The Everglades are beautiful.  We kayaked in a mangrove tunnel with a bird guide and watched a little gator flee.  The next day, an ex-Marine power boated us out to the 10,000 islands so we could kayak in salt water to see manatees and turtles and to visit a small island with a sandy beach, hardwoods at the center and a portapotty.  While we were on the island, some canoe campers landed, planning to spend the night. They were touring and camping in the islands (that looks like a fun trip!).  The following day we spent several hours in the Fakahatchee strip, a botanists paradise, with a Ph.D. naturalist looking for Ghost orchids.  Didn’t find any, but heard, smelled and saw a gator at his hole.   Very gushy hike.

It is fun and absorbing to be in an environment so different from home.  Their rainy season is the summer.  The Glades come alive when the water arrives.  They told us if we could tolerate the heat, humidity and mosquitoes, the Glades were at their best in the summer.