Navigating In The Everlglades

Almost hit 60 degrees today. I decided to take advantage of it and I rode my bike into Everglade City. Made my usual stops: Hardware store, library, gift shop etc....I took a detour down a road I've never been on before. I know that's hard to believe since there are so few roads. The destination was Plantation Island. It's just a small little community of probably 100 or so houses, shacks and mobile homes. I knew what was there because we've gone past it before in the boat, but I've never ridden through the area. I pasted a couple cars that were leaving the area, but once I got into the populated area I saw NO ONE! Seriously not one person. I felt like Will Smith in "I Am Legend" where he finds himself alone in the world. The only noise was water turning over a water wheel in a small little pond in some one's front yard and a few birds chirping. It was a little freaky. I expected to be ambushed by the townspeople at any moment and held prisoner being forced to clean fish for the rest of my life or maybe worse. I rode up and down every dead end street nothing stirring, not even a mouse (It's too cold for the mice). Finally I notice movement. I see a little old lady slightly bent over, shuffling down her driveway. She was wearing white knee high rubber crabbing boots and carrying a bottle of something. She was heading toward a bush and I thought that maybe she had something in the bottle that she was going to spray on the bush. When I got closer I saw what she really had was a liter bottle of Canadian Mist. Classic! I said "Hi" as I passed her and she responded. I'm not sure what she said, I was too busy giggling to myself. I turned around when I got to the corner to see what she was doing. She was still huddled around the bush. Maybe that is where she keeps her stash so her husband can't steal it. Drinking and fishing are the favorite past times of the locals here. Some people do one or the other, but most people do both. There is a bumper sticker at the hardware store that says: "Chokoloskee, A Drinking Village With A Fishing Problem."

As I am leaving and heading back up the causeway, a car passes me going into the village. It's a little old man with yellowish white hair and beard and a sunken mouth. He stares at me then gives me a two finger wave. I figured that was his salute to me for making it out alive.