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Pedaling into the Past

Posted on: Friday, 28 January 2005, 18:00 CST

Music from Phantom of the Opera blared from a boom box just outside the visitor center at Shark Valley late Sunday afternoon, calling dozens of cyclists over to trip leader Jim Cooner for a brief talk about our sunset bicycle ride into the Everglades.

Cooner, a park volunteer, was joined by ranger Maria Thomson and volunteer Cecelia Barrett in leading the trip. Each guide straddled a well-outfitted bicycle equipped with a flashing rear light and a radio to call for help in case one of our 44 riders had trouble.

All the preparation was comforting - partly because I wasn't sure whether our 6- and 9-year-old sons could handle the 15-mile ride on the tram road on a night when temperatures were expected to drop into the low 40s.

Cooner advised us to pass on the left, tell others when we were passing and not to rush. Finally, our big moment arrived. We folded up kickstands and started pedaling south away from civilization, wobbling a bit as we started. Barrett served as the sweep, riding behind our group to make sure everyone made it to the tower.

The first leg of the ride took us 8 miles through the marsh to the 65-foot observation tower, where so many ibises and other white birds roost at dusk that Thomson calls the blotches of white on the trees "Miami snow."

The ride south toward the observation tower made the two-hour drive from West Palm Beach worthwhile. Birds - wood storks, white and glossy ibises, blue herons, night herons and great egrets - foraged for fish in the shallows. Others filled the sky, headed to roosts.

Alligators lounged nonchalantly on the shoulder of the paved tram road and in clear, shallow water near the road. The air was cool and crisp, perfect for riding. As we rode south, we looked out over the golden glow of the setting sun over the sawgrass. To the left was the rising moon, its white glow reflected in the shallow water.

Except for the tram road, built by Humble Oil Co. in 1946 and later donated to the park, we were experiencing a slice of vast, open Everglades - a place startlingly different from the cities we had driven through to reach Shark Valley. After about an hour of easy riding, including stops for photos, we arrived at the observation tower. An alligator sat motionless in the moonlight, watching us as we parked our bikes at the base of the tower.

The concrete tower, with its corkscrew-like walkway leading to the upper deck, provides a perch for looking out over the Shark River Slough. Built by the park service in 1965, the tower is similar to the one in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our group of cyclists gathered at the top of the tower just as darkness was settling in and birds were coming in to roost in nearby trees.

During a half-hour presentation, Cooner spoke about the discovery of Florida, about the changes in the Everglades over tens of thousands of years, about the Seminoles and the Miccosukees and the U.S. troops that pursued them. He also answered one of the most common questions: How did Shark Valley get its name?

Shark Valley, for starters, is in a valley - elevations are higher to the east and west. And in the valley lies a slough that funnels water south and west to the Gulf of Mexico around Cape Sable and the Shark River, which is where the shark part of the name comes in.

After Cooner's talk, we climbed back on our bikes and started the 7-mile ride home. Cooner advised us not to use our bike lights. The moon was providing plenty of light, and we would have a better chance of seeing wildlife without a light. Glowing light sticks, given to us at the entrance gate, were hanging from our necks.

The north wind from an approaching cold front made the return trip tougher. It was darker and colder. About 2 miles from the observation tower, our 6-year-old son tired and stopped. We could have waited for a guide to call a truck over, but a friendly man with a small boy offered to carry our son on the crossbar of his bike, so we agreed to try it.

I carried my son's small bike on my shoulders. The man, Pablo Lorenzo of Homestead, riding with two boys on his bike, took off so fast I didn't see him for miles. I strained to make headway against the chilly wind. Everyone I passed had seen the man with two boys on his bike.

When I arrived at the parking lot, everyone was fine. Lorenzo, who spent 30 years riding bicycles in Cuba, had been among the first to arrive. The only problem he had during the windy ride back was the fussing coming from his 19-month-old son in the back seat.

"He was jealous," Lorenzo said.

- willie_howard@pbpost.com

Exploring Shark Valley

Getting there: Take Florida's Turnpike south to U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) and drive west. The entrance to Shark Valley is on the south side of U.S. 41 about 30 miles west of Miami

Hours: The parking lot is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The visitor center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. (winter hours). Visitors can park outside the gate and enter at their own risk at other times.

Entrance fee: $10 per car (good for seven days at any park entrance). Annual pass: $25.

Full-moon bike tours: Guided full-moon bike tours along the 15- mile loop road at Shark Valley are scheduled for Feb. 24 and March 25. Participants should bring their own bicycles. Helmets required. Fee: $15 for adults, $7 for ages 12 and under. Reservations required.

Slough slogs: Guided, three-hour wet hikes through a cypress swamp, hardwood hammock and sawgrass marsh begin at 1 p.m. Saturdays during the winter (through April 2). Fee: $15 for adults, $7 for youths 12 and under. Minimum age 8. Reservations required.

Tram tours: Narrated, two-hour tram tours give visitors a good introduction to Shark Valley. Tours depart on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week during the winter. Tickets: $13.25 for adults, $12.25 for seniors and $8 for youths 3-12.

Shark Bytes: Half-hour talks about the Everglades and Shark Valley begin at 2:15 p.m. daily at the benches under the chickee. Free with admission.

Bikes: Visitors can ride the 15-mile loop road on their own bicycles or rent bikes for $5.75 per hour.

Trails: The Bobcat Boardwalk and Otter Cave Trail offer visitors the opportunity to get off the paved loop road for short, self- guided walks.

Wildlife: Alligators, anhingas and a variety of birds, including white and glossy ibises, wood storks, herons and egrets, are regularly seen at Shark Valley. January and February are peak months for birds. Visitors also can see white-tailed deer, river otters and snakes.

Details: Call the Shark Valley Visitor Center at (305) 221-8776. For information on tram tours or bike rentals, call (305) 221-8455. For more information about special winter activities in other parts of Everglades National Park, go online to www.nps.gov/ever.

Source: Palm Beach Post

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