Airboating in the Everglades

 Monday December 19, 2022

Two meals from the griddle today, breakfast of scrambled eggs with green pepper, onions and a dab of green chilies. Lunch was grilled squash, zucchini, and onions topped with grilled chicken tenders. Everything was good except the chicken, it was tough. This was due to my amateur cooking skills I’m sure. 

December 2022 

We went to the AirBnB after lunch and visited with the family. Their rental was built in the 60’s or 70’s I’d guess, but it has been refurbished and is very nice. BTW, I looked up the last sale of this house and it went for $799,000. Don’t retire to this part of Florida unless you have lots of money.

Dave and Marcus went to a trampoline park in the afternoon, we came back to the campground and just lazed around. We watched TV in the evening.

Tuesday, December 20 2022

The big event today was an airboat ride in the Everglades. Actually it was in a state controlled portion of the swamp called Sawgrass Recreation Park. Airboating is restricted in Everglades National Park and people who go there are actually airboating on an Indian reservation within the boundary of the park.

Evan and Marcus

The whole family went, it was ok for an introduction to airboating and the Everglades. We saw one alligator in the wild; he was about 4-5 feet long and not at all impressed with the visitors’ to his little island. We did see several in the exhibition park which is run by the airboat company including one 700 lb monster. They also had an American Crocodile there; he was very fierce looking even though he mostly ignored us.

The Kolman’s went to a swanky restaurant for dinner, Millie and I opt’ed for a cheese pizza from Lil Cesar. 

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Dave’s sister left today and flew back to New Jersey. We went to the house and Millie and the boys made Christmas cookies and a gingerbread house. I left and went to refuel the truck, stopped at Home Depot for a knife sharpening stone and found a RV Park along the way. Stopped and got some info from them, it was ok but more like a trailer park atmosphere than an RV park. The county park will be my first choice if we ever come back.

On the way back to the RV I stopped in the office of our campground and one of their employees, Luke went above and beyond to search the computer for a way for us to stay here until the end of the month. He found space for us but I would have had to move twice to different sites, but he called me later and told me shuffled some booking and we could stay on our site C1 until the 1st of January. On January one we go to Southern Comfort RV Resort in Homestead for the whole month.

In the afternoon, Dave took the boys to a trampoline park. Millie and Rae Anne took the truck and went shopping. I organized my stuff in the RV. I still had things packed from home and I found a place to put everything. I made dinner from leftovers, not bad. The Kolman’s went out to a restaurant again tonight. They’re on vacation; Millie and I are here for the long haul, so we’re living more like we do at home and they eat too late in the evening for us.

Thursday, December 22 2022

Dave and Evan drove down to Key Largo today to snorkel at John Pendecamp State Park. They will be gone all day. Millie, RaeAnne, Marcus and I went to the Peter Pan Diner for a late breakfast. We loved the diner, great food and atmosphere. We had a very friendly server named Daryl. Later in the day Millie and I went to the Goodwill store down the road, neither of us bought anything. On the way home we stopped at the kolman’s AirBnB for a short visit in the afternoon. 

Evan Grandma and Marcus at the AirBnB