01/28/2025 ICW Day 28 : Gator Raid

Today was one of those rare, golden days—the kind you embark on these journeys for, the kind that glows a little brighter in memory. But perhaps its magic is sharpened by the contrast of last week’s struggles. Like sunlight after a storm, its sweetness is made richer by the bitter cold that came before.

We headed straight for Merrit Island National Wildlife Refuge. I had seen a route called “Black Point Wildlife Drive” on the map. Janet would bravely stand atop the folding bike’s rack and hold onto my shoulders as I pedaled us down a few miles of road to the place where we thought we might see an animal we hadn’t seen yet in Florida.

We made it to the trail and we took turns riding / walking / running. It was a great trail, and we continued to see an abundance of wildlife: Great Blue Herons, Killdeer, Snowy Egrets, Spoonbills, Arctic Terns, Pelicans, Ducks, Osprey, and Dolphins… but we still had been missing a sighting of a certain large Florida reptile that we can’t see at home.

Eventually, we had to turn back. We were happy to have done the trail. We hadn’t achieved our objective of seeing that long chomping reptile, but I consoled myself by remembering how I wanted this to “happen organically.” We could certainly go to a place like a zoo where you can see animals that you’re targeting, but “failure” is actually part of the fun! Janet climbed back on top of the bike and we were riding the 2.5 miles of pavement back to the boat when suddenly out of the corner of my eye, i spotted a very long and scaly organism. We had to slow down gradually so Janet wouldn’t fly over my head - and by the time we ran back to the sighting spot, only a tail was visible. But now we were alerted, and next thing you know, I spoted more alligators in a nearby roadside pool! Janet and I headed in on foot, elated to see 4 gators! American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis as identified by ChatGPT using my photo). We got as close as we felt comfortable and were overjoyed to have had the experience. I did note the irony (again). We had spent quite a while at the National Wildlife Refuge… only to spot them along the roadside. But oh well, this is wild life in 2025!

We met some cool people along the way (Deb, Dianne, and Angie (pictured)) who told us that the pink birds we had seen were Roseate Spoonbills. I had been thinking, “they are pink, but don’t look like Flamingos”.

We also met Mike and Sally, a couple in their 60s escaping frozen Michigan for a short vacation. Mike, a farmer, had once taken Sally on a trip to California, which sounds great—until you find out the vacation was to the Central Valley… because you know: Farms. Sally, to her credit, went along with it. Later, Mike redeemed himself a bit: “Well we went to Napa too.”

The rest of the day was on a high from the fun interactions, great weather, and cool wildlife sightings. A++ !