Air Boat Ride
On the Road in Southern Florida
I've seen them on tv, but I never dreamed I'd get to be onboard one of those airboats that glides on top of the water in the Everglades.
This photo was taken on Lake Trafford near Immokalee, Florida. Our captain was named J.D., and he seemed to know every inch of the lake and the surrounding marshes.
Though my favorite subject of the tour was the water birds--great blue herons, roseate spoonbills, bitterns, and white herons--the alligators make the most dramatic show. The captain said that their body temperatures are only 65 degrees, so they have to roast in the sun a good bit of the time. If they get too cold they're unable to eat. This fellow actually hissed at us!
We saw dozens of the creatures sunning themselves on the bank, and there were even more out in the open water. Lake Trafford is only about six feet deep at the deepest point.
Cap't J.D. said he had gotten his boat stuck the day before, and I was glad that he didn't share this story with us until we were safely docked! Since the boats can't be towed or pushed, one of the other pilots had to run his boat by him very fast to wash him out of danger.
I'm sure that this backward country girl will dream of alligators tonight...
From the warm climes of "Paradise," this is your rural roving reporter, Madeline, functioning like a duck out of water...>
Comments
- -- Posted by ksteinhoff on Wed, Feb 16, 2011, at 7:52 PM
- -- Posted by Dexterite1 on Wed, Feb 16, 2011, at 8:20 PM
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