Florida, Part II

EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK

After our week learning about the Space Race on the Space Coast, Joann and I decided to take an extra few days and drive south to see more National Parks. For the longest time, I've wanted to go to Everglades National Park, and I finally had the chance to visit. 

Everglades water flow

The Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland in North America. Also known as the "River of Grass," the Everglades is a large drainage basin covering nearly the entire bottom 1/4 of Florida. Lake Okeechobee is a huge but extremely shallow lake fed by the Kissimmee River. During the wet season, water flows south out of Okeechobee in a 60-mile wide river into Florida Bay. This shallow river is called a sheetflow. Since Okeechobee is only 4-5 meters above sea level and the water travels over 100 miles, the gradient is about 2 inches per mile - which means the water moves at the extremely slow rate of about half a mile a day. Sometimes it takes months or even years for water to travel from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay. And it provides water to about 1/3 of the state. The Everglades encompasses not just the National Park, but Big Cypress National Preserve and three water conservation areas. Originally, it spanned 6 million acres, from Orlando all the way down to the Florida Keys.

Unfortunately, urban and agricultural development have altered the ecosystem and threatens the Everglades, which is now about half the size as it once was. Canals and ditches have been dug to divert the water and control flooding causing death of peat and rapid breakdown of soil nutrients. In addition, the introduction of invasive species have wreaked havoc on the delicate native biome.

Getting a few days to explore the Everglades gave us an up-close and personal chance to appreciate the unique environment. We started by taking a boat tour from Flamingo, the southernmost point on the Florida peninsula. We traveled down Tarpon Creek and Coot Bay, seeing the different mangroves and searching for animals. We did see a crocodile sunning on the banks - did you know the Florida Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist?

Slogging through the sawgrass prairie towards
the cypress dome.

That afternoon we went on the most interesting adventure of the trip - a cypress slog, walking through the sawgrass prairie and into a cypress dome. We started by heading straight into the muddy water, relying on our long hiking poles to help navigate the muddy pits. 

I was surprised how few mosquitoes were there, and it was fun trying to avoid the deeper pits that would suck our feet on each step, pulling on our shoes. I was definitely glad my laces were tied tight!

We headed further away from the road and towards what looked like a hill in the distance. It was actually a cypress dome, where cypress trees grow around solution holes. 

Solution holes are areas where the underlying limestone karst has been dissolved by the acids caused by decaying vegetation. Large cypress trees grow in the deeper centers, with smaller trees around the outside, forming cluster of trees in the shape of a dome. 

Hope no alligators are lurking nearby!

That's my anti-gator pole.

As we hiked closer to the cypress dome, the vegetation grew taller and the water level started creeping up past our knees. Our guide explained that yes, alligators did live in the cypress forest and we were on our way to find an alligator hole - a refuge where an alligator digs our a deeper hole and breeds. We "most likely" wouldn't run into an alligator, but even if we did, it "most likely" wouldn't bother us. 

        Ermmmm....

Deep in the cypress dome

I did love all the air plants that grew in abundance on all the cypress branches! These were the same air plants that I have in my home, so it really made me appreciate more the type of environment they like to live in.

Getting down and dirty into the swamp was truly amazing, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who wants a true Everglades experience!

The next day, we drove up to the northern part of the Everglades, to Shark Valley, in the heart of the freshwater marsh. We drove the famous Tamiami Trail to the visitor center, where we took a tram ride along the loop road. At the far end of the loop is a 70-foot high observation tower with an amazing panoramic view of the sawgrass marsh.

From midway up the tower we spotted one small alligator, but we didn't see the abundance that I remember from my childhood visit to the Everglades. I don't know if it is because of habitat loss, climate change, or some other factor, but we definitely had to hunt to see an alligator and there weren't any basking on the roadside or along the banks. We did see several different wading birds, including the white ibis, great white heron, great blue heron, and snowy egret.

Looking across the prairies, we could see several stands of trees. These areas of slightly higher elevation are known as hardwood hammocks - where mahogany, gumbo limbo, and oak trees can survive. Since they are slightly higher in elevation, they don't flood and provide places for animals such as panthers and black bears. A bear had been spotted earlier that month, but they eluded us.

From Shark Valley, we continued east to Everglades City. Since we had some extra time, we took a detour on the Loop Road (which is technically in Big Cypress National Preserve, a slow dirt road that took us close into the swamp. 

Hm, what a peaceful, empty fishing hole...

It ended up being a fun detour - along the way, there were several bridges that crossed over small streams where sometimes you could spot alligators. We decided to stop at one in the hopes of seeing some. And hooray, we did see one! Then, a car came up with a few people who were clearly locals, looking for a spot to go fishing. 

Just waiting for an easy lunch!

It was instantaneous - the moment he cast his line, alligators came out of the woodworks and started swimming over. 

Soon there were a half dozen large gators right under us! The locals explained that the gators have learned to come steal fish from the fishermen - so when they hook a fish, they have to act fast and reel it in before a gator snatched it away. Every time they would cast, one or two gators would slowly sidle closer, just waiting for the right moment. Clever little alligators!!

61.3 sq feet of post officey goodness!

On a side note, did you know the smallest post office in the United States is located in the Everglades? 

The Ten Thousand Islands area of the Everglades is accessed by the Gulf Coast Visitor's Center, in Everglades City on the far northwest corner of the Park. It can only be visited by boat, so we took a tour to see the mangrove islands across Chokoloskee Bay. It's the second largest mangrove forest in the world, second only to Bangladesh.  Despite the name, there are hundreds (not thousands) of little islands here, which are home to lots of wildlife. Because of the abundance of seafood, Native American Calusas once thrived in the area and some of the islands were formed from discarded shells! It's also hard to tell what island is actual land sticking out of the water, versus the tops of mangroves that have grown over submerged oyster mounds.

Taking a 90 minute boat tour was a great introduction to the Ten Thousand Islands, but I would definitely return and take a kayak trip to go camping and spend more time exploring the area. It was fun searching for manatees and seeing various wading and shore birds. And we did see several dolphins frolicking around!

BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE 

Just north of Everglades National Park is Big Cypress National Preserve, protecting 720,000 acres of the Everglades watershed. Because it is a National Preserve instead of a National Park, there are fewer restrictions here than in the Everglades and hunting, fishing, and off-roading is allowed. It's actually the nation's first national preserve, created to save the swampland and to battle the development of a Jetport in the area.

We decided to try a canoe tour, just for a change. I'd never canoed before, and while I did think it was fun, it is harder than kayaking and I probably wouldn't choose to do it again. The boat is less stable than a kayak so Joann wasn't comfortable sitting high on the benches, and chose to sit on the bottom of the boat. It was much harder to paddle that way, so we had a hard time navigating and paddling.

But I loved seeing this yellow rat snake, that had been hiding in the shed where the canoes were stored!

On a side note - the water in the Turner River was incredibly clean and clear. My sunglasses got knocked off my head by a low-hanging branch, and we actually paddled back to look for it and we found it, in 3 foot water! Our guide was nice enough to jump in and rescue them for me!

DE SOTO NATIONAL MEMORIAL

Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando de Soto, wealthy from the plunder of the Incan Empire, was granted the right to "conquer Florida" from King Charles V of Spain. With an army of 600 soldiers and 9 ships full of supplies, de Soto landed in Tampa Bay in May, 1539. For the next four years, de Soto traveled 4,000 miles to "conquer, populate, and pacify" the land (and search for gold). Along the way, they plundered villages and enslaved the natives.  Ultimately, the expedition introduced North American natives to Europeans and vice versa, and began a narrative of hostile relations between the two.

I spy with my little eye...
a marauding conquistador!

De Soto National Memorial was created to preserve the history of de Soto's expedition and its significance. The grounds are located on the southern end of Tampa Bay, through a really nice residential community. A small beach and walking trail winds around the park, with funny cutouts of natives and Spanish soldiers set up along the way.

It was a lovely walk around the nature trails, and a nice way to end our trip in Florida. 

Overall, I loved learning about the geology, geography, and history of Florida. But it seems worrisome how obviously humans are disrespecting nature. Florida has a fragile but important ecosystem, and I wish it were better taken care of.

Florida, Part I

My second teacher PD of the summer was again a space related workshop - "The Space Race on the Space Coast" - held at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Now to be honest, I wasn't exactly thrilled to be visiting Florida, but I WAS excited to learn about the history of NASA and I was eager to visit the National Parks that happened to be located in Florida. So I connected with a teacher friend and planned a few extra days around our workshop to see the sights. I had met Joann the year before at another teacher seminar, and was glad that she was also eager to see some National Parks.

CASTILLO DE SAN MARCOS NATIONAL MONUMENT

Founded by the Spaniards in 1565, St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the US. After earlier wooden forts were destroyed by English raids, construction on the coquina stone fort began in 1672. Coquina is a sedimentary rock made up of shells and limestone. It made for an excellent building material, since cannonballs that hit the fort did very little damage. Instead of shattering the walls, coquina stone compressed and absorbed the shock of the hit. 

Construction plans, 1677

The fort has a cool design, with diamond-shaped bastions on each of the four corners creating a star-like shape. Since nobody had made a structure with coquina before so they didn't know how strong the walls would be, the Spaniards made extra thick walls - up to 19 feet thick on the ocean side!! Surrounding the fort was a dry moat that could be flooded with seawater in case of land attack. So even though Castillo de San Marcos was attacked several times, it was never taken by force.

The Castillo sits right in downtown St. Augustine, at the mouth of the Matanzas River. We toured the inside of the fort and even got to see a cannon-fire demonstration!

Spoiler alert: It was disgusting. And sadly, I am no younger.

Afterwards, we made a quick stop at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, where Ponce de Leon supposedly landed in 1513 while looking for the Fountain of Youth. 

Yes, we tasted the water. Blechhhhh.🤮

TIMUCUAN ECOLOGICAL & HISTORIC PRESERVE

Before the Europeans reached the new world, the native Timucua people lived in Northern Florida. Sadly, they were completely wiped out by the 1700s. This preserve protects not just the stories of the Timucuan, but the wetlands and marshes of northeastern Florida, the history of slaves at the Kingsley Plantation, and the French colony of Fort Caroline.

The maze of waterways of the salt marsh.

The row of slave houses at Kingsley Plantation

The Kingsley Plantation, which sits on the north end of Fort George Island, grew cotton, sugar, and corn. Zephaniah Kingsley and his wife, a former slave that he bought from Senegal, lived there for about 25 years. The plantation is now known for the well-preserved tabby slave houses - constructed with the durable cement tabby made from burnt oyster shells, sand, and ash.
  

A great audio tour explained the sights around Fort George Island

 

Did you know that gopher tortoises dig long burrows that are home to more than 350 other species? They are one of the keystone species in the area, and it was so exciting to find one in its burrow!

Hello, gopher tortoise! I see you!

Within the preserve is also Fort Caroline National Memorial.

Around the same time that the Spaniards were establishing themselves at St. Augustine, the French also sent small parties to settle in the New World and stake their claim on the riches they hoped to find. In 1562, Jean Ribault set off from France for the first expedition, erecting a monument near the mouth of the St. Johns River in 1564, Rene de Laudonniere (who had accompanied Ribault) established the first permanent settlement - La Caroline.

The 250+ colonists included artisans and women, many of whom were Huguenots (French Protestants) looking for religious freedom. They struggled in their first year, relying heavily on the Native Americans in the area. When Ribault returned from France in August 1565 to bring reinforcements, the Spanish decided to oust the French and maintain their stronghold in Florida. Ribault fled in his ships, but was thwarted by a violent storm. Meanwhile, another Spanish garrison traveled over land and attacked La Caroline. A few dozen people escaped, and of the remaining 200 only around 50 women and children were spared. Ribault surrendered to the Spanish but were executed as heretics. The location of the massacre is now called Matanzas - Spanish for 'slaughters.'

Even though the exact location of Fort Caroline is unknown, the replica - a small triangular fort - shows the small size of the ill-fated colony and gives a taste as to how the French had to defend themselves.

FORT MATANZAS NATIONAL MONUMENT

All this turmoil amongst the various factions meant each nation needed a way to protect its settlements. The Spanish, to help protect St. Augustine, knew they needed to keep tabs on the Matanzas Inlet, so a few years after the massacre, they began manning a wooden watchtower. The current coquina tower was completed in 1742 on tiny Rattlesnake Island in the middle of the inlet. 

A quick 5-minute boat tide took us to the Island, where we were allowed to wander through the tiny fort. I could easily imagine how the lazy days would be if I were one of the soldiers stationed sent for my 30-day stint... I'm sure there was a lot of fishing and swimming and card games... and not much else going on!

The view up Matanza Inlet towards St. Augustine

CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE

Before heading back to Orlando to meet up with the other teachers for the NEH seminar, Joann and I stopped off at the Canaveral National Seashore. It's an interesting place since much of it has no roads - and while it is the longest stretch of undeveloped land in Eastern Florida, the Kennedy Space Center and many of the launch pads are within the park boundaries. The road going down from New Smyrna (the northern end) stops at Apollo Beach - and while the timing wasn't right for us, I can only imagine how cool it would be to watch a rocket launch from the beach!!

Before Ponce de Leon and other Europeans came to Florida in the 1500s, the Timucuan people lived up and down the Florida coast, including at sites around Canaveral. We hiked around Turtle Mound, a shell midden from over 2000 years ago. We also saw a few gopher tortoises, which hopefully means they are rebounding from their threatened status!

Many of them had scars ☹️

One of the more interesting sights was later in the week, when we visited the southern end of the park and got to view a large number of manatees. Manatees, or sea cows, are herbivores that feed on aquatic grasses in shallow coastal warm waters. Because they have no natural predators, they are docile and slow-moving - which means they are particularly susceptible to boat collisions. It was sad to see the scars on the backs of many of the manatees that we saw.

While manatees are often solitary, they do congregate during breeding season and in pockets of warmer waters.
We saw over 50 individuals from our viewing deck!

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

With Launch Director Mike Leinbach -
the man who decides "Go" or "No Go!"

During the next week, we stayed on Merritt Island and attended the NEH seminar "Space Age on the Space Coast". We attended lectures from  historians, scholars, former astronauts, and even the Space Shuttle launch director! Each day we had some time to wander around the Kennedy Space Center, and OMG it was SO COOL. It's like Disneyland for nerds, and I would highly recommend it (I'd even choose it over going to Disney if I ever find myself in Florida again!

Did you know? The main reason why the Kennedy Space Center is built on Cape Canaveral is because of location: Because of the rotation of the earth, rockets are always launched to the East - because the velocity of the earth's rotation is added to the speed of the rocket, giving it an extra push! And the velocity of the earth is faster near the equator than it is at the poles. And having a launch pad on the East coast means that in the event of an accident, debris will fall into the ocean instead of onto someone's house... so the most eastern/southern spot is Florida!

Saw my first horseshoe crab!

The week wasn't just about space. We visited the Harry T Moore home, where civil rights activists Harry and Harriet Moore were assassinated when a bomb was placed under their house on Christmas in 1951. We also learned about the environmental impacts made by the space center, and. also went kayaking to see bioluminescent plankton - when the sun went down, you could see the trails behind the kayaks and the oars as the plankton would fluoresce after being disturbed - very magical!  

The VAB: The doors on the sides are 456 feet high,
so rockets are assembled vertically and rolled out!

But the coolest thing we did was see the launch complex. We first drove by the Vehicle Assembly Building, the VAB, where each rocket or shuttle is housed ahead of time. While we were there the Orion rocket for the Artemis mission was there, and if we looked reaaaaaally closely through the giant doors, you could just see the ghostly shape of the SLS rocket!

Launch Pad 39B: Ready for Artemis!

On our way to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, we took a detour to see several of the launch pads, including ones used by Blue Origin and SpaceX, as well as Launch Pad 39B where Artemis 1 would be launching from. At the center, not only can you touch a moon rock but there is a great simulation of being in the control center during the moon landing. I loved it!!

The control center at LC-26 is now a museum

Because the US Space Force is now officially a branch of the US military (no, it isn't just a comedy TV show!), a large swath of Cape Canaveral is now closed to the public. In fact, they said we were one of last tours that was going to be allowed on base, so we definitely appreciated being there and seeing such historic sites! There are SO many historical sites on what is now the Space Force Station, and I'm not sure the public will be allowed in the future. 

The first US satellite was launched from LC-26A in 1958, and it was so cool seeing the computers used over 60 years ago to get an object up into space:

The actual control room for the first satellite, Explorer I in 1958, looks like a sci-fi movie set!
It was America's entry into the Space Race. Those blockhouse windows, protecting the workers, are 4 inches thick.

In 1962, America put John Glenn into orbit. The control center was located in a thick blockhouse bunker, which may or may not be where you'd want to be during the zombie apocalypse...

Just outside LC 14

Look at those blast doors! And the thickness of the walls!

A stamp on the side of the complex reads "Abandon
in place," which means to abandon it without maintenance.

By far the most moving (and most somber) of the sites we visited was Launch Complex 34. In 1967, as the US was preparing the Apollo missions to the moon, the Apollo I fire broke out and killed astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee.

One of the memorial plaques

The complex was decommissioned after the launch of Apollo 7, the first crewed mission, in 1968.  

 

I'm grateful we got to spend some time at the LC 34 Memorial, because it is a good reminder that there are often setbacks along the road to progress. The vast majority of the week was awe-inspiring, impressive, and uplifting - and I definitely got shivers while touring the Kennedy Space Center exhibits. 

The Atlantis shuttle exhibit was out of this world!

With my new teacher friends Joann,
Pam, and Rebecca!

They did a fantastic job telling the NASA story and explaining why it matters, and I look forward to seeing what future exploration brings!