Lake Okeechobee

Photo: John's Mom 'driving' the boat

Continued across Florida on the Caloosahatchee/Okeechobee Waterway and through two sets of locks. Although the locks are 200’ long, the ‘lift’ is only 5 feet. The Waterway is pretty remote yet beautiful. The entire Okeechobee Waterway project was started in 1930 to manage the waters of central Florida Photo: the Okeechobee Waterway with trees devoid of foliage.

following two devastating hurricanes and floods. A network of rivers and canals drain the region into Lake Okeechobee during the summer rainy season. These are released during the winter dry season at a controlled rate. Lake Okeechobee is the second largest fresh water lake (700 sq miles) in the country. Since it is only on average 10 ft deep, it can get pretty nasty very quickly when the wind comes up.

We stopped in Clewiston, FL on the western edge of the lake and stayed at Bubba's Marina (actually "Roland and Mary Ann Martin's Marina"). Had a nice dinner in "town" at the Clewiston Inn. The waitress came to the marina and picked us up and drove us back. This area still has numerous sugar cane fields and mills.