The River of Grass

[tokengirl]

"There is only one Everglades in the world..."
         Marjorie Stoneman Douglas

The first time visitor to the Everglades is usually overwhelmed by the apparent lack of "interestingness" as seen from a car window.  There are no mountains in the distance, no rolling hills, no rushing waterfalls.  None of that stuff.  It's as flat as a pancake.  During the summer, it's a downright miserable place to be with the bugs, heat, humidity and did I mention the bugs?

Everglades National Park was the first national park to be created solely for the plants and animals that live there, rather than for its spectacular scenery.  But there is spectacular scenery if you just stop and look around slowly.  The dramatic skies we get from all the evaporated moisture coming together are worth the price of admission alone.

I highly recommend it if you're down this way.  Come get your bug spray on!

[jnmoore]

Hi,

Beautiful image Marjorie! The B&W tones are perfect.

I posted the below message on this forum re Florida locations but no replies. I'm not sure I can get to the Everglades. Maybe you have some ideas?

Thanks.

John


I'm going to Orlando end of March and have 5 days after business to do landscape photography. Bones too old to do heavy hiking or extensive water trips (short guided ones OK).

I'd rather settle in an area/park (accommodation recommendations?) and do day trips from one location rather than running around.
I'm not a bird guy and don't have the good long lens (or patience!) for that.
I like to go into an area and record as much as can from macro to wide. I use the photos for mandalas and collage as well as traditional landscapes. Spring flowers would be a bonus.

I don't know this area at all (live in Vancouver BC) so any help much appreciated.

Thanks,

John

5D Mark ll, 17-40, 24-105, 50-1.4, Sigma 150macro, 2X extender etc

johnagon.com

[Josh-H]

"There is only one Everglades in the world..."
         Marjorie Stoneman Douglas

The first time visitor to the Everglades is usually overwhelmed by the apparent lack of "interestingness" as seen from a car window.  There are no mountains in the distance, no rolling hills, no rushing waterfalls.  None of that stuff.  It's as flat as a pancake.  During the summer, it's a downright miserable place to be with the bugs, heat, humidity and did I mention the bugs?

Everglades National Park was the first national park to be created solely for the plants and animals that live there, rather than for its spectacular scenery.  But there is spectacular scenery if you just stop and look around slowly.  The dramatic skies we get from all the evaporated moisture coming together are worth the price of admission alone.

I highly recommend it if you're down this way.  Come get your bug spray on!

Just Lovely -Beautiful work.

[fredjeang]

bugs and...hangry crocodiles!
Well, it is interesting,  we see much more hills and moutains style and very little of these flat lands. And they are beautifull.
If you like flat virgen lands, You also have
-La Pampa Argentina, 100% flat thousands of miles
-The russian prairies
-A part of Belgium territory

Thanks for sharing this beautifull image that gives the desire to explore Everglades.

Cheers,

Fred.

[tokengirl]

Hi,

Beautiful image Marjorie! The B&W tones are perfect.

I posted the below message on this forum re Florida locations but no replies. I'm not sure I can get to the Everglades. Maybe you have some ideas?

Thanks.

John

Well, first of all, I'm not Marjorie.  I was just quoting the first line from her book titled "The Everglades; River of Grass".  Ms Douglas, often called the Mother of the Everglades, died in 1998 at the age of 108.  For more information on this extraordinary woman, click here:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjory_Stoneman_Douglas

If you're in Orlando, the Everglades are about a 225 mile drive.  So I think that would mean leaving Orlando altogether and staying in wither Miami or Key Largo.  There used to be a lodge within Everglades National Park, but it was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma and has not been rebuilt due to lack of funds.

There's plenty to see in Everglades National Park right along the main road, with many short walking trails and boardwalks that are pretty short - most are under a mile long.  At the end of March, you'll not have much problems with bugs as we'll be nearing the end of the dry season.  It's an ideal time to visit, as temperatures will be pleasant.  Overall, it'll look quite dry.

As for stuff in the Orlando area, I don't know that area so well, but I'm sure there are tons of places heading either east or west.  To the east, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Canaveral immediately come to mind.

[jnmoore]

Well, first of all, I'm not Marjorie.  I was just quoting the first line from her book titled "The Everglades; River of Grass".  Ms Douglas, often called the Mother of the Everglades, died in 1998 at the age of 108.  For more information on this extraordinary woman, click here:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjory_Stoneman_Douglas

If you're in Orlando, the Everglades are about a 225 mile drive.  So I think that would mean leaving Orlando altogether and staying in wither Miami or Key Largo.  There used to be a lodge within Everglades National Park, but it was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma and has not been rebuilt due to lack of funds.

There's plenty to see in Everglades National Park right along the main road, with many short walking trails and boardwalks that are pretty short - most are under a mile long.  At the end of March, you'll not have much problems with bugs as we'll be nearing the end of the dry season.  It's an ideal time to visit, as temperatures will be pleasant.  Overall, it'll look quite dry.

As for stuff in the Orlando area, I don't know that area so well, but I'm sure there are tons of places heading either east or west.  To the east, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Canaveral immediately come to mind.

Thanks for the info,

I've been googling all the parks near Orlando but its hard to tell what I might find. A lot of the locations really require a boat of some kind and I'm not ready for that.

You've tempted me to head south to the Everglades.

I'd rather get out of Miami so maybe Key Largo? I'd like to get closer but doesn't seem to be much choice.

Thanks again,

John

[jnmoore]

Hi Claire (sorry, hope I got the name right this time),

I checked out hotels in Key Largo and they seem pricey for my budget (although the area is very interesting).

What about Naples as a base? Hotel prices much better; driving a little longer?

Cheers,

John

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Hi Claire (found you at tokengirl.com),

Beautiful image. It's the first one I've seen that makes me want to visit Florida. You have some lovely work (and excellent "phodography") on your website.

Eric

[tokengirl]

What about Naples as a base? Hotel prices much better; driving a little longer?

Naples is good, lots of opportunities around there.  You can visit Big Cypress National Preserve (and Clyde Butcher's gallery in Big Cypress), the Naples City Pier, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Fakahatchee Strand, Ding Darling Preserve on Sanibel, I could go on here.  Your only real access to the Everglades from Naples is from Everglades City through 10,000 Islands, and that is strictly by boat if you want to see anything interesting (no walking trails to speak of).  There are several fishing captains in the area that do eco-tours as well (if you want to do that, let me know and I'll give you some names).  Lots of photo ops at the lower tides:



For access to the eastern and central Everglades National Park, where there are walking trails, you really need to access it through Miami, which is about a 2 hour drive from Naples.

Hope this helps.

[tokengirl]

Hi Claire (found you at tokengirl.com),

Beautiful image. It's the first one I've seen that makes me want to visit Florida. You have some lovely work (and excellent "phodograph") on your website.

Eric

Eric,

Thanks for the kind words.  Hopefully I'll have that site ready for prime time soon - it has been a real work in progress.

[TomSmalling]

Love the image Tokengirl...  I grew up in South Florida and I've always loved seeing images of the Everglades.  I'm excited because the Orlando Art Museum is having a Clyde Butcher exhibit coming soon.  The wife and I have it on the calendar to go see.

[fredjeang]

Beautiful picture! Excelent composition, as always. Still learning from your B&W convertions   .
Just for information, can Everglade been considered as a Mangrove swamp? (thinking of the action of ocean tide)

[tokengirl]

Just for information, can Everglade been considered as a Mangrove swamp? (thinking of the action of ocean tide)

Certainly a good part of Everglades National Park is a mangrove ecosystem, but there are several ecosystems that make up the Everglades.  Harwood hammocks, coastal prairies, freshwater sloughs, cypress domes... they all have their own special beauty.  Below is a link to a page on the park's website that gives a pretty good description of each ecosystem.  If you click on the "View Map" button towards the upper left corner, it will bring up a map with a legend showing how these different ecosystems fit together.

The other thing to consider is the seasons - there are two of them in the Everglades:  the dry season and the rainy season.  The contrast between the two is dramatic.

This photo was taken at Mrazek Pond on the last day of the dry season:


And this photo was taken at the same spot one week later, after the rains had begun:


The more time I spend there, the stronger my fascination with the place grows.  I am lucky it's practically in my back yard, I probably spent about 75 days in the park last year between photography and fishing.

http://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/natu...decosystems.htm

[fredjeang]

Thanks for the link. Very informative. As you pointed, very diverse.
I definitely think that you are lucky to be close to such a place.
When I go to the States this region will be high on my list.

Cheers,

Fred.

[tokengirl]

Well today I experienced another way to see the Everglades - on an airboat.  This was, of course, outside of the national park boundaries, just to the north.  Riding those things is more fun than a barrel of monkeys!  Highly recommended.

We stopped at a private camp along the way and I went for a little walk (wade).

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Another keeper! I love it!

Eric