Riding a Forgotten Corner of Florida's Everglades National Park
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Caution: Gator Crossing Riding a forgotten corner of Florida’s Everglades National Park PHOTO BY JOHN MITCHELL here is a little-known, paved, 15-mile In the past, the Better get bike trail off US 41, dead in the middle of Everglades was used to it. the Florida Everglades, that will have you thought of as a You’re going to riding past sunning alligators — with no worthless swamp, see gators if T good for nothing fences to divide you from them. Except for a you ride the Miccosukee Indian Reservation, the closest civi- but “swamp Shark Valley. lization is either 50 miles east in Miami or an angels” (mosqui- equal distance west in Naples. Shark Valley, as this toes). Over 100 remote land is known, is part of Everglades years ago, the National Park, and takes its name from the sharks government tried in nearby Florida Bay. to turn the area Last summer, we happened upon the park by BYPHOTO CHEYENNE ROUSE into a giant land- sheer accident, and of course, had our bikes with fill — after sever- us. Stopping out of curiosity, we entered the trailer/visitor’s al years they gave up the project, but not before the center and spoke with the park ranger, who assured us that Everglades had lost about half of its original acreage to there really were alligators out there. What did we know? urbanization and farming. We were Northerners on vacation in South Florida. The shallow waters of the Everglades provide much of Florida with its drinking water, as well as helping to main- tain a balance in the cycle of life. In 1947, by an act of By John and Tracey Mitchell Congress, the Everglades National Park was established. Adventure Cyclist • September/October 1998 Today, the vast “River of Grass” encom- da-like, large Florida gar and bluegil fish passes 1.5 million acres — about the size of lazing in the shallows. Strange, beautifully Rhode Island. Only a few feet deep during colored small ducks swam and bobbed for the wet season and a few inches deep dur- food before us. Great blue herons panned ing the dry season, it’s home to such endan- for their dinner along the banks of the canal. gered species as the Florida panther (fewer It was quite peaceful and magical, until the than 30 are left in the wild). solitude was broken by a second gator. Tracey, my wife, and I head- ed out on the West The Road. We Everglades’ river of quickly met grass is two German interrupted tourists hik- sporadically ing the oval by timber loop. and gator “Das un holes. alligatooor fifty meters!” one of them said. After nearly falling off our bikes in front of the gator, we continued down the BIKE FLORIDA wide trail. To our right was a canal originally dredged A huge 11-footer was lying on the hot to build the foundation for the West Road. asphalt with jaws agape, covering a quarter Beyond the canal was the endless sawgrass, of the ten-foot-wide path. The Park Ranger speckled with occasional hardwood ham- wouldn’t let us ride out here if it wasn’t mocks and bayheads — oases in the middle safe, would he? Moving to the far side of of this sawgrass desert. the path, we made our way past the man- Hardwood hammocks and bayheads eater and headed for the Shark Valley obser- make up two of the four habitats found in vation tower at mile eight. Smack dab in the the Everglades, each of which has unique middle of nothing is this concrete monolith, animals and vegetation. The wooded stands stretching 50 feet into the sky. We parked known as Bayheads are three to five inches our bikes and ascended the tower. The view above the water, meaning the roots of the was spectacular. trees are always wet. Meanwhile, ham- On the horizon, the sun’s crimson and mocks sit three to five feet above the water golden rays broke through the thunderheads and the roots of their trees, commonly of a distant storm. Below us lay an artificial Gumbo Limbo and mahogany, are always gator hole, dredged to build the land where dry. the tower now stands. From this safe van- Sawgrass and gator holes make up the tage point, we viewed another half-dozen other two types of habitat found in the alligators of all sizes congregating beneath Everglades. us. In the distance, we strained to see white Trail signs explain the various flora and tail deer sailing through the sawgrass, and fauna found along the oval loop. We passed various birds of prey circling their dinners black and tan anihingas with their wings for that evening. spread as if ready to take flight, sunning In the 1940s, the Humble Oil Company, themselves on the branches of the Red Bay now Exxon, owned the oil rights to the area tree. We could see in the canal the barracu- where Shark Valley Park is now located. Adventure Cyclist • September/October 1998 PHOTO BYPHOTO JOHN MITCHELL Florida Nuts and Bolts VISIT FLORIDA WHEN TO GO: Since the paved bike trail is in the heart of South Florida, the weather is great year round. However, summer can be Everglades hot, usually 80-90 degrees, and wet, so be prepared for a rain shower almost every National Park day. Mosquitoes are worse in the summer, but aren’t the Tamiami Trail (Tamiami is short for unbearable in this part of Tampa to Miami). The two-lane highway Everglades National Park. runs east to west, and is quite an adventure Winter tends to be a little bit in itself. Travel about 50 miles in either more mild, with tempera- direction from Shark Valley Park and you tures averaging in the 70s- find civilization. 80s during the day, and 50s- 60s at night. As winter is the ACCOMMODATIONS AND FOOD: Miami is to the height of tourist season, east and Naples to the west; there are any expect crowds. number of chain hotels, B & Bs, resorts and restaurants in these cities. Within EQUIPMENT: Bring your own Everglades National Park, there is also bike, or rent one from the camping. Be sure to try some authentic park. The park rentals aren’t Cuban food on 8th Street (also called the best, but they do come Calle Ocho) in Miami. There is none bet- complete with your very ter. own front basket … oh boy. Helmets and baby seats, if MORE INFORMATION: The park charges an needed, are included. The entrance fee of $4.00 per vehicle. bike rentals cost $3.25/hour. However, both times we visited, they For those of you who don’t PHOTO BYPHOTO JOHN MITCHELL were not collecting the fee. Visitor’s cen- quite feel comfortable pedal- ter: 305-221-8776; bike rentals: 305-221- ing with the gators, Shark middle of the Everglades. The trail is flat, 8455; Everglades National Park Valley also offers tram tours, for a fee, that although the constant breezes across the Headquarters/Information: 305-242- take you to the observation tower. Don’t Everglades can make you feel like you are 7700. forget to bring plenty of water and sun on a hill climb. Although the trail is only 15 screen. The South Florida heat and humidi- miles long, give yourself plenty of time to MUST SEES: South Florida has wonderful ty can sneak up on you in a hurry and stop and enjoy the sights. beaches, exciting night life, great food and before you know it, you are dehydrated and tons of things to do. Within the National burnt. A camera is a must! GETTING THERE: Miami International Airport is Park network of South Florida you can take the closest major airport to Shark Valley an airboat ride, go swimming, snorkeling, CLOTHING: Dress for the tropics. That means Park. Most major airlines, as well as a lot of scuba diving, boating or fishing, hiking, light clothing, and if riding the trail in the the upstart discount airlines, fly into Miami. bird watching, visit an Indian trading post summer, rain gear and mosquito repellent. Check with your travel agent, since there and lots more. If you decide to take a drive, are always discount packages available to Key West is only three hours south of THE BIKE TRAIL: The Shark Valley Bike Trail is South Florida. There’s only one way in and Miami. a 15-mile, 10-foot-wide, asphalt loop in the out of Shark Valley — US 41, also called Adventure Cyclist • September/October 1998 14 They originally built the West Road out to their oil well, which later became the observation tower. In the mid 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers built the East Road back to the park entrance, completing the oval loop. In 1966, Shark Valley Park opened to the public. We made it back to the visitor’s center trailer without loss of limb or life, completely exhausted. The stress and rush of adrenaline brought on by the meandering alligators we encountered over the 15 miles of trail totally wiped us out; we felt like we had just completed a century. As if one trip playing “gator bait” wasn’t enough, we decided to do it again — this time in the winter. At the visi- tor’s trailer, we spoke at length with Park Ranger Kelly Bulyis before embarking on our second ride. She explained that there are two distinct seasons in the Everglades, wet (summer) and dry (winter). Dry season runs from late November to May or June, and is the best time to see wildlife, especially the gators.