Meeting Blog Friends & Big Cypress, FL

Do you always remember where you first met your friends? Usually I do but for this special couple, I can’t remember how we found each other’s blogs and she doesn’t either. HAHA

We got to meet in person Betty and Dan! What a thrill! We met through our blogs. I am not even sure how we found each other’s blogs. 😃 She is a great writer and shares their many experiences of traveling. They are from Missouri, Kevin’s home state, are retired, and down at Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee, Florida. They are volunteering at the visitor center for 5 months. They love to travel (no wonder we are friends!) and have a bumper pull trailer. I contacted her when we got down here in Florida and yes, she wanted to meet us in person. One the appointed day, we left at 7:00 a.m. stopping first for fuel and drinks. It was pouring rain. Kevin put on his raincoat and it was soaked through. It isn’t a good raincoat and we need to get rid of it.

The drive was 2.5 hours south. It rained the entire day but thankfully it wasn’t too bad while driving. We got to Dan and Betty’s right at 10:00 a.m., the time set for the meet up. What a thrill of hugs and excitement to meet them. They gave us a tour of their new Winnebago and it is very nice and roomy. They have one slide but it seems bigger. Colors are light, like ours. We sat in the recliners, just like ours, and had a great visit. They are easy to talk with. 

Betty & Dan, Showing Us Around Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee, FL 02/24

Later we all went in their SUV to Reed Visitor Center where they work 4 days a week, 8 hours a day volunteering. It isn’t a huge place but they have great boards of information. Sign: “People in the Swamp: In the 1930s, plans for Everglades National Park included a portion of the Big Cypress Swamp but negotiations feel through. In the 1960s, developers began building a massive airport right in the middle of the swamp. Those truly connected to the Big Cypress Swamp saw the airport leading to unchecked development that would disrupt the swamp’s freshwater flow and destroy more of natural Florida. Politicians and environmentalists – including hunters, camp owners, ORV enthusiasts, and those who simply loved nature like Marjory Stoneman Douglas – together to stop the airport and protect this fragile portion of the Greater Everglades.” I also read that Big Cypress is home to 15 species of mosquitoes! I had no idea there were so many species. 

Betty & Dan, Read The Board Behind Them, Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee, FL 02/24

On a stand up white board, the rangers have  “what did you see in the preserve” written at the top. Joe, a worker there, wrote under what, where, when: rain, everywhere, all day, more rain, everywhere, ALL day, rain, everywhere, all day. HAHA Another worker said he needed to add “raining cats and dogs”. They seem to be very nice and fun people working there.

Across the way we went into the huge room that had the information film that started at noon. I learned the panthers in the area had dwindled down and just a few left. The park service did a “mail order brides from Texas” and bought in some females. They helped the panther population grow and stopped inbreeding that was causing problems. The the “brides” went back home to Texas. HAHA Learned about swamp tours and they showed some school aged children on a tour that lasted just about 15 minutes. The water is so very clear. Betty said the water moves about 2 miles an hour through this whole area. She also said there are no small animals like rabbits because the pythons eat them. Yikes! This visitor center gets an A because their film has closed captions! 

Betty, being her sweet self, knew I like photography and offered up a place to see. They took us next to Clyde Butcher Gallery. ”In 1986, Clyde’s 17 year old son Ted was killed by a drunk driver. After which Clyde found solace in the wilderness of the Big Cypress National Preserve, where the mysterious, spiritual experience of being close to nature helped to restore his soul. Resolving to relinquish his ties to color photography, he destroyed his color work and vowed to use only black and white film.” I think his work is stunning and I bought a box of cards with a few of his photos. Beautiful! He and his wife are still living. His website is https://clydebutcher.com/

Dan & Betty, Camellia Street Grill, Everglades City, FL 02/24

We pulled up to a restaurant in Everglades City but it was full and people were parking along the road a long ways. We left there and went to Camellia Street Grill. Dan and Betty had eaten here twice before. The Baron River is right outside and the restaurant has nice outdoor seating. It was too wet and rainy to eat outside so we went inside. The room had pull down plastic “screens” to turn this place from outdoor to indoor. Neat idea. I had maui tacos, Kevin had shrimp basket, Betty had fish sandwich and Dan had chicken sandwich. Delicious! Rated: Once A Month. Betty said she rated it that way too. 🙂 

Want to know about a small world? It turns out many many years ago, Kevin and Dan actually worked for the same company. It was a small company so that was very surprising. They worked opposite sides of the state but it turns out probably the exact same years doing the exact same job. Wow, what a great small world. Betty and Dan are just as delightful, fun, and kind as they appear in their blog. It was a real joy and highlight to be with them. Check out her great blog at https://chambersontheroad.com/