Markham County Park, Sunrise, Florida
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. ~ Romans 12:16
The gps finally got it right today! We arrived just three minutes later than our original ETA. But cars were flying by us at 90-100 mph! No joke. There were no fewer than three who blew by us at speeds that rattled our Jeep a bit. And lest you think they were sports cars, they were just normal cars and even an SUV. What are they thinking?
So we arrived at the Everglades National Park Shark Valley entrance on time – – – only to find a closed gate. For another half hour. It seems we’re destined to always be a half hour off around here. So Blaine took us on a scenic drive for 15 minutes and then back again.
Now the gate’s open, but there’s a line. Not too bad though. To pass the time, they put an alligator right by road for people to gawk at. 😊
And now we come to Blaine’s surprise. Sort of. Remember the other day when I told you his lips were sunburned and blistered a bit? Well, it got worse. Much worse. It was either stay inside the coach for the remainder of our time here, or find a way to protect them. He took a trip to the local pharmacy and bought a box of surgical masks. He’d look a bit silly, but he’d be safe.
However.
Once we arrived, we couldn’t find the mask he’d brought anywhere. He was certain he’d put it in the Jeep, but it wasn’t there. So now what?
Fortunately, I keep a long-sleeved lightweight shirt in the Jeep at all times (except when it gets washed of course 😊), so we tied that around his face and off we went on our 15-mile bike loop.
That handy 15-mile Loop Trail through Shark Valley was constructed in 1946 when Humble Oil drilled for oil here. Fortunately, the company decided oil wells here weren’t economic and the land joined the national park system.
To build the trail, workers dug a trench alongside the road and used the dirt to slightly elevate the path. The trench filled with water and, as the rest of the Everglades dries out in winter, the water here became the perfect habitat for wildlife, who concentrated here. ~ fellow blogger, floridarambler.com
We encountered many gators on our ride around – quite a few more than we even took pictures of! And of course, the various herons and egrets and the ever-present vultures.
And there was also something new. Roseate Spoonbills! From a distance – and our sightings of them were all from a distance – they look a little like flamingos because of their color. But in flight, they’re gorgeous! Unfortunately, our pictures don’t show that, but there’s always the internet! 😊
Halfway around the trail, there’s an observation tower. Nice break, but the top part was sealed off! Bummer! It was built sometime between 1956-1966 as part of a 10-year program to improve park services for the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service.
At the foot of the Tower, there’s a trail. We really needed to walk after biking 7 miles, but there was this sign. . . .
Of course, that didn’t stop Blaine. It was just a caution after all. I was more nervous about it, walking slowly and carefully eyeing my surroundings, while Blaine took off ahead of me. We may have seen the aforementioned gator in the water, but it was so far away, we can’t be totally certain.
And so, it was here at the Observation Tower, as we turned the corner of the trail on our bikes, that our experience grew exponentially more difficult. We were suddenly faced with 10-15mph headwinds! We (especially me!) were so glad to have the ability to “power down” our bikes. (That’s what I call it when I have to move the gears down to lower numbers, in order to push myself along.) It’s also when we started seeing more and more people. Turns out, we were riding the trail backwards from everyone else! Typical Blaine and Terri, right? 😊 And we wondered how those who rented ‘plain’ bikes from the Park would be able to make the return trip.
It’s best to go the ‘right’ way, because there’s a tram ($25/person) that also uses this trail, and bikers and walkers are instructed to stop and wait for it to pass. It’s a whole lot easier to see it coming if you’re facing it. We were not. But there was only one the entire time we were out there, and Blaine heard it coming long before it got to us.
I managed to talk Blaine into walking two other short trails on the way back. I said we should do them now because we may not be back, but what I really wanted was a chance to take a break from working so hard. 😊
A little over three hours later, we were back at the Visitor Center and ready for lunch.
Up next? Kayaking the Turner River! The launch was about ten miles from the Visitor Center, but about halfway, there’s another Visitor Center that has a great observation platform for looking down at dozens of gators. Tired of those alligator pictures yet?
We chose this trail because it was touted as “The best canoe trail in the Everglades”. It wasn’t. The first half was really nice, but the second half? Not so much.
And when I say half, I’m only talking about the part we actually paddled. When spiders started dropping on me from the mangroves, I was sooo done! In addition, as you can see, it was so tight in there, we barely fit and there were no breaks. It just was no longer fun at all! Even if there hadn’t been spiders.
Have you been wondering about the name of this place, because I sure did! Shark Valley was so-named because early settlers saw the fins of bull sharks in the river that runs through this area. Don’t worry. We weren’t on the Shark River, we were on the Turner River. 😊
But that’s the information I found first. Then I found these other two things from different websites:
If you’re wondering about the name Shark Valley…Well, although sharks are one form of wildlife that you will not see in the shallow waters of the Everglades within Shark Valley, they’re not terribly far away. Two of the estuaries supplied by The Everglades River are the Shark River and Little Shark River whose brackish waters provide wonderful feeding and nursing habitats for several species of sharks, including bull sharks, which are the top of the food chain, as well as blacktip sharks and lemon sharks.
You won’t see any mountains framing the Shark Valley, but we are technically in a valley because the coastal ridges of South Florida are higher than the interior of this part of the state. The western coastal ridge is about 14-17 feet above sea level. The Atlantic ridge is 15-20 feet above sea level, and the Shark Valley Visitor Center area is about 7 feet above sea level, which puts us in the valley between the two ridges. And that’s why we’re called Shark Valley.
So just how did they acquire their name? Which version do you prefer?
We ended our day driving home via the Loop Trail that runs within the Park. We had read that it was scenic, but we thought, not so much. It was just really, really dusty most of the way. Especially if we got behind another car. Our pretty, shiny, copper-colored Jeep is now a dull tan. ☹
Thus ends our ten hour day in the Valley.