The Shark Valley Trail is a 15.4-mile paved loop in the center of a vast sawgrass marsh prairie.  This prairie stretches over 100 miles through the Everglades from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico and contains a shallow, slow-moving river that forms the Everglades.

“Maybe he won’t notice me.”

 

 

 

 

Theresa is happy to get out of the car and rent a bike!

 

 

 

 

The west leg of Shark Valley Trail is a 7-mile straightaway next to a canal teeming with wildlife.  We pedaled hard against a stiff 20+ mph headwind.

 

 

 

  

 

We saw at least 50 alligators along Shark Valley Trail.

 

 

 

 

We also saw a bunch of baby alligators, which are so cute…

 

 

 

  

…although you have to watch out for their not-so-baby teeth.  (This is an old photo of my sister Lisa and father Tom from when we used to live in Florida.)

 

 

 

  

You know you’re not in Kansas anymore when you have to stop your bike to allow an alligator to cross the path.

 

 

 

 

Why did the alligator cross the road?  To prove he wasn’t chicken.

 

 

 

 

The Great Blue Heron stands over 4 feet tall and sports a 7-foot wingspan.

 

 

 

  

Not the Loch Ness Monster.

 

 

 

 

A female Anhinga.

 

 

 

 

No regrets for this Snowy Egret.

 

 

 

 

This is what I see when I think of the Everglades: a vast, open swamp full of gators.

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