Today is our last day in southern Florida. We are driving to the southern most part of the Everglades this morning.
On our way, we stopped at the Pa-hay-okee Trail. It is a boardwalk through some wooded areas that open up into a broad grassland. The trail is short. There is a very nice covered observation deck when you get to the edge of the grassland area.
We stopped in the Shark River Slough. From the road, it looks like a plains area. Closer up, it is more like the rest of the Everglades, water everywhere. We did see some very nice flowers where we stopped.
There are some places where the water is more open and obvious. This spot is called Nine Mile Pond. We did not see anything that explained the name. It is not nine miles wide or long, so it must be nine miles from something. We saw an ibis wading near the pond.
We took another boardwalk hike on the West Lake Trail. West Lake is a larger body of water in the Everglades. This hike also traversed a large area of woods. It must have taken a long time to cut down all the trees to make room for the boardwalk. We saw a large flock of ducks rest in West Lake. We also saw how the tress encroach on the lake over time.
We finally arrived at the Guy Bradley Visitor Center. It is often called the Flamingo Visitor Center because its address is 1 Flamingo Lodge Hwy, Homestead, Florida 33034. It could also be because of the color it is painted. This is the very southern edge of the Everglades. To the south is open ocean and the Florida Keys.
The park has built a relatively deep observation area where you can watch the sea life swimming. We saw some turtles and a couple of manatees. You need to take quick pictures because they do not stay above the surface for very long. For the most part, you just get to see noses breaking the surface to take a breath.
On our way north, we stopped at Cool Bay Pond. We could see that there was a pond out there, but the thick flora blocked most of the view. It would have been a good place for a canoe. We could see marks in the mud where others had gone for canoe rides.
We had a chance to watch a Great Egret fly with us for a short time. It was surprising how slowly it seemed to flap its wings.
Once we were out of the Everglades, we headed north toward Cape Canaveral. On the way, we drove by Lake Okeechobee. Most of the time, we only saw the levee around the lake. Once we got north of the lake, we could actually see how large it is. It is the eighth largest fresh water lake in the US, and the largest freshwater lake in Florida.
We had an uneventful drive as we headed north to Titusville. We had dinner at the Heroes Grill in Titusville. An army cook has made good use of the skills he got while in the service. He is now a great chef. He prepares some of the best southern food you will ever taste. The Heroes Grill also caters to current and former service men with special pricing. It is a great place to eat.
Tomorrow we will begin our visit to the Kennedy Space Center.