The canals in the Everglades are completely man made, and controlled by a system of levees, dams, and pumps. They range from 2-3 feet deep up to 25 feet deep, and the longest is about 50 miles long. They are teeming with wildlife ranging from alligators, snakes, iguanas, deer, and multiple types of birds.
Sport fishermen passing us in the canals.
Many of the gators will come right up to the boat when they hear it coming...depends on their mood. They are actually quiet docile...unless they misinterpret you as food, or threatening its young.
The airboats are powered by twin Cadillac 500 cubic-inch V8 motors, 1970 vintage, for a total of 730 horsepower. They hustle the boat along nicely. This was our first time on an airboat, and I see why they called them airboat "pilots"...there is a lot of slipping and skidding with rudder ("drifting" in auto parlance) these craft while operating at speed.
Mikael, was this photo taken in your basement?
Following the Everglades tour, they gave a short alligator show. These are all gators that were captured in developed areas or had their behavior changed by being fed by humans, so they cannot be released into the wild again.
Check out the Gator Boys wrestling with the alligators. "You play with gators you gonna get bit!"
No comments:
Post a Comment