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Published: March 12th 2017
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blog 03-09-17 1000 Island boat tour
I just can't get enough of the Everglades so I booked a tour for 10:30 am in Everglades City, about 35 min away. So it was up and out and walk early, that meant the mosquitoes would be out and biting. We walked fast and Watson seemed just as happy to go inside when we got back. He has been feeling a little punk the last few days and his food has been rice and hamburger, hoping to calm things down.
I left at 9 am and was there at the dock by 9:40 ready for a ride on the water. I went to the Nat'l Park Office and got my Passbook stamped for the 3rd Everglades stamp.
Since I was early they put me on the 10 am boat with 6 other people and off we went. The boat is large enough for 50 so we had lots of room to roam around. This area of the Everglades contains at least 1000 islands, some man-made some just mangrove forests and some just sand and only visible at low tide. This is the area between the real land and the Gulf Of
Mexico and is a maze of islands one could easily never find their way out of.
We passed some channel markers and the Osprey had made them home, one marker, one nest. I got a close up of one sitting on her eggs while her mate was in a nearby tree gobbling up a fish.
We passed a sail boat at anchor and the captain said this particular place was a very good harbor especially if there was a storm in the Gulf. We passed a few kayakers, one rowing with oars, one with a paddle. They were part of a group paddling form someplace and ending up in Key Largo. VERY ambitious undertaking.
We finally saw dolphins swimming around fishing and didn't seem interested in playing with us, they were hungry. We followed them for a short while and they seemed to be playing with their food. They tossed it in the air, did tail flips and one even jumped out of the water, very exciting. The captain told us to all get in the back of the boat and he floored the engines hoping to get the dolphins to ride the wake. They did 2
flips through the wake then back to fishing again. Oh the games we play to entertain the tourists. Fun to see them play.
We saw some other water birds but not a whole lot and basically it was a nice morning for a boat ride free of mosquitoes.
I asked the ships mate where there was a good place on the water for lunch and she told me about a little place tucked away with great food, Amillia St. Grill. I got there at 11:56 and it opened at 12 so I just walked around the place a little and found a nice shaded spot on the porch for lunch. Most of the tables were outside so I wasn't intruding early. I talked to the person where you order and got some suggestions, ordered lunch and a local beer. I got homemade flat bread with their very own relish for an appetizer and a grouper sandwich with sweet fries. (sweet Potato). They arrived shortly and I must say the relish was outstanding! Only ate a little of that, I'll take the rest home then dove into the sandwich minus the roll. The fish was the best I have
ever had.
When I got home, Watson had left a mess. The poor guy was sick and he felt terrible. I decided then and there to get out of the mosquito hell-hole. He must be sick from all the mosquito bites.
I got on the computer and found a campground not far from Lakeland where I need to be Monday for a repair on the rv. They are replacing an electronic panel that shows the level in the waste tanks. I have done without it but will be nice to have.
I started packing up some things inside, we were not going out again. When I put insect repellent on Watson and me, it worked for a short time, then they were biting us again.
We settled in for the night, ready to leave in the morning.
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