Collier-Seminole State Park, Naples, Florida

January 22 - 27, 2008

Some of the state parks are not quite "big rig friendly" and this is one of those. We just fit into our site. Collier-Seminole State Park lies partly within the great mangrove swamp of southern Florida. The location is great; just south of Naples proper, north of Marco Island (I love Marco Island and Ken says it's because I have a love for the good life!) and west is Everglades City. These three spots offer a variety of things to do. The park itself is very nice with trails for biking and walking and the Blackwater River for canoeing or kayaking.

Speaking of biking...after we had settled into our site, Ken talked me into taking a 3.5 mile mountain bike trail within the Park. I figured that was why we brought the bikes, so I said fine. Well, I made it for one mile in and told Ken if he ever wanted me to join him on the trails again, we had to turn around right away...that was really hard, especially when we kept hitting that soft white sand.

We spent the next day in Everglades City. We took an airboat ride through the mangroves and grasslands. These boats fly through the narrow, winding waterways, and we had to duck several times to avoid the low hanging limbs. When we entered larger pools of water, the captain would spin the boat backward at full speed. Quite thrilling! You can see from the picture that this area is also suffering from the draught. There were parts of the ride where the mangrove trees made a tunnel and you couldn't see the sky. I expected to see alligators on this trip but learned that because of the salinity of this water they made their home north of Route 41 in the fresh water.

Our next adventure was a boat trip through Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. The Park contains 1,508,571 acres and is the third largest national park in the lower 48 states after Death Valley National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Unlike most other national parks in the United States, Everglades National Park was created to protect a fragile ecosystem, as opposed to safeguarding a geographic feature. There are 36 federally threatened or protected species that exist within park boundaries; these include the Florida panther, American crocodile, and West Indian manatee. It is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America, and it contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere. There are over 350 species of birds, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, 40 species of mammals, and 50 different kinds of reptiles that live within the Park. The thrill of this boat ride was the sighting of the white pelican. What a magnificent site seeing them fly into their v-formation, only inches above the water. We also saw brown pelicans, white egrets, blue herons and a pod of dolphins entertained us for a bit.

After our lunch of Florida gator and stone crab at the Oyster House Restaurant in Everglades City we made a quick trip to Chockoloskee Island and then visited the H. P. Williams Roadside Park and met quite a few alligators. (The one I'm looking at here was about 12'). This Park is part of the

Big Cypress Swamp, the freshwater swamp (on the north side of Route 41) which covers over 720,000 acres of plant communities that are home to a diversity of wildlife, including the elusive Florida panther (which we did not see and are wondering if, like the New Hampshire moose, the panther is a myth to get people to visit??)

I know this sounds a little like an encyclopedia, but we had such a great day exploring. We finished with a boardwalk walk through some of the Cypress Swamp. Saw another alligator, but nothing else. Very, very dense--no way you could just walk through the forest.

And speaking of canoeing ... Ken and I spent a fabulous day on Blackwater River just soaking up the sun and watching the birds. (I look a little funny in the picture...not because I had too much to drink, but because the seat was broken!!) I now can recognize the four difference types of mangroves (white, red, black and buttonwood) and know the difference between a great egret and an ibis.

We're off this morning for Thousand Trails - Peace River in Wauchula, Florida. See you there!