Everglades Stay Coming to an End

Our stay at Everglades Isle Motorcoach Resort & Marina was relaxing and fun.  It was a different kind of marina from what we have seen so far.  It is primarily a luxury RV camp in Everglades City that has a few slips for cruiser-type boats that require 50-amp service.  It has dozens of slips for smaller boats.  We got a good education in docking in strong current/wind, but once we settled down we really enjoyed the atmosphere of a working fishing village and learning about the history of this part of Florida.  There was a nice museum that does a good job of describing how Everglades City came into being.  The main fishing industry here is the stone crab business.  Needless to say, we had to sample some of the "just off the boat" crab claws that most of the restaurants here have.  The stone crab is captured in a "crab pot" trap, one of the claws is broken off by the fishermen, tossed in a cooker on the boat and the crab is put back in the sea to grow another claw.  There will always be crab claws to harvest.  

Another enterprise located here in the marina area is the airboat tour business.  Starting at 9:00 every morning, several airboats are buzzing around with a load of tourists on-board looking for dolphins, alligators and getting a tour of the mangrove forest in this area.  This can get rather noisy, but it's fun to watch.  Several women come out in the mornings and evenings to fish off the piers.  One woman caught an 8 lb. black drum next to our boat.  I tried to get in on the action but only managed a 1 lb. catfish.  

The facilities here are over the top beautiful landscaping, swimming pool and clubhouse, shower, free laundry and a salon for the women.  It's a short walk to the First Choice Grocery Store and as far as we can tell, it’s the only choice.  Several restaurants line the riverbanks and serve local catches.  This is a "snowbird" destination for sure.

That's the news for now and here are some views:

Last sunset for us at Everglades Isle

A whimsical herb garden at the Camelia Restaurant

Another shot at the Camelia

Viridian as viewed from the Camelia Restaurant

 Streets and RV pads paved with oversized bricks

 Clean-up still in progress from Irma (there is a barge under that pile of brush)

 Rod and Gun Club

One of many crab boats coming in from a day's work

Paperwork.  Can't escape it...

In the back of the clubhouse

Clubhouse porch

Pool at clubhouse

Hoping to catch the "big one"

The dock master

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These belonged to the first game warden in Everglade City.  He was killed by egret poachers back in the early 1900's 

Fabulously Fresh Crab Claws at Camelia's

Egret Pocher