El Laguno del Espiritu Santo #14

That is what the Spanish called the forbidding but awe inspiring Everglades. 
I loved the author's description of the area as, "vast, miasmic swamps, poisonous lagoons, huge dismal marshes without outlet, a rotting, shallow, inland sea, or labyrinths of dark trees hung and looped about with snakes and dripping mosses, malignant with tropical fevers and malarias, evil to the white man."  Perhaps this was my favorite depiction of the Everglades because that is what I used to assume it was like.  As I have stated several times before, I am no nature lover and I actually fear the idea of unknown living things lurking just out of sight.
The author does however offer the counter point of the beauty and majesty of the vast expanse that is the shining green emerald located on the oversize spit that we call home.

My only experiences through the Everglades have been driving down Alligator Alley, often during the unlit hours of the night.  I find the entire situation rather terrifying and it has deterred me from wanting to see what it is that other people love about the area. However, my views might change as I have been convinced to go on an airboat with a friend of mine and witness the splendor for myself.