Florida Day Ten: My Last Hike In Flamingo And A Pleasant Afternoon Walk In Dania Beach.

The skies were clear when  I awoke at the Flamingo Lodge in the Everglades  Park early Friday morning my last full day  of my Florida trip. After a up of coffee I left my room, and

I was walking on the trail to the nearby Florida Bay. The wanning  moon shone overhead in the morning twilight,

and tropical moonflower bloomed along the trail. It was a beautiful morning and I wish I could spend more time in the remote and wonderful place.

I  found a clearing in the mangrove trees that grew along the bay,

and  watched this American white ibis wading in the gentle waves along the shore as I waited for the sunrise.

I love all sunrises and sunsets, but they are especially beautiful on an ocean in the tropics. It was a great way to begin the last day of another great adventure in the Everglades.

After watching the sunrose I returned  to my room and drove to the Eco Pond. I had to return my SUV to the Fort Lauderdale airport at noon, a 1 1/2 hour drive, so I didn’t have a lot of time  to explore the Everglades one last time.

As I walked around the pond, flocks of great egrets and

American white ibises flew overhead in the morning sunshine.

There was also a large flock of egrets in the trees on an island in the middle of the pond.  I am not sure if they were snowy or cattle egrets. I always get them mixed up.

They only other critter I saw was an indigo bunting as I left the pound. I was still looking to get a photo of a painted bunting, which have eluded me this entire trip.

I left the Eco Pond and drove back to the Snake Bight trail were I hiked the previous day.

There were no other cars parked along the road on the trailhead so I hoped to see some wildlife on my hike. It would be a short one since I had to get  to the airport before noon.  I walked under the hardwood trees along the trail. The first thing i noticed was the absence of the swarms of mosquitoes that plagued me on my hike in in prior years.  I think a only got a couple of mosquito bites during my entire trip this year and i wasn’t complaining.

I was walking fast, trying to get in a few miles, while still seeing some wildlife.  I didn’t see any snakes, alligators or panthers , as I had hoped, but there were a lot of birds singing in the trees, I  saw a few gray catbirds,

a great crested flycatcher,

white-eyed vireos, and

northern cardinals.

There were a few woodpeckers too, including a red-bellied woodpecker,

a hairy woodpecker and

a downy woodpecker. I see all three of these on my hikes near my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

There were also a few American white ibises  wading in the canals along the trail.

And, although I didn’t realize it until later in the day, when I edited my photos, I saw the bird that was eluding me all week. It was feeding in a tree top, and, because of the distance and the shadows I wasn’t sure what I was photographing. I was delighted to see  this beautiful painted bunting when I edited my photos.

They are beautiful birds and I wish I had know what it was when I saw it. I would have waited and tried to get better photos.  Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos  of the birds I saw on my hike. Florida Day Ten: Flamingo Snake Bight birds March 29 2024.

I was still glad to set this bird that is not seen in Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, just as I was seeing a lot of bird activity , I  had to finish my hike since I had to drive to the airport and arrive by noon. .  I was able to walk about three miles , and returned to the lodge at 10 a.m. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos  from my hike. Florida Day Ten: Flamingo Snake Bight  March 29 2024. 

I ordered the same breakfast as the previous day, a egg and vegetable burrito and quickly ate it in my room. I packed and, reluctantly,  checked out of this wonderful lodge. hoping to return soon. I was on the road again at 10:30 enjoying my drive through the Everglades. The ride wasn’t so pleasant when I left the Everglades. I hit a lot of traffic and did not get to the airport until  12:30 p.m.

I dropped my car at the airport and took a taxi to the my nearby hotel . I enjoyed my chat with my  taxi driver, who immigrated from Haiti 3o years ago. I was surprised when we drove through a quiet residential neighborhood  before arriving at my hotel,  the Comfort Suites. The hotel  was located on busy U.S. Route  1.  It was around 1 P.M. and my room wasn’t ready yet so I made some calls to my office and edited photos  in the lobby until 3 p.m.

After checking into my room I quickly left the hotel to explore the neighborhood I drove near the hotel.  I had to first  walk along busy Route 1. It was Friday afternoon and the the traffic was heavy. I walked a block south on the busy highway and realized I stayed at the Wyndham Garden last year. I didn’t realize  there was a residential neighborhood only a block away.

I walked along  U.S. Route 1 observing the businesses, and their advertisements,  along the busy highway.

I turned right  on NE First Avenue and, once i walked past a local  American Legion,

I was in a modest residential neighborhood, so different from the busy highway a few blocks away.

I walked a few blocks to Frost Park,  and  meandered through the streets and past the well maintained homes in the quiet neighborhood.

I followed an alley that led to a dead end near  woodland along the Dania Cut-Off  Canal.

Here I saw this gray squirrel enjoying a late afternoon snack.

I also saw a northern mockingbird in a palm tree in one of the yards. I had seen these birds, which always remind me of mt dad, throughout my 10 days in South Florida.  It sang it’s beautiful song as I walked past.

I came to a much more affluent neighborhood near the canal.

There were large boats docked on two private marinas along the streets.

Although it was a quite neighborhood, every few minutes the roar of  jet engines remined me I was right next to a busy airport.

I made my way back to U.S Route 1 and followed it north, walking past Grump Gary’s.

It was an interesting place, and, after looking at the menu, I made reservations for dinner.

I walked to the canal

and then returned to my hotel, It was now late afternoon, and  I made my reservation for 6;30 so I had little time to shower and start packing for my early flight the next morning. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my afternoon walk through the streets of Dania Beach. Florida Day:  Ten Dania Beach March 29  2024.

There was a live band at the restaurant and I enjoyed the music and a great last meal in Florida, I had a Caesar’s salad and

blackened mahi mahi with root vegetables and a baked potato. It was  a delicious last meal. I returned to my hotel, finished packing and reflected on another great adventure in South Florida and the Everglades. I will be back again next year, God willing,  and I hope all of you can join me again.

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” Pat Conroy

fskokoski@gmail.com

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