Roadtrip Series

Matt knew his stuff and where to go. First, we checked out his known hideyholes, where we eased up on a couple monster-sized gators. After assuring our crew that gators could not make the jump into our airboat, he put us within a scant couple of feet of these prehistoric beasts that measured upward of 12 feet. Seeing them in their natural habitat, without cages, was an amazing feeling.

We thought that our heartbeats might slow after leaving the gator areas, but that was not to be. Matt took us to some wide-open spaces and commenced to speed up and spin donuts in the airboat. Backwash rushed over the boat as we all did our best to stay seated and enjoy the spray. The grasslands tour was a fantastic way to experience the limitless wilderness of the area.

We capped our Wooten’s tour day off by visiting their Animals and Alligators Show and riding on their Swamp Buggy Tour. The Animals and Alligators Show featured classic Florida wildlife such as bobcats, American crocodiles, otters, turtles and more. They even house a pair of white tigers.

We then crossed the street for our Swamp Buggy Tour. Their swamp buggies are larger than life with oversized tractor tires and an open, elevated platform with seating for up to 20 people. It travels over dry land and muddy marshes, giving you a great vantage point to see plants and animals an airboat can’t reach. Our tour guide, Mike, was full of knowledge about the area, pointing out the Native American chickee huts, edible plants and the many colorful spiders that wove their webs in the overgrown forest.

‘CAUGHT OUR LIMIT O REDFISH BY LATE MORNING’

No trip to the area would be complete without fishing, so we asked around and found the highly recommended Everglades City Fishing Charters. We met up with Capt. Kaleb at Everglades Bait & Tackle early in the morning and found that it was the perfect place to get our crew’s fishing needs. Owned by Brandon and Alana, Kaleb’s parents, they have used years of southwest Florida experience to stock anything an angler needs, all of it right in the center of town yet on the water.

In fact, when we set out with Capt. Kaleb from the dock out back for some inshore fishing, we were in Chokoloskee Bay in minutes. Kaleb is a second-generation guide who grew up fishing the waters of Everglades National Park and Ten Thousand Islands, so he knew all the tricks and secrets needed to ensure that we had a successful and memorable day on the water.

Sure enough, we caught our limit of redfish by late morning and headed back to have them cleaned. Our blackened redfish dinner that night was delicious.

Everglades City is a magical mix of history and the outdoors. Come and see why it is truly “The Gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands.” FCM

ROUNDUP:

Everglades Adventures

Hotel Suites by Ivey House 107 Camellia St E., Everglades City, Florida 239-695-3299 evergladeshotelsuites.com

Everglades Old Time Charters Louis Daniels 239-241-1482 evergladesoldtimecharters.com

Captain Jack’s Airboat Tours 905 Dupont Street

Everglades City, Florida 239-695-4400 captainjacksairboattours.com

Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours 32330 Tamiami Trail East

Ochopee, Florida 239-695-2781 wootenseverglades.com

Everglades City Fishing Charters/ Everglades Bait & Tackle 200 Collier Ave., Everglades City, Florida 239-253-9926 evergladescityfishingcharters.com

‘MADE MY JOB EASY!’

Ihad the pleasure of photographing Miss Austlynn Lott, and let me tell y’all, she is a natural beauty and made my job easy! This photo is exactly what her and her family are all about. Being able to provide these precious memories that will last a lifetime, as you never know what tomorrow may bring, is a BLESSING!” Photo taken at Lott Ranch, Venus, Florida, using a Canon 80D.

‘CLOSER CONNECTION’

Ihad observed this young, redshouldered hawk since it had fledged from the nest,” Carolyn Tarkington says of her image at Halpetter Park in Lake City, Florida, that was caught on a Nikon P1000. “Occasionally it would return and hang out in the tree where it was reared, and I was lucky to be there one day when it returned. One of the things I enjoy about photography is that I can document the lifespan of a particular bird or animal by photographing in the same location often. This gives me a closer connection to my subjects.”

Beauty Around Us

This photo was taken in front of our home on our evening walk,” says Heather Gainey of High Springs, Florida, capturing her image at the family farm on an iPhone 11. “I love candid photos, especially when it includes one of my beloved horses. Photography to me is an amazing way to share the beauty around us with others.”

COWBOY UP!

Professional photographer

Brian Sumner captured this moment of my son, Carter Walsh, doing what he loves to do,” Kati Walsh of Leesburg, Florida, says of the image taken in Eustis at a roping instructor’s home. “He has been a Florida cowboy since he could talk. He is a fourth-generation Florida cowboy. He has already started his own heard of cattle and has up to eight. He has been rodeoing since he was 2. His passion for roping just started blooming in the last three to four years.”

Enjoy For Years To Come

This photo of my grandson, Laken Roan Smith,” Buckingham’s Holly Smith says of her photo taken with a Samsung Gallery smartphone in Arcadia, Florida. “He had just started kindergarten, and each morning he would cry so hard, but as he reached home, they have horses, dogs, chickens, which he is a true animal-lover, as his family. He would come home, catch his favorite chicken, and hold her and play with her. All the tears went away. Animal therapy is so amazing. He helps his brother care for all the chicks. He helps and wants to learn about anything. He even cleaned horses’ hooves. Now no more tears, and he loves school. Photography to me catches many precious memories, beauty, life’s teachings, nature, smiles, sadness. Many things to reflect back on and enjoy for years to come.”

DADDY’S ‘ATTA-GIRL’ MOMENT

This image is of two of my favorite people and very close friends, Greg and Brandi Witt, documenting their engagement,” says Sebring’s Linda Poirier Eveleth, catching her photo in Avon Park, Florida, on a Canon 5D. “Photography is a family hobby of ours. My father taught me everything I know about photography. Daddy passed from Alzheimer’s just nine short months after this photo was taken. I know he is giving me an ‘atta-girl’ from heaven for having a photo picked for the magazine. Photography to me is carrying on a family tradition, passion, and legacy.”

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‘SEE WHAT I SEE’

Photography is a means of escape from the everyday trials that test who you are,” says Brian Smith of Port Orange, Florida. His image in Casselberry was taken on a Nikon D7000. “I take photos for my own enjoyment and hope that others can see what I see. This little duckling was following her mama but stopped and took an interest in me. She showed no fear and had tremendous curiosity in who I was. I love her wideopen eyes and slight head tilt.”

‘I LOVE THIS PICTURE’

“Ilove being able to see my son Ragyn and his best friend Jake doing what they LOVE,” Okeechobee’s Kayla Jo Cherry Mohney says of her photo taken at a family pond in town. She uses a Sony for her work. “I love this picture, because when looking at them, it takes you back to that place, that time and that feeling; I never want to forget these moments with them. Ragyn and Jake fish every spare minute of the day.”

‘MAKES ME HAPPY’

Ilove looking at different scenes, sunsets, and nature,” says Lake Placid’s Linda Sexsmith, her photograph captured at Lake Francis in Highlands County on an iPhone 11. “Catching an image makes me happy.”