Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, Florida

5/25 Woke up early this morning because the birds were chirping and owls hooting. At home we might have one owl hooting but here there are so many owls that the hooting goes on forever. Left St. George State Park and headed off the island east on 98 and what a drive it was. Stunning views of the gulf, fishing boats, forests, wildlife preserves, pelicans gliding and small towns. This is how Florida used to be without all the development.
Drove down the coast to Chiefland where Manatee Springs State Park is. The park has three camping loops with dirt roads and just electricity and water. We were the only ones in the Magnolia 2 loop when we got there but other campers came in right after us. The road is meant for one vehicle at a time so if two RV’s have to pass one will have to pull over into a site. The Hickory Loop is much better for bigger RV’s and the walk to the springs is closer. This spring is one of the biggest in Florida which discharges over 100 million gallons per r day.
There a lot to do at this park. One can swim, snorkel or scuba dive in the springs. There are over 8.5 miles of hiking trails throughout the park. I went swimming and snorkeling in the 72 degree water and it was great but not for George. It was too cold for him. One of the best things to do is to walk the boardwalks that go through the swamps along the springs and out to the Suwannee River which exits to the Gulf at this spot. There are Alligators, Carp and Sturgeons in the river. In the winter, the Manatees swim up to the spring and that is why this campground is popular during those months because of all the great viewing areas to watch them. The springs in the winter are warmer for the Manatees than the rivers or the Gulf. We would have loved to see them!
The Sturgeons are amazing leaping out of the water every few minutes twisting their bodies around before smacking back into the water. One other camper told us that they jump more as it gets warmer and that in June on nights with the full moon the Sturgeons are flipping all over the place and it is quite a sight. I could not get a picture of them jumping; they were too fast for me to click the camera. I tried, boy did I try! The Carp that I got two good pictures of were a mistake by a scientist after bringing them over here from Asia for some experiments. They got loose and into the streams, rivers and backwaters where they eat more than their weight everyday and eat most of the food that the Manatees and other native fish need to survive. They are big and aggressive and those on the Mississippi have even landed in fishing boats attacking the fishermen. Every year the state of Florida has to come in and put electrodes in the water which zaps these fish so that they die then float to the top and where they pick them up.
The park has canoes that can be rented to paddle the river and part of the springs. One can rent the canoes even during the winter months but there are strict instructions about paddling around the Manatees. This is a beautiful park and I wish that we could have spent more than one night here but we must move on tomorrow.

St. George Island State Park, St. George, Florida

Trouble posting for the last two weeks but now we are in the Golden Isles of Georgia and am posting all the ones that would not go up!
5/23-5/24 We left St. Joseph’s State Park after saying our goodbyes to Mickey of course. He was such a cute dog. Continued driving 30 east through some nice forests and roads lined with houses along the Gulf. The town of Apalachicola is cute and this part of the coast is not over developed. Drove over some long bridges to get to St. George’s Island State Park. You drive into the middle of the village off the bridge with the west part of the island being private homes very exclusive – you are not allowed to drive through there unless you are a guest of someone who owns a house or condo. The village is really cute and there is a bike trail that goes through the middle of the island from one end to the other. The east end of the island is long and thin and all State Park. Beaches are empty, pretty and at this time of year very hot. We have had for over two weeks now weather that has been sunny, humid, clear skies and at least 95 degrees. Thank goodness the sand is still quartz so the sand does not get hot. Since George and I don’t enjoy just sitting out in the sun baking it has changed what we do. Bike rides in early morning and evenings and we go to the beach in the morning or late afternoons. Yesterday, we biked in the late afternoon on the dirt road that is closed to cars except for permits to the end of this island within the state park. It was so hard especially since my bike is a road bike and not a dirt bike. I turned around after about 7 miles since I almost wiped out in the sand a number of times and it just was sooooooooooooo hot and humid. George continued with the camera but he admits that he was thinking of turning around many times but he got to the end. Beautiful view, beaches at the end of the spit. He watched some dolphins swim by but he did not take a very good picture of them. George did get a good shot of an Osprey so I was proud of him! It took him about an hour to bike back and it was a good thing because I was waiting for him patiently at our camper because he forgot to tell me that he had taken the keys. Plan on enjoying life on Tuesday and then we start traveling again with some one night stops before we get to St. Augustine where Stephanie will join us for Memorial Day weekend.
Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park, St. George Island, Florida
60 sites plus some primitive sites, water, electricity
This campground on a barrier island is along the “forgotten coast of Florida” and at the end of the Panhandle. It is located on the eastern end of the island and has nine miles of undeveloped beaches and dunes with the Gulf on one side and the Apalachicola Bay on the other. 1,962 acres are laid out in a very long narrow strip and much of it you need a permit to drive on the dirt road to get to the end of the spit. Along the paved section there are pullouts with boardwalks to the beach and then you have two developed areas with showers and changing rooms. The campground is in two loops back to back but there are shady sites among the pines and coastal scrub bushes in this arid climate. One can fish, swim, bike, kayak, boating, hiking, bird watching for Bald Eagles and Ospreys and for the fall and spring bird migration. The little town of St. George four miles from the ranger station is cute with bike trails, shops, restaurants, historic lighthouse and museum and little beach houses to rent. Nice place to camp but make sure you make reservations because it was full both nights we were there with waiting lists to get in.

Playmate for Ellis (Mickey) & St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Florida

5/21-5/22 We left St. Andrews State Park and continued south and east down the last park of the Panhandle to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park in Port St. Joe’s. The drive was about 70 miles and took us longer than expected because we did stop for gas and another Wal-Mart to get supplies. The state park that we are going to is way out in no man’s land and you need to have everything with you. We drove again right through another Air Force Base and it went on for miles with pine trees lining up on both sides of the road. This area is definitely not a resort area of Florida. So many houses for sale along the coast. Yet, some of the houses near the State Park were going for $800,000. George said they had to be crazy! We enjoyed our stay at this park it was not as busy as St. Andrews SP and we had the closest walk to the ocean of all the parks we have stayed at. The roads are great for bike riding. The host from Ohio next to us had a Maltese Poodle; black like Justine’s named Mickey and only ten months old. Nice personality to the dog, really cute so I included two shots of him in the pictures I uploaded. He would have been a great playmate for Justine’s Ellis! The loggerhead turtles are laying their eggs now so we were not allowed to walk the beaches at dark and were warned to watch where we step on the sand.
St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Port St. Joe, Florida Water, electricity and 120 campsites. $24 plus tax
This campground is located in what they call the “forgotten coast of the Florida Panhandle”. There are two loops Gulf Breeze and Shady Pine. We stayed in the Gulf Breeze loop because it is closer to the Gulf and a little cooler but Shady Pine is a prettier loop with the tall pines. They both have two bathhouses within walking distance on boardwalks to the beaches on the Gulf. The walk is a little shorter from the Gulf Breeze loop. The beaches have that white quartz sand of the Panhandle but not the Caribbean blue water even though they claim that they do. Nice park but bring everything you need because it is a long drive out there. One can swim in the Gulf or in the Bay. Fishing, boating and snorkeling, swimming, hiking, bike riding and bird watching are all available. The park has 2516 acres surrounded on two sides by the ocean and Bay. It is on the Florida Bird Watching trail and 243 species have been seen here especially in the fall when the park becomes a stopover for the migration of birds on their way south. There are even birding and wildflower tours offered at this time. We saw beautiful sunsets and sun rises from the beach. Make sure you make reservations because it was full when we camped there in May and it seems to be a place that the “snowbirds” like to stay during the winter. We would return to camp at this state park.