Into Big Cypress NP - #51-06

January 24, 2005 (Mon) Englewood, FL - It's cold here this morning! 32° when we went out for our walk at 6:30. It made us think of what it was like at home but we weren't dressed as warmly. It made us think of how cold it is at home - in the teens from what we understand.

Q009883 - SunTrust Bank parking lot (parked) (x2)

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January 25, 2006 (Tue) Englewood, FL to Ochopee, FL (154 miles) Off at 9:50am, 51.6°, sunny - We both thought we knew the way so both Henry and our road maps remained out of service. But going down SR776 we began to question if we were on the right road. Out came the map. "We have to go back! 776 dead ends down here." So back north we go. Then east to SR776. But weren't we just on 776? Now were are going north on it. That can't be because we'd be back where we started and we aren't. Just as we were about to ask Henry for help we came to US41 and turned south toward Miami.

The devastation from Hurricane Charlie was obvious as we drove through Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Signs over or missing parts, roofs missing or badly damaged, businesses closed with back hoes and dumpsters in their parking lots, and a general feel of destruction all along the way. More surprising than the rubble was the number of buildings completely intact as if nothing at all had happened in the area. We couldn't help but marvel at the power and selectivity of fast moving air.

The Big Cypress National Preserve is separated from the Everglades by the Tamiami Trail (US41) as it cuts East West across Florida. There are 8 campgrounds in the preserve, 7 are free. We are in the free Burns Lake Campground. There are no campsites per se (and no hookups or facilities except for several portable toilets). But wide areas along either side of a dirt road circumventing the very small lake provide plenty of room to pull off or back in. We are parked so that the lake is out our dining room window. We set up our chairs in the sun beside the lake, read and watched a flock of swallows attacking insects over the water. It is quite peaceful here, or was until the single fellow in a VW camper next door turned on his radio (it was tuned to NPR!). It is off now though and the almost full moon has just come up over the lake. Need I say more?

January 26, 2005 (Wed) Ochopee, FL - The sunrise out our dining room window was spectacular - not a red sky but just a hint of the sun shining through low fog lighting up a few clouds and making silhouettes of the cypress trees across the lake. The fog had burned off by the time we had eaten breakfast and gotten our bikes ready to explore the back roads. Much, if not all, of Big Cypress National Reserve has been designated Florida Panther habitat. Although rare, sightings are possible. So as we rode out the long dirt road into the swamp we were on the lookout. According to our map there is a network of roads out there but a mile and a half out we came to a gate across the road with a sign informing us that a back country permit is required to go further. So much for seeing the illusive and endangered (there are said to be only 30 in the whole 2,400 sq. mile reserve) Florida Panther.

The rest of the day was devoted to decompression. Since leaving home we've been involved in a whirlwind of social? activity with relatively little time for ourselves. Today was a day to work on getting bored so after breakfast we sat out by the lake and soaked up the warm sun. About the most exciting thing we did the rest of the day was watch an alligator swim slowly by, turn and swim slowly back. Joy did spend several hours on some appliqué.)

Q010055 Burns Lake Campground, Big Cypress National Preserve #00 dry $0 C (x2)

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January 27, 2005 (Thu) Ochopee, FL to Ochopee, FL (99 miles) - Today we "did" US41 but first we had a brisk walk out to the highway and 3 times around the lake (4 miles total), took on board showers and ate breakfast. Our first stop was the only dump station in the reserve 6 miles West on US41 ($3.00 with golden age pass, free if we'd been paying to camp). On our way East again we stopped at the Ochopee, FL post office (about the size of a 3 hole outhouse) to take pictures. We'd heard that Turner Road was worth a side trip and it was - for the wildlife alone. Alligators, anhingas, egrets, alligators, coots, storks, blue herons, and more alligators all along the way. Further East on US41 we stopped at the Big Cypress Visitor's Center (where Bob and Pat got stuck last year) and got the low down on the flora, fauna and campgrounds in their jurisdiction. On the way we stopped under a telephone tower to make a couple of calls and check our email.

The Kirby Storter Roadside Park with a boardwalk into the swamp had looked like an interesting place when we'd passed by it so we headed back west - further west than we remembered - for lunch. At the end of the boardwalk - about a half mile out - we saw a blue heron standing on the heavy growth of water plants poised for fishing. Nearby, an alligator lay in the water waiting for someone to come close. On the right two otters wrestling playfully. The heron speared a fish, threw it into the air, caught it and swallowed it whole. The alligator watched and waited. The otters stopped playing and began to fish themselves, with some success - we could watch their progress through the water by the movement of the plants. A white heron flew down and landed on the water plants several feet away and almost at once speared a fish. The blue heron crept closer to the alligator looking for another fish. The alligator watched making low croaking sounds. The heron struck at a fish. At the same time the alligator struck at the heron - and missed. The heron flew away and the alligator turned and watched. Wow!

There are two free campgrounds at the East end of Loop Road. To check them out we had to go 25 miles East on US41. Since we didn't feel particularly comfortable about spending the night at either one, we came back West 20 miles to the Monument Lake Campground - 8 miles from where we started this morning!

Q010154 Monument Lake Campground, Big Cypress National Preserve #1 dry $8.00s B