Everglades National Park bike ride

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
1/25/2025	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	23.8 miles

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We left our motel in Homestead in the morning and drove to Shark Valley in Everglades National Park. We rented 1-speed bikes (no reservations needed) and road the 15-mile loop. It was the first sunny day we've had in a while. This meant that the alligators next to the bike path were abundant. The first 7 miles of the ride were easy. We stopped at that point to go up the lookout tower, which reminds me of the tower on Clingman's Dome. Before we headed up the tower, we saw our first crocodile! It was lying with its mouth open. We were told by a park ranger that this is the way it regulates its temperature. It looked like a statue - I almost thought it wasn't alive. We went up to the tower to look at the view, and when we came down, we stopped to visit the crocodile again. It had changed positions, and now had its mouth shut. Definitely not a statue lol. The park ranger said he nicknamed her Cecilia, and that she basks regularly near the tower. The remaining 8 miles of the bike ride were harder as the wind was in our face. It made my hip sore. After returning our bikes, we ate lunch at a picnic table. Then we went to a ranger talk about alligators, crocodiles, and pythons. I learned a lot!

From there we went to do an airboat ride. One of my neighbors mentioned it as a thing to do. At first it seemed a little dull. People on the boat were so excited by the 2 alligators we saw, yet we had just seen dozens on our bike ride. But then, the airboat went really fast! Yahoo! It was fun, but I hope they don't injure wildlife as they speed through the grasses. Our airboat ride ticket came with a gator show. The presenter was hilarious, and we got to see a baby gator - so cute! After we finished, we headed off to the Even Hotel in Miami for our last 2 nights.

Crocodile on the bike path!