Thanks to Delta cancelling our flight home from Florida, we had an extra day to explore, so we drove down to the Everglades.
![Florida2016-7232 Florida2016-7232](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/e7319e2ecbe362266e8ddae248a4ab5d/Florida2016-7232-900x900.jpg)
We took a tram tour with Shark Valley, the only operating tour through the national park.
The first thing our guide, Julio, did was to right our expectations. Unlike Grand Teton and Grand Canyon National Parks, the Everglades has no dramatic or awe-inspiring scenery.
![Florida2016-7447 Florida2016-7447](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/46817e59105c0756f7e4d9f736b5647a/Florida2016-7447-900x900.jpg)
Instead, it is a prairie, home to a complex biodiversity of animals. Conservation is the reason for the park more than natural beauty.
![Florida2016-7287 Florida2016-7287](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/563813d751099d5b9d6bb3e9a961c09e/Florida2016-7287-900x900.jpg)
We headed out on the pram as Julio explained the extreme amount of rain this year's dry season had brought.
![Florida2016-7167 Florida2016-7167](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/fea469097af0e91b932aebe8b3d7c875/Florida2016-7167-900x900.jpg)
Unfortunately, this meant we saw fewer alligators than normal, but we still saw probably 10 big gaters.
![Florida2016-7257 Florida2016-7257](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/7cabb1fbc811715ee6c7336a98c0f1ab/Florida2016-7257-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-7250 Florida2016-7250](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/e3c9530ce1b75ebffa2594018209a7e1/Florida2016-7250-900x900.jpg)
Julio walked into the marsh to pull up a handful of the permeable clay and soil that is the basis for all of life in the Everglades. It felt like a weird sponge but had no bad odor, like I expected.
![Florida2016-7215 Florida2016-7215](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/f7363b1e1181024a245c529c5c09b3ad/Florida2016-7215-900x900.jpg)
The tram took us along wet trails to the park's tower (build in the 60's during a time of space exploration), which we climbed to look out over the landscape.
![Florida2016-7251 Florida2016-7251](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/9ffe09f7e57bb98a9ed71e9cca0c4adb/Florida2016-7251-900x900.jpg)
Look how deep the water on the paths came; this was due to the flooding this year.
![Florida2016-7307 Florida2016-7307](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/155c4c51504a68c380a6e28555e11b89/Florida2016-7307-900x900.jpg)
The way back from the tower included a rainbow of tropical birds, which our driver spotted and Walk quickly shot before they flew or walked off.
![Florida2016-7416 Florida2016-7416](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/d4f4c9da3eb5b5b74ca8517ad9089ea9/Florida2016-7416-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-7436 Florida2016-7436](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/48e27e3b52f12aefe10bb5c52055b50d/Florida2016-7436-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-7429 Florida2016-7429](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/083558bced5cac5b452587de9e22403c/Florida2016-7429-900x900.jpg)
This heron had a 6 foot wingspan and only weighed about 5 pounds!
![Florida2016-7410 Florida2016-7410](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/8452a5555b51f94ca749b5757fba168e/Florida2016-7410-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-7381 Florida2016-7381](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/8970bc6218bdde7adee323b4e19eabf5/Florida2016-7381-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-7372 Florida2016-7372](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/629a1aa52771f35467f340f9c25f0e5c/Florida2016-7372-900x900.jpg)
And he called this turquoise bird a Jesus bird because its long yellow legs made it look like it was walking on water.
![Florida2016-7342 Florida2016-7342](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/6ab3dfed566e108b34f87f1f69357d24/Florida2016-7342-900x900.jpg)
His iridescent colors were extravagant, especially compared to the muted prairie he walked through.
Julio, an ecologist, knew everything about the ecosystem he shared with us, and explained that the Everglades are in the middle of a massive restoration project to restore original drainage pathways that have been diverted.
![Florida2016-7293 Florida2016-7293](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/89265e16a58484f0bbf0b2847c7b2ad7/Florida2016-7293-900x900.jpg)
The park was, admittedly, less dramatic than I had expected, but the variety of animals and learning about the interconnected systems made up for it.
![Florida2016-7240 Florida2016-7240](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/f95cc8572b0f8d88f279c8a1e8b6362f/Florida2016-7240-900x900.jpg)
How peaceful and lovely, right?
![Florida2016-7186 Florida2016-7186](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/495b79b43911116089360385c3bab7a0/Florida2016-7186-900x900.jpg)
![Florida2016-7162 Florida2016-7162](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/95101b3f0d582fc972ac13f1521eac13/Florida2016-7162-900x900.jpg)