It was just too cold to do very much today. We did go for a walk along the Fakahatchee
Strand State Preserve. Halfway along we came across a group of people and on further investigation we were very pleased to find a guy who had a powerful telescope trained on a Bald Eagle’s nest with one of the parents 
sitting on the edge in full view. This very kind individual was inviting anyone interested to get a better view using his equipment, even allowing us to place cameras on the eyepiece to get a closer picture. The other only other bird of prey that we saw was a Red Shouldered Hawk. All of the other creatures we have seen before.The young lady on reception at our hotel also suggested Jane’s Scenic Drive which is a little further up the road and so off we went to do that. We both got bored kinda quick; although very pretty, especially in the sun, the road was full of pot holes making the ride very uncomfortable and with tall Cypress trees lining the way there wasn’t really that much to see. Eventually we came across a sign that warned the sight-seer that the road was about to get worse and should not be attempted by anything less than a four wheel drive; admitting defeat, we turned around and had to go back the way we had come.
We finished the day by driving into Everglades City, clearly a village with delusions of grandeur. We hung around a while and were then treated to a talk about the local tree population by a Park Ranger who confessed that he was not a botanist and didn’t really tell us much more than Paul had researched already!
Monday 11th January
Today the weather was much friendlier with warm sunshine. The Ranger from yesterday had mentioned a ‘Swamp Walk’ in the Preserve, so we hooked out our beach shoes and our wet weather trousers and headed south straight after breakfast. The guided tour had left about an hour before we arrived but the assistant in the visitor centre told us that the tour was on part of the Florida National Scenic Trail, i.e. a public footpath. She added that the path was signposted and
that the last 7 miles, the part from the Oasis visitors centre through the Big Cypress National Preserve, started just across the road. Changing into our ‘swamp walking gear’ we set off and I very nearly stopped as soon as I started. The first 50 yards or so was thick slimy mud; some steps landed me half way up my calf in mud. Where the mud was covered with water, the water was very murky and I was unable to see what 
I was about to step on and I fearing loosing my footing and ending up on my posterior; but, with Paul’s coercion, I continued and the terrain changed considerably. Within a distance of 100 meters or so from the road, the water was clear and, although it was sometimes rather cold, it didn’t come past my knees. As each step kicked up some mud from the bed we decided that I should lead the way so that I could see what I was about to step on with each step. We walked for over an hour through the big Cypress’s, the sun shone brilliantly without a cloud in the sky, before we decided to turn around and come back because, although not achieving any great distance, paddling through this cold water was quiet tiring on the thighs.We didn’t really see much wildlife, but we didn’t see any other humans either.
After that we wanted to take a cycle ride somewhere else in the preserve but by the time we got there it was too late as they ceased to hire bikes out at 3 pm. So we walked a little further in the warm sunshine before heading back to Everglades City for a dinner of Gator Bites with fries.
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