Labor Day Weekend...better late than never

This is going to be a long post...but at least it will have pictures!

A group of my friends along with me and the kid went to the Everglades this Labor Day for the Swamp Walks hosted by the artist/photographer Clyde Butcher. My friends Dan & Lindsey had gone on the swamp walk before and said it was great. They invited me because they know how much I like outdoorsy stuff.

This is the camp
 

You can't really tell, but there are a total of 4 tents and one screened enclosure. The screen tent proved to be a wise investment on my part. The first evening we all took it easy and just hung out after dinner.

Crash just LOVES to go camping!
 


The second day (Sunday) was the day we went on the Swamp Walk.This is our guide on the walk....
Jeff the guide and artist/photographer holding a bladderwort
 

I learned a few things on this trip...like that bladderworts are carnivorous plants. They have these bladders that are empty until some creature brushes up against them then WHAM! the bladder fills with water and sucks the little creature inside. Yum! Anyway, I think they are cool.

This is a scary fish eating spider....
 

They eat the tiny little Mosquito Fish. Guess why they call them Mosquito Fish....uh, duh, they eat the evil little skeeters.

This is the stash of insect repellent necessary to save our lives. Honestly, I was bitten so many times that I started having serious immune reactions and had to drive to the closest store for Benadryl. No kidding.
 



This is just a nice picture I took of the swamp on the walk
 


These are the caged alligators at the campsite. This campsite was CRAZY!!! This was a choice I had nothing to do with, but it was fun, especially after a few drinks. They had a mini zoo there. It was wild.
 

Mostly in the Everglades, you don't see alligators cages. They have free reign there. They don't bother people much, though. When you live here, you just get used to seeing them.

Anyway, we plan to make this excursion next year. Hopefully our circle of friends will grow and more folks will come into our campfire circle.