Canoeing in the Everglades
October 25, 2006
My company had our annual offsite in Miami, so I figured I'd fly in early, rent a car and take a tour of the everglades. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale in the early morning. The sunrise during descent was gorgeous. I took a few hours (can't exactly remember how long, but I want to say 3-4 hours) to get all the way down to Flamingo. Lots of birds flew overhead on the way down. My coworker drives like a maniac and we ended up with many a poor little butterfly and bug in the grill.
The weather was beautiful when we went. As October is the beginning of hurricane season, I was expecting rain and mosquitos, but the temprature was nice and cool the first day, only a little bit humid and rainy the last day, and I did not end up with one bite.
The weather was beautiful when we went. As October is the beginning of hurricane season, I was expecting rain and mosquitos, but the temprature was nice and cool the first day, only a little bit humid and rainy the last day, and I did not end up with one bite.
Canoeing in the Flamingo area
We rented a canoe and we canoeing in the canal.
It wasn't as cool as I was hoping as the bay and lakes were closed off due to winds. As it was the first time canoeing for all of us, it also took really long to get anywhere. It's a nice, relaxing way to spend an afternoon, but when you're short on time, not the most bang for your buck. If I lived there though, it would be an awesome activity to do on weekends.
The scenery tends to be rather monotonous on the canal, and we didn't get to go anywhere really cool (no mangrove canopies or anyrhing). Also, canoeing is a lot harder than it looks. We constantly kept running into the side of the canal, where we were told the alligators hang out. This caused a lot of "ROW! NOT YOU! YOU ROW! YOU ROW BACKWARD!"
We did get to canoe by an alligator. It was super cute and just sat there sunbathing.
water
The scenery tends to be rather monotonous on the canal, and we didn't get to go anywhere really cool (no mangrove canopies or anyrhing). Also, canoeing is a lot harder than it looks. We constantly kept running into the side of the canal, where we were told the alligators hang out. This caused a lot of "ROW! NOT YOU! YOU ROW! YOU ROW BACKWARD!"
We did get to canoe by an alligator. It was super cute and just sat there sunbathing.
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water
sunrise, flying in
alligator
sunrise, flying in
Ft. Lauderdale
Rent a canoe from the Flamingo visitor center/ gift shop at the south tip of the park. I think it only cost about $20.
Unfortunately, when I went, the winds were up and we were regulated to canal area. Nevertheless, we did see an alligator and had a lot of fun learning how to paddle. We had a lot of problems going straight, and it took about an hour and a half (possibly more) just to get out of the canal to the first lake. Go on a calm day and alott a full day if you want to see more varied scenery, but if you just want a relaxing paddle, tooling around the canal with a slight breeze is very enjoyable.
The everglades are a haven for canoeing and kayaking trips. If you have more time, you can do awesome mult-day trips from one end of the everglades to the other!
Unfortunately, when I went, the winds were up and we were regulated to canal area. Nevertheless, we did see an alligator and had a lot of fun learning how to paddle. We had a lot of problems going straight, and it took about an hour and a half (possibly more) just to get out of the canal to the first lake. Go on a calm day and alott a full day if you want to see more varied scenery, but if you just want a relaxing paddle, tooling around the canal with a slight breeze is very enjoyable.
The everglades are a haven for canoeing and kayaking trips. If you have more time, you can do awesome mult-day trips from one end of the everglades to the other!
