Mild to Wild!

Our Neighbours, Carol and Wayne, convinced us that we should join them, and another couple on a Florida Adventure... Mild to Wild Airboat Tours! Why not! I always wanted to ride an airboat out into the Florida Everglades.

Now don't get all concerned when you look at the picture below of the Head Office Location, it did the job! Yes, it looks a little ruff... however...

Below is a picture (of a picture) of our Gang, all loaded up on the boat, ready to head out! The two couples we are with are both from Nova Scotia, and John our Captain is from here in Polk County, Florida. The Company presents everyone with a picture when you leave. Nice touch!

 

OK, for all the guys out there, I had to ask... this is a 350 cubic inch Chevy V8 Motor that drives that big prop... the wind coming out the back is at about 350 mph according to John, and it runs nice around 4,500 rpm. Sounded real good too! They give you head phones to mute the sound... you kind of need them.

 

This is Captain John, filling us in on all the happenings in the Everglades... He did a great job!

Wayne was inspecting one of the Airboats below, just before we left.

Below Captain John gets the boat ready for our run into the swamp...

Below is the canal leading out to the swamp...

The Everglades are full of birds... lots of egrets, and many, many others...

The airboat made short work of all this water and lillys, and just flew around...

Yes, we blasted right through those two Cypress Tress you see below...

Great shots of wildlife...

 

Below you see chunks of wood sticking up from the swamp... they are actually part of the roots of the cypress trees you see in the background... they survive and adapt to being in water all the time.

Below is a Cypress Bonsai Tree, (spelling...?...) one of only 74 in the world! All of them are here in Florida.

 

Now it wouldn't be an Everglade run with seeing a few gators! The one below was about 6 feet long, and kept a big eye on us... It is very hard to get good pictures of them, as they bolt when the airboat approaches them... Prime time for viewing is Jan/Feb when the water is colder, and they don't want to get back into it!

This is not my picture below, it is from Mild to Wild's Website, but gives you a good idea of what the Gator's look like on a good day. They are very timid, and do not want anything to do with you.

 

It was sure amazing riding through the area, which is a State Park. We spent close to 2 hours out on the boat, and in case you are wondering... it cost $45.00 each to take the tour. Well worth it!

 

All in all, simply an excellent day that we all enjoyed very much! I would recommend this trip to anyone!

Till tomorrow...

 

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