The marsh of the St. Johns River displays little impact from half a century of airboat use. Approximately 2,400 airboats are registered in the nearby counties, and many of them are operated on this river throughout the year. Most airboaters are conservation-minded, and operate their boats in a manner respecting the wildlife and habitat of the river valley, some are just into it for the speed and noise, and don't stay long enough to learn what real airboating is about. The airboat is more than just a mode of transportation, but a safe haven and portal into and out of an otherwise hostile environment. As dusk arrives, the shriek of eagles playing gives way to the trill of a family of raccoons making their way to the waters edge.
Turtles push off logs as the warmth of the sun fades into the trees.
Soon the sound of the marsh by day will turn to a din of crickets and mosquitoes as the splash of feeding gators, and the hoot of owls mark the shift change. I watch the reflective orange eyes of gators sink slowly from my light as my air-propelled sled slides by.