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March 25, 1999 - An Everglades adventure, Part 18A • The Suffolk Times • March, 25( 1999 An Everglades adventure, Part 1 One thing we've learned from travel- ing about the country with a camper is that whenever possible we travel on a Sunday. In that way we usually miss the flow of truck traffic that is horrendous at times and in some cases downright scary. With that in mind, we try to make our stays at each campground a week in • length and move on Sunday. As planned we left John Prince Camp- ground in Fort Worth just about 7 a.m. and our drive south was uneventful. You remember we hooked up our fifth -wheel camper to the pickup the night NATURE before so that in the morning all by Paul we had to do was Stoutenburgh disconnect the power and water lines and we were off. The further south we went in Florida the more truck farming we saw. Each farm had its own irrigation motor and .pump mounted on a truck body spew- ing out its 300 to 400 gallons of water per minute like some giant fire hose. And two - and -a -half hours we were passing through the city of Homestead, which, by the way, has been mostly rebuilt but still shows signs of those devastating hurricanes that swept through this flat unprotected area. We made one stop before we entered the park, at the last farmstand on the way in. We indulged in a large papaya even though we thought it quite expensive. It was delicious and being such a large one lasted us for days. What stole my heart about this particular farmstand was the large, low purple martin house that was loaded with chirping martins. (They are the largest members 01 one swallow family.) So accustomed to peo- ple at the stand, they would permit you to get within 10 feet of them. Needless to say, we captured these bold and iri- descent swallows on film. Although the park itself is only 26 percent of the actual ecosystem of the Everglades, it still covers a hefty 1,507,850 acres, most of which are Focus ON under shallow water. This 50- mile -wide area has anywhere between a few inch- es to a few feet of water all eventually flowing very gradually south into Florida Bay. The highest point in this whole expanse of grass and water is a mere eight' feet above sea level. We traveled the long straight road for about 40 miles past the National Park Visitor Center entrance near Homestead to get to our campground at Flamingo. On our way we passed through sandy palmetto pinelands that later thinned out to vast expanses of saw grass as far as the eye could see. Pock - marked through these wide ,open spaces were hammocks (is- lands) comprised of mix- tures of hardwoods and dense shrubbery. These outcroppings occur whenever the underlying limestone creates ridges or slight elevations. Mile after mile we drove. It was hard to imagine we were actually looking across a vast sea of grass where slow, ever so slow, water was mov- ing southward. Even- tually the fresh water will meet the salt water of Florida Bay. Here the mangroves take over. First out of the bay are the red mangroves that anchor themselves to the soft ooze below with long spider -like roots; then as the salinity gradually changes, the black man- groves take over; and finally, far from the edge of the salt of the bay, the white mangroves establish themselves. This great mass of roots, limbs and leaves creates a buttress to storms and hurri- canes that occasionally pass over this vast outpost of the Everglades National Park. We finally reached our campsite at Flamingo. The general area hadn't changed much since our last visit some years ago. Perhaps 'a bit more shop- worn and perhaps, through our eyes, unhitched from the pickup and set up, as there were no hookups for electrici- ty, water or sewage at this campground. The only thing that seemed unnatural in this quiet and serene place was an occasional generator running from the rig of someone who had to have some of today's modern ameni- ties that require 110 volts. Our week at the park was one of never - ending splen- dor. The weather couldn't have been better: warm days, cool nights and always a breeze. Of course, there were a few mosquitoes that proved to be first -class opportunists at finding just the right spot to bite, but then with today's bug repellents they were mostly held off and proved no real problem. One morning we took a canoe trip into the man- grove swamp at Nine Mile Pond. As we got out of the pickup and looked across the pond we could see two or three large alligators slowly cruising by. This wasn't so bad, but just down the shore three more large ones sunned themselves. We were assured by'the ranger who was leading our group not to be concerned, and true to his word they paid little attention to us. Thievery in the air Once in the canoes we headed across the pond to the opposite shore, where our canoe trail was to start. Having a bit more experience than those in the other six canoes, we arrived first and had time to look about. It was here we had one of the great sights of the day. An adult bald eagle and an immature were dive - bombing an osprey that had just caught a fish. We had read about this piracy of the eagle with the osprey and were now witnessing it live. Time and time again the adult dove and harassed the osprey, who in turn tried to evade it by diving and giving out screams of alarm like a little kid when his big brother tries to take away his favorite toy. Finally when the osprey was driven down to about 20 feet from the water, it gave up its prize and dropped the fish. Immediately the eagle was there and swooped in to pick up the still- squirm- ing fish. It was a thrilling sight to see and one that had us checking this spot often. On one of our stops we saw the same two eagles cavorting in the air, diving toward each other, etc., and then just when they were about ready to col- lide, one flipped over on its back, feet in the air, holding the other one at bay. Another time right in front of us we saw the adult eagle swoop in, snatch a fish right off the surface of the water and take off in the air with it. What a sight! Our canoes wandered in and out of the tunnel -like watery trail that some- times narrowed down so that the canoes barely squeezed through. We saw wood storks using their big open See Focus, next page Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh This is our only true stork, a southern bird that's rarely seen as far north as Long Island. It's having a difficult time surviving because of Its loss of habitat, particularly during nesting time. Looking almost ugly on the ground, It's magnificent In flight. -LET'S LOOK BACK there were fewer campers. Yet it was good to see the tent section going strong and it brought back memories of when we were younger and slept on the ground without giving it a second thought. In no time at all we were 75 years ago March 21, 1924 Klan paper comes out: A weekly newspaper to be pub- lished in the interest of the Ku Klux Klan of Suffolk County will make its appearance sometime this week, it is said, and will be edited by the Rev. Howard Mather, pas- tor of East Moriches Methodist Church. The paper will be called "Klan Kraft." A lively campaign: The candidacy of William J. Mills of Greenport for Republican state committeeman gains strength daily. Mr. Mills, wherever he goes about the dis- trict, has that rare ability of making and holding friends. He is recognized as a man well fitted for the leadership of his party. ... His many friends predict that when the ballots are counted after the primary election that he will be elected Republican committeeman by a large majority. 50 years ago March 25, 1949 Advertisements: Special this week: Jumbo shrimp, 15 to the pound, 85 cents; large jumbo soft crabs, 35 cents each; rock lobster tails, $1 per pound; steamer clams, half peck, $1.25; and many other seafood items at Pell's Seafood Market. Telephone Greenport 146. Used aircraft for sale: $325 for Piper J3F -60, manufac- tured December 1939. Aircraft TT 2486; engine TT 1456. Right wing and fuselage recovered 1948. Runs and flies OK. Will cost $50 to license. $1,990 for Howard DGA -15P. P &W 450 Wasp in a clean five -place ship. Blue leather seats, full radio, hydro - matic prop with spinner. Flown 10 hours since conversion and refinish. Engine OK, airframe good. A real buy for the person who wants a cross- country airplane. All planes are based at Mattituck Airhase and may be inspected at any time. 25 years ago March 21, 1974 Townsend elected mayor: Joseph Townsend Jr., 28, toppled politicians' predictions this Tuesday to win the post of Mayor of Greenport by 421 to 320, including six absentee ballots. Incumbent Mayor David Walker, who was generally assumed to he a shoo -in, answered the phone cheerily at his home after the polls closed and found people com- menting, "Are you kidding ?" when he told them the final figures. Even young Joe, usually urbane and imperturbable, seemed surprised at the plurality of votes he received, attributing it to villagers' desire for a change in direction at a time that he feels is critical in Greenport's development. In an election noted for its sportsmanship on both sides neither candidate said a harsh word about the other — both candidates represented different worlds: Walker a seasoned, experienced politician, and Townsend, a new- comer to politics with a fresh slant on old problems, the people's choice.