Touring the Everglades

The Florida Everglades is a wondrous place and not at all what I expected. I had the pleasure of going on Capt Steve’s Swamp Buggy Adventures in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

The first thing that took me by surprise was the captain himself. He’s a large teddy bear of a fella with gator teeth hanging from his necklace. You wouldn’t expect a man with such adornment to be a single dad, but he is. All kids, no matter how many you bring, go on the journey for free, as do military personnel.

We climbed aboard the swamp buggy and off we went. Steve knows everything there is to know about his beloved swamp and is glad to share it. He stopped the buggy whenever we had a question or needed a closer look at something. It wasn’t the murky, mosquito-infested, gator-at-every-turn place I had in mind. It was beautiful and green, with dry land and quiet places to sit. You can even camp overnight if you’d like.

At one point all who cared to got to stand in the swamp. I could not pass that up. The water is warm and clear and not an alligator in sight. It’s quite a moment standing in the middle of the Everglades, and an experience I highly recommend.

Much to my surprise Steve offered to let me drive the buggy. Did I mention it weighs about half a ton and has no brakes? I didn’t let a little thing like that stop me, I went from being a passenger to a bona fide buggy driver just that quick. Unsure if my insurance policy would cover a mishap and not wanting to push my luck, I only drove a few minutes. I’m not a fan of police reports with my name on them.

The Florida Everglades is like nothing I had ever seen. It really can’t be described in words or pictures – it’s something you have to see for yourself. When you go, and I hope you do, tell the captain I sent you.