Of course that’s assuming the swarms of little demons that you encountered on your way over to the Visitor Center didn’t already alert you to that fact. The mosquitoes here are not just ferocious they are hysterical, and that is the formal description taken directly from the certified, National-Park-approved Mosquito Meter that is so helpfully posted at the Visitor Center. I’ve seen the hoards, I’ve faced the armies and I have survived….īut clearly I’ve never been to the Florida Everglades. I’ve seen my share of mosquitoes and not just in a “I’m a wimpy Scandinavian” kind of way, but in a “I’ve been to the rainforest swamp” kind of way. I grew up in Asia, I’ve backpacked in the Amazonian Rainforest and my pasty-delicious white skin is like a Universal Lighthouse to all the blood-sucking creatures of the world. Now, as a prelim to all this I should give you a little history. Yes, in our grand naivety we had dismissed the flesh-eating monster that is the Everglades mosquito and neither hard-core DEET, nor Permethrin-treated clothes nor full window-netting could save us from their insatiable thirst. After all we’re a self-sufficient “beast” with the luxury of space, practically unlimited self-generated power and (thankfully) no leaks so we’re pretty much ready for anything, right? The Flamingo Visitors Center is about as far out as you can get by road in the Evergladesīut there was a small thing, a minor little buzzing irritation that we thought we were prepared for, but clearly weren’t. We were headed to Flamingo Campground (review coming), a teeny blip of man-made in the enormous desolation of raw wilderness that is the Florida Everglades. The forecast called for heat, high humidity and a heavy rainstorm, none of which really scared us. Fishermen try their luck in one of the many Backcountry lakes Our first stop of 2017 was going to be wild, in a few good ways, but also in a rather bad way that would drive us almost insane and force us to cut our visit to only a few days. There is no doubt we LOVE this lifestyle, but as with all things in life that are unknown, not all destinations are what you expect them to be, and not all adventures end up with rainbows and unicorns. “Yeah, this feels good and THIS is why we RV….!” The road is our destination, the horizon our vista and endless adventures are ahead. But after a mere few hours it all comes rushing back and we’re fully back in travel mode. The first day we move after a long stop it takes almost an hour to get everything ready, which is twice what it usually takes when we’re in the “RV groove”. “Where is it I put away all this stuff again?” It’s a little daunting, a little exciting, and you feel a little rusty at this whole RVing thing. You lift those jacks and move and you almost feel like a “newbie” again. Then finally the day comes when you’re back on the road. Oh and explore this….Oh and how about that?!” Flamingo Campground is where Florida Bay meets the wetlands There’s lots of beauty out here So your mind wanders and you dream and you plan… It’s a restless feeling, a feeling that either you should get rid of the rig and settle down permanently or just get going. Then, once the initial travel stress has worn off and life has started to become almost predictable again, you begin to get that travel itch again. “So, this is what regular life is like? Yes, I remember this…It’s nice.” In fact if you’ve been hard-core traveling for a while (like we did last year) it might even come as a huge relief. It feels relaxing and easy and oh-so very familiar. You see when you’re not moving you fall back into “regular” life, the kind of life you lived before you got on the road. Even after 7 years on the road I’m still amazed at the fact that we live and travel full-time in this big metal container, and whenever we sit still for a while I almost forget it. We’re finally on the road again! After almost 3 months sitting still the jacks are up and “the beast” is once again wheeling! It feels good and freeing, and yet a tad strange at the same time. A Walk On The Wild (And Buggy) Side – Everglades National Park, FLįebruby libertatemamo 65 Comments Back in nature….oh yeah!
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