Mikele in a BOAT

Yes, it’s true; the most seasick person I know (ME) went in a boat yesterday! We were checking out the Everglades National Park office/store and decided on the spur of the moment to do one of their boat tours. The boat was wide and sturdy, and the water looked just as smooth as can be. And wow, am I ever glad I did. We went out into the open waters around the mangrove forest, into an area called the 10,000 islands. Lots of different birds, a few dolphins and a lot of learning about the mangrove trees. Did you know there are three kinds of mangroves, and they each handle the salt of the estuary waters differently? One type takes the salt in, and then excretes it in a few of its leaves – the ‘sacrificial leaves’ that die when they reach a certain level of salt. Another type uses a type of reverse osmosis to exclude 80% of the salt. I can’t remember the third off-hand, but I found it so interesting!

We actually went almost out into the Gulf of Mexico – it was really amazing. The breeze was enough to keep us cool (and me, not seasick) in the warm sun. We watched rain showers out over the gulf – big black clouds extending all the way down to the ocean. Fun!