Flamingo area of Everglades Nat'l Park

If you drive to the very end of the road through the Everglades you will end up at Florida bay and the "Flamingo" area of the park.  There used to be cabins and a lodge down here but a series of hurricanes (especially Wilma) have cleared those away.  Unfortuately they were not built to hurricane specs up on stilts and were terrible flooded with the 9 ft wave surge!  What a mess or so we were told. 

This is the only place in North America where both the American Alligator and the crocodile live side by side... These crocks were fun to watch and as so similar to their cousin the Alligator. 

They are a bit more pointed in the nose and a lighter color and untrustworthy however so I wouldn't want to mess with them.

This is a pretty area of the park with the marina here and canals with a little store and cafe (if you can call it that) - a visitor center and camping area as well.  It is also 34 miles beyond Long Pine Key where we camp - a long way into the park.. worth the ride though and all the stops along the way. 

There is a stop near here called Eco Pond which was filled with wildlife before Wilma, and Katrina flattened it and made waste of the fresh water - filling with salt water and killing so much of the vegetation needed for these fresh water birds.  In 06 it was deserted and then in 2011 we saw signs of it starting to come back and this year it was brimming with birds once again!  Wonderful to see nature spring back after something horrific like that but if left alone it will.

A pretty spot and shouldn't be missed on a quick trip to this wonderful National Park!
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