Visiting Okeechobee Lake

One of my fondest memories growing up is going to the lake and having a picnic, wading, swimming, and my parents and some of my siblings fishing. I'm not sure when it happened but at some point the water in the lake became extremely muddy. I mean extremely muddy even stepping in the water which is something that I never had to deal with as a child. I recall a young man drowning after jumping into the lake because he got caught up in the weeds. People were getting rashes and infections from being in the water. And the lake is now overrun with alligators. To say that I would not allow my children to get in the water is an understatement. We do still love to go out on the pier and watch the gators, raccoons, snakes, and various birds while they feed, and just look at the lake during a sunrise or sunset it really is beautiful.