Friday April 15th 2022

The weather trend of the last few days continued today. The overnight clouds cleared shortly after daybreak to be replaced by bright sunny and fluffy clouds most of the day. As sunset approached the clouds increased. Some of the clouds were threatening, but no rain or heavy wind resulted from the threat. The temperature peaked a few degrees above yesterday around ninety degrees.

This is my last full day at Myakka River State Park for this season. I have reservations to return in December and I am still trying to get another set of reservations for next March. This visit has been a fun visit. Most days the alligators have been around in large numbers. Some days they are out on the river banks and others they are pretending to be logs in the river. The second most common wildlife I’ve observed is the Limkins. These screeching birds really know how to make there presence known. Surprisingly I haven’t seen many egrets on this visit and the herons were less plentiful as well.

On my second walk of the day I came across one Great Blue Heron that didn’t seem to mind me getting fairly close. He was busy preening and allowed me to move slowly and quietly move along the river bank taking pictures from many angles. The setting sun got in the way of some of the pictures, but I got a few good ones too.

I’ve completed most of my outside preparation tasks for tomorrows move. I am targeting a departure between noon and the 1PM checkout time. My stop for the next week is back at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont Florida. It is about one hundred and twenty five miles away. Unfortunately, the route is one of the worst traffic wise that I experience in Florida. Interstate 75 in the Sarasota and Bradenton area is the first hurdle followed by 75 in the suburbs of Tampa. Then I have to cross half the state on Interstate 4. The Lakeland area is the first problem on that route followed by the slowdown as you approach Orlando. Needless to say I’m not looking forward to the journey. At least the construction should be a non issue on a holiday weekend.