D.I. COLUMNIST
On the Road
with Van Abernethy
M
y 2018 racing season
began with a hair-raising
adventure deep in the
swampland of Florida after I de-
cided to pack some additional gear
to compliment my usual litany of
cargo. Since my replacement work
van, a 2016 Ford Transit 250, is both
taller and wider than the outgoing
2003 Dodge Sprinter, it allows for
some additional freight, so I decided
to put that extra space to good use
with some fishing tackle!
Honestly, I pass too many creeks
and rivers in my travels to not cast
a line every
now and then,
so after mak-
ing some early-
season racing
stops in South
Georgia, Or-
lando and Bra-
denton I took
a few days to
explore a most
unique treasure:
the Florida Ev-
erglades. If it’s
your desire to
spend some
quality time in
the wild, where
frightening
noises screech
from the swamp
after nightfall,
believe me, this
is the place for
you!
I guess the
first thing that
struck
me
about the Ev-
erglades were
the signs along
the roadway
that cautioned
the existence of
native panthers
that reside here.
Once a thriv-
ing species that
populated sev-
eral southern
states, it’s estimated that fewer than
100 Florida panthers inhabit the
Everglades. Among the copious dan-
gers that threaten their existence,
mortality by collision with auto-
mobiles actually ranks high on the
list. That’s why the speed
limit drops from 60 mph
to 45 mph after nightfall,
and certain stretches of
US 41 are even outfitted
with a 10-foot-tall fence
on both sides of the road,
complete with numerous
“panther crossing” signs.
Additionally, while your eyes are
peeled for majestic creatures dart-
ing across the highway, you should
also be aware of the giant turtles
that meander across the road at all
hours of the day and night! a line into the body of
water that flows parallel
with this two-lane high-
way and soon something
exotic will be nibbling at
your hook.
Oh yeah, the place is
also infested with alliga-
tors! I was experiencing
great success catching all sorts of
fascinating fish when I spied a small
concrete walkway that spanned a
portion of the water, so I thought I’d
walk across it and throw out a line...
that is until I spotted a gator lying
As for the fishing adventures that
this subtropical wilderness has to
offer, believe me, you don’t have to
board an airboat and travel deep
into the swamp. Simply pull onto
the shoulder of US 41 and throw stock-still at the north end! Within
a couple minutes I spotted another
one (much larger) stretched out in
the sun on the river bank, and yet
another gator floating silently down
the river right in front of me.
I soon learned that you must re-
main vigilant every waking second
while in the Everglades because this
place is crawling with just about
every toothy thing imaginable!
Right about dusky dark is when
I began hearing those unsettling
noises coming from deep within the
swamp, and I was seriously consid-
ering getting the heck out of there.
The thing is, I had just landed a fine
catfish and I was trying for another!
A sweep of my flashlight along the
river’s edge revealed various sets of
glowing eyes. Keep in mind, I’m out
here completely
alone, save the
occasional car
that passed by.
Just a few mo-
ments later I felt
a nice tug at my
line and I re-
sponded with a
lightning-quick
pull that re-
sembled a good
old-fashioned
yank of a Lenco
lever! “Gotcha!”
I shouted with
conviction as
I began to reel
in m y prize. All
the while those
chilling noises
from the swamp
began to squawk
their disapprov-
al. Meanwhile,
my wife is be-
wailing her anxi-
ety too, via text
message. “You
better get out
of there!” was
her stern warn-
ing. Right about
then, I glanced
over and saw a
black and grey
snake slither-
ing up beside
me. “Snakes too,
huh?” I mum-
bled under my breath. That’s when
I realized I’d had my joyous fill of
the Everglades.
If you ever get the chance, go visit
this place...and by all means, take a
friend!
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54 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
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