Wednesday November 16th 2016

It was a chilly start to the day for Southwest Florida this time of year. It was in the high 50s to low 60s overnight. It warmed up well during the day to around 80 with a nice breeze. The general forecast is for below normal temperatures until the middle of next week. To me, it’s just beautiful weather.

Today was a slow catch my breath kind of day while I recover from whatever hit me on Monday. I checked out the local area for shopping and amenities. Surprisingly, it is not that easy to find those essentials in the local area. This campground is located in the middle of the Caloosahatchee River on an island connected to the dam and lock. The campground island is accessed from the north bank of the river across a causeway. The other side of the island is the dam followed by the lock before reaching the south side of the river. The north side of the river is all residential. The south side of the river has residential and commercial activity and a main east west route. Getting to the south side of the river from here is not quick. One bridge is about 5 miles east and another is a little further than that to the west.

Early morning view in front of my RV home.

East entry to the lock along the far river bank.

One of the houses on the north bank of the river.

Boat waiting for the lock.

The campground river and dam complex is a nicely laid out recreation area. The dam and lock were built in 1965 for flood control and navigation. The lock is located about 33 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The river forms part of an east west inter-coastal waterway.

View west of the campground from the dam

View to the east of the campground from the dam

Dam and Lock looking east from the campground island.

The campground is very popular. It has a two week limit, but is full most of the time. It has a combination of local Floridians here for the fishing and boating and travelers of all kinds. The two week limit means there is turn over every day, but it appears there are reservations for the whole winter. When I made reservations in June there were only a couple of sites available. Reservations can be made 6 months in advance.