Our January stay at Bonita Springs went by too quickly. The next thing we knew the slides were coming in and the jacks were coming up, and off we went. On the move again, we headed even further south to “The Glades”, the Everglades that is. Shark Valley lies in the heart of the “True Everglades”, or river of grass, that stretches 100 miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. We were told that bicycling is a wonderful way to view the Everglades at our own pace. And there is no better place to bike than at Shark Valley, which is part of Everglades National Park.
Since wildlife abounds here, I thought it would be a great way to spend my birthday. So we loaded up the bikes and headed out to Shark Valley bright and early, knowing it would be a hot day. The 15-mile paved road was completely level and gave us a perfect opportunity to enjoy the wildlife. I was excited to find out which animals or birds would turn out to greet me and wish me a happy birthday!
Ok, you won’t see any sharks here and I was not expecting to. Shark Valley is in a very wide, very gradual, low-lying valley. The shark reference comes from the Shark River. The mouth of this river is at the Gulf of Mexico, and the Shark River Slough is the main source of fresh water for this part of the Everglades. If you were to venture along the river far enough toward the gulf, you would indeed encounter sharks – they just never make it up to the Everglades. Instead, the alligators bask in the sun along the river, or at the bicycle parking, or near photographers.
An observation tower at the halfway point provided panoramic views and we enjoyed the tranquil vistas of the Everglades, extending outward 20 miles in all directions.
Along the route we met several trams – another way to enjoy the area. The tram tour offers a two-hour open air guided commentary, and sightings from experts which gives folks the Everglades experience.
Several wood storks can be seen along the route. These birds are listed as an endangered species, as its decline is the result of vast environmental threats that exist in the area. The human disruption of the water cycles affects the crucial feeding and nesting conditions for wildlife. When human water management upsets the natural wetlands cycles, wood storks fail to nest successfully. There were 5000 nesting wood storks in the ’60’s, now only 500 remain.
Some flowers thrive in these watery environments:
Besides the many alligators lining up along the trail to greet me, other wildlife also came out to say hello.
It took us about three hours to complete the loop as we made many stops to look around, and of course I took dozens of pictures of, you guessed it….birds! And nature’s best birthday gift was the presence of the various species of Herons. I could not have asked for more!
For those of you planning to come this way, be sure to stop by Shark Valley. It’s a wonderful place to enjoy the Everglades and view wildlife in their natural habitat – this is not a zoo!
And to cap a wonderful day with nature, my niece Lea E. took us out for a fabulous dinner at Red Fish Grill Seafood Restaurant. It was located inside Matheson Hammock Park, right on the coast. With a unique setting amongst the coconut trees, it was a perfect ending to a perfect birthday.
Lowes Travels 
That looks like an exciting bike ride with all the wildlife. I guess you’d better hope those gators aren’t hungry! What a perfect birthday!
It was a great birthday and glad the gators were kind of ignoring us 🙂
We are planning a bike ride through Shark Valley, thanks to the posts by both you and Pam. Terry read a comment on someone’s blog last night who said they had lived in FL all their lives but were still somewhat intimidated by the alligators as they rode along the bike path in Shark Valley. There were many and they all were facing the bike path. 😉 Looks like a fabulous way to spend a birthday Mona!
Fabulous indeed. You and Terry will have a great day here, guaranteed! And the gators will line up the bike path to greet you.
When they do, I hope their jaws are facing away from the path (lol)! 🙂
Glad you had a great bike ride in Shark Valley. The gators are wonderful and so tame along the path, as are the birds. You got some wonderful photos. Super birthday day:)
Despite starting early right when they opened, the sun was still beating on us. But we did have great time and a super birthday too! Thank you.
Great photos but you got me when you mentioned “before it got too hot”…..grrrr. Green with envy as I sit in 35 degree weather in San Antonio.
Glad you had a great birthday and those gators didn’t abscond with hubby. Happy birding 🙂
Thank you Ingrid. So sorry about our hot and humid weather 🙂 can’t complain that we were burnt that day. It was a perfect birthday and luckily the gators were not too happy to see me.
Love your photos! Love the Glades! Love the weather!
Thank you, and yes the hot and humid weather.
Happy Happy Birthday! What a wonderful way to spend your birthday out in nature. Love the photos!
Thank you Marcy. Steve is asking how was your visit with the recent retiree?
Thanks for taking me back to the Everglades. Gorgeous photos, if a little unnerving. Aren’t you a bit close to those gators? Happy Belated Birthday ML. I thought about you on the 4th. I meant to message you on the 4th. Oh well, glad it was a good one.
Thank you, Those gators were not exactly excited to see me but had to pose with him 🙂
Do you mean you scared them? Not the other way round?
Ha ha i think they were scared of me!
You don’t look scary. They were probably giving you admiring looks. With all those teeth, it’s hard to tell what they’re thinking.
Looks like a great birthday!
It was and I think you need to visit FL one day.
Perfect way to celebrate your birthday. Beautiful pictures too! One of the reasons I watched CSI:Miami.
It was Fely maybe swing by here one day.
I can’t imagine a nicer birthday….what a wonderful day. Your pictures are awesome….love the herons!
You are absolutely right, it was the right place to spend a birthday.
Not a better place to spend your BDay, and you even got a great picture of the snipe…
At first I though it was a Plover, luckily i got one good shot before it flew away.
Really enjoyed this post. Beautiful pictures! We took the tram tour a couple of years ago and loved it. I agree, anyone traveling through the area should visit Shark Valley.
Thank you and yes this was a great place to experience the everglades.
Great post MonaLiza. What a superb birthday, how lucky are you….
I laughed and laughed at the pictures of you and Steve cavalierly posing near those gators! Steve even turned his back on them! He’s such a dude…… (hey, they weren’t just statues were they?) Sue
Thank you Sue. Those gators were probably thinking, what a bunch of …..but hey we enjoyed their company and posing with us!
Happy Birthday MonaLiza 😀 Looks like you spent your day with some interesting characters… Wishing you your best year ever full of many, many more adventures. Maureen
Thank you Maureen. that was one super birthday with the gators and birds as our unwilling guests.
Happy Birthday ML…
Happy Birthday! What a terrific way to celebrate … and I don’t just mean the dinner or the sweet treat you enjoyed after your meal. Great wildlife encounters.
Mona, Alligators don’t eat bicycles, that’s why. 😆 Maligayang Bati sa iyong Kaarawan. Nawa’y nasa mabuti kang kalagayan.