Skunkape and Patriotism.

Red Bellied Turtle

We fled the urban sprawl of  South Miami and escaped back into the quiet and solitude of 

 "The Great Florida Everglades"   

Turkey Vulture (Red Headed Buzzard)

In all of my travels, including the deserts of the southwest and  the humid Gulf Coast from South Texas to West Florida, I have never, NEVER, seen so many vultures.  It is almost impossible to look to the sky and not see two or three, usually a dozen or more, circling in the warm air thermals using their extraordinary sense of smell to locate a meal. 

TRAIL LAKE campground,  Ochopee, FL.  An unusual, but very interesting stop deep in the Everglades.  We are set up next to tall grass and swamp where frequent sightings of cougar, bear, and the always common gators, keep us from our normal night walk. No one said anything about  snakes and the numerous spiders. I can deal with snakes and even the furry inhabitants, but being an arachnophobic, of sorts, spiders have a way of putting me on edge.

 

  Frogs are singing this evening and once I even heard a gator give it's mournful groan.  This is also the home of the Skunkape Research Center.  Go ahead, non-believers, Google "Skunkape."

Able, and young son Cane Abberstein, display their newly erected "Bars and Stars" Confederate flag.  Able said. "Just want to let everyone know that we still believe in the old values that made the US what she used to be."  Son Able said, "How do you like my new coonskin hat?" 

 If the bugs don't get too bad we might hang out with the "good ole boys" for a few days.  So far they're finding the "old snowbirds" equally as interesting as we're finding them.