Okeechobee

Lake Okeechobee, which means "big water" in the Seminole language, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in North America.  It's right behind the green dike, built after hurricane-related flooding in 1928.  The Herbert Hoover Dike protects the farmlands and communities that surround the 750 square-mile body of water.

After driving to the northernmost point of Florida's "inland sea," Christine and I took a hike in the Taylor Creek Stormwater Treatment Area just outside of Okeechobee.

The politics of water isn't pretty in Florida but you'd never know it from this setting.

A friendly waitress at a local barbecue restaurant told us we'd see plenty of gators and birds.  We weren't disappointed.  You can get pretty damn close to both!

 

We thought Spanish moss might be harming the host trees, but a native Floridian told us the red chiggers it houses were a bigger threat to humans.  You can see one in the close-up below if you look hard enough.