August 9, 2012

AIRBOATS & SWAMP BUGGIES

Roaring around pristine nature.
Everybody is impressed by the natural beauty and uniqueness of Florida Everglades. What a priceless piece of pristine nature !  Excuse me, what did you say ? – I did not quite hear you now.
An airboat was just roaring by.  Its billion-horsepower noise at the deafening level – to the point that the tourists have to don earplugs to take a ride through that “pristine” nature of the Everglades. The tourism ads do not tell you about that !
But this certainly must be the way to go and see “nature” – all ads recommend it.  Mother Nature just loves our roaring contraptions. It is for sure that all the birds are waiting for them.  Elks and deers too. They are known to come from a distance to experience the roar.  And alligators ?
Actually, most people must believe that when it is “horse power” it must be natural.
So we put these horse-powered engines on airboats and plow the Everglades waters with them.  Oh, that wonderful nature around – and the wildlife ! Never mind the eardrum-piercing noise, we paid for it.
And where there is not enough water, we hop on the swamp-buggies and rip up the land too.
With a zillion horsepowers it just must be the best way to experience the magic of pristine nature.  And we are dead set on doing it. Some even call it a “sport”. Well, it shakes up the potbellies - -
Sometimes I wish that fuel would cost $50 per gallon.
As little boy-scouts, we may have heard something about “see and not be seen” when entering the majestic outdoors cathedral of Mother Nature. By extension, also “hear and not be heard” – a broken twig is a disturbance - -
I don’t know if our children are aware nowadays what nature is and what it is all about. However, they may catch glimps of it on their smart phones. The roaring monster of an airboat or a swamp-buggy gives them the thrill of power – isn’t that the nature we see all around ?
Now – take a kayak and try to see the watery beauty of the Everglades – you don’t have to go too far, there is enough of it just around the corner. Just make sure that you don’t get run over by an airboat – although you will hear it from 10 miles away. But watch out - they may not hear you.
If you are a landlubber – just walk away on the flat and luscious Everglades land feeling your way with a stick. And keep away from the tracks that a swamp-buggy left there – it may come back to devour you – rather than a panther or an alligator.
See, listen, enjoy - no horse-powers, no earplugs – just you and her, Mother Nature.

2 comments:

  1. Having grown up in Miami I had the wonderful experience of some inner Glades non motorized travel and camping on levees.
    Sure was nice to move to Northeast Florida where foot access is effective.
    I will always understand the important presence and poltical role the airboaters and buggie folk have contributed to the South Florida landscape,no matter how obtuse their presence is.
    And again,glad to be outta there,in favor of firmer land. (And Osceola National Forest is pretty wild.....)

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