Day 17: Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve is not one of the 63 major National Parks. It is a very important piece of the ecosystem in southern Florida. It was under a 90 min car ride from our hotel. Also, from a Junior Ranger perspective, the three parks all share the same Jr. Ranger booklet, so we had completed the Big Cypress pages yesterday while doing the Biscayne pages. Muck to our surprise the National Park Service has also just introduced Junior Fire Ranger Certification badges. Which we were also able to earn. Personally, I am happy they did not do a background check on me, when I burnt down the field that was next to our home when I was in fifth grade.

At Big Cypress they have a very nice boardwalk where we saw alligators, birds, turtles, and tons of fish. It was a nice ride out to the preserve and a nice visit once we were there.

Emily Gamboa the ranger who swore us in was great, she is a part time ranger, sic months on, six months off. Emily has tons of passion and energy for the parks, Listening to her talk with the kids - she is so good with them. The park service is fortunate to have her. Most all of the Park Rangers we have met are great. They really go the extra mile to make sure everyone gets the most out of their park visits.

So, if you are in Florida - do not pass up the opportunity for a visit to Big Cypress National PreserveRead more