SOME NEW FLORIDA PARKS FOR US January 2015

So I don't lose track of our early months of this year I'll do a photo recap starting back in January. 

We started the year in southern Florida at Midway Campground in the Big Cypress National Preserve. A wonderful National Park we'd passed several times along the Tamiami Trail. We set up and started looking for things to do nearby. 

We had only a three day stay but a chance to do a swamp walk on Saturday morning. We had signed on at the Clyde Butcher Gallery down the road before learning the park rangers also do this guided walk. Equipped with a walking stick, long pants, laced shoes and bug free shirts we joined a group of about a dozen others to tramp through the waters.  The two hour walk was fascinating and no alligators till we got back near the gallery, fine with me.

From Midway Campground we moved further west to Collier Seminole State park and a ten night stay. We were still close enough to the Big Cypress Park we joined a ranger canoe ride through the mangrove tunnels. So much fun!!

The day was beautiful and wildlife everywhere!

Another afternoon we drove the Loop Road Scenic Drive a 24 mile ride through a dwarf cypress forest, pine forests and deep strands.

We wanted to connect again with friends we'd met at Midway campground, Beth and John.  Original plans to eat at Joanie's Blue Crab Cafe fell through when we arrived and they were closed for cleaning so we ended up at the fun and funky Camellia Street Grill in Everglades City. Actually a great choice with this deck view for dining.

Collier Seminole Park is just east of Naples, Florida, an easy drive for a day to the local museum, a walk around the town and beach.

A mid day walk along the beautiful Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk.

We started the walk near the village and ended up at a beautiful pond with such an amazing assortment of wildlife...a wood stork, blue heron, snake, turtles, alligator amidst stunning cypress and palmettos.

It's always fun to find the local place for sun, music and drinks. One was just behind our campground in the little community of Goodland where we found Stan's Idle Hour Bar and Grill

with this cute little guy hanging out at the bar.

Another boardwalk in our park and a kayak ride through the canals and mangroves. Ten days in one place is wonderful though hard to get during the winter months in Florida.

We liked this park so much we put in an application to volunteer next winter...maybe we'll get a call.

Our park, at the most western side of the Tamiami Trail, displays the BayCity Walking Dredge built in 1924 and used to build the Tamiami Trail linking Tampa and Miami and opening southwest Florida to travelers. The park also covers one of the three original strands of royal palms in Florida, along with canals filled with mangroves. As always, Florida parks...always interesting.

Our move north to Sarasota Elks Lodge gave us days to catch a visit at the Ringling Bros Art Museum and grounds.

As we moved the car to the waterfront we came upon the statue Unconditional Surrender, along the bay, we had last seen a couple of years ago in San Diego. Fun surprise.

Traveling north again and crossing Tampa Bay on this beautiful Sunshine Skyway Bridge always means we're almost back to my sister's in Safety Harbor.

Our ten days at Clearwater RV Park was perfect, only a couple miles from Emily's, lots of bike trails nearby and on Emily's way home from work...a perfect chance to share a glass of wine and catch up on her day.  My Christmas gift from Emily was a ticket to theater in St. Pete to see another August Wilson play, something that's become an annual event for us. This time it was Radio Golf, the next in the series presented each January.

We spent another day at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg to see the exhibit Picasso/Dali, Dali/Picasso, work from two giants of modern art and a terrific show. 

PK just hanging out with the two guys...

 

From Safety Harbor we went east to Hillsborough River State Park for nine nights, time to relax, bike ride, hikes and a tram ride and tour to visit nearby Fort Foster...and renovate our RV a bit. 

New bedroom colors and fabrics,

and a change out of our sofa.  Thanks to Craig's List we found a buyer for the tan sofa we'd had, it looked good but just wasn't that comfortable. We'd seen a new darker sofa/bed at Costco, they had it in stock so we drove over and picked it up...easy with the top down and PK's ingenuity.

Then back to assemble it and enjoy a new look in our little cottage...

new paint color and new sofa in the living room.  Voi la!

We stayed on at Hillsborough Park for a Doctor appointment in Clearwater before we moved all the way to northern Florida. I love this annual visit to spend time with Emily and the couple months of  stays in the some lovely and new Florida State Parks.