You Can't Get There From Here

May 9. 2013 (Continued)
It was a great relief returning to an air conditioned room after the pontoon boat excursion. The hotel power was back to full throttle and the paddle fan was spinning happy circles on the ceiling. Life is good. But I had one more hurdle to cross .... buying a ticket from the airboat lady who ordered me back no later than 4:30.

I walked down the stairs back into the heat, crossed the street and walked a block or so to the airboat tour building. This time there were a few people present. The lady was actually nice when she sold me the ticket (probably due to the witnesses) then proceeded to draw a map on how to get to the launch zone, a mile away! The boat leaves in 15 minutes.

"What?" I stammered. "You have boats right outside the window. You say I have to go a mile. I'm on foot." She said they merely park here. Town rules won't allow them to operate from here.

"You don't have a car?" She asked in disbelief.

As I began to whine and snivel that I'd have to walk (actually run) back to the hotel, imagining going back up the stairs, unlocking the door of my room so I could retrieve my helmet, going back down the stairs, etc, etc, a couple standing off to the side came to my rescue.

The lady said they were going to the same place and could give me a ride. I accepted their kind offer. She said they don't normally give strangers a lift but under the circumstances they'd make an exception. "But don't try anything," she joked. "Because my husband's a cop." Well then .... we're practically related. I announced my affiliation in the business, albeit retired.

The nice folks are Doug and Melba of Virginia. They'd just flown into Fort Lauderdale and this was their first stop on a road trip to the Florida Keys to celebrate their anniversary.

"Captain Doug," the airboat guy, was passing around a baby alligator when we arrived. Soon afterward, six of us boarded his boat ..... three in front, three in back and Captain Doug sat high above behind all of us.

Up front was a threesome from England. I sat to the right of Doug and Melba and we were soon motoring into the glades with yet two more passengers ... pelicans on the bow, waiting for a handout. Captain Doug threw them something, probably fish entrails. One had a hard time swallowing but finally did.

Hands down, the airboat ride far surpassed the boring pontoon excursion. It was a blast. Captain Doug entertained us with witty remarks from the swamp and seemed to take pleasure in splashing us by spinning the boat and sliding sideways.  As hot as it was none of us seemed to mind.

I liked Captain Doug and would have liked to have given him a tip (yep, he asked for one) but the pontoon panhandlers got the last of my small bills. I guess I didn't like Captain Doug well enough to give him a 20.

Doug and Melba drove me back to my hotel before continuing on their journey. We exchanged email addresses, handshakes and best wishes on our separate journeys. (I promised to send them a link to the video in which they starred.)

I returned to my now electrified room, basked a while in its air-conditioned comfort, then walked over to the buzzard-perched restaurant for dinner on the deck  from where I watched evening light cast its color over the swamp. Once again, life is good.

 Alligator Holding

14-Minute Video of Captain Doug's Airboat Ride

 Note The Buzzards On The Roof

Everglades Sunset