The Everglades

As usual, we're a little late in updating, but a few weeks ago we took a day drip down to the Everglades. Kristen has had it on her "Florida Bucket List" and Valentine's was coming up. So, I decided to be awesome instead of romantic this year, and surprised her with a trip down and an airboat ride main event. We went through Captain Doug's Airboat Tours based out of Everglades City. It was easy as could be. No reservations, no waiting, no crap. We showed up, bought tickets and took the tour.

I have wanted to go to the Everglades ever since the 7th grade, when I did a research paper on Everglades National Park. I chose it, of course, out of my life-long obsession for Florida, but ever since I researched and wrote that paper, I have wanted to see it for myself. So imagine my excitement when, on Valentine's night, Jake told me he was taking me to the Everglades for an airboat ride through the mangroves. I have always wanted to see the mangroves!! So I immediately got online and started checking out Captain Doug's website. One of the first things I saw on the homepage was: "Get a free picture with a baby alligator." WHAT! Sold! I could hardly contain myself.

How cute is he?!

We saw some dolphins on our way out of the marina!

Check out these cute little guys hanging out in the mangroves.

Everglades mangroves!

We were going fast.

GORGEOUS day.

Captain!

Pelican hitching an airboat ride.

After the ride, we grabbed lunch at one of the local watering holes in the marina. It was a cool, local bar where you can get some fried seafood, many variations of fried gator, and a cold beer on wooden deck while watching the boats come and go, and the locals carry oxygen tanks or sport their favorite NASCAR or camo apparel.

We came to see some gator, so we figured we might as well eat some, too.

After lunch we did some site seeing. We perused around the nearby Everglades National Park site to find us a souvenir then headed over to Big Cypress Park Reserve for more exploring which was only 10-15 min away. Other than the baby gator we held before the airboat tour, we hadn't seen a wild gator until we found a small wildlife observation site on off the main highway. That's where we saw these guys. They really are pretty cool, impressive, prehistoric looking creatures.

Some other cool stuff we saw at Big Cypress:

These crazy birds swim underwater to snag fish. It's pretty cool to watch.