Flamingo Campground, Everglades National Park - Site #54
We finally made it to our first long-term stop of the trip, Flamingo Campground. We have a reservation for two weeks here. It doesn't mean we stopped moving, of course.
It was cool, but sunny this morning at Long Pine Key, but i was time to move further in to the park to the end of the road. After a leisurely breakfast, we started down the park road, stopping at the ponds along the way to see what was happening. A tree full of Little Blue Herons at Paurotis Pond and several large groups of Green-winged Teal (and a very large alligator) at Mrazek Pond were the highlights.
Flamingo campground takes reservations, but not for particular sites. There are two reservable loops, Loop T for RVs (most sites have electricity) and Loop A for tents and small RVs, no services, but nicer. Loop A is where we have our reservations. When you arrive, you have a choice of whatever is available that day, but you are guaranteed a site.
Since we've done this before, we sort of know a few unwritten secrets. We arrived at shortly after 10am—that is when anyone who has reached the end of their paid stay and wants to continue must re-register for their site (assuming they haven't hit the 14 day in-season limit and there is unreserved space). Checkout time is later though, at noon. While waiting in line, Ellen hopped out of Speedy and went to look if any of the sites we liked, based on past visits were available and checked the numbers of those we might like.
When we got to the head of the line, we were able to ask the ranger what was becoming available today and went to take a look at them. Of the ones we were given site #50 was the most appealing. It is on the outside edge of the campground overlooking a field at the back and the bay behind (sort of). We have stayed at sites along this edge before and liked it. The last time we were here there was a Barn Owl who would fly over the field each evening at dusk hunting for the entire time we were here. We took site #50.
The person in site #50 wasn't leaving until noon so we drove over to the visitor center to see what was happening this week. We also found that the little outdoor restaurant was still in business. It is actually based out of a food truck, but has a big screened-in area under one of the visitor center buildings and is right on the bay. It serves good seafood, salads and sandwiches and has Key Lime pie. We'll be back.
We also wandered over to the marina and the marina store. It was rumored to be poorly stocked, but that was during the Christmas break. It seemed fully stocked now, but not much in the way of non-snack food, except for some canned staples and pre-made sandwiches. They do have ice cream.
It was back to claim site 50 at noontime. We backed in and made lunch. It is an open site with no shade, but we now have a screen house. It is an LL Bean Woodlands Screen House, the smallest they carry. We actually bought it for our stay at Aransas last winter, but never needed it. We had never set it up before today. It is much larger than we expected. In my mind's eye, I figured it would be about the size of the REI Alcove shelter we have. They are both 10' X 10', but the screen house seems huge. Maybe it is because it has no sides and is just a shade shelter.
We put the shelter up, unloaded the bikes, got out Kemit chairs and set up our table and tested out the screen house. It is pretty comfortable, but we made a small mistake. We'd left the door open after setting it up, so when we went inside and zipped up the door, we trapped all of the little bugs who'd already come in. The no-seeums can't get through the screens, but if they are inside they can't get out either.
A while later, I left Ellen reading in the screen house to attend a ranger talk on the history of the National Park Service. While it was interesting, there wasn't much new in it for me. On return, I found Ellen back in Speedy. The bugs inside the screen house were a bother. They didn't always stay on the screens. It was time for some chemical response.
We have some permethrin spray for use on clothes to repel insects. It also kills them. It is a fairly safe synthetic insecticide, similar to pyrethrin, an organic insecticide derived from chrysanthemums. I sprayed the screens with it and it seems to have worked to eliminate the bugs inside. We'll know tomorrow.
One might have noticed that site #50 is not the site we are in. Later in the afternoon, Ellen took a short walk over to the Eco Pond, a pond near the campground known for its birds, while I wiped down Speedy—it had gotten quite grimy. She didn't see much, but on return noticed that site #54 was now empty. It had a camper in it for most of the day, so the disappearance of the vehicle and all its gear was a surprise. Site #54 is the site we had last time and is one of the best in the campground (in our humble opinion). It has trees on both sides, but the back is open to the sun and it overlooks the field.
When Ellen returned with this observation, I was on my way out to take a shower. I detoured to the registration kiosk. The ranger there confirmed that the site was, in fact, no unoccupied, so I took it. The shower was delayed and we moved Speedy, the bikes and the screen house thirty yards down the road. Moving the screen house was the most interesting. I just pulled the stakes and Ellen and I lifted the outside poles on opposite corners and carried it, fully erect, down the street. to the new site.
It was then back to the showers. One of the great improvements to the campground when we were here two years ago was the installation of solar-heated hot showers. But, two years later, one of the restroom buildings in Loop A is closed for construction and the showers in the other has no hot water. Fortunately, the tenting area down the road has two buildings as well and they both have working hot showers. It is a bike ride rather than a short walk, but worth it.
While making dinner, we noticed that Speedy's ceiling was covered with no-seeums, tiny black insects. They seem to be attracted to the white vinyl headliner. We don't quite know how they got in, whether it was while the doors were open earlier in the afternoon or if they are getting through the window screens. We hope that it is not the screens. We've treated them with the permethrin as well and hope it is working. We dispatched most of them by wiping the headliner with a Windex-soaked paper towel. It seems to have eliminated most of them. We haven't been bothered by mosquitoes, but the no-seeums are distracting...and they sometimes bite.
Here are some photos from our visit to Indiantown Marina.
Full-size Slide Show
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