Shark Valley and slough aerial panoramas from the Everglades!
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Click on each image for a large interactive version, enjoy!
Kayaking the flooded prairies of Shark Valley aerial view, Everglades. You can make out the Hwy 41 entrance and Miccosukee Tribe Firehouse and HQ on the horizon!
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Sea kayaking at Shark Valley, totally flooded tram road aerial view, Everglades. This one you can just make out the tower on the horizon if you zoom in!
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Lunch on “Main Street” in the middle of Shark River Slough (aka River of Grass), Everglades aerial. Google this: 25°30’22″N 80°48’58″W
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More high water
exploratory paddling from the ‘Glades
coming soon!
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For those wondering about my aerial photography inside Everglades National Park, please note that there is no drone involved, it’s all done with poles!
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
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I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
The fall of 2020 has presented record high water levels in the Everglades, enabling some unique paddling and photographic opportunities. At Shark Valley for instance, everything was underwater and I took advantage of this to kayak across the slough and prairies adjacent to the tram road down to the ‘Jetsons’ tower at the end. The two aerial views presented here are roughly from the same location about half a mile east of the tower in one of the deeper pockets of the ‘valley’.
The first panorama is from early December of 2020, the second from a previous slough hike during an extreme dry spell.
Click on each image for a large interactive version, enjoy!
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Paddling the extreme high waters flooding the Shark Valley tower, December 2020.
For those wondering about my aerial photography inside Everglades National Park, please note that there is no drone involved, it’s all done with poles!
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
…
I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
With the historic high water levels in the Everglades, more and more trips are now accessible to paddle craft. During the 2020 Holiday season, seven paddlers took advantage to kayak from the Pahayokee Overlook vicinity to the center of the Shark River Slough.
There, a well known airboat trail known as “Main Street”, runs the length of the slough inside Everglades National Park. This path enables paddlers to transit the “River of Grass” from Tamiami Trail down to Bottle Creek, which eventually leads to the Canepatch backcountry campsite. On the north end, connecting routes include Shark Valley and the L-67 canal for possible access.
This trip was seven years in the making. A previous attempt to connect only reached about half way due to much lower water levels at the time! More discussion on this here at the EEN site.
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Paddling from dawn to dusk in the style of “Invitational” paddles of the past decade, we dubbed this one as the “2020 Everglades Exploration Network Invitational“! 🙂
The magnificent seven down on Main Street in the middle of Shark River Slough in the Everglades. “Main Street” is a navigable airboat trail which runs length of the Shark Slough inside ENP. In this aerial photo you can see it disappearing into the distance due NE!
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** Full story coming soon! **
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Following the further voyages of the
“Pa-Hay-Okee”
which is my customized
Ocean Kayak Trident 11 kayak, a versatile SOT craft for the back country paddler! I can paddle it as a kayak, standing SUP style or pole it. She turns on a dime and the center hatch allows easy access to photo gear.
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Previous attempt paddling from Pahayokee Overlook to Main Street:
For those wondering about my aerial photography inside Everglades National Park, please note that there is no drone involved, it’s all done with poles!
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
…
I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
Usually the Shark Valley tram road on the north end of Everglades National Park is busy with hikers, bicyclists and tourists at this time of year. However the fall of 2020 has presented record high water levels in the Glades, enabling some unique paddling and photography opportunities throughout! At Shark Valley for instance, everything is underwater and because of this the entrance is currently closed to visitors. However the Park itself remains open to valid pass holders and is accessible by paddle craft. I took advantage of the unusually high water levels to kayak the slough and prairies adjacent to the tram road. I did not paddle on the tram road itself, and did not make use of any visitor services. I did make brief stops along the way and later had a random chance surprise meeting with a fellow Everglades explorer!
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Aerial view paddling at Shark Valley next to the flooded tram road in December 2020.
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“Meeting of the minds on the slough”
Except for periodic overhead airplanes, it’s very quiet, especially since there’s nobody else out there – or so I thought! As I was sitting in the boat getting some underwater shots near the road, I heard a kind of “clank” sound nearby. This is a very distinct sound, that of a paddle hitting the side of a boat. I turn around, and lo and behold it’s a guy in a canoe poling towards me! Looking again I recognize the hat, and immediately thought it must be James Adams whom I’ve met once before briefly at Flamingo. I’ve known of James for years online as he’s done some epic exploits and trips in the Glades. Sure enough this one was no exception and he was on day six, paddling up the Shark River Slough from Flamingo some 60 miles away!
We chatted briefly on the side of the tram road and took some pics. Turns out he was continuing his paddle all the way up to Broward across Water Conservation Area 3, to Everglades Holiday Park. What a trip!!
Aerial view of the Shark Valley tram road completely underwater as I have never seen it before! This December 2020 afternoon also marked a random chance encounter with another intrepid Everglades explorer, James Adams of floridacanoeadventures.com. James had spent the past six days paddling and poling up the slough from Flamingo!
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Stay tuned for more high water
exploratory paddling in the ‘Glades!
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Further voyages of the
“Pa-Hay-Okee”
which is my
customized Ocean Kayak Trident 11 kayak, a versatile SOT craft for the back country paddler! I can paddle it as a kayak, standing SUP style or pole it. She turns on a dime and the center hatch allows easy access to photo gear.
For those wondering about my aerial photography inside Everglades National Park, please note that there is no drone involved, it’s all done with poles!
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
…
I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
It’s not often to have the chance to kayak through a slash pineland forest! Record rainfall and late season storm activity has flooded the Everglades interior prairies, cypress and pine forests enabling some unique paddling opportunities!
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With the record high water levels it’s now
possible to paddle among pines and paurotis! 🙂
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Exploratory voyages on the
“Pa-Hay-Okee”
which is my
customized Ocean Kayak Trident 11 kayak, a versatile SOT craft for the back country paddler! I can paddle it as a kayak, standing SUP style or even pole it. She turns on a dime and the center hatch allows easy access to photo gear.
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
…
I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
It’s not often that one gets the chance to kayak through a forest! Record rainfall and late season storm activity has flooded the Everglades prairies, cypress and pine forests enabling unique paddling opportunities!
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“Pa-Hay-Okee”
is my customized Ocean Kayak Trident 11 kayak, a versatile SOT craft for the back country paddler! I can paddle it as a kayak, standing SUP style or pole it. She turns on a dime and the center hatch allows easy access to photo gear.
Usually these forests are a bit too shallow for boating and too deep and sticky for hiking, but with the super high water levels – I can float and paddle! 🙂
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
…
I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
This is a work of fiction. All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. No skeleton, no barbie, nor person, nor kayak was harmed in the making of this work. The author is sorely responsible for the contents of this work!
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I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
…
I hereby disclaim any sponsorship, endorsement, nor association with any product or service described herein. The photographs, depictions, products, and ideas presented on this site are for informational purposes only. Your results may vary, and I do not imply nor guarantee the effectiveness, suitability, design or operation to adhere to any standard. I assume no legal responsibility for the implementation of anything herein presented! Use any and all information at your own risk! By using any and all information from this website, you accept the final liability for any use or possible associated misuse!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
Chekika Island one mile away from the L-67 levee south of Tamiami Trail. FWC chopper on patrol! CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Dragonfly aerial view of Chekika Island hammock in the Everglades. CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Final approach to Chekika Island! CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Gorgeous lush and wet pond-trench along the perimeter of the higher interior of Chekika Island. CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Dry interior “clearing” on Chekika Island with mostly Mahogany and some Gumbo-limbo trees. Note the old scientific equipment! CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Near the southern end of the dry interior of Chekika Island. Is this where the camp once stood? CLICK for interactive panorama!
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Visiting Chief Chekika’s island hideaway in the Everglades!
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Where in the world is Chekika Island? What’s the big deal?
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Why is it important?
Click for full story:
Chief Chekika’s not so secret island hideaway in the Everglades!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
She ain’t exactly pretty She ain’t exactly small Eleven’eleven, thirty’four, sixty’one lbs But you could say she’s got it all ..
Rosie, she’s a whole lotta Kayak!
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(click each pic for a story!)
Snorkeling in Biscayne Bay, Rosie is like a personal sized dinghy! CLICK for story!
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We all love to see the sleek, fast and sexy boats. There are times however when a shorter “plus size” sit on top style kayak fits the bill! This is a humorous-musical ode to mine, which I shall call “Rosie”. She’s an Ocean Kayak Peekaboo, and yes, she’s been used and abused, and generally not pampered. With a shallow-vee and nearly flat hull, she’s the ultimate in stability on flat water! She has a large viewing port, and a jump seat in the front meant for a small child. She could carry two light adults in a pinch, but isn’t rated for it. I personally like to ride Rosie Standing UP style for visibility and photography. The downside to all this stability and generous girth is speed. She will cruise with a 230cm kayak paddle at a little over two knots, less when paddling SUP style. She does respond well to leaning and will turn on a dime with practice. Her long tracking keel does it’s job but will tend to catch on roots and grasses when backing up. Rosie can carry a lot of gear for camping, she likes to go snorkeling, she likes taking her time on flat water and she’s an excellent platform for standing.
I don’t always ride Rosie, but when I do we’re in love! 😉
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Entering a lush mangrove canopy atop Rosie. CLICK for story!
DISCLAIMER:: The maps and images on this site are not intended for navigation, I am not a guide; use any and all information at your own risk! Your mileage may vary .. so use good judgement before venturing out!
Alt Jesus Study is a non-religious but spiritual look at the meaning of sacrifice, rebirth, fertility and duality. Exploration of symbolism and culture as represented in the forms of Jesus and northern hemisphere Western Mythology.
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(click pic)
“Octomessiah” Alt Jesus Study – DecoratedReality.com
I am honored to be a part of this incredible Everglades Environmental Arts Exhibit and Everglades Benefit Concert today in North Miami.
Enjoy performances by by S Florida’s best bands, Spoken Word Performance Artists, Dancers, Live Artists, Speakers and many excellent art works by local and internationally known Visual Artists!!
Learn about the many challenges facing South Florida’s vast wilderness and how it affects you and your life in the city! Find out what is being done, and what is not being done to protect and restore our unique wetlands that lie just beyond all those canals an levees.
