Sunday September 24th 2023

There was more humidity in the air today. Yesterday’s clear blue sky was filled with clouds. In the morning it was only high wispy clouds, but by late in the day there was a thick cloud cover with the threat of rain. The only thing consistent with Saturday was the overall temperature. It peaked in the high eighties even thought the humidity made it feel much warmer.

The park cleared out of weekend visitors quickly this morning. The official checkout time is 1PM, but most of sites near me were empty by ten. By 1PM there were new residents arriving to occupied the recently vacated sites. For some reason the park seems to be a little more active tonight than it was last week.

The day use area was also busy today. The pavilion seems to be a popular place for parties. Yesterday it was a big group of mostly adults focused on barbecuing. Today it was a group with many kids and lots of decorations including balloons and banners. It was probably a birthday party, but I can’t be sure. A few years ago when I stayed here, the pavilion was used for a wedding. It included everything from the ceremony to dancing. There was nothing that elaborate during my stay this time around.

Today is my last full day here at Lake Manatee State Park. I’ll be back at the end of December for another two weeks. Tomorrow I’m moving twenty miles south to Myakka River State Park. The actual road mileage is closer to forty since I need to travel eight miles back to the interstate and then eight miles east from the interstate at the other end. I plan to leave as close to the 1PM checkout time as I can finesse. As long as I get to my destination after their 1PM checkout time I should be able to check in successfully.

This afternoon before my evening walk I loaded up the bicycle on the rack on my Equinox and generally got it ready to be towed. I also filled my RV water tank. I don’t usually travel with a full water tank, but there is some kind of work being done on the water systems at Myakka River State Park. There is a note on the Web site about coming prepared.