Eve day and we are preparing for company. In the afternoon we took a break and drove to the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is another piece of the original everglades that has been preserved. Lots of wetlands area bird habitat. The two most interesting sightings were a pair of Pilleated Woodpeckers and a Limpkin. This bird is so named because of his unsteady gait. They eat apple snails almost exclusively. We got to watch as this guy cracked open a 2 inch diameter snail and had lunch. The party was a big success,. We got all eleven of us in with very little trouble. There was even room to set up a bar and trays of snacks (I can’t spell hors d’eovers). After the party in the motorhome, we all went back to Al and Eileen Kates’s for dinner. Shortly after midnight Carl’s cell phone rang. It turned out to be an old friend of Jamie’s, calling to wish him a happy New Year (Carl’s cell phone has the number Jamie used to use). It was nice to chat with Kattie, even if she called us by mistake.
