When we woke up on day 21 in the Everglades, there were 2 goals. First, get in an airboat ride through the Glades. Second, drive northbound to civilization to give ourselves a chance at fixing the air conditioning.

If you read day 20, you know I already covered the AC repairs.

As for the Glades, we woke up early to break camp. By 8:45am, we were at an airboat company that LaShera found online. Normally, for a family of 5, those rides cost anywhere from $120-$350. The company LaShera found had a father’s day special that was free for dads. They also had an honor roll discount for children, making it free for A/B students.

The specials aren’t suppose to be valid with other offers. But, when Shera registered online, their system allowed it. So, we got 5 tickets for $54. Score.

The drive of the airboat was a bit of a daredevil. He enjoyed whipping the boat around in the open-water areas, which resulted in quite a bit of salt spray coming over the side of the boat to get the girls wet.

It was impressive watching him navigate the mangrove canals. Clearly, he had navigated them many times before. Often, he would turn directly toward a tree, causing some of the passengers to get worried expressions. But, then the tail of the boat whipped around and we found ourselves going into another narrow canal.

We saw several gators up close in their natural habitat.

Afterward, we visited the visitor centers for Big Cyprus and Everglades. Then, we traveled 3 hours northbound to camp.

Aside from the fiasco of fixing the air conditioning, the rest of the day didn’t provide a lot to write about. We took it easy.

This last leg of the journey will involve a lot of beach time and relaxation before we rejoin civilization.