Moving on to Myakka River State Park

Yes, I realize it's been a while since I have posted but when you are busy, you've gotta set priorities!  Anyway, here's one update.

When I left Citrus Ridge I headed to the West coast to Myakka River State Park.  The park has three campgrounds, one for big rigs complete with 50amp, water, sewer connections.  If I still had my big rig I wouldn't have been able to get in but because of my size I got in the campground close to the water deep into the park.

When I pulled into my site #8, a fellow camper came around and asked me where I was from.  Told him TN & he said where, told him and I said and what part of TN are you from.  Just the way he said it made me think he must be from TN too.  He said, "oh you wouldn't know, it's a small town."  He said Seymour TN and turned it into about 20 syllables.  I said oh yes, I know where that is and we chatted.  Of course he couldn't believe I was all by myself and offered help in anything I needed done.  I seem to get that a lot.

Then as Sedona and I were riding around on the bike I stopped & talked to this "single" woman and found out she was from Cleveland TN.  It's a small small world.  I love riding my bike in FL where it's so flat.  I rode 5 miles a couple of days.  To some of you that may seem like nothing but to be it's a milestone.

The park put on a lot of programs for campers.  One interpretive program was on the snakes of the area, mostly the diamond back rattler, bird watching and star gazing.  At least those were the ones I attended.  This particular area had many gators and after a while, you seen one gator, you've seen them all.

Being close to the river made it easy for me to walk over and take a big airboat tour and a tram ride through the park.

Prairie area of the park.

Roseate Spoonbills & buzzards

Birds-that's what I call 'em.

More birds

The boat

Sunset from my campsite #8

While I was in the area I contacted a fellow womenrv.com forum friend who winters in Sarasota and we got together.  She and her husband Bob, aka, tGM (the Great Man), came to the park and we visited for a while and then in a few days I went to their park in Sarasota and they took me around the area and showed me their town.  We went to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens but not before we had lunch at a great little place on the water.

Sarasota Bay Front

Sittin on the dock of the bay...

Entertainment

Carold and Carolyn

WWII monument in the Bay Area.

Downtown Sarasota

Dreamin'

Banyan tree down my the shore.

Koi pond

1932 Banyan Tree w/Carold in the foreground

Orchids

Bonsai tree

Beautiful bonsai

We drove over to St Armand to drive around the circle and to see the beach.  It was a wonderful day.  I really like this area of FL.
Later...