So the Orange Bowl was a rather uneventful game, but we went exploring South Florida the next day to make up. Angela wanted to check out the Everglades, so off we went. In a different lifetime, she had wanted to be a biologist of some sort and enjoys being out in ecosystems… anywhere other than suburbs.
The national park was relatively easy to get to; we had driven by near it on our honeymoon to the Keys. At the visitor center we ran into fellow Hokies and a few Kansas fans, playing tourist. Out in the park we didn’t see many people. The place reminded me of an African savanna with odd pine trees. As an ecosystem it is totally unique in all the world.
But America will probably drain it to put up new condos. The entire everglades system is dying as its massive fresh water reservoir is increasingly tapped into by an exploding population. Only through man-made controls does enough water even filter into the park, and it is shrinking in land area. This one is not global warming, just too many people taking showers south of Orlando.
So you should visit the place before it disappears! But we got to see an “island” of lush vegetation. These “islands” float along a few feet a year in the muck and support a wide range of life. We saw huge air plants who feed only on the humid air. We didn’t see alligators, bobcats, or manatees, but they are there! We hope to take an air-boat ride the next time we visit!
So the Orange Bowl was a rather uneventful game, but we went exploring South Florida the next day to make up. Angela wanted to check out the Everglades, so off we went. In a different lifetime, she had wanted to be a biologist of some sort and enjoys being out in ecosystems… anywhere other than suburbs. 
The national park was relatively easy to get to; we had driven by near it on our honeymoon to the Keys. At the visitor center we ran into fellow Hokies and a few Kansas fans, playing tourist. Out in the park we didn’t see many people. The place reminded me of an African savanna with odd pine trees. As an ecosystem it is totally unique in all the world. 
But America will probably drain it to put up new condos. The entire everglades system is dying as its massive fresh water reservoir is increasingly tapped into by an exploding population. Only through man-made controls does enough water even filter into the park, and it is shrinking in land area. This one is not global warming, just too many people taking showers south of Orlando. 
So you should visit the place before it disappears! But we got to see an “island” of lush vegetation. These “islands” float along a few feet a year in the muck and support a wide range of life. We saw huge air plants who feed only on the humid air. We didn’t see alligators, bobcats, or manatees, but they are there! We hope to take an air-boat ride the next time we visit! 
Airboat tours in the Everglades rock! We took one last May. Our driver was doing 180's on the water and the land. The tear up the swamp. No wonder we only saw one alligator on the tour. Saw a lot more in the canal on the way there.
ReplyDelete