When you have visitors like Curator Jessica from Ohio, you can’t send them back to the Midwest without having seen a gator or two.
Wife Lila and I have had good luck with the Loxahatchee Everglades Tours folks at the end of Loxahatchee Road (used to be known as Lox Road) on the Palm Beach – Broward County line, so I hauled our visitor down there at an unacceptably early hour by my standards. As it turned out, we were a couple of minutes late to make the first boat: the couple in front of us took the last two seats. We killed the time watching a gator swim through a pipe from one canal to another, visiting very clean restrooms and scoping out the displays.
Miz Jessica was willing to pose with a bobcat, the Ohio University team mascot, but she wouldn’t stick her head in the mouth of even a stuffed alligator. There was a sign asking visitors not to touch the displays, so I couldn’t try to convince her to lick the reptile like she did the St. Louis Arch.
Blue Heron having lunch
We had scarcely started the ride when we came upon a blue heron chowing down on a small gar. He flipped him around until he was headed down head first. When the boat got closer, the bird decided on having a to-go meal, and flew off with the fish sticking out of his mouth.
Photo gallery of airboat ride
Here’s a selection of what we saw on our airboat ride. Click on any photo to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move through the gallery.
Great photo of the heron, Ken!! When I heard you were going out in the swamps, I knew we would see some good wildlife shots!
One of the most fascinating things I photographed on my airboat ride in the Everglades was the “Cracker cows” that grazed out there with the alligators and water birds! I couldn’t believe how dangerous their life style was!
Thanks Ken and company for my early morning airboat ride…….the closest I will ever get to actually going on one…….been here legally over 26 years. I see you were well prepared for the excursion! Mary enjoyed the ride…….
Mary, If you live down here, you should ride an airboat at least once just so you can say you’ve done it.
Ken, I will have to think long and hard about that excursion…….! Most likely won’t happen though.
Man… that is some shootin’
I always carried stuffed birds and gators with me to make it easy.