Florida Part 2: West

I was SO excited about the Everglades.  More so than the Keys, more so than the beaches.  I wanted to get out in the swamp and be with the alligators among the mangroves.  After much research I found an RV site in Big Cypress swamp, right smack in the middle of the Everglades.  As luck would have it, the owner was a Skunk Ape Hunter and had a menagerie of exotic animals.

In case you are not already familiar with the skunk ape, it is Florida's version of Bigfoot or Sasquatch.  Skunk ape hunters believe that this humanoid creature lives in the swamps, walks bipedally, measures about six feet tall, has shaggy orange hair similar to an orangutan, and has an intense smell reminiscent of rotten eggs or methane.  I don't believe anyone is interested in actually bagging one of the creatures, the hunt is more about proving its existence.

I made vague plans with the owner of the "zoo" to take a tour in the morning, planning to ask about Skunk Apes at that time.  While in the shop I should have taken more notice of the abundance of bug spray for sale.  Instead I was gaping at the alligator tooth necklaces and trying not to stare at the two redneck locals sitting in front of the fan.

I paid for two nights and we drove into the park.  Another employee came out to show us our spot, so we had to roll the window down to talk with him.  Fifteen mosquitos must have flown in during that brief conversation.  We parked and commenced killing mosquitos.  About an hour later I worked up the guts to take a walk around the property and look for alligators in the swamp.  I sprayed a thick layer of high concentrate DEET mosquito spray all over myself and Lukas, then we headed out.  The mosquito attack was immediate and relentless.  After a brief foray toward the pond I could think of nothing other than the skeeters cloud surrounding us.  I was so caught up in swatting mosquitos that I would not have seen an alligator unless I stepped on it.  Lukas buried his head in my shoulder and I ran back to the RV.  Feeling somewhat hysterical, we showered off the bug spray while Brian killed the mosquitos that had followed us in.

It was then that I decided to abandon the swamp.  In early October we were in the thick of mosquito season, too early for the buggers to have died off in the cooler autumn weather.  All night the mosquitos crept in through some unknown hole in our defense.  By morning the walls were covered with blood stains and mosquito smears.  Lukas awoke with bites all over his face.  Soon after daybreak we drove the hell out of there and didn't look back.  Nature girl was defeated by a tiny army of blood suckers.  But we did see a stunning sunset from within the confines of our RV.

By nine in the morning we had reached the posh seaside village of Naples.  There were no mosquitos in sight, thank goodness.  In contrast, the beaches had beautiful white sand and coquinas aplenty.  Orange stucco mansions surrounded the understated public beach access.  Brian had his pick of at least ten golf courses in the immediate area.

Lukas and I spent the afternoon exploring the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens.  Naples Zoo is a small AZA accredited zoo set in a botanical garden.  The native flora was the perfect tropical setting for viewing animals.  I particularly enjoyed the orchid epiphytes that were anchored about thirty feet up in the crevasse of a tree trunk.  The highlight of the zoo is its animal programs, such as the boat tour around the primate islands and the giraffe feeding.  I thoroughly enjoyed the animal presentation at the theater, during which the keepers played at putting a hedgehog and a scorpion head to head in order to determine which animal was the fiercest.  They also showed us a sloth that had to be hand raised after mom abandoned it.  As everyone knows, sloths are absolutely adorable and I had to add to the chorus of "ooohs" in the audience.  

Our next destination was the place we called home for almost a week.  Dunedin is north of Clearwater and St Petersburg, both popular Gulf of Mexico beaches.  Brian's parents were meeting us in Dunedin for a vacation.  Five of us in the RV would not have made for a good vacation, so instead we made reservations at a combination hotel and RV park.

We showed up in Dunedin a day early in order to get some work done on the RV.  During that severe storm about a week ago a tail light had gone out.  It was also time for our third oil change in six months.  We've put almost 10,000 miles on the RV since April!  While at the shop, we hit up another white sand beach, then visited a cute little nature center with a pond chock full of turtles.

Riding the "fire engine" at the nature center

Lukas was so excited to see Nana and Papa!  Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating, so we couldn't beach it as much as we were hoping to.  Instead we explored the sleepy little town of Dunedin, attempted to play in a sandstorm in Clearwater, and visited the home of Winter, the famous tail-less dolphin.  One day we went to the Greek town of Tarpon, known for its sea sponge collectors.  We saw some Greek people and ate some greek food.  I also peeked into the Tarpon Aquarium, which had a sketchy live shark feed that entailed a diver going into the tank and hand feeding four foot long sharks.

Sponge collecting vessel

Then finally, the day Lukas had been impatiently awaiting... his third birthday!  Lukas helped me make a cake and we had a little party in Nana and Papa's hotel room.  The boy was thrilled to be the center of attention and very pleased with his birthday loot.  As Lukas played with his new toys, Brian and I snuck out for a rare date night.

We had one sunny day with Carol and Don, so we visited the Honeymoon Island State Park.  This is another barrier island with white sand and clear water.  We happened to hit the beach when there was a large tidal pool perfect for Lukas to swim in, and also handy for filling up his new water cannon.  That evening we had a farewell BBQ with fresh black grouper, corn and asparagus.  Thankfully it won't be too long before we're back in California to play with the gramps once more.

In order to head west back to SF, we would have to drive through the panhandle of Florida.  Our hopes were very low for this area.  But first, we picked out a lesser known spot on the "Nature Coast" called Cedar Key.  The two block town had several good restaurants, a bit of coast, and a very slow pace. We had a lovely brunch overlooking the water, then set off in search of manatees.

Manatee Springs state park was about an hour away.  Brian took the back-roads and it was tropical forest the whole way, interspersed with a few mobile home parks and some hunting land.  The ranger at the entrance kiosk scoffed when I asked about the best manatee viewing spot, assuring us we wouldn't see any.  But we wandered down the boardwalk anyway, and the walk itself was worth it.  The spring fed creek was clear and blue.  It was so surreal that I half-way expected to see mermaids, if manatees weren't in the cards.  Just as we got to the end of the boardwalk, a baby manatee surfaced next to a family in a canoe.  What a treat!  Lukas was whining on and on about wanting to go on a canoe and could not grasp how exciting it was that there was a large sea cow twenty feet away from us.  Brian dragged the sniveling child back down the boardwalk while I snapped a few pics of mother and babe.

Back at the mouth of the spring, we got Lukas interested in riding the manatee statue and prepared ourselves for the ride back.  Just then, Lukas slipped (not unusual) and gave such a howl that I knew something was not right.  There was a giant lump on his head, growing larger by the second, and blood around his nose.  Brian and I went into triage mode: ice from the family barbecuing nearby, ditch the stroller because it's a ways back and half-way broken, determine location of the nearest hospital, try to keep an exhausted Lukas awake in the car, try not to pass out or throw up myself, keep the speeding Brian from getting in an accident or getting stopped by the police.

Our GPS was set for the Tri-County Emergency Hospital, and it led us to a tiny driveway into what looked like an elementary school.  On closer inspection, we saw an emergency room sign and pulled into the mostly empty lot.  The staff greeted us warmly as we came in, gave Lukas a lollipop and whisked him off to see the doctor.  What?  Is this really an emergency room?  I was expecting a three hour wait in a dank room with about thirty other people, several of them bleeding profusely.  Mom of the year that I am, I wasn't carrying Lukas's proof of insurance card.  "No problem!" I was assured by the staff. "We'll fill out the paperwork without that info and work it out with your insurance company."

Twenty minutes later Lukas was back in the car.  The egg on his head was the size of a chicken egg, and colored a beautiful shade of purple and red.  Lukas was allowed to watch Sesame Street for the rest of the night.  His parents kept a closer eye on the boy for the next week or so, then let him go back to his old risky ways and hoped for the best.

Our next drive took us to the "Forgotten Coast."  We followed the Sopchoppy Highway past numerous Confederate flags, wound through bear filled forests fringing the Gulf of Mexico, and finally stopped for the evening in Carrabelle.   Our RV park was right across the street from the ocean.  I brought Lukas over for a swim only to find that the beach in Carrabelle has brown sand, murky water, and lots of jellyfish.  However, the beach was long and it was low tide, so I ended up taking a lovely evening walk.

There were anemones all over the beach, brought up from the seafloor by Hurricane Ike.  The tidal pools in the wetlands area were filled with life.  I slid through the detritus in my bare feet, enjoying the feel of it squishing through my toes.  I found two hermit crabs involved in a battle to the death, one clasped to the other's claw.  It's grip would not be shaken, no matter how I tried to shake or prod him.  Finally I had to allow nature to take its course and simply left the duo as I had found them.  The sun was setting as I sauntered back down the beach, listening to the local fisherman and trying to understand what they were saying beneath that thick accent.

Later that evening I went to go look at the stars on the beach.  Only I didn't get to the beach, because I suddenly remembered all the signs with bears on them.  I looked at my flashlight with the dying batteries and decided to watch the stars from the RV park.  And from my spot outside the RV I was treated to the most amazing shooting star I have ever seen - super bright, with a long trajectory, and an extra burst of light as it fizzled out of existence.  I giggled in glee and clapped my hands, silly girl that I am.  Our stop in Carrabelle was an unexpected gift, beauty where I expected none.  Could the rest of the panhandle surprise us as well?

We left Carrabelle the next morning and continued around the Gulf coast toward Panama City Beach.  As we crossed the Apalachicola Bay, we ran into a cloud or migrating butterflies and dragonflies.  Streaks of orange, yellow, and brown whizzed by, and a few unlucky ones hit our windshield.  It was a beautiful drive until we hit the high rises along the Panama City beach and the accompanying chain stores.

After getting a wee bit lost, we ended up staying at the funky, older end of Panama City Beach.  This may have been the strangest RV park I've ever stayed at.  After surveying the playground and the goofy golf course, I think the park design process happened in the seventies and the architect may have been on acid.  One of the best features is that it is walking distance to the beach via a dirt road which has houses tucked away in the dense forest on either side of the path.  As you emerge from the forest, you are greeted by ten foot tall day-glo dinosaurs and a water slide replica of the Matterhorn.  After passing the snow cone shack, you walk past the dumpster to enter the white sand, clear water paradise of the beach.

The psychedelic experience didn't end there.  On the beach a man was strapping himself to a chair with a giant fan attached to the back.  He started up the fan motor, fluffed up his parasail, and went zooming into the sky.  Then we saw a forty-something well toned man running down the beach, USMC cap on his head, and an American flag waving in his hand.  The runner caught sight of Lukas and came over to deliver the flag to my boy, barely stopping as he did so.  Does this man run with a flag every day, hoping to find a young recruit?  Lukas was smitten with the flag and waved it proudly the rest of the day.

Our final stop in Florida was a state park on the very tip of a barrier island near Pensacola.  In order to get there we drove along a thin strip of land covered in white dunes, surrounded by crystal blue water.  From our campsite we could walk down a boardwalk through the dunes to a huge white beach almost completely devoid of people.  This is hands down the nicest beach I have ever seen.  After a trail run in the morning I took my coffee and cereal out to the beach.  I could see about a mile in either direction down the beach, but I was the only person in sight.  While it was exhilarating to have the place to myself, I felt uncomfortable going in the water alone, especially since I had seen two sharks close to shore the day before.  It was a quick swim in the perfect water, and a longer stretch on the perfect beach, savoring this perfect moment.

RV PARK REVIEWS

Trail Lakes Campground, Ochopee, FL: F

  Paid for two nights but the mosquitos were so intense that we left after one, miserable, night.

Neopolitan Cove RV Resort, Naples, FL: A

  Anything without skeeters would be great after our Everglades experience.  Small park, nicely cared for, friendly staff, paved sites, clubhouse.

Dunedin RV Resort, Dunedin, FL: B

  Motel in the front, transient RV sites in the middle, permanent RV and mobile home sites in the back.  Pool and laundry facilities were nice.  Near a noisy road.  Swamps on either side of park.

Cedar Key RV Resort, Cedar Key, FL: A-

  Set up as a buy your own lot, but nobody bought so mostly deserted.  Well cared for.  Nice pool and clubhouse.  Old fire engine to climb on.

Carrabelle Beach RVC Outdoor Destination, Carrabelle, FL: A+

  Beautiful sites, nice pool, playground and clubhouse.  Across the street from beach.

Raccoon River Campground, Panama City Beach, FL: B

  Brian called it the Rabid Raccoon.  This place was rustic and kooky.  Huge roots across our site and poor hook ups.  Clean bathrooms covered in graffiti.  Crazy cable bride connected to cement bridge over stagnant creeks.  Great playground which included salvaged items, possibly from a traveling festival.  Meandering/confusing road/path that led to gorgeous beach.  Awesome "goofy golf" course near beach also owned by campground.  Two pools.

Fort Pickens Campground, Pensacola, FL: A+
  State park at the end of a barrier island.  Wide white sand beaches for miles, super clear water, very few people.  Large sites, walking trails, tree cover.