We have been without internet or cell phone service for the last few days so here’s the scoop on what we have been doing.  We moved a little further east to Midway Campground.  This is a small campground but very tidy and provides us with electricity. Water and sewer are available at the dump station.

Midway Campground, #7, Everglades, Florida

Winter is the dry season for the Everglades and this is when the alligators look for ponds and ditches to hang out in.  The Oasis Visitor Center has a boardwalk overlooking this pond full of gators.  There were tons of gators here today and got some great views.

Oasis Visitor Center

American Alligators

A marker here notes that this is the southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail.

Florida National Scenic Trail

The Shark Valley Visitor Center is a must stop for anyone visiting the Everglades.  It’s not a valley, and there are no sharks.  But they do have a 15 mile paved road into the Everglades with a cool look-out tower in the middle.  Cars are not allowed, but you can walk (if you want to) or rent one of their bicycles if you didn’t bring your own.  For $22 each you can take the tram for a two-hour narrated tour. Reservations are highly recommended and the tours were booked up. We got there early and did not have reservations but they put our names on a waiting list in case there were some no-shows or cancellations. And lucky for us we got on the very next tram.  This is a very popular attraction, cars overflowed the parking lot and out into the highway shoulders.

Shark Valley Tram

Shark Valley Visitor Center

A short hiking trail leads away from the overlook around a small pond.  We didn’t get far when we saw this large fella sunning himself on the trail.  OK, time to turn around.

Gator!

I know it’s hard to see in this pic, but there are alligators in there.  I’m sure we saw 100 of them in the last few days.

The Everglades

American Alligator

Besides alligators we saw many egrets, cranes, storks, vultures and lots of other birds.

The Everglades

There are not a lot of roads here, but we did find one scenic loop road that we could explore.  There sure were some beautiful things to see, as well as more alligators, egrets, and cranes.  The temperatures hangs around 80F degrees every day, and very humid.

Cypress Trees in The Everglades

It is a challenge to find free RV parking in Florida.  We did find one casino that allows overnight parking for its RVing customers and that is where we are tonight and probably tomorrow night too before we enter the Florida Keys.

Miccosukee Hotel and Casino

We did get some rain this evening, but was no big deal.

• Gasoline Expense:  $40 @ $3.49
• Lodging Expense:   Midway Campground: $15/night
•                                    Casino Parking:  free
• Admission & Fees:   $44