Lake Okeechobee

---

Lake Okeechobee KOA, Okeechobee, Florida

The torrential rains in Key West finally let up and we were able to get the trailer hitched and checked out of Boyd's. It was tough to say goodbye to both Key West and Boyd's. We had a beautiful spot amid the palm trees and Key West is a terrific place to spend a few days.

But it was time to continue our journey and we logged another 260 miles yesterday, traveling a bit east, but mostly north. Driving back up US 1 was just as much fun as driving down - bridges of various lengths (one is 7 miles long). And the islands are of various lengths as well - some just a hundred yards, others many miles long. All connected by a single, two lane highway.

Our late start resulted in an early lunch, stopping at one last restaurant in the keys. We finally enjoyed a plate of Stone Crab claws which were just perfect - sweet and tender. We understood what all the commotion was about. And we shared a slice of key lime pie that was not too sweet and not too sour, but sooo creamy. Certainly a lot better than the frozen stuff you get in New Mexico.

Mrs. Mac's Kitchen, in Key Largo, deserves a mention. Located in the space between the northbound and the southbound lanes of US 1, they really pulled out the stops for our visit. First they let us park the rig on their grassy lawn. Then they set up a nice table on their patio so we could bring the girls with us. It was waiting with a bowl of water for them. With our Stone Crab appetizer, they brought out two strips of bacon for the girls, making them best friends for life. And with our key lime pie, they brought out two little cups of soft ice cream for the dogs. All during lunch, restaurant waitresses, the owner, and even a cook, came out and loved up the dogs. And when we left, there was a very heartfelt goodbye from our waitress. Was like gaining a new family all at lunch.

But all of that took some time and, although we didn't have a campground reservation for last night, we knew generally where we wanted it to be and it was a whole lot of miles away. I think it was about 2:30 when we got back on the road. We drove back up US 1 and then back past the Everglades and headed north on US 27, and then US441, up through the section of Florida known as Alligator Alley. (Yes, we are totally skipping the Miami locales). This area was once part of the slough that made up the water filtration system known as The Everglades (river of grass). It was 'drained' starting around a century ago and turned into agricultural land, primarily for the sugar industry. So what you see now are planted fields intermixed with little patches of marsh and swampland.

And canals are everywhere. The road runs parallel to them and over them, all an attempt to harness Mother Nature for human purpose. The result might be a little extra sugar on the table, but that spoonful comes with medicine that southern Florida is running out of fresh water. Efforts are being made now to undo some of those attempts at control, but many wonder if it is too little, too late.

Finally, around 5, we came into the Lake Okeechobee area. This lake is the round one you see in all maps of Florida and happens to be the seventh largest freshwater lake in the continental US. Its average depth, though, is just 9 feet, making it one of the shallowest lakes around. But it was the source for the entire Everglades system. Rain would fill up the lake which would then spill out over the southern edge, not into a river valley of any kind, but rather as a continuous sheet of water, miles wide and just an inch or two deep. This sheet of water would flow down towards Florida bay, bathing the marshland in just a few inches of water. Because the natural grade is so gradual, the flow takes months, resulting in the slow gradual penetration of the water both into the underlying limestone, and down the Everglades. The ecological system of southern Florida all starts right here at the lake.

Well, it used to. We've built levees and dams all over the place, so much that the natural flowing cascade of water doesn't run anymore. And those levees are also between the highway and the lake, so you can't even hardly see it. We are told that the recreational opportunities have shrunk dramatically as a result of all the 'water projects'.

We have finished our journey through Southern Florida and when we leave Lake Okeechobee later today, we will re-enter the Atlantic Coastal Plain eco-region, where we will be for most of the rest of our trip. Our days in Big Cypress Swamp, the Everglades, Biscayne Bay, and the Florida Keys are done now. It was a terrific visit, but we have a lot more Southern Charms to discover.(17.1.37

---