Sunday, May 22, 2016.

Today, we drove to the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades National Park.  It was a 220 mile day so we didn't spend a lot of time in the car.  On the way there, we passed some signs with an outline of a panther with the words "panther crossing" below on a busy street in a populated area.  That was a new one, but we learned that there are several hundred panthers in the Preserve and surrounding area.

I posted a picture of the "alligator safety" sign that was at Big Cypress on Facebook.  People seem to be more careful around alligators than bison.  Unfortunately.  Anyway, from there we went to the Everglades National Park Shark Valley Visitor Center and did the 2 hour tram tour.  It covers a 15 mile drive through the Park with a woman telling us about the birds, plants, alligators, animals, and trees and shrubs.  She was great.  At one point, she waded knee deep in the water to pull up the muck and plants to show us what is used as food for snails, and all kinds of critters.  We did see two alligators in the water along the roadside.  She said that usually there are a lot more visible but because of the heat, they are spending more time underwater.  It was 91 degrees and probably about 85 percent humidity today.  We saw a lot of egrets today, one great blue heron, and about 20-30 vultures along the road on our way back.  They weren't feeding on anything that we could see, but it was a large "wake" of vultures.  We had to look up and see what a group of vultures are called.

Stella also saw an alligator along the road as we left the Big Cypress visitor center but I was busy coating myself with sunscreen and missed it.  The tram tour was full.  A lot of foreign tourists were on it.  We heard French, Chinese, and languages we couldn't identify.  It was nice to see that they had brought their kids to see something besides amusement parks.

I went in the restroom at the Everglades Visitor Center before we got on the tram, and told Stella, after I came out, that a U.S. Forest Service outhouse was masquerading as a National Park Service restroom.  I recognized the metal toilet and no sink and the "do not throw bottles or cans in the toilet" signs.  First Park we've been to that had those facilities.

They rent bicycles at Everglades for tourists to ride the 15 mile route.  A lot of people were doing it, very few over the age of 30, however.  I can't imagine doing it in that heat.  They also had a sign for a "Tamimiami Trail Triathlon" that consisted of biking, hiking, and canoeing.  The National Park Service is doing a lot of things this year to promote their 100th anniversary, and the triathlon might be one of them.

It has begun to sprinkle here so we probably won't get to see Mars tonight.