Everglades Anhinga Trail

We awoke at 5:30 am, our usual time to get up. We both had slept very well.  This surprised us both since we typically do not sleep well on the first night that we are staying in some place new.  I guess we were so tired from having left home at 4 am and had a strenuous travel day that we were ready for sound sleep.  We went to breakfast at the Day’s Inn and had small omelettes, Raisin Bran, yogurt, oatmeal and tea.  When we tried to return to our room we found that the key controller on the room door had the batteries go dead.  The desk clerk had to replace the batteries and rekey the room so we could get in.

We made a quick stop at a nearby Walmart to get bottled water and some snacks for the day.  We normally like to get peanut butter and crackers in case we get caught out without a meal.  We also got nuts, jerky and fruit.  

We made the short drive south to Robert is Here, a local fruit stand where we bought tangelos and some guanabana. This is a great store and has the best fresh local fruit and vegetables. 

Great Blue Heron

It was a short drive to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor’s Center at Everglades National Park.  There was no one at the entry to collect entry fees when we arrived.  We learned that this is because it was the first day that staff was back at work in the park after the 35 day partial government shutdown,  

The volunteer at the visitor center was very helpful suggesting some interpretative programs that we might enjoy.  We started our visit on the Gumbo Limbo Trail which is a short trail with signage on the gumbo limbo trees and the forest in the Isle of Palms area of the Everglades.  

From there we walked to the Anhinga Trail where we saw dozens of alligators and birds of all types.  We saw one large basking turtle and many fish as we walked around.  At 10:30 we met with Ranger Daniel who did a great job leading the tour answering questions and pointing out interesting plants and animals.  He was a new college graduate but had a lot of personality and knowledge of the Everglades.  

Alligator warming in the sun

We stayed at the Anhinga Trail area until nearly noon then drove along the road through the Everglades. We stopped at most of the trails and viewing areas to look for alligators and birds.  We had been to these areas on multiple occasions before but we always like to hike in this area.  Our longest hill was at the Snake Bight Trail at the western end of the park near Flamingo where we hiked 2.6 miles to the bay then another 2.6 miles back out.  The trail was nice except there were still some very muddy spots from the recent heavy rains.

At Flamingo we saw that the former visitor center was fenced off and appeared to be scheduled for major renovation.  We walked over to the marina area and saw a crocodile in the brackish water.  We later learned that there is a temporary visitor center set up at Flamingo until the renovation is complete.  

Anhinga

We arrived back at the Day’s Inn Florida City around 5:30, got the rental car emptied of trash then got our showers.  By that time we were hungry and decided to go back to Mario’s Latin Cafe for Cuban food.  We had been to Mario’s when we stayed here five years ago and found the food to be excellent.  

Mary had roast pork chunks seasoned with lime and caramelized sweet onions.  On the side she had tostones and black beans with rice.  I had a Cuban sandwich with a side of beans and rice.  We both enjoyed our meals although the portions were huge.  Mary took most of her meal back to the motel to have the next day for breakfast.