| The first time I visited the Everglades I was with my cousin Little Dan. We took an airboat ride across the "River of Grass" and saw a three-finger Seminole Indian wrestle a apathetic alligator. Thinking that was all there was to it, I didn't return for three years. Then I took my Mom on a canoe trip that neither of us will forget. It started off innocuously enough, meandering thru the mangroves. Then, while ducking thru the branches, Mom said, "Look out for the spider." But this was no ordinary spider, it was a gargantuan black and white wood monster that would have plucked my eye out if it had a chance! Immediately going into survival mode, I promptly flipped the canoe and all its contents into the brackish water. Good thing my buddy Jim was with us as he retrieved her unwaterproofed camera and eyeglasses from the six feet of water. We righted the canoe in time to watch a manta ray swim below our canoe! As we paddled back to the main waterway, we managed to arrive in time for Captain Bligh in his cigarette boat to awash our starboard side with a tsunami wave! Splash! Back into the drink. I should have learned to stay away from boats then. |
