Wednesday April 5th 2023

The temperature set another record high today at several places in this area. It peaked in the low nineties here at Colt Creek State Park. The average high temperature for this date is around eighty degrees. On a positive note, there was more wind today and a few periods of cloud blocked sunshine. It resulted in a more comfortable day than yesterday.

This was mowing day in the state park. A staff member on a riding mower was cutting the grass around the campground this morning. This afternoon he returned with a trimmer to finish the job. When I walked down to the day use area I found evidence of more mowing. A big tractor with a mowing attachment had cut all the regular grass and added thirty to fifty feet of additional mowed area by removing the tall grass and weeds along the side of the ponds. The area they reclaimed was likely underwater during the higher water level durin the fall and winter. The area looked very different and unfortuneately they cut down many of the wildflower blossooms I’ve been taking pictures of.

This is my last full day at Colt Creek State Park. I have enjoyed all of my walks on the trails in the park, but I’m ready to move on. Tomorrow I’m moving back to the Sarasota area to Myakka River State Park. My December plans to stay there were camceled because of hurricane Ian, so this is my first visit since last April. It will be interesting to see what kind of damage from the hurricane remains.

I haven’t completed many of my pre travel tasks. Tomorrow morning will be very busy. The drive will be through areas of very heavy traffic and construction. I plan to leave here around noon and should be at my destination by 3PM. It is only about one hundred miles, but the traffic slows everything down.