If you didn't throw your arms up yesterday and give thanks, or felt even slightly inconvenienced by yesterdays rain, you will want to hit the back key right now!
I almost skipped yesterdays ride even though the call of the swamp was strong. I'm glad Tat4u is really hooked on this new hobby and I'm even more glad Bigfish came on out to ride Macks fish camp with us. Good meeting you, and I can't wait to see that big bad bike out in the Holeylands.
So as we were over at the parking area grabbing a ratchet strap and talking, you could see the BIG black thunderheads on the horizon. Anyone who's ever been in the middle of an Everglades thunder storm knows the feeling you get when you see those approaching your position on the horizon.
Since Bigfish was already late, the first lightning strike that started a Sawgrass fire was enough to send him on his way. I can relate, I've had a few recent close calls with lightning myself, but we decided to go take shelter at the fishcamp and watch the show anyway.
3/4 of the way down the gravel road Tat4u's brand new Big Bear starts spitting and popping and dies, we throw the strap on and continue quick cause it is getting thick now and we are wide open.
We pulled into the camp and saw Keith over in the stall with his beautiful Arabian colt, Juancha. We ran over to hide from the big time lightning and torrential rain. If you've never been in an Everglades thunderstorm, let me tell you it is intense. far more intense than standing in the eye wall of a hurricane. The thick black clouds swirling around you, the lightning, the smell and all you can hear is rain. No picture could ever do this justice.
After twenty or so minutes, the hog and the horse knew it, they were playing in the stall like mad, it was funny as could be. Everyone there knew it at the same time. Keith, Betty, Tat4u and I all felt it, and it is best summed up by Keith who said something like this, 'man this is the same feeling an Indian standing on a high mound somewhere in the swamp a thousand years ago felt..the feeling you get when you KNOW it is the first rain of the season, with many more to come to relieve this awful drought...the sun started shining and the rain continued to pour like mad. The lightning was off to the city...he continued on to say, 'you know tomorrow, everything will be more alive. The greens will be greener and everything will just be growing.' and I know he is right.
Walking out into the sun in the pouring rain to see a giant rainbow over the swamp and dark blackness and lightning over the city reminded me just why I love Gods country, the Everglades so much.
As the sun dried the pile of stuff for the bonfire coming that night, and the gallon of Crown was on its way, I had to leave to go to work!!
I couldn't help but go down the boat ramp before I left to see what had happened, it was enough to put the smile back on my face. The mud was thick, and the water was back in a long sheet. The swamp was smiling again, that is for sure. It smelled good, and the clear blue sky offset with the purple sunset was as beautiful as it can get.
This might seem over the top even for me, but as I watched Conan make a pretty funny joke about us and our eighteen month drought, I was still thinking about it and must have told this story on the phone three times already anyway, I realised it just ain't dramatic enough to describe what went down out there yesterday.
Normally I would have pictures to tell my story, but I forgot the camera for the first time in my life and am glad. I don't think it would have happened the way it did for me if I did have it, although I'm sorry I don't have a video of the hog chasing the colt in circles to show..
Have a good day!! I know I will, and if you get a chance, I would ride the boat ramp at Macks if you can, because in two weeks it will be airboat country again, these are conditions I haven't seen in twenty years, and don't expect to see again for another twenty, if ever again in my life. I for one am glad, because it just don't feel right being able to explore the darkest depths of the swamp on a little quad like we've been doing. The swamp isn't usually so nice as to open its very heart to you like this..
