Alligators, Everglades, Alligators, Miami, Alligators and the Keys. Oh, did we mention Alligators?

Hi! You know the drill. Most recent pictures at the top, oldest at the bottom, captions below the picture. Hope you enjoy!

December 31 - Key Biscayne. We spent the last day of the year on the beach watching the windsurfers and enjoying the sun and sand. A great way to end the year! Happy New Year, everyone! One of the beaches on the northern end of Miami Beach.

Miami Beach - the architecture was contemporary and colourful. Another view of downtown Miami. Miami is just as beautiful as it looks on CSI Miami, but we often felt like we were in a different country. Almost everywhere we went the predominant language was Spanish and many advertisements and store signs were in Spanish and English or often in Spanish only. We also had a great view of the beach. We climbed 95 feet to the top of the lighthouse and got a great view of Ted, the Atlantic Ocean and Miami.

We tried to tour Coconut Grove, but all the streets were blocked off for a parade so we made our way to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area on Key Biscayne. This is the Cape Florida Lighthouse built in 1825, the oldest structure in Dade County. This is the beautiful golf course located behind the hotel. If we had our clubs, we could have played a round. I doubt if we could afford the green fees and once they saw our skill level, they probably would have politely asked us to leave. We can tell where we don't belong! One of the sitting rooms in the lobby of the Biltmore. December 30 - Miami. Our first stop was the famous Biltmore Hotel (with the Giralda Tower) in Coral Gables built in 1926 by George Merrick. Guests included Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Al Capone, the Vanderbilts and Roosevelts. During WWII it was converted into a military hospital and later a veteran's hospital before becoming part of the U of Miami's medical school. In 1987 it reopened as a hotel and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It was beautiful inside and out! Portions of the Keys are so narrow there is only room for the highway.

The Keys were beautiful, but since it was a 300 mile round trip from our campground, we didn't get a chance to spend much time checking out everything the Keys had to offer. In the state parks you could do anything from riding on a glass-bottom boat to checking out an archaelogical site. If you are into swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, boating or any type of water sport at all, this is the ideal place for you. The picture above is of a remnant of "Flagler's Folly", a railroad built by Henry Flagler in 1912 to connect Miami to Key West. It was destroyed by a hurricane in 1935 and was refurbished as the original Seven Mile highway Bridge. In 1982 the new Seven Mile Bridge was completed and sections of the the old one are currently used as fishing piers.

Since we were so close to Cuba, we thought we would have Cuban food for lunch. It was definitely a local hangout and the language of choice was Spanish. Great food! December 29 - Florida Keys. We took a drive down the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West, a distance of 106 miles. Our destination: the southernmost point on the continental U.S. At this point we were only 90 miles from Cuba. At the end of the Everglades Park highway is the town of Flamingo. It was hit hard by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005 and is still in the process of rebuilding. This is a view of Florida Bay at the very southern end of Florida.

We went on 7 different hikes in the Park. One of the shortest was to the Pahayokee Overlook. It gave us an amazing view of the "river of grass" that makes up the Everglades. Water builds up in shallow Lake Okeechobee and then flows south through the 50 mile wide River of Grass. One to six feet deep in sloughs, but 6 inches deep elsewhere, it flows toward the Gulf of Mexico. Plants and animals adapt to the wet and dry seasons, but unfortunately developers in the 1960s drained a great deal of the water from the Everglades and diverted it into canals which seriously damaged the ecosystem. Our airboat guide stated that the Department of Water Mismanagement (as he referred to it) often let too much water in during the dry season which destroyed nests and eggs or else stopped the water flow completely. Fortunately efforts are being made to restore the remaining Everglades. The white twigs you can see in the grass are cypress trees, conifers which actually lose their needle-like leaves and go dormant in the winter. The river of grass is made up of sawgrass which has spiny, sharp leaf blades. If you run your finger over it from the bottom to the top, you could probably draw blood. I know that from experience!

Another highlight - an anhinga eating a fish that it had just caught. They eat them head first so the tail does not get stuck in their throat on the way down. We also learned that if a bird catches a catfish, it must smash it against a hard surface several times to break all its bones and make it easier to swallow. This was what we called an alligator sleep-over. There were at least 8 or 9 alligators in this grassy area. Some were lying on top of each other. It was an amazing sight. I think this is an anhinga. I just liked the picture!! The water here is so clear. One of our guides told us that you can drink the freshwater anywhere in the Everglades with no fear of getting sick. Guess there's no beaver fever in Florida. This beautiful bird is an egret. The birds often stood within a few feet of the alligators showing absolutely no fear of them. Our first stop after entering the Park was Royal Palm. We hiked the Anhinga Trail through Taylor Slough and it was definitely the highlight of the day. It was a beautiful walk through the trees, grasses and ponds of the Everglades and we saw so many bird species and alligators in their natural habitat. Here is a great blue heron.

This, too, was an unusual sight for us. Hundreds of workers moved from field to field picking the crops as they ripen. This is how most Floridians irrigate their fields. After living in Lethbridge for so many years, it seemed rather archaic to us. December 28 - We decided to visit the southern end of the Everglades. To get there we travelled down Hwy 997 through Homestead to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Centre. This part of Florida is mainly agricultural. We saw many different crops all in various stages of growth. The highway was also lined with dozens of greenhouses selling all types of palm trees, flowers, plants and shrubs. The field above was being prepared for planting. Plants grow up through the tiny holes in the long sheets of plastic that you can see in the back of the picture. I guess it helps with weed control.

If you look closely, you can see 4-5 baby alligators in the grass. Here's some alligator trivia in case you're interested. Momma alligators lay approximately 30 eggs at a time. The sex of the babies is determined by the temperature inside the nest during the first 3 weeks of incubation. Eggs at temperatures greater than +34 develop into males. Eggs at less than +30 develop into females. Eggs in between these temperatures develop into either males or females. Most of the babies are easy prey for other animals (including adult alligators), but those that do survive usually stay with their mom for 2-3 years.

December 27 - After spending a lonely Christmas Day (next year we'll be with family; Ted promised), we moved to Gator Park on Boxing Day. Gator Park campground is only about 15 miles from Shark Valley Visitor Centre, so we returned there on the 27th to hike its two trails and spend more time with the alligators. This gator hissed at Ted, but did allow him to get quite close. It's a good thing he didn't get too mad as they can run as fast as 37 kph for short distances. I don't think Ted can run that fast!

These are our friends, Bruce and Joyce Stoddard. Ted & Bruce grew up together in Vulcan. We really enjoyed our visit with them and their great hospitality - the first roast beef dinner we've had in months!! Mmmm good! The Everglades are a bird-watcher's paradise. This is an anhinga, often called a snakebird. Unlike most waterbirds, it does not have oil glands in its feathers to make them waterproof, so when it is finished diving for fish, it will perch on a tree branch and spread its wings to dry. If it becomes too waterlogged, it can drown and its wet feathers also make it difficult to fly. The males are shiny black while the females have brown feathers on their neck making it look like they are wearing a beige turtleneck. We also saw egrets, bald eagles, wood storks (an endangered species) and ibis, to name just a few.

We saw several turtles as well - red-bellied, orange-bellied and soft shell. This is a view of the Everglades from the top of the Observation Tower at Shark Valley Visitor Centre. You can see several "granddaddy" gators sunning themselves in the clearing. Most of these are males. Smaller gators avoid the larger ones as they are cannibalistic. Alligators require heat to digest their food which is why they lie in the sun during the day. Their body must reach a temperature of +32 for digestion to take place; otherwise the food rots in their stomach and they die. One day when the temperatures dipped to almost freezing, the weatherman referred to it as gator-killing weather. In the distance you can see outcrops of trees and plants such as mahogany, mangrove, gumbo limbo and strangler figs which are called hammocks. These provide a home to deer, bobcats, hawks, rabbits, etc.

This is one of the largest alligators that we saw. You can judge an alligator's age by its length (up to a point). For the first 5-6 years they grow about a foot a year. After the age of 6, they only grow a few inches a year. The average length is about 13 feet and they live to be 30 to 50 years of age. . . . took sole possession of the sunny spot! Note the smile on its face! Joyce has been to Shark Valley many times since they moved here in 2001 and said it was the first time she had seen one gator attack another. Were we lucky or what??? Once the second gator swam away, the first gator circled around and . . .

. . . the gator facing us hissed and lunged towards the other gator. Several of us were standing on the road watching and I don't know who moved more quickly to get out of the way - the second gator or the bystanders! December 23 - Our "love affair" with alligators began when we visited our friends, Bruce and Joyce Stoddard (originally from Calgary, AB) at Pembroke Pines near Fort Lauderdale. We drove south to the Everglades National Park Shark Valley Visitor Centre on the Tamiami Trail and within 5 minutes of parking, we were up close and personal with alligators. These two alligators were sunning themselves when all of a sudden . . .

Family Time In Orlando

Hi! You know the drill by now - most recent pictures at the top, oldest at the bottom, captions under the picture. Hope you enjoy!

I promised myself I'd have a "real" tree for Christmas whenever possible and this year was no exception. I bought a small Norfolk pine and with the help of decorations from home and gifts from family, we celebrated Christmas in Orlando.

Our RV park got into the spirit of Christmas in a big way. Most units were decorated - especially by those who owned park models or those who spend the winter in this park. This was one of the most elaborate.

December 18 - This is the cabin we rented for the kids at the RV park we were staying at in Clermont. It came with its own pet gecko which Chris informed us is a sign of good luck. At Universal Studios we saw Shrek 4-D, Twister and my favourite, the Revenge of the Mummy. We also watched Macy's Holiday Parade before we headed back to Islands of Adventure for the Pteranodon Flyers ride and the kids' cold and wet ride down Ripsaw Falls. All this made them hungry so Mel & Clayton enjoyed two special treats - a giant turkey leg and funnel cake. We'd finally had enough of the Islands of Adventure so we made our way over to Universal Studios where we were greeted by 2 giant snowmen. It was chilly for Florida, but not snowman chilly! There should be evergreens in the background, not palm trees. This is Doctor Doom's Fearfall - 150 feet up and 150 feet down (with 2 stops)! My favourite ride on Marvel Super Hero Island was the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman 3-D ride. You ride a roller coaster while things fly out at you - quite a thrill!

This ride reminded Mel and Chris of the Tea Cup ride at Disneyland years ago so they decided to try it again. At Universal it's called the Storm Force Accelatron. I guess that sounds more exciting than the Tea Cup Ride. Ted and the kids loved the Incredible Hulk Coaster; it was so exciting they had to do it twice. I sat this one out, too. I don't mind roller coasters in the safety of darkness, but I do not want to see how far I'm going to fall! This is the Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls Ride which drops 75 feet into the water. It was still pretty chilly so we decided against it as we did not want to walk around wet and cold for the rest of the day but Chris, Mel and Clayton decided to make it their last ride of the day. It was a cold, wet ride home for the 3 of them as they were soaked! We just had to buy this picture as a memento of the Jurassic Park River Adventure. Clayton got drenched as the child in front of him offered no protection from the splash at the bottom of the drop. The rest of us remained fairly dry. I think the expressions on our faces say it all! Our first stop was Universal's Islands of Adventure. At Poseidon's Fury, Poseidon regained his trident and the world was saved. Ted and the kids then went on the Dueling Dragons roller coaster ride. At 3 different points, the two roller coasters, Fire & Ice, come within 18 inches of each other. I sat that one out!

December 17 - After a day of shopping at one of the outlet malls and an early Christmas turkey dinner, we were ready to take on Universal Studios. They had a special deal - one day, two parks - so we took advantage. It was pretty chilly for Orlando that day - only +10 - so the kids were quite disappointed. It seemed like a breath of fresh air to me! December 15 - Time for another day off. As you can see, the kids were corrupting both Ted and Rusty! Bring on the crib board! After watching Fantasmic, an amazing mix of lasers, lights, dancing fountains and special effects depicting Mickey's dreams and nightmares, we walked over to the Streets of America to see the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The lights are synchronized to holiday music and it was spectacular. It wouldn't be a Christmas parade without Santa! The Hollywood Holly-Day Parade was great - all the Disney characters were there, including Miss Piggy decked out in her finest.

What would a stunt show be without someone racing a motorcycle through a fire and then ending up in flames himself? The Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show was incredible. We got a behind-the-scenes look at the techniques used to pull off car, motorcycle and sea-doo stunts. We thought drivers were doing some amazing stunts driving backwards and then discovered the cars actually had two drivers - one who drove frontwards and one who sat facing out the back window with his own steering wheel, gas and brake pedals. No fair! Cars split in half, drove on two wheels and soared over semis! Miss Piggy provided the background as we waited to go into the Muppet Vision 3-D show. We saw a reenactment of one of the scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. You could feel the heat from the flames! December 14 - After a day of rest, we headed back to Disney World - this time to Disney-MGM Studios. Ted and the kids' favourite rides were on Sunset Boulevard. On the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (above), you ride a hotel elevator up 13 stories and then make several plummets encountering various ghostly apparations before arriving safely back in the lobby. It's a scream! The other favourite ride (which they rode three times, me twice) was the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster which went from 0 to 60 mph in just under 3 seconds while listening to Aerosmith music.

One of the neatest thing about this beach is that you are allowed to drive on it (under 10 mph, of course). Ted was waved over by the Beach Patrol for driving in the pedestrian lane! Good thing there weren't many pedestrians! Ted was soaking up the sun on the beach. December 13 - Daytona Beach. After a long day at Disney World, we decided to treat ourselves to a day at the beach. It was a nice, relaxing day. You can see Melanie and Clayton and I am positive Chris was in the picture when I took it. I can only assume he's under a wave! At 6:00 we watched the Disney characters led by Mickey & Minnie light the Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols. At 9:30 we saw the most amazing laser and fireworks display entitled Illuminations - Reflections of the Earth. It was awesome and more than made up for the tired feet and exhausted bodies. I guess there's a little Viking in all of us. Norway had an interesting pavilion - a castle, a stave church, a bakery (mmm good), and a Maelstrom, a ride on a dragon boat through Viking territory.

The Chinese pavilion was filled with Tomb Warriors, Guardian Spirits of Ancient China. It was a beautiful pavilion, both inside and out, but we were too late to see their video. After eating in Mexico, we watched the Candlelight Processional and then saw a huge gingerbread house in the American pavilion. Too rich for my taste!! Talk about calories! It's getting late in the afternoon and we took a break in front of Japan's red torii gate by the lagoon before we headed back to The Land to go Soarin', an amazing ride where you feel like you are hang gliding over the California countryside. It wouldn't be Disney World without meeting a few of the Disney characters. Here we got up close and personal with the Genie, Aladdin and Jasmine by the Moroccan pavilion. Clayton managed to insert himself into my picture of the Moroccan pavilion.

The United Kingdom imitated a London neighbourhood with cobblestone streets lined with shops, pubs, cottages and courtyards.Hanging out in front of the Canadian Pavilion. Had to have a beer, hey! Canada had a great pavilion - totem poles, a large hotel (combination of Chateau Laurier and Chateau Frontenac), a miniature Niagara Falls and Butchart Gardens, a Circle-Vision 360 film (with only 30 seconds of the prairies - ignored again!) and a great Celtic band, Off Kilter. On our way from Future World over the bridge to Showcase Plaza, we stopped for a photo - Ted, Melanie, Clayton & Chris. Chris looked a little strange after his visit to ImageWorks. I'm not sure where his head is! The best part of The Seas were the huge windows which allowed us to spy on amazing sea life such as manatees (above), dolphins, sharks, all sorts of fish and even a scuba diver or two.

We visited The Seas with Nemo & Friends and climbed aboard a clam-mobile to help find Nemo once again. Our first ride of the day was Test Track where we sped up steep hills, zipped around hairpin curves and slammed on the brakes after reaching speeds of 65 mph. We then admired the car above, the AUTOnomy, the first vehicle designed from the ground up around a fuel cell propulsion centre. It's a GM - sorry, all you Dodge and Ford fans!! December 12 - Disney World Epcot. Chris, Melanie and Clayton arrived on the evening of the 10th so after spending a day visiting and getting them settled, we went to Disney World Epcot. As we came through the gates we were welcomed by Spaceship Earth, a 180' tall geosphere which unfortunately was temporarily closed for renovations. While at Titusville, we decided to take a drive across the Max Brewer Drawbridge to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge which is just north of the Kennedy Space Centre. It actually closes for 3 days prior and on the day of a space shuttle launch. We drove the Black Point Wildlife Drive and saw all sorts of bird species and an alligator. They have identified 310 bird species here; this picture is of a flock of Roseatte Spoonbills. December 10 - Titusville - Every morning from the 6th on, we'd wake up early and watch TV to see if the space shuttle was a go. Unfortunately on the 9th, we were very disappointed to learn that it had been postponed until January. We saw on the Kennedy Space Centre website that there was to be the launch of an Atlas rocket on the 10th at noon so we drove over to Titusville (which we learned is one of the best places to watch a launch) in the hopes of seeing the rocket take off, but unfortunately that didn't happen either. This picture is of the pier at Riverfront Park in Titusville with the Kennedy Space Centre in the background. The day improved, however; the kids arrived that evening!

December 6 - Cocoa Beach. We were so excited to learn that there was to be a launch of the space shuttle Atlantis while we were in the area. We made plans to go watch and then it was delayed. We decided to go to Cape Canaveral anyway just to check it out and see where the best place would be to see the launch when it did take place. While there, we drove down to Cocoa Beach for lunch and a walk on the beach. We thought this was an interesting sign - not one that we see at the lakes in Alberta! Perhaps it has something to do with the birds circling overhead! Birds were circling overhead as we hiked around Palm Island Park. It gave me the creeps; unfortunately we watched the Hitchcock movie "Birds" a long time ago and I've never felt the same about birds flocking together ever since. From Rock Springs we drove west to Mount Dora. The city is 184 feet above sea level and is considered to be Florida's equivalent of a mountain top town. I guess it's all a matter of perception!! This lighthouse is located at Grantham Point on Lake Dora and is the only inland freshwater lighthouse in Florida. It was built of bricks donated by the locals. Behind Ted is the cleft in the rock where Rock Springs Run begins. He looks so proud of himself, you'd think he was the one to discover it!!!

December 3 - Rock Springs, FL - A neighbour in our trailer park in Apopka suggested we visit the Rock Springs Run in Kelly Park and we were so glad we did. Water bubbles from a cleft in the rock, becomes a swiftly running stream which eventually slows to a meander. The best way to navigate the stream is by tubing, but we walked the mile long boardwalk that runs alongside. The spring has a constant temperature of 68 degrees.