The Okeechobee is known for being super laid-back in an "old Florida" way and for having tons of wildlife. Based on my experience both appear to be true.
We stopped for a night at the Indiantown marina. Turtles and alligators greeted us at our slip. We went for a walk around the empty town that had signs only in spanish.
I rushed to take my first photo of an alligator. Little did I know there are tons of them in here.
This is a railroad bridge. The track lowers when a train is coming through.
There are 5 locks between Stuart and Ft. Meyers. We were concerned that the O. waterway level may be too low for us. Apparently for good reason - this lock just stayed open and we drove through it.
We crossed the open lake from Port Mayaca to Clewiston and from there picked up a primitive version of the ICW heading west again.
To the left the route looked like a man-made berm. To the right it was all mother nature.
Alligators hanging out every few feet.
Lots of birds.
Obviously there had been a huge devastating fire at some point.
Other parts were just unusual. We spent a night at the public dock in Moore Haven.
And then 4 nights at the Labelle City Dock that had power, water and was free! Years ago a very wealthy person purchased the land that the dock sits on and set up a trust to provide these services to boaters for a limited number of days!
We spent a few happy hours with the other cruisers there and then were back on our way.
I enjoyed this part of the trip. Most of the O. Waterway doesn't feel like Florida. Some of it reminded me of Tennessee, other parts were more like Texas. Either way, it is a world apart from most of South East Florida.
The Okeechobee is known for being super laid-back in an "old Florida" way and for having tons of wildlife. Based on my experience both appear to be true.
We stopped for a night at the Indiantown marina. Turtles and alligators greeted us at our slip. We went for a walk around the empty town that had signs only in spanish.
I rushed to take my first photo of an alligator. Little did I know there are tons of them in here.
This is a railroad bridge. The track lowers when a train is coming through.
There are 5 locks between Stuart and Ft. Meyers. We were concerned that the O. waterway level may be too low for us. Apparently for good reason - this lock just stayed open and we drove through it.
We crossed the open lake from Port Mayaca to Clewiston and from there picked up a primitive version of the ICW heading west again.
To the left the route looked like a man-made berm. To the right it was all mother nature.
Alligators hanging out every few feet.
Lots of birds.
Obviously there had been a huge devastating fire at some point.
Other parts were just unusual. We spent a night at the public dock in Moore Haven.
And then 4 nights at the Labelle City Dock that had power, water and was free! Years ago a very wealthy person purchased the land that the dock sits on and set up a trust to provide these services to boaters for a limited number of days!
We spent a few happy hours with the other cruisers there and then were back on our way.
I enjoyed this part of the trip. Most of the O. Waterway doesn't feel like Florida. Some of it reminded me of Tennessee, other parts were more like Texas. Either way, it is a world apart from most of South East Florida.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment