Friday morning we woke up with the sun and were ready for some gators!!! Though we had had a small sampling a couple days before, now it was time to hit the big leagues. First stop on our list was the infamous
Alligator Alley. This is a stretch of I-75 that cuts right through the Everglades and where we had been told that hundreds of alligators line the shoulder of the road sunning themselves in the bright Florida rays. This section is also a toll road, and we were immediately skeptical of this stretch because we had heard reports that the swamp is now completely fenced off keeping all the alligators closed off from the road. To our dismay, these rumors proved to be fact and there was a giant fence set back about 70 ft. from the roadside keeping the wildlife at bay. We assumed that this was put in place to keep both the gators and the drivers safe but to us it was a huge disappointment. We did see tons of alligators but they were all spied from a distance and there was no chance to get up close to them or even to stop to see them. Once at the western end of the state we drove a few miles south and took Highway 41 back towards Miami. This road is what
Alligator Alley once was, and should still be. It is a small 2 lane road that follows a small river the entire way. It too cuts through the Everglades and the Big
Cypress National Preserve. There are many roadside pull off, some with large boardwalks so you are able to get right up close and personal with the gators. We literally saw hundreds of alligators along this road and it was a rare occurrence to go more than 5 miles without seeing one. On the real Alligator Alley we drove right through, making just one stop at a rest area. On Highway 41 however there were multiple opportunities to make stops and we took full advantage of them. Our first side trip was at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades National Park. Here we took a boat ride through the mangrove forests, which the Everglades are famous for, out into the Gulf of Mexico. Right as our boat was pulling into the Gulf, 2 pods of dolphins converged on our location. It appeared that these 2 groups were in a contest, vying for our attention. Even if we had been in Sea World, we would have not seen such an impressive show. First the dolphins were content
to swarm around our boat, feeling us out as well as getting comfortable with the other pod perhaps. Then
one dolphin took it upon himself to get things started. He began circling our boat, keeping his head above water, spitting and splashing water in front of him and making a sort of barking noise that seemed to be a call to his friends to join in the fun. A few of
the smaller dolphins, we assume they were kids, began to take deep dives, disappearing for a bit then springing out of the water, several feet in the air! They would flip in the air as if part of some circus act and then land gracefully back in the water. Some of the dolphins even even swam on their sides, one fin out of the water as if they were waving to us. There was about 20 dolphins in all and though only a few were putting on a real show it was amazing to watch so many so close. Though the dolphins weren't done yet, the boat was on a time schedule and we had to leave before anyone wanted to head back. Pictures were tough to get since there was so many dolphins and you never knew where and when something cool would happen. Nonetheless it was incredible and we both will never forget it. Back on land we again turned our focus toward alligators. We made several stops on or way back to Miami, most of them to do short hikes on boardwalks which gave us some great views of alligators. Though the day started out as kind of a disappointment, the rest of the day overshadowed it completely.
Cypress National Preserve. There are many roadside pull off, some with large boardwalks so you are able to get right up close and personal with the gators. We literally saw hundreds of alligators along this road and it was a rare occurrence to go more than 5 miles without seeing one. On the real Alligator Alley we drove right through, making just one stop at a rest area. On Highway 41 however there were multiple opportunities to make stops and we took full advantage of them. Our first side trip was at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades National Park. Here we took a boat ride through the mangrove forests, which the Everglades are famous for, out into the Gulf of Mexico. Right as our boat was pulling into the Gulf, 2 pods of dolphins converged on our location. It appeared that these 2 groups were in a contest, vying for our attention. Even if we had been in Sea World, we would have not seen such an impressive show. First the dolphins were content
to swarm around our boat, feeling us out as well as getting comfortable with the other pod perhaps. Then 
one dolphin took it upon himself to get things started. He began circling our boat, keeping his head above water, spitting and splashing water in front of him and making a sort of barking noise that seemed to be a call to his friends to join in the fun. A few of 
the smaller dolphins, we assume they were kids, began to take deep dives, disappearing for a bit then springing out of the water, several feet in the air! They would flip in the air as if part of some circus act and then land gracefully back in the water. Some of the dolphins even even swam on their sides, one fin out of the water as if they were waving to us. There was about 20 dolphins in all and though only a few were putting on a real show it was amazing to watch so many so close. Though the dolphins weren't done yet, the boat was on a time schedule and we had to leave before anyone wanted to head back. Pictures were tough to get since there was so many dolphins and you never knew where and when something cool would happen. Nonetheless it was incredible and we both will never forget it. Back on land we again turned our focus toward alligators. We made several stops on or way back to Miami, most of them to do short hikes on boardwalks which gave us some great views of alligators. Though the day started out as kind of a disappointment, the rest of the day overshadowed it completely.
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