Tag Archives: swamp
Everglades Airboat Tour
Gator Park had something that we’d been wanting to try for years, airboats. We, like most folks I suppose, were more interested in careening through the swamp at insanely… CONTINUE READING >>
Boy, Are We Everglade We Came Here!
Your GypsyNesters take on the Everglades – all good fun until a very uncomfortable Veronica gets her hands on an alligator!
We encountered gator wrestling, did some (really fast!) airboat riding and visited the smallest post office in the US.
And that’s just the beginning… CONTINUE READING >>
Gator Wrestling!
Our guide asked for volunteers to give it a try. With no takers, he chose Veronica to be the next challenger. He gave her just enough instructions to have us all questioning how crazy… CONTINUE READING >>
Meet Bigfoot’s Florida Cousin!
Skunk Apes are omnivores, with the ability to climb and make beds out of leafy branches, there are an estimated 7 – 9 of them in the Everglades, they like alligator caves, smell like rotten eggs, and they love lima beans. Skunk Apes lead a nomadic, hunter/gatherer existence, have a good memory and exceptional hearing.We had to find one for ourselves, so we headed deep into the Florida Everglades… CONTINUE READING >>
In Search of Skunk Ape
Your GypsyNesters go deep into the Florida Everglades, miles from any signs of civilization, in search of the elusive Skunk Ape and found some … CONTINUE READING >>
A Town Standing on Stilts
There is something about driving to the very tip of a place, the end of the line, land’s end, that we can’t resist. It’s kind of like climbing a mountain for us, we do it because it’s there. In Louisiana that point where State Highway 1 hits the water is Grand Isle.Building a road across this expanse of wetland took extensive… CONTINUE READING >>
Video – How to Volunteer at a National Park
Kay, a veteran parks volunteer – and fellow GypsyNester - discusses how to apply, where one lives at the parks, what is expected of volunteers and, most importantly… CONTINUE READING >>
Okee Dokee Okefenokee
Yes, the Okefenokee Swamp is a real place – and we were up to our elbows in alligators!Two things struck us, first, someone should try using an alligator next time they want to set the long jump world’s record and, second, The Okefenokee’s most famous resident, Pogo, had it wrong. We have met the enemy and he sure ain’t us. He’s all teeth and…. CONTINUE READING >>
Okefenokee Swamp Gator Gazing
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Our walk along The Boardwark deep into the Okefenokee Swamp – and, yes, there be alligators! Lots and lots of… CONTINUE READING >>
Egrets of Avery Island, Louisiana
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In the 1890s, just before taking over as president of Tabasco from his father, E.A. “Mr. Ned” McIlhenny started this refuge in an effort to save the snowy egrets. From just eight… CONTINUE READING >>
Do Alligators Like Tabasco?
For a long time roads weren’t an option in South Louisiana. This was some wild country back in the day, not Bourbon Street wild, but wilderness wild. The incredibly wet, squishy ground made bayous the only reasonable routes for transportation and Bayou Teche was the Superhighway. Following The Teche, we set out to discover the real… CONTINUE READING >>Tabasco Factory on Avery Island, Louisiana
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Every bottle of Tabasco sauce that has ever been made came from this little island. A massive salt… CONTINUE READING >>
Let Us Run This Bayou
In Louisiana, the area south of I-10 and west of New Orleans is a “whole ‘nudder t’ing.” Over the years we’ve made periodic pilgrimages and would be hard-pressed to come up with a part of this great country that we are more fond of. Through hardship and isolation, a society singular to this region has developed with its own food, music and unique language. We love spending time in amongst it allThe main factor in the… CONTINUE READING >>
Atchafalaya Swamp Tour in Louisiana
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At the western end of the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge of Interstate 10, an 18 mile run over Cyprus and gators, we met Ernest Couret and his little 16 ft swamp boat. After the usual “How y’all are?” greetings we climbed… CONTINUE READING >>
