Monday October 2nd 2023

Today is the start of a new weather pattern for this area. It was sunny with a few clouds all day. A medium to strong wind blew out of the northeast most of the day. Overall it was a less humid day than the last week. The temperature peaked in the upper eighties.

During my stay here I’ve been seeing and taking pictures of the multitude of purple water flower blossoms. I thought they were Water Hyacinths, but wasn’t sure so they remained nameless in my blog entries. Today I decided to verify my thoughts using our old friend Google. Sure enough they are Water Hyacinths, but some of the other information I discovered was surprising. They are considered an invasive species that grow very fast and thick. Often they get so thick that they chock out the light and oxygen for other bottom growing plant life. The plant is native to South America, the only continent where natural predators keep it at bay. Perhaps the most surprising thing I discovered is that it is illegal to posses them in Florida without a special permit. The bottom line is their beauty is offset by the danger they represent to the natural balance of things.

The wind kept the water birds in more sheltered areas. Along the side of Upper Myakka Lake there were waves breaking. The birds can’t forage for food in the churned up water. I saw several Egrets back in the woods and up in the branches of trees. The herons were not in any of the places I looked.

During my last walk of the day I spotted two deer again. I suspect it is the same pair I saw yesterday. Today they were in the middle of the road in one of the older campground loops. Earlier in the day, when I was returning to camp in my car, I saw a buck near the same area. It kept moving away from my car, but I tried to get a picture out the window.

Sunday October 1st 2023

Where did September go? I keep hearing that this thing called Fall is happening in the northern part of the country. With the exception of a couple of days it is still pretty summer like around here. It doesn’t help that I keep moving south in Florida. The northern band of the state near Interstate 10 from the panhandle to Jacksonville is experiencing some cooler temperatures, but I keep getting deeper into the Florida peninsular. My next move on Friday takes me deeper still.

Today’s weather continued the pattern set over the last few days. It was overcast near foggy in the morning. During the middle of the day there was some sun and lots of clouds. It looked like a storm could form at any minute. While I was out of the park today I stopped at Siesta Key beach. This is a beautiful beach with lots of very white fine sand. The beach is often named the best in the country. Looking out over the Gulf of Mexico there were several heavy dark cloud formations. If they moved on shore we would be subject to heavy rain and wind. I didn’t hang around to see that come to pass. Inland at the state park it didn’t rain all day.

The thunderstorm with accompanying downpour that passed through here yesterday afternoon into evening made hiking difficult again. The puddles that had dried up enough to get around were once again blocking the trails today. I didn’t have any luck getting back away from the park roads. With all the traffic and weekend visitors, there weren’t a lot of wildlife viewing opportunities today. I got lucky late in the afternoon along the river near the front of the park. A couple of deer, probably the same ones I saw a few days ago, were blocking my path as I attempted to return to my RV home. I was able to stand less than fifty feet away taking pictures and waiting for them to move along. After about five minutes of watching them I decided to go around them via the picnic area between the deer and the road. My goal was not to spook them into bolting toward the road. If I walked straight toward them, that was their only real escape route. It sort of worked. I didn’t spook them, but something else did. Just after I got out of the empty picnic area the deer bolted out of the wooded area separating their original location from the picnic area. Luckily they decided the open ground of the picnic area was safe for a little grazing rather than continuing on into the road.

The weekend is over and there are many empty sites in the campground. I am used to the winter months that are booked solid every night. All of the empty sites are hard to adjust to seeing. Even so, getting a long stay is difficult. Every site seems to be booked at least one night over the weekend. If you only want to stay Sunday to Friday, it is possible this time of year. The fact that I was able to book a Monday to Friday of the next week including the weekend in the middle was obviously the result of a lucky (for me) cancellation.

Saturday September 30th 2023

Today’s weather followed the same pattern as the last few days with a little twist at the end. The day began overcast, cleared up to mostly sunny and then clouded over again at the end of the daylight portion of the day. Unlike the last few days the clouds also came with a pretty heavy thunderstorm. The rain echoed off my roof for about half an hour.

After a leisurely paced breakfast I set out to try one of the hikes I couldn’t do earlier in the week. When I tried to hike the trail on Thursday, the path was blocked by big puddles leftover from the flooding earlier in the month . Today I got by the first puddle by stepping carefully from downed branch to grass mound to roots and so on along the side of the puddle. The trail was clear for another hundred yards or so after that. The second big puddle was huge, but it turned out to be easier to get around by going off into the previously flooded palm forest. You still had to be careful exactly where you put your feet. I was able to continue a good distance after that before reaching a much deeper puddle that went way back in the woods. There might have been a way around, but I didn’t see it. Working my way back along the path to the parking area was only a little less challenging.

It was an adventure navigating around the puddles. There were some nice views of the Myakka river straining at its banks. All of the tall grasses on the islands and along the far bank made for colorful views. The one thing I did not see a lot of was wildlife. I’m used to seeing alligators and big water birds all along the stretch of river the trail parallels. Today I found one TriColored Heron in the big puddle at the end of the usable portion of the trail. I startled it causing it to fly to the other side of the puddle. After we both calmed down from the surprise the bird worked its way back toward me. They are pretty birds.

After completing the dry parts of the trail, I drove deeper into the park to the concession area on Upper Lake Myakka. The boat tours and the tram tour are both operating today. I don’t have any real interest in the tours. A few people were on the boat tour that went out while I was there. The parking lot was empty by comparison to the crowds during the winter months. I was there to look for gators, birds and other interesting stuff. There were a couple of photogenic great blue herons and an egret or two to satisfy my search.

I did some other walking in random parts of the state park today, but my last big walk of the day was canceled because of rain. Getting caught out in the rain is bad enough, but I’m not crazy enough to start a walk in the rain.

Friday September 29th 2023

This was another day of unknown weather. The day began cloudy and a little foggy. It looked like it would rain at anytime. During the early afternoon the sun tried to make an appearance, but it was less successful than on previous days. Late in the afternoon a thunderstorm attempted to form overhead. The sky got dark and made a lot of noise, but any rain was probably to the east of here. Overall it was a confusing day with high temperatures in the upper eighties.

I traveled around the park by car and on foot looking for wildlife once again. There was more human activity in the park today which probably contributed to the lower visible animal activity. I didn’t see any deer or turkeys today. The bird activity seemed to be well away from the trails and roads. There were a few alligators visible swimming in the Upper Myakka Lake, but once again none were on land.

There must be fewer alligators in the area at this time than I am used to seeing in the December to April time frame when I usually visit. In those months, there have been days that I’ve seen thirty or more gators all along the river and lake. During this visit on the best day I saw five alligators all swimming. I wonder where they go and how far they travel. What makes this a place to gather in the winter, but not in the summer?

As the weekend approaches the park is getting more active. During the week it has been very quiet. Today I saw people fishing in the river and lots of campers arriving to occupy the empty sites in the campground. I don’t think the campgrounds will be full, but they will be a lot closer than they have been during the week.

Thursday September 28th 2023

Today’s weather was variable. It started with light rain followed by a period of clouds. Just when I thought it was going to rain again the clouds parted and the sun came out for a little while. Then the pattern repeated complete with another short period of light rain. Currently we are in the cloudy period following the third cycle of light rain. Overall the weather is infinitely better than a year ago on this date. This area was subjected to the wrath of hurricane Ian. All of the local TV stations have been reliving the storm, the aftermath and the recovery with almost continuous coverage today.

I attempted to hike a couple of my favorite trails in the park today. The water level still hasn’t retreated enough to make that possible. At the first trail I tried looked promising. I was able to leave the parking area and head into the woods. About 100 yards along the trail I found water. There wasn’t any way around a huge area of three to six inch deep water and I wasn’t going through it. The second trail was worse. I couldn’t leave the parking area without walking on very squishy ground. It became impassable a little ways further along.

The water level is going down. The river level gauge shows about a three inch improvement since Monday. Back in the woods along the road the standing water is also dissipating. Most of that water I assume is sinking into the ground. There is still a lot of flooded ground. The deer continue to be close to the road. I have seen them each day I’ve been here. Some days I’ve seen them more than once. Today I was on foot walking back from the river. A couple of deer came across the road about twenty feet in front of me. One of them clearly saw me, but just continued on her way across the street before starting to forage for food again. As I walked closer to pass by she and her companion moved a little deeper into the woods, but clearly not in a panic.

I saw a lot of the same species of wildlife today. The alligators were all back in the water. I think I was very lucky seeing one on the river bank yesterday. By far the bird I’m seeing the most are egrets. In addition to all the egrets feeding in the grass along the river and lake there was one tree that had dozens of white birds roosting in its branches.

Wednesday September 27th 2023

I woke up to the sound of a gentle rain on the roof of my RV home. There were light showers most of the morning before clearing to a partly cloudy day around the noon hour. The rainy start to the day along with the cloud cover kept the high temperature from reaching the nineties. It peaked in the high eighties.

My mission for the day was grocery shopping. I chose to go to one of the bigger Walmarts in the area which is quite a bit further away, but has the added advantage of being near the Gulf beaches. On my way I stopped for a few minutes at the North Jetty Beach in Naokomis. There was a strong breeze off the Gulf of Mexico and the tide was near high. The breeze combined with the fact that it was a weekday kept people away, but the seagulls were happy.

Back at Myakka River State Park in the afternoon, I continued my search for wildlife. I didn’t find as many birds willing to let me take their picture. It is really annoying when they don’t wait for me to get the camera ready. A turkey and a great blue heron decided escape was preferable to having their picture taken. On the other hand, a vulture practically posed for my camera.

I finally found an alligator out of the water this afternoon. At the Fisherman’s circle area of the park, I parked my car about ten feet from a young gator on the river bank. It was only as I was getting out of my car that I spotted the alligator. There was a log barrier around the parking area so I was safe enough, but it was a surprise to see the gator so nearby. On the other side of the parking lot the water was still out of the riverbank. A park bench was surrounded by a few inches of water. Just beyond the bench was another much bigger gator. I’m not going to consider the second gator as out of the water even though it was technically out of the river.

Later in the afternoon I walked over to the river from my RV home. I didn’t see any of the species I expected. There were no birds or gators visible, but there were a few deer. The first one I saw was along the road. I got a picture from far enough away that it didn’t spook. Later it walked into my path from another direction. Three deer spooked and turned their white tails toward me and ran away. This was another good day for deer sightings. Earlier in the day while driving along the park road I saw an additional group of deer and a solitary buck a few hundred yards down the road. The male deer had an impressive set of antlers.

Tuesday September 26th 2023

There was a two hour stretch during the afternoon that the sun broke through the clouds enough to cast shadows. The rest of the day was cloudy and gloomy with a few random rain drops. The heavy humidity continued to dominate with the threat of thunderstorms present all day. The temperature stayed in the high eighties which is below the average for the day.

Today was a day to explore the state park. The Myakka River is very high and much of the ground near the river is flooded. I have been here once before when the water level was even higher. The difference this time is there doesn’t seem to be any open area along the bank for wildlife. There are no alligators out of the water and the birds don’t seem to be along the river bank either.

I did see a far amount of wildlife today. Alligators were swimming in the river and in the Upper Myakka lake. They all appeared to be cruising and watching the activity on land. The shore line of the lake was extended inland with a lot of shallow water. The birds were enjoying searching for food in this area. The egrets and some of the herons were easy to spot along the shore, but the Great Blue Herons were a challenge. Their coloring allowed them to blend in well with the surroundings. I got very close to one before I spotted it. In another surprise I discovered a Rosetta Spoonbill in a big puddle blocking a trail in the woods. It was a pleasant surprise.

Driving along the park roads I saw a few additional species of wildlife. In addition to the relatively common vultures, there were two different groups of turkeys along the side of the road. The road seems to be a popular place for the wildlife to gather. In addition to the deer I saw yesterday along the road, I had another deer sighting along the road today. It might have been the same group, but it was a couple of miles deeper in the park.

Monday September 25th 2023

The operative word about today’s weather is HUMID. The temperature remained in the high eighties, but it didn’t take much activity to be drenched in sweat. Unfortunately it was a moving day which meant outside activity was a necessary element. The day got progressively more cloudy as I finished getting ready to travel. It was an overcast day threatening rain when I pulled out of Lake Manatee State Park a little after 12:45PM.

Traffic cooperated for the most part on the drive south to Myakka River State Park. The eight miles west to Interstate 75 on Florida route 64 was probably the worst traffic on the journey. On my first visit to the state park in 2016 the road was a narrow lazy road most of the way. Now it is four lanes wide with two dreaded “roundabouts” most of the way with more development happening near the park. The trip back east at the southern end of my journey on Florida route 72 isn’t as bad yet, but it has a lot of development going on and they have already added two of the dreaded “roundabouts” to this road as well.

I arrived at Myakka River State Park about 1:30PM. After checking in at the rangers station I was greeted by some of the local wildlife residents on my way to my site. Three deer were on the side of the road watching me go by. I was watching them to make sure they didn’t have any suicidal tendencies. The last thing I need is deer damage to my RV home. I suspect I will see them again. The river level is high and the amount of dry ground is limited.

I got setup and did a little exploring after I dried off all of my dripping sweat. The standing water level in the area behind my site is only about a foot to eighteen inches below the site level. Some of the sites in this camping loop were reported to be under water two weeks ago. My walk of exploration took me over to the Myakka river near the water level gauge. The water level was very high and you could see where it was even higher. Technically, it is below flood stage now. Two weeks ago it was a little above flood stage. The level gauge was at 14.4. During my last visit in April it was at 9.4. That is a full five foot difference.

I didn’t see any alligators on my walk this afternoon. The water level limits the amount of bank space for them to occupy. Tomorrow I will explore the area via car. I don’t want to make the mile long walk to the bridge over the Myakka river where the gators hang out until I know how the water level might impact my journey.

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.

Saturday September 23rd 2023

Today is the first day of fall and it actually felt like it. Fall in Florida is characterized by cooler nights, a little lower high temperature for the day and a little less humidity. It was in the low seventies this morning. Some areas in the region may have been in the sixties. The high temperature for the day was in the upper eighties and I didn’t notice the humidity. It was a very nice day if you stayed in the shade away from the direct sunshine. Fall isn’t here to stay. The forecast calls for the summer weather pattern to return next week.

It turned into a lazy day hanging out around my RV home. With the exception of the fifteen or so sites that are closed for electrical work, the campground was close to full. The day use area was also hosting a couple of sizable groups. Even though there were a lot of people around it still seemed to have a very laid back atmosphere.

I took three and a half walks around various areas of the park. The half walk occurred when my path was blocked by a tow truck and a box truck along the campground loop. They seemed to be using the tow truck as a transport service to move their trailer off the site. How the box truck fit into the production is unknown. It was a Home Depot rental truck. Rather than waiting for the vehicles to make room or bushwhacking my way through the woods, I backtracked around the loop road to my site. It seemed a little rude to provide an audience to the chaos.

All the people around the lake kept the birds away. The egrets and herons all stayed away. I only saw one strange little seagull watching the world from the top of a piling that holds the floating dock at the boat launch. It seemed impervious to the activity of the boat launch area. Even the sunset tonight wasn’t particularly photogenic. There weren’t enough clouds in the sky.