Florida Panhandle

Rocky Bayou – See Previous Florida Blog – for last March!  The home of the dainty pale green “deer moss” that dots the forest floor alongside the hiking paths!  Rocky Bayou - located north of the emerald green waters of the gulf and across the Choctawatchee Bay from the other two, way more popular state parks – Topsail and Henderson Beach.  Rocky Bayou Park sits along side the Boggy Bayou.  The town of Niceville also used to be called Boggy but the folks thought the name was not appropriate since it was such a

Rocky Bayou shoreline

NICE town and changed the name in 1910. The park is also the former home of the WWII gunnery and bombing practice range for Col James Doolittle’s B25 squadron!  It seemed like every night you could still hear bombs being dropped in the lake.  We knew better tho since the bombing practice was stopped before 1950 when neighboring Elgin Air Force Base turned the land over to the state.  But each day the roar of jets and the drone of helicopters were seen and felt as they flew low overhead after they took off or before they landed at the nearby bustling military base.

Something to learn – a “bayou” means a flat, low lying area, a slow moving stream, a marshy lake or a wetland where the current changes with the local tide.  It contains “brackish” water, which means part salt and part fresh water – the amounts depended on the direction of the tide. 

Fat Tuesday came and went.  Mardi Gras was being celebrated in a newly developed area of Destin and H felt we should make the

effort to locate and partake in the festivities.  This new area, built on the edge of another bayou was a village unto itself with homes, condos, shops, restaurants, a man made river with boardwalks and bridges and even a golf course.  Hours before the parade was to begin, the patios and walkways were being filled with party going revelers, bedecked with silly hats and mega strains of shiny beads, mimicking the gold, purple and green bejeweled strands that were strung across the narrow pedestrian streets.  Music blasted the area and the announcement was finally made that the parade had begun!  Soon, heavily decorated golf carts in various themes began dividing the already thick crowd.  They

were led by a ragtag group of musicians playing New Orleans style music. There were costumed dogs and their matching owners!  Each golf cart entourage included costumed characters flinging more strands of beads or tossing candy into the outstretched hands of all the excited children.  One KREWE group was decorated to the hilt in gaudy hot pink flamingo attire.  A “KREWE” is a social origination that puts on a ball or parade for the carnival season –aka Mardi Gras!  Another KREWE was drenched in green, purple and black metallic everything with skulls tucked in everywhere and a large stuffed gator, presided on top.  It pulled a 3wheeled trike being ridden by a tuxedo-wearing skeleton groom and his be-gowned skeleton bride!

From the coastal highway, there are 3 ways to reach Niceville and the/Rocky Bayou State Park – Rt 20 from the east, Rt 85 from the west or the two-lane Mid Bay Bridge that divides the lake in the

middle.  The 3.6 mile long bridge is a toll bridge but is the quickest and easiest way to reach the town of Destin or the stunning beaches along the coast.    At the southern end of the bridge is the Legendary Marina building - a huge blue structure that is painted all around with a Wyland Mural of whales.  The entire roof of this mammoth structure is the biggest painted American flag mural in the USA and was dedicated in 2016. 

Walton Beach is the tourist area to the west of Destin and the beaches there are also stunning - snow white sand and amazingly clear water on a sunny day.  It’s Spring Break in Florida and there were bikini-clad teens huddled up near the shelter house and restaurant areas, inspite of this cold and breezy day.  The boys were brave enough to attempt a fast moving (to keep warm?) game of volleyball!  The shoreline was peaceful and almost quiet - other than the howl of the wind and the squawk of

seagulls.   The volleyball courts near the water were void of any of those goose-bumpy skinned teen bodies!

Wow – it’s time to bid adieu to our new Michigan friends and their bouncy granddaughter M and energetic puppy Emma and hit the highway once more.  Like me – they also make an annual trip to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan Hospital!   We are still heading west but we will be stopping before we reach Alabama.  We’d better stop - - this next campground is on an island.  The road dead-ends at Ft Pickens in the Gulf Islands National Seashore and on the other side of the watery passage IS Alabama!!  This “train” don’t float!

Central And North Gulf Coast

It’s time to go – time to move farther north, up the Gulf Coast to the tiny crossroads town of Inglis.   We were dreading dragging the “train” thru the hectic traffic of Brandon’s fast growing city sprawl and then fighting more heavy Tampa traffic on I 75.  So we didn’t!   Backtracking a few miles on St Rt 460 to NB St Rt 39 was a much quieter MUCH more peaceful way to bypass all the stress.  Breakfast was at the Roosters Café in Brooksville and then on to Village Pines Campground, RV Park and Mobile Home Village.  Spacious sites and friendly folks made up for all the sand and the very old bathhouse.  It was a good spot for a couple of nights stay – close enough to Ocala and a good place to get the laundry done!

The Withalacoochee River flows 141 miles north and northwest

from central Florida and then opens up to the Gulf a few miles west of the Inglis intersection of St Rt 40 and St Rt 19/98.  Rt 40 passes thru the also tiny but interesting fishing village of Yankeetown and dead ends at a rough and rugged boat launch.  Yankeetown was settled by a gentleman from Indiana and the local mail deliveryman started calling the settlement “that Yankee town” – and it stuck!  Looking west, out over the salt marshes and islands that border the bay, the sky was various shades of threatening gray.  Looking back inland, the sky was blue and boats were navigating the river with ease!  

Manatee Springs State Park just west of Chiefland was our home

for two more nights of our hop-skip and jump week of moving.  Site 67 was open and easy to back into but was surrounded on 2 sides by fallen trees, and scrub, covered in fresh, green, spring growth.   Each evening a group of beautiful young does strolled thru the back yard, munching as they went.  When they heard the whine or bark from a distant dog, their tiny black noses would raise up and their long white tails would do the same!  When the supposed possible danger passed, down their noses went – back to the business of grazing!

With all the rain this area has had this winter, the springs were full and up over their banks.   The boardwalk that meandered along the

spring run that led to the Suwannee River was now surrounded by dark water and covered with reflections mimicking the tall Cypress trees growing in their depths.  The abundance of rings in shades of yellow, white and brown marked the different levels of where the invasive tannic water had risen to and then receded.   The railings that enclose the actual spring were slung with a mossy mess of slime.  Workers were busy power washing the railings and walkways  -

throwing a mist of water out across the deep turquoise depths.

Newport Campground is good place for an overnight stop that is out and around the curve of the Big Bend of the Gulf of Mexico on the scenic Gulf Coast Highway – Rt 98.   The only thing exciting about this old wayside park was the wild azaleas that were in full bloom!  While there we revisited the St Marks National Wildlife Reserve and finally saw a bear!  We had been “hunting” and searching all winter long and there he was –

stuffed and in the Nature Museum at the Visitor Center!  And he looked so life like too!  

At the end of the 11-mile long road, stood the tall and proud St Marks Lighthouse.  The original one was built in the early 1800’s.  This time the lighthouse was open and we paid our $2 each and stepped inside.  Outside, several uniformed re-enactors were learning marching maneuvers.

Following the scenic Gulf Road we quickly passed thru the pretty little town of Carrabelle and Apalachicola the touristy fishing town.  Apprehension grew as we drove farther west and approached the destroyed town of Mexico Beach where Hurricane Michael ravaged the coastline just 6 months ago.  The roadway became dotted with orange barrels and splotches of gravely blacktop where the washed out roadbed had once been.  Our mood was as dark as the sky and the downpour of rain we drove thru. Where once a happy bright coastal town once sat was now a desert filled with just

skeletons of pylons where homes used to be.  Rows of pastel townhouses and cottages were now rags of their once fun loving spirit.  Empty lots that once held rentals and small mom and pop businesses were now parking lots for tired looking RV’s and motorhomes.  If a building did survive – most were still covered in bright blue shrouds.   Everywhere you looked were mountains of broken cement, shattered wood and shredded trees.   The beautiful white sand on the shore was now in plain site from the road, but

was dotted with earthmoving equipment trying to remove the remains of the houses that had once called the beach home.  Tyndall Air Force Base to the west also suffered loss.  The huge tract of pine trees that camouflaged the airstrip was now

gone.  Roofs were missing off of mammoth quonset huts and other buildings.   On one side of the road, all the snapped off trees were lying towards the west looking like a cemetery of toppled grave markers.  Across the road, they were lying to the east.  We had to keep moving.

We finally arrived at our next destination – Rocky Bayou State Park – our home for the next 6 nights.  New places to explore and old places to re-visit once more!

Tampa Area

Lithia Springs  - we’ve camped here NUMEROUS times, so there shouldn’t be much to say about the park – it’s an old county park just south and east of Brandon and has a spring fed swimming area.  The park used to have a limit of 2 weeks camping – now, just the 4 sites that are next to the Alafia River are limited to the 2-week stay.  The rest of the other 40 sites are with a 3-month limit of stay – and some units look like they’ve been here even longer.  On the Sunday morning when we arrived, we were first in line for one of two sites that were going to open up.  The fella next in line wanted site 45.  We took the prized site 45 and he had to crowd into site 10! 

 Site 45 has been called the Honeymoon Suite by some of the

campers because it is right on the river, is down and around a curving driveway and is VERY secluded!   This photo was taken from halfway down the crushed shell/gravel drive!  Someone (we won’t mention who) has since removed the palmetto frond in the foreground!  While the two trees that are opposite each other and close to the edge of the drive

seem far enough apart, when you’re backing a train down and around (already having smacked into that aforementioned palmetto frond) – they are not! There is another hefty tree just to the left of the truck that is blocked from view but was also a bit of frustration when trying to bend a 35 ft billboard around it and also miss that tall sturdy fence AND electrical post on the other side!  The river is just below that fence!  The site is HUGE and so is the ancient (leaning) live oak tree that is securely anchored near the middle of the site!  Luckily, but with some maneuvering, we managed to get the awning out and wedged between the two knarly fat limbs!   The greenery that is growing

lushly on its limbs is called Resurrection Plant.  When it rains – the tiny fern like plant is healthy looking and green.   Several days later, if there is no more rain – the plants shrivel up and turn brown – waiting for the next reviving shower!  In our two weeks stay – they have been green twice!    And wildlife – from fish in the river, to the chattering gray squirrels, the squawking hawks, the always noisy woodpeckers and the echo of owls before sunup, the most unusual creature turned out to be THE frog!  One night after coming back down the driveway from the bathhouse, I saw a frog climbing the side of the trailer, up past the kitchen window.  H came to look and it quickly tried to take refuge in the vent cover!   Several days later, thanks to a Florida website, we learned that our little hitchhiker was a Cuban Tree Frog – an invasive specie in America!  It’ll eat anything it can get in its

mouth – even other frogs!  We have to make sure that when we leave, we don’t take him with us!

 We are always adding new friends to our list of favorite friends!  This year at Lithia Springs we’ve gotten to know our campground hosts/volunteers - P&A.  These ladies have done a wonderful job of keeping everything in order and clean and making us all feel welcomed!   We will miss them!

 We have visited friends B&N and went to the Red Barn Flea Market and finished up the day with our annual trip to Anna Marie’s Oyster Bar in Ellenton.  We met our Michigan friends, G&D from Petosega, in Brandon for lunch another day!  Yet another dear friend from Swanton and her daughter met us in Tarpon Springs for lunch there!  H and I strolled along the sponge

docks and watched the boat traffic in the river before we fought all the auto traffic on our way back to quiet Lithia Springs.  We met J&A (H’s drone buddy from Illinois) in Brandon for our forth lunch outing!   If you must know - neither H nor I am losing ANY weight this winter!  To walk off that lunch we drove east on Rt 60 and visited the “Metals & Nature” Garden.  The owners work with wrought iron so the 2 acres are full of fancy gates, fences, benches and other bric-a-brac including cement statues and such.  Wandering thru the flower filled gardens is a couple of beautiful, long tailed, turquoise

peacocks!  In various cages and pens are various other colorful birds, an iguana and Boinky the Potbellied Pig!  And if that’s not enough – we’ve also enjoyed our annual strawberry shortcake lunch at the Brandon Farms Strawberry Barn!!  NO weight loss at all!

 A trip to this area would not be complete without checking out the Manatee Viewing area in Apollo Beach but the day was warm and sunny so the giant sea creatures were all out in Tampa Bay.  While we were that close we drove thru EG Simmons, one of the other Hillsborough County Parks in Ruskin.  We parked and walked out to the beach area where I used to find Horseshoe Crab shells and ended up watching several young men throwing and dragging long ropes with chicken legs tied to the end, thru the calm water. They were hoping to catch some blue crabs, we were told.  This area

used to be a peninsula but thanks to one of the previous storms, it is now an island!

 Our little bikes are folded back up and put away.  The awning has been swept clear of all the tiny brown live oak tree leaves that have been accumulating on it for the last 2 weeks.  It’s once again time to move – we’re heading north – little by little.  But not with any amphibian hitchhikers!

Fort Myers Area

All summer long we anxiously await the chance to land a site in the beautiful WP Franklin Corp of Engineer Campground.  SPFB!!   IF we secure one of the extremely difficult to get campsites, then we book the rest of our winter trip around those 2 weeks.  We

anticipated!  We secured!  We arrived!   Now, we’ve used up our allotted two weeks on site #2 and sadly, it’s time to move on.   Most things have comfortably remained the same – wonderful camp sites, the dark tannic waters of the Caloosahatchee River, favorite restaurants, and favorite neighbors - the eagle that roosts across the way, the grazing cattle and horses along Rt 78, and always the shorebirds that stalk and search for a morsel along the banks of the river just below us.  (The little Tri-colored heron is still one of my favorites!)  In the early morning light, on our little niche of this island, the smooth surface of the liquid glass that is water still amazes me with the calm reflections of the trees and rocks and docks across the way, in such a clear mirror of the real things.  Then the sun comes up fully and the breezes begin.  The image is gone and the expanse of still water turns to dancing ripples!

The bustling downtown Ft Myers is still the same as is the Oasis Restaurant.  Flea Markets have been dissected as usual and a few items have even been procured!  B&C made the trip from Lake

Placid to visit and the day was topped off with BBQ pork dinner at the Log Cabin Inn over in Labelle! YUMMM!   And while the best way to get to Ft Myers Beach is still taking the trolley, all of its beach going passengers are now deposited at the busy Times Square area of the island, just off the causeway.  There is a FREE, much smaller open tram system that runs from one end of the

island to the other.  As always we indulged in our annual mile or so walk from Bowditch Park at the north end of the island, back up to the crowded Fishing Pier.  We finished the day’s sandy hike with our ice cream at DQ!

New for this trip, and checking it off my “to do” list was to finally see a burrowing owl, the highly protected symbol of Cape Coral!   Once you know how to locate a burrow in one of the many vacant lots in the 100 sq miles of the

city, the chances of actually seeing one of the 8-10 inch, well camouflaged little birds is a bit easier!  To protect the burrows, the city has placed 4 white PVC pipes in the corners of a 10ft square space.  In the center of each outlined square is most often a rough perch made of slats of wood – near the hole dug by the birds in the dry dirt.  On our way to one of the beaches, we saw a BUNCH of such setups in a BUNCH of unmowed vacant lots.  These little birds are most active during the day and we gratefully saw a pair sitting on the edge of their burrow!  Mission accomplished!

 Another “new to do” activity was to visit the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve and walk the 1.2 mile boardwalk trail.   A “slew” is a type of forested wetland with slow moving freshwater that

sometimes gathers into small ponds.  The Slough got its unusual name in the early 1900’s when travelers in wagons would get stuck in the swampy area on their way to Ft Myers. From experience they knew it was SIX MORE MILES to town!!  Talk about “Are we there yet?”!   Back in the 1970’s, land development began to encroach on the area and a group of teens started the effort to save the slough.  The boardwalk was opened to the public in 1991. The wooden boardwalk is dotted with signs and matching descriptions for visitors to learn about the trail.  We saw gators warming themselves on floating platforms, darting little warblers in the trees, noisy woodpeckers, snow white egrets and even a tall blue heron meticulously building her nest of twigs in a low tree.  Then there was the Cottonmouth snake – nestled all coiled up on a dead palmetto frond.  It looks big in the picture but actually it was only a baby – thankfully!

 One weekend morning, we made the mistake of finding the “free” Home and Garden Show at the Hertz Arena – the home of the Everglades Hockey team!  The “show” was a waste of good time but we did hesitate long enough to watch some young men in the

middle of a fast paced hockey game on one of the smaller rinks in the building.  Across the parking lot and a rather large retention pond, we noticed a gathering of classic cars - growing in numbers and lining up in several very long lines.  We could hear the music and the announcer on a loud speaker.  We were drawn in and HAD to investigate!  Rows and rows of hot rods, trucks, muscle cars (a RED 65’ GTO!), and a plethora of marvelous Chevy’s – all years, all colors, all styles and ALWAYS – Corvettes!  This fabulous blue one is just one of the many! H had to stop and drool over a low slung Lamborghini that
he knew he’d never be able to fold up and slide down to even get into!

 And MORE new friends!!  J&B from Ohio, R&C from Michigan, C&J from Wisconsin!   We ladies shared and the guys swapped advice and hard to believe stories!  AND – H is now without his drone.  Just like last year – sold before we even finished up our trip!   Our email addresses have been exchanged and promises made to keep in touch but now it’s time to shake out the rug and hook up the “train” – it’s time to head north!  But not too far!  Our adventure is not over yet!  It’s time for Tampa!

Everglades and Labelle

The Huge Black Monster of a Walking Dredge is still proudly on display at Collier Seminole State Park.  It and others like it were used to dig the miles and miles of ditches along side the Tamiami Trail that runs from Tampa, down and across the Everglades to Miami Florida.  Without those ditches, there would not have been enough muck and dirt to pile up and make the roadway now called Rt 41.  Once again we followed the ditches and the high road that lies high and dry between them out and across the Glades.  Sometimes there were shallow ponds and shorebirds, fishing for their next meal.  Sometimes it was miles of swamp grass or a cluster of low trees and palms on swaths of higher ground.  We passed the road to Everglade City and various airboat ride

concessions along the way.  I had several birthday cards to mail and we stopped at the smallest Post Office in the entire United States to mail them!  While the Ochopee Post Office was formerly an irrigation pipe storage shed for a local tomato farmer, the local postmaster pressed it into service after a disastrous fire in 1953 burned down the original general store and post office.  This structure has been in continuous use ever since, as both post office and ticket station for the Trailways bus lines!  I hope Becki and Bobbie checked their postmarks!

 The National Park System normally operates Midway Campground and reservations are placed with Recreation.Gov but with this ridiculous “partial government shutdown”, no one knows

Midway campground

what’s going on.  R.Gov is telling people it’s first come first serve. One host is saying they can’t stop anyone from parking and staying on any open site.  The other host has put out a “campground full” sign and “reserved” signs on all 24 sites.  H was obviously concerned since we needed those 2 nights to fit into our camping schedule so we left Collier Seminole early that morning and arrived in Midway by 10am. Our reserved site was open and we backed in and quickly hooked up to the electricity!

The next storm was to arrive on Thursday so we grabbed a bite to eat and headed out to explore via blue truck.  The “Loop Road” is now mostly level gravel and posted speed signs say 25mph and sometimes only 15mph.  We drove thru jungle areas with the

palmetto and Cypress trees hugging the edge of the narrow road.  There were areas of swamp with pools of calm water.  Tall thin Blue Herons blended in with the tall strange looking gray Cypress trees, covered with stringy, spooky looking Spanish moss that swayed in the breeze. Yes - we saw gators.  We REALLY saw gators as we drove back up to the Visitor Center.  It was warm enough by then for all the big black lumps of leather to haul themselves up on the banks to grab some warm rays.  One even smiled at us!   At the Visitor Center, the rustic wooden boardwalk still stands above the area’s ditch and there are still a magnitude of the black monsters lurking in the dark waters or sunning on the

rocks – RIGHT below your feet!

As promised the storm arrived and we were forced to stay inside most of the day Thursday.  H got to read and I got out the sewing machine!  Friday morning was another moving day!  Backtracking on westbound Rt 41 we reversed our route and then headed north on Rt 29 – the way we arrived 2 weeks previously!  As we had seen on the way down, there were several areas that were bordered by high fences topped with barbed wire.  Every so often there were big yellow signs announcing “panther crossing” areas- complete with under the road passageways for the stealthy endangered big cat to travel safely thru his domain.  Up in the “forest” – it’s bears. In the

Glades – it’s panthers – and we didn’t see any of them either!

Our travel schedule had us booked for 2 nights in Ortona Lock Campground before we would move into WP Franklin Lock and Dam Campground.  Remember, we had just camped at Phipps Park in Stuart – within walking distance of the Port Lucie Lock Campground and now it was Ortona.  See Last Years Florida Blog!!  Our site was great!  The back window of the “tan train” overlooked the lock and dam. The side door and windows looked up the Caloosahatchee River!  The sun was shining and the boats were slowing down to enter the lock!   H got to spend his afternoon at the Ford Dealer in nearby Labelle getting

Ortona campground

the latest truck problem tended to and lucky me – I got to tend to the laundry and have some “me” time!

More rain was predicted.  Scattered showers for Sunday morning, then clearing, then the real storms were to arrive from the south during the afternoon.  The weatherman missed it again!  The DELUGE started before 5am and just barely let up by 9am when we made our dash for the highway.  Poor H was just about drowned trying to get the “train” hooked up and the tanks drained.  See the lovely view from our doorway, looking up the river?  See the low area just past the gravel patio?  Sunday morning it was FULL of water!

 
We made it to WP Franklin without further incident and we hurried to set up before the next round of wind and rain hit.  Squishing around in the deep waterlogged grass would have been more fun if it weren’t so cold and windy out!   We’ve got two weeks here so we’re good!  Our shoes should dry!

Naples - Marco Island Area

It seemed forever to get from Stuart on the Atlantic side of Florida to Marco Island and Collier Seminole State Park on the very

western edge of the Everglades!  We crossed south of Lake Okeechobee and across to Labelle before heading south on the comparatively calm Rt 29.  Anything but getting on hectic I 75!

 

 
We squeezed into site 67, which was too short and narrow for this “train” but it was right across from the bathhouse and tiny laundry area!   It was for only 4 nights and our neighbors were great, plus - I didn’t have to lug the laundry too far!  We’ve met so many nice folks – it seems like this was Michigan week – folks were here from Livonia, Traverse City, Warren, Brownstone Twp and even Temperance!  We’ve moved now to a bigger site and our neighbors next to us are from Angola/Lake James, Indiana! 

 With the government shut down, nobody was sure about whether Midway Campground in the Glades would be functioning when it was our turn to park there so we took a chance and drove that way to see.  We learned there had been squatters in the campground that wouldn’t move when the real campers arrived so the camp hosts finally put out the “campground full” sign and put “reserved” signs on all the campsites.  We also wanted to see if Shark Valley was

open and available to ride our bikes.  Shark Valley, while part of the National Park System is operated by a separate concession, so it was open.  The day was sunny but cooler – low 70’s, as we began peddling our trusty little bikes!   The first half of the day’s ride was easy – not as many bikes and not as many gators lying in the roadway like last time!  The tall spiral observation tower came into view and then stood right before us.  The uphill walk was more tiring than the 7-mile bike ride but the view was still worth it.  Looking back to where we had come – you could see the stick straight bike/tram path and to the right the curvy line that was the longer route was visible and then the vast grassland that lay beyond.  H decided that we should venture back

to the parking area/visitor center via that route this time.  The trip out was 7 miles, level and WITH the wind.  The trip back was 8 miles, curved, a bit uphill and INTO a 15 mph wind!  AMEN to the power of the electric bikes!  And while the Everglades are referred to as a River of Grass – it’s been way too dry down here and this part of the damp glades have dried up with just a few pockets of water remaining along the way.  But – we still counted gators – 83 of them on this round trip. And a million birds!
 

The beaches have been visited!  As usual, in Naples we parked and walked the mile up the beach to the public pier and back.  This time we finally got to go visit the much acclaimed Tigertail Beach on the north end of Marco Island.   However – it was the day after we rode our bikes on the Shark Valley trail and H’s legs and knees were not up to too much beach/sand walking.  We did make it to the main beach area tho and saw all the shells strewn about on the white sand.  One family had even created a sand sculpture of a

giant dragon!  Had it been up north it would have been snow!
 

The Caxambas City Park on the south end of Marco Island – is where we normally park the truck and ride our bikes to the public access pathways to the beach.  At the boat launch area we had to stop and watch a group of men dressed as what seemed to be pirates.  They were filling a small wooden sailboat with way too many supplies and gear.  Eventually they completed their tasks and shoved off from the dock.  Long skinny looking oars were dipped in and out of the water in synchronized time and the much overloaded boat was pointed out to the open water.   Finally, as we stood watching, the small, heavy looking canvas sails were hoisted to assist in their slow moving process.

Then the storm that has dumped all the snow on the northern states arrived at our little section of SW Florida.  Thankfully it passed Saturday night/Sunday morning and was only much needed rain!  Sunday brought the strong winds!  H felt the need to head back to the Naples Pier and document the size of the waves at high tide and to see how much of the beautiful beach was now under water.  As we parked and approached the gathering area for the pier, the crowd was getting thicker.  The pier was packed with people who had the same idea as we had.  We side stepped around several groups and worked our way to the front of the crowd to check out the long wooden fishing dock but the pier itself was closed and a chain was draped across the way.  Where just a few days before the beautiful blue green water was gently lapping at the snow white sand, now HUGE, 6 to 8 foot, angry gray waves

were beating at the higher section of the beach and at the sturdy cement legs of the pier itself.  A few foolish surfers were trying to find a wave they could handle and about a dozen hardy kite surfers were hanging on for dear life as they skipped and bounced along on the raging waves, up the coastline.
 
We’ve watched as our new friends have come and gone and we’ve said our “Goodbyes” to others.  It’s our turn to hitch up and hit the road to our next area of this winter’s adventure.

Southeast Florida Coast

While Phipps Park and the surrounding areas are not new to us – H always manages to find new places for us to explore and learn about.  But first we had to test our little bikes - across the wooden

bridge and on the grassy path on the small island in the middle of the pond that is also in this park.  H even found an alligator hiding in plain sight and a small blue heron stalking his next meal.  Past the pond, at the end of the park is the boat launch, which is conveniently located in the shade of the turnpike bridge.

 

The Atlantic coast is lined with barrier islands and dotted with expansive beaches - between all the massive mansions and

conglomerates of high-rise condos.  Hutchinson Island stretches from Stuart and has the “refuge” with its New England looking rocky shoreline at the southern end and the Ft Pierce Inlet Jetty and beach on the northern end.  The pelicans still sit and preen and wait for a fisherman to catch fish for them to swipe!

 

To the south is Jupiter Inlet and Jetty!  It was our first time to visit and explore this delightful park with plenty of people watching benches, picnic areas and a continuous

parade of boats coming and going and the Jupiter Lighthouse in the distance.  At the ocean end of the jetty the ocean waves caused such a turbulence in combination with the outgoing tide it was especially amusing to watch as some boats wallowed in the swells and others just gunned it and charged on thru!  One beautiful sailboat came in the whole way under sail and at a good tilt to boot!

 

Further south from that park was Carlin Beach Park – another first to visit!  There was ample free parking and cool, shaded picnic areas.  Out on the beach was a bright red flag with the word “ROCKS” waving in the breeze. As we strolled along, we approached a weather worn area of pinkish orange rocks being attacked by crashing waves.  Unique formations for sure and by placing the camera almost on

the wet sand – I got a good shot of this “Florida Arch”!  What do you think?
 

We even explored Jonathan Dickinson State Park, which is also down RT 1 near Jupiter!  While we’ve never stayed there, the park is massive and interesting!  It claims to have the highest spot in SOUTH Florida!  And we climbed the 86 ft high

“mountain” and the sturdy wooden tower atop it to view the surrounding vista below!  We should have counted the steps!

 10-mile long Jupiter Island sits between the town, also called Jupiter Island, and Stuart.  The majority of mansions are behind high concrete walls with ornate wrought iron gates, or 10 ft high manicured hedges that are at the narrow roads edge. We’ve been told there are only 900 people who live on the island.  We passed Tiger Woods 12 acre estate, complete with practice golf course and 60 million dollar, 10,000 square ft. mansion but we never knew which one of the mega mansions was his!  Nor did we know which one was the Bush estate, or the home of Jack Nicklaus, or Alan Jackson or Michael Jordan!  The Island’s website boasts of seclusion and privacy!

 

Our early mornings are spent watching the collection of various boats pausing behind our temporary home - coming and going, up and down the river, riding our bikes and trying to keep track of all the different birds we’ve encountered – all the herons – blue, green, tri colored and white, osprey, the murder (flock!) of crows, the committee of vultures, the squadron of pelicans or even the

pandemonium of bright green Monk Parakeets we saw at one of the parks we visited!  I even got out the binoculars to inspect the tiny flitting Swamp Sparrows that hunted for seeds in the dry grass outside our doorway!

 

Our “happy hour” afternoons and early evenings have been dutifully spent watching wispy clouds gather, join together and then disappear again before the sun finished setting over the darkening lock and dam.  Attendance gets taken almost daily in this stretch of trailers, 5^th wheels and motorhomes that like us, line the rivers edge.  From the usual Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, to Delaware, New York, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine, there is also New Mexico, South Dakota and even Alaska!  Talk about diversity!

 

On our last day in Stuart we found and visited the Treasure Coast Wildlife Animal Hospital and Sanctuary.  We were allowed to roam around each of the enclosures for the “residents” of the park – the ones who cannot be released back into the wild because of different disabilities and are now used for educational purposes.  Among others, there were turtles, owls, hawks, eagles and even Crested Caracara!  The young woman there brought several of the disabled birds out and introduced us to them and told of how they each came to be at the Sanctuary.  Very interesting and VERY informative!

 It’s time to go. West this time – back across the state to Collier Seminole State Park and Marco Island!  Come along!