Thursday April 6th 2023

It was another hot day setting records for high temperatures in some nearby areas. Overall, not the best day for traveling to a new location. I got very damp from sweat preparing for travel this morning and again setting up this afternoon. The air conditioning in the cab of my motorhome kept it comfortable on the road.

I departed Colt Creek State Park at 12:30 after getting the toad vehicle connected and emptying the holding tanks at the dump station. Traffic going south to Interstate 4 wasn’t bad. I even managed to make it through a few of the traffic lights without stopping. Once on I-4 I found heavy traffic, but it only slowed into the forties a few times. Traffic never came to a stop. Everything changed once I reached Interstate 75 and turned south. Traffic slowed to a crawl at every exit. At a few it even came to a complete stop. Drivers just don’t plan ahead. They decide it is time to exit at the last minute and cut from the far left lane to the exiting lane very quickly. Everyone has to hit the brakes to accommodate the reckless driver.

As I got closer to my destination in the Bradenton Sarasota area traffic got worse. The overall speed came down and the number of stops increased. My last 2.5 miles on I-75 took a half an hour of stop and go driving to complete. The eight miles traveling west from the interstate to Myakka River State Park was a little more relaxing, but the state has completed a couple of construction projects in the last year. They have added two traffic circles to control traffic without adding traffic lights. Traffic circles are not my favorites. The “A” post at the side of my windshield is right in the line of sight for seeing ahead as you go around the darn circles. The result is I’m half blind to what is in front of me.

I arrived at Myakka River State Park after 104 miles and two hours and forty five minutes. This is my first visit since last April. Hurricane Ian has changed a lot of things since then. The first thing you notice is more visibility thru the trees. Either big trees have been removed or something else happened to remove the underlying brush. I noticed this characteristic on my way to the campground and in the campground.

After I got setup and had some lunch I set out to explore some of the park. My primary goal was to look for obvious hurricane damage, but I also wanted to check for alligators and other animals at the bridge over the river. As I walked along the road I saw plenty of big trees that had been uprooted. Some took other trees with them as they came down. The trees that impacted the road have been cut up and removed producing open space. The trees back in the woods away from the road are still there.

At the bridge over the Myakka River most of the alligators were in the water with only there eyes and snout visible. I saw one gator on the bank with its mouth open maybe to cool off. There were a few birds, but most were far enough away to make them hard to identify. However, I did see a new animal that I knew was around, but hadn’t seen before. A few hundred yards south of the bridge in the grassy area exposed by the low water level there were three big feral hogs along with a couple of young ones. I’m glad they were a long way away. I really don’t want to deal with a protective mother. To get a better picture I went down the trail along the river about half way to the hogs. I still took the picture at maximum zoom on my camera.

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.

Tuesday April 4th 2023

There wasn’t any fog this morning which allowed the sun to get an earlier start at warming the day. Combined with very little wind and increased humidity it turned into an uncomfortable day. The temperature peaked north of ninety degrees. According to the weather report on the evening news a record a new record high was set at some locations in the area. A similar day is expected tomorrow.

I found another set of trails to walk today. Not all of the trails are on the park trail map. There are some cross trails and bypass trails that are marked and maintained that don’t appear on the map. Today I followed a couple of those trails near the ponds in the main day use area. I didn’t discover anything new or exciting along those trails. All I can claim for my effort is some good exercise.

On my evening walk to the day use area I spotted one of the small alligators in the main pond. It was on a food stake out near the boat launch area. When the alligator has just its eyes and a little bit of its snout above water watching the shore, I call it a food stake out. We both knew the other was there. I wasn’t going to get too close and it never got concerned enough to dive and run. Tonight this little guy moved subtlety to keep me in its view as I approach the water. Someone walking a little dog or maybe young kids playing might have resulted in a different interaction. You always need to watch the water and the bank.

Monday April 3rd 2023

The fog was back this morning. Visibility was very poor. The sites around the camping loop were barely visible from my RV home. It was nearly 10AM before it lifted and gave way to bright sunshine. There was also very little wind today. This area is in the middle of an above normal heat period. The average high temperature is around eighty, but today it reached ninety. The lack of wind made for an uncomfortable day. Later in the week record warm temperatures are forecast. The good news is the overnight temperatures still get down into the sixties allowing for comfortable open window sleep sessions.

In addition to the heat it is very dry. Spring is the dry season in Florida. The daily afternoon thunderstorms of summer haven’t started yet. There is an elevated drought level across most of south Florida. A burning ban is in place for this county and many others in the area. In the week and a half I’ve been here only a few very brief light rain showers have fallen. Many of the swamp areas only had a little water when I arrived. Now they are mud at best and cracked dried earth in other areas. The selection of wildflowers to take pictures of has also decreased significantly. Much of the grass has gone from green to brown and crackles as you walk on it. I really wonder what this area looks like during the rainy season.

I got my two walks in today, but they were a little shorter than normal. It wasn’t the heat that shortened my routes, but more one of boredom. Without wildflowers or animals to take pictures of, I’m just walking the same trails I’ve already traveled. This evening I also had the added annoyance of bugs. The low wind level allows the bugs to be a real nuisance.

Saturday April 1st 2023

Today’s weather was a repeat of Friday. It was mostly sunny with lots of fluffy clouds, a wind out of the south and plenty of humidity. The temperature peaked in the upper eighties, but the wind kept things comfortable.

The cross country races were the big thing in the park today. I stayed at home all morning to keep out of the way of the runners. When I ventured out this afternoon shortly before 2PM, there was no sign of the race. All of the race paraphernalia that the race organizers had been setting up and distributing around the park since Thursday afternoon was gone. Even the big green arrows made from tape on the roads were removed. There was no sign that a race took place. The day use area was deserted. I call them a very well run race organizing team.

I took my usual two walks today, but they are getting a little repetitive. I am not seeing as many new things now. The wild flowers are the same species just in different locations and I am not seeing a lot of animals. Even the sunsets are starting to look similar. Tomorrow I’m going to hike back to and around the south end of the park. The group camping areas and the equestrian campground in that area should be quieter by then. For a park named Colt Creek, I still haven’t found anything that I would call a creek. Maybe it is hidden by the low water level.

In between walks I was focused on getting a few chores accomplished around my RV home. One of the chores was booking a campground for the end of the month. My winter set of reservations ends with my next stop. Then I’ll be in my summer mode. For the most part I play it by ear making reservations three weeks to a month ahead of time. It gives me a little more freedom of movement allowing me to wander little bit more freely. The down side is I have to remember to book holidays early and I don’t always get to go where I want when I want. At the end of this month into the beginning of May, I’ll be back in the Orlando area.

Friday March 31st 2023

It was a warmer and more humid day today. A strong breeze out of the southeast was the cause, but it was also the comfort saving element. As long as you were in the breeze the temperature was tolerable. The record high temperature in the area was almost set today as the temperature peaked in the very high eighties. The average temperature for this date is eighty.

The mystery associated with all the preparations going on at the day use area was solved on my first walk of the day. They are setting up for a series of races tomorrow. A 5K, 10K and half marathon are scheduled. There is an elaborate start and finish line setup beside the pavilion complete with a victory arch and medal platform. Around the park there are race direction signs and arrows to mark the race route. As the day progressed they added more elements to the setup. I spotted a water station with plenty of orange coolers were the half marathon route returns to five and ten K routes. The half marathon route seems to follow just about every trail in the park.

With all the setup work the race organizers have to do, it is not surprising that they got started Thursday afternoon. I bet they will take it all down and depart a lot quicker. They will likely be gone by tomorrow night. That will be nice, because I anticipate absolute chaos on the park roads and trails tomorrow. Residents of the campground can’t leave the park without driving along and across the race route a couple of times.

The campground is filled for the weekend with the expected mix of local area weekenders out for a party with friends. The atmosphere is a little more lively than during the week. One downer on the weekend revelry came this afternoon. The county has issued an open fire ban because of the dry conditions. That means no campfires. The camp host had the task of delivering the news to each site. There was a big wildfire on the other side of the county earlier in the week.

Thursday March 30th 2023

It was a cool start to the day. The inside temperature was in the low sixties this morning. That is probably close to the outside temperature since the windows were open all night. The temperature rose into the mid eighties during the day. The lower humidity was offset by the lack of wind. In some ways it felt warmer than yesterday.

To start my second week here at Colt Creek State Park, I explored a different area of the park today. Instead of heading for the ponds at the day use area on my first walk of the day, I turned east on a trail that heads out to the back of a recently cut pasture. The trail goes south between open areas and a swampy area. For the most part the swamps are without water. The dry spell so far this spring has left the swamps mostly muddy.

At the southern most point on the trail there is an equestrian campground and another day use area. The trail continues to the east and loops back to the north. I chose to take the main park road back to my RV home. The loop trail around to the north would require several hours and more supplies to complete. At the southern day use area there is one little pot hole style pond. It is probably less than 100 feet in diameter, but it had an alligator in residence.

For my second walk of the day at sunset I returned to the main day use area. There was a lot of activity at the day use pavilion. A group was busy unloading a U-Haul truck and setting up for some kind of event. I don’t know if the event is tomorrow or on the weekend, but they were doing a lot of setup. I’ll have to check it out tomorrow.

Wednesday March 29th 2023

The latest cold front has passed through the area toward the south. Today’s temperature was cooler than the last several days. It peaked in the lower eighties. This evening the wind out of the north added a little bit of a chill to the air. The good thing with respect to overall comfort is the humidity is going down. On the other had the dry air and lack of rain is raising the fire danger.

Today was opposite the day before in terms of activity level. While Tuesday was quiet, today was a very active day around the state park. About half the campsites in the park turned over today. In the early afternoon there were many empty sites. This evening there were only a few still empty which probably filled after darkness fell. Elsewhere in the park I found lots of activity too. There were people fishing at the fishing pier in the main park pond as well as several people using picnic tables for lunch. Out by the third pond there were empty horse trailers when I walked by. Where the horses and their riders are will remain a mystery. I didn’t encounter any horses on my walk today.

Continuing with the opposite behavior today, there was nobody around the day use area when I made my second walk of the day near sunset. Tuesday there were people fishing and kayaking. It was very quiet and the sunset was blocked by cloud cover.