Your Monday is my Sunday . . . I can’t shake the feeling that I may not be making the most of my time in this wonderful state so I decided that my Sunday (your Monday) would be spent visiting a National Park!

I started the short drive from Ft. Lauderdale to the Everglades National Park. Apparently my GPS decided to send me via the “less stressway” or easyway to get around, at least that is how they sell it. So I got stuck on Florida’s Turnpike with no money . . . I mean in total (that I scrounged from the floor of my car) I had $1.13 in change to my name.

I found $ .92 at the first toll and she let me by with a look of pity. So desperately I looked for a way out, but my GPS was of no help and there were no exits with places to withdraw cash. I hit the next toll and scrounged up the remaining 21 cents in my car, gave the guy my story and he was so nice. Let me through, told me where I could go to get cash. Got my cash and continued on.

Anyway I finally made it to the Everglades and I guess I didn’t know what to expect. Well I didn’t expect to see the sign above. I was terrified at the idea of walking by an alligator but add the Florida panther to it, which until that day I had no idea existed, made me a little nervous. Safe to say that the most vicious creature I encountered that day were the mosquitos that bit right through my pants and shirt.

I started off with a trail farther in where you could see the vast expanse of sawgrass that creates that long expanse of the everglades.

The panorama is from a trail entering and exiting two little “islands” or built up areas. I would have photomerged it in photoshop, but it wasn’t working.

The area is flat, flat, flat . . . the highest point I reached was 4ft above sea level. So you just have these little “islands” or poofs of trees and bushes and palms. Some areas look like tropical.

While others look like they could be from up North.

On my drive around I saw this guy, thought he was a duck at first, half sunning on the road. I kept getting closer and closer to him, waiting for him to hiss or bite, but he just ran back into the glades.

I also believe I photographed an Anhinga but I’m not sure since this one looks a little small and a little too brown.

As well as this variety of scenic plant life and random photos.