earendel was a mariner - day 4
Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2008 7:53 am
The last day of our cruise wasn't really a cruise day as such - the ship sailed overnight and was docked in Miami by the time we got up. We had to get up early, too, because elwing had scheduled an excursion to the Florida Everglades and the tour was supposed to leave at 7AM. We put our bags outside our cabin before going to bed; they were gone when we checked. A quick run up to the buffet to grab some breakfast and then down to the assembly area. We had to claim our luggage so that it could be loaded on the buses (which would take us to the airport after the excursion) - one of our bags ended up on the wrong carousel and it took us an extra half hour to locate it. Fortunately the buses weren't ready to go yet, so we had time.
The trip to the Everglades was pretty uneventful - there was a tour guide, of course, and he pointed out items of interest along the way, including alligators in the ditches alongside the highway. The excursion included a trip on an airboat into the Everglades themselves, with the opportunity to see wildlife "in the wild" and hear about the ecology of the region. The guide mentioned the Corps of Engineers several times - the Corps is trying to undo what it did a half-century ago when it straightened the waterways, which led to a diminution of the wetlands. I didn't say anything about being a Corps employee. After the tour we got to see a "Crocodile Hunter" displaying various types of wildlife native to the region, including an alligator (he showed us how to "rassle" one), a skunk, birds, and snakes. Then we had a box lunch and it was time to go back to the airport.
The flight from Miami was delayed because of weather, so instead of having an hour to get from one terminal to another to get to our connecting flight, we ended up with only about 20 minutes. elwing, knowing that we might not make it on time, asked someone at the arrival gate if there was a shorter way to get to the other terminal. Surprisingly, she took us through the bowels of the terminal and onto the tarmac, where an employee shuttle bus took us across to the other terminal. We ended up getting there ahead of those who walked/rode, and made it onboard for an on-time departure.
And thus the travel saga comes to an end.
The trip to the Everglades was pretty uneventful - there was a tour guide, of course, and he pointed out items of interest along the way, including alligators in the ditches alongside the highway. The excursion included a trip on an airboat into the Everglades themselves, with the opportunity to see wildlife "in the wild" and hear about the ecology of the region. The guide mentioned the Corps of Engineers several times - the Corps is trying to undo what it did a half-century ago when it straightened the waterways, which led to a diminution of the wetlands. I didn't say anything about being a Corps employee. After the tour we got to see a "Crocodile Hunter" displaying various types of wildlife native to the region, including an alligator (he showed us how to "rassle" one), a skunk, birds, and snakes. Then we had a box lunch and it was time to go back to the airport.
The flight from Miami was delayed because of weather, so instead of having an hour to get from one terminal to another to get to our connecting flight, we ended up with only about 20 minutes. elwing, knowing that we might not make it on time, asked someone at the arrival gate if there was a shorter way to get to the other terminal. Surprisingly, she took us through the bowels of the terminal and onto the tarmac, where an employee shuttle bus took us across to the other terminal. We ended up getting there ahead of those who walked/rode, and made it onboard for an on-time departure.
And thus the travel saga comes to an end.
