Still in Florida

Since I last posted an update most of my time has been spent at Collier Seminole State Park here in southern Florida.

By the way, all of the pictures in this update are courtesy of Ronna. Thanks!!

The park was originally created by Barron Gift Collier, an advertising tycoon, who purchased nearly a million acres of land in southern Florida. The idea was to preserve the Royal Palm trees which grow here naturally. After his death it served as a memorial to him and to those who fought on both sides of the Seminole Wars. In 1947 the county donated the land which then became Collier Seminole State Park.

Collier was an interesting person; you can read more about him here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barron_Collier

Ronna flew down for a 7 day visit and to get some relief from the really tough winter up north. She was greeted by sunny skies and 72 degree temps when she stepped off the plane at Southwest Florida International Airport, about an hour northeast of the park.

We spent Wednesday walking the park and viewing the Bay City Walking Dredge. Collier was a major investor in creating the Collier County (named after him) section of Tamiami Trail (Highway 41), a highway that crosses the everglades and links Tampa and Miami. The project was actually begun in 1915 but wasn't completed until 1928. In order to build this road the Bay City Walking Dredge was designed and built in 1924. The one here in the park is listed as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. You can see a picture and read a bit more about it here:

http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/places/13000318.htm

I don’t think I've ever seen so many red bellied woodpeckers and vultures in one place before. The vultures seem to care less about the campers and are often seen

strolling the campgrounds cleaning up behind those who leave their campsites. I even saw a few hop up onto the picnic tables to raid leftovers when no one was around. Not quite as fearless as gulls, but close.

We stopped in Goodland, a short drive away and a typical Florida waterfront small town, for the first of several shrimp and grouper meals.

On Thursday we toured Everglades National Park (http://www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm). My Senior Pass took care of the admission fee and we stopped at the visitor’s center to pick up a few small souvenirs, a park map and an Everglade bird guide. After we started the 75 mile round trip along the main park road I noticed my dash display telling me I only had 35 miles to empty. That meant leaving the park and driving 15 miles to a gas station and returning to the park. It wasn't till later that we realized there was gas available in the park at the Flamingo Visitors Center.

We didn't have all that much time to spend at the park, seeing it was almost a 3 hour drive back to camp, but more than enough time to see the abundance of nearshore birds and alligators on the Anhinga Trail. In fact, if you only have time for one trail this is the one. Most all the pictures below were taken there.

We stopped to eat at the Flamingo Visitors Center not expecting much but were surprised with a wonderful dinner of shrimp and grouper. Just a note for campers; the Flamingo campground offers electric hookups.

Friday we spent the day at the Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve in Cape Coral. This is a 1.2 mile walk through a mangrove forest on a raised boardwalk. We managed to spy a small raccoon digging around the mangrove roots for food and a few shore birds. The area is also home to several monuments dedicated to those who fought in WW II, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East. 

Then it was off to Pine Island, just west of Cape Coral, for lunch at one of my favorite places, the Waterfront. The sun was warm and we sat outside along the docks provided for boaters to tie up and have a bite. For us it was more shrimp and grouper.

Saturday was a cool and overcast day but we headed out to Cape Harbor, a resort condominium development in Cape Coral, to meet the Banana Boat Eco and Dolphin tour at Rumrunners. The 3.5 hour boat ride was very informative and included stopping at Picnic Island for a box lunch, where we were accompanied by the Ring billed gulls. The Dolphins were everywhere but most difficult to photograph. I can’t tell you how many pictures were “left on the cutting room floor”, so to speak. We got treated to watching the dolphins hunting; chasing and capturing fish along the seawalls. The birds were abundant and we were able to get quite close to a large flock of American White Pelicans. The birds have a wingspan second only to the California condor and migrate down from Minnesota. Our guide, Rich, said the pelicans arrived early this year and seemed to know it was going to be a colder than normal winter up north. Ronna was lucky enough to get some shots of an Osprey feeding on a fish the bird had caught earlier. Rich tried to get as close as he could which gave Ronna a nice shot of the bird flying away from us when it was spooked.

On Sunday we stopped at the Ft. Meyers RV show and said hello to Chris, a longtime friend of mine who works as a factory rep for Coleman trailers. She a busy girl this time of year, traveling all over the country supporting dealers at the various RV shows. It was a warm, sunny day and we treated ourselves to ice cream before leaving and heading over to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates.

Thomas Edison purchased this property in Ft. Myers in 1885, the same year Ft. Meyers was incorporated. The Edisons enjoyed leisurely stays here until 1947 when it was deeded to the city of Ft. Meyers for $1 and it opened to the public in 1990. Henry Ford purchased his home in 1916 providing him the opportunity to vacation with his good friend and former employer, Thomas Edison. The grounds contain both homes, Ford’s caretaker cottage, Edison’s wife Mina’s Moonlight Garden, Edison’s little office, and Edison’s caretaker home as well as a museum, laboratory and gardens.

Edison, Ford and Firestone worked together in 1927 to form the Edison Botanic Research Corporation. Their endeavor was to produce and manufacture a quick growing, domestic source of natural rubber. This brought many exotic plants to the winter estate, including majestic Mysore figs, which are native to India. You can read more about the estate here:

http://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/

After a relaxing day Monday and dinner in Marco Island (can you guess what was on our plates?) Ronna headed home on Tuesday. Her flight was delayed 2-3 times but she did make it back OK. Not that she would have minded having to stay and extra day or 2 in Florida.

I left Collier Seminole and have been here at Lake Griffin State Park, just northwest of Orlando. Will start to pack up tomorrow and head out Monday to the Georgia border, s-l-o-w-l-y making my way back north. Staying at Walkabout RV Park near Woodbine GA and will fly out of Jacksonville next Wednesday to spend a week in the great white north, visiting with Ronna, family and friends.

Hope you are all happy, healthy and warm!