See that smiling creature sunning himself on the side of the road? Alligators galore waited to greet us as we recently spent a day exploring a portion of the Tamiami Trail. This southern end of US Highway 41, completed in 1928, is a hidden gem that should not be missed if you enjoy the history, nature, and wildlife of ''Old Florida''. Come along as we go in search of alligators along the Tamiami Trail!
Many years ago as a college student, Doug became very familiar with the northernmost stretch of US 41 that began (or ended?) near his college town the snowy upper peninsula of Michigan. Upon graduating, he was told to follow Highway 41 as it winds south through Wisconsin, Indiana, Tennessee, and Georgia, and stop where the natives have no idea what a snow shovel is. That would be in southern Florida ... where our most recent journey on US 41 started out near Naples, Florida.
On our way down we had to stop for a
walk along Bonita Springs Beach. We were
last there on our honeymoon 35+ years ago.
We reserved a site at Collier-Seminole State Park because we wanted to explore the beach on nearby Marco Island. Like many of Florida's state parks, this one started out as the private property of Barron Collier in the early 1920s. Wanting to preserve the magestic royal palms that grew naturally on his property, he created and donated the park-like setting that many enjoy today. The royal palms still stand tall, greeting the many visitors to the park and campground.
As we walked around the state park, another exhibit sparked our curiosity. The Bay City Walking Dredge, listed as a National Historical Mechanical Engineering Landmark, was proudly on display near the entrance of the park. That designation alone caught the attention of both the engineer and his history buff wife.
(Collier-Seminole State Park photo)
The surrounding plaques told of how this huge contraption aided in the building of the Tamiami Trail in the 1920s. This massive tool clawed its way through the mud, muck, and limestone of the Florida swampland to aid the construction of the road that eventually connected Tampa with Miami in 1928. Doug found a informative article online that pointed out some of the interesting stops along the Tamiami Trail, so our ''field trip'' was set.
As we drove along the Tamiami, we could see the water-filled canal that was a result of the Bay City Walking Dredge. We couldn't help but think about how this engineering feat had to have disrupted the environmental balance of this unique ecosystem. A park ranger explained how the park service continues to work with the government to raise sections of the road in order to restore the natural flow of water from the north into the Everglades. In the meantime, the alligators don't seem to mind hanging out in the canal alongside the highway. But the ranger also warned us to drive cautiously along the Tamiami ... especially at night. That ''speed bump'' that you hit could very well be a gator since there are no barriers dissuading them from crossing the highway.
Shark Valley Visitors Center; Everglades National Park
We drove an hour to our furthest and first stop along the Tamiami Trail. The Shark Valley Visitors Center in Everglades National Park started our national park visits off for 2021. This visitors center is named for the area in the Gulf of Mexico where this water flows into, so fortunately you won't find sharks in these ponds. Better than sharks ... an abundance of alligators! When we arrived, we got out our bikes (you can also rent bikes at the visitor center) and rode the 15 mile paved bike trail that loops around this popular alligator hangout. Very shortly into our ride, we met our first friendly gator sunning himself not too far off the trail.
Gator search success!
Not sure how close/far away to stay from these guys, but since this one would have to turn around in order to grab ahold of me, I felt a little more brave posing for this photo.
These wetlands that surrounded us make up the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, and over 200,000 alligators live in the saw-grass marshes of this national park. There estimated to be over 1.5 million alligators in the entire state of Florida!
At the mid-point of the bike path, we climbed the 65 foot observation tower for a bird's eye view of the Everglades.
With alligators to the left of us,
... and to the right,
... we pedaled along and enjoyed the sights.
Oasis Visitor Center; Big Cypress National Preserve
After lunch, we turned around and headed back west to check out a few of the other places that were highly rated as Tamiami Trail stops. Bordering the Everglades to the north is Big Cypress National Preserve, so we stopped at the Oasis Visitor Center to check out another ''new to us'' natural area.
There is a boardwalk that rises above and runs along the canal so we had a good view of more alligators enjoying their Florida swampland.
But the best way to see these beauties is up close, so we got off the boardwalk and walked along a short trail that thankfully, had a fence between us and them.
Even alligators enjoy a little ''snuggle time'' on a sunny afternoon!
Kirby Shorter Roadside Park; Big Cypress National Preserve
Time to turn our focus from the alligators to the beautiful cypress swamp that surrounded us. A walk along the boardwalk at Kirby Shorter Roadside Park took us into a cypress paradise.
Decorating the tree tops were numerous types of bromeliads that brought new beauty to dead tree limbs with their cascading foliage.
While we didn't see any gators at this stop, we are sure that they are around since they dug this huge ''gator hole'' at the end of the boardwalk. These ''gator holes'' ensure that there will be water and shelter for the alligators during dry seasons, and gives them a steady food supply as unsuspecting birds, reptiles, and mammals enjoy the local ''water hole'' also.
Ochopee Florida Post Office
Can't pass up the smallest post office building in the US along Highway 41 in Ochopee, Florida. The postal service moved into this tiny shack in 1953 when a fire destroyed their larger building. Seems that they (like us) have not felt the need to ''go bigger'' as they serve the sparsely populated three county surrounding area.
Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk
The sun was beginning to set, and there were still a few stops along the Tamiami Trail that we (meaning I) wanted to check out, but they will have to wait for another time. Our last stop at Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk led us under a shady canopy of cypress and palm trees that provide the prefect resting spot for the birds of this unique wetland. They, like us, have enjoyed another beautiful day in the wilderness.
Our search for alligators along the Tamiami Trail gave us a glimpse into the unique beauty of the Everglades as well as the challenges it faces. The building of this roadway across southern Florida opened up a desolate area of our country ... but it also brought changes to the natural environment.
Hopefully as a nation, we can embrace the ''tree hugger'' in each of us ... and continue to work together to protect the many unique ecosystems in our country so that future generations can also travel down the Tamiami Trail in search of alligators.
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