Our adventure to south Florida couldn't be complete without a trip into the Everglades. While driving on I-75 (called Alligator Alley)gave us a glimpse, we really needed to get into an airboat and go into deeper into the glades.
Holiday Park was recommended to us. We drove over from Ft. Lauderdale and were greeted by peacocks and peahens, wise cracking Florida natives, and... a Turk. Yep, they seem to be everywhere...those turks. This one was the photographer for Holiday Park and seemed quite happy to bide his time in the swampland.
We climbed into our twin cadillac engine airboat with 3 boisterous and cellphone addicted ladies from either NYC or Miami, a lesbian couple, and 3 travelers from Germany. All wanted to see alligators. Our driver lived in the glades and was definately homespun Florida boy. Complete with a cracker accent. He showed us the power of those twin engines - my favorite part! We zoomed out of the dock and headed out to the grassy waters, gliding over mounds of water lilies. We found out that stopping a speeding airboat is quite similiar to a downhill ski stop...without the ensuing 'yard sale' (term for tumbling down the side of the mountain while losing hat, gloves, poles, etc. along the way).
Besides the speeding boat maneuvers, the other highlight is the wildlife of the glades. Of course we saw aligators, though they were more shy than I expected. We found a tree full of vultures, and others full of giant, multi-colored iguanas. Our glimpse of life in the glades was interesting and made me realize there was much more to see...perhaps another trip?
