searcyf@mac.com – Page 104 – Travels with Fred

Cross Country Trip – Day 1

20 March 2018

The day started around 6 am and if you believe in omens, it started ominously. I was getting a glass of water at my bedside and managed to spill it on my iPhone. Fortunately, the phone still works. I packed the car the night before and it is pretty amazing what the Thule cargo box will hold. It is rated for 168 lbs but I suspect I packed it only with around 140. The jeep is totally stuffed but at least I can see out the back window so the cargo box was worth the investment.

I pulled out of the driveway at 8:45 am and headed for the Florida Turnpike. Just north of the Coconut Creek exit, traffic started slowing. Then it stopped. Dead. Still. It eventually began to crawl and then stop again. As you might guess – no accident – no FHP – no reason for the slowing and stoppage. Around Jupiter, it picked up and then cars started getting pulled over by FHP which slowed it again.

Once I got past Jupiter, the pace accelerated and I cruised to Orlando without any problem. Once on I75, I was surprised at the lack of traffic. It was busy but not nearly as busy and on Mondays that I typically travel I75. Around Lake City, the skies opened and everyone was caught in a deluge. My Sirius even broadcast two thunderstorm warnings.

I was curious as to how the cargo box would affect mileage of the jeep. Normally, when on interstate or turnpike, the jeep averages 31 mpg. When I first got up to 70 mph on the Florida Turnpike, the mileage dropped to 29. Not bad. However, the winds picked up along the Turnpike and I found the mileage eventually dropped to 29. I guess the cargo box decreases the mileage anywhere from 2 to 5 mpg depending on the winds. I can live with that.

As I got to Tallahassee, there were wind warnings in effect, so I suspect if they don’t die down tonight, I’ll be pulling 29 mpg again.

Some sage once said a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The sage obviously never tried to get out of the state of Florida. After 7 hours and 17 minutes of driving and covering 459 miles, I checked into Country Inn and Suites off exit 199.

Tomorrow is around a six hour drive to New Orleans to meet my brother and his wife. They were originally going to take the train from Jackson, MS but flooding of the Mississippi has closed the tracks between Jackson and New Orleans so they opted for a bus ride. Dinner tomorrow night is at Arnaud’s.

Cross Country Trip Itinerary

On March 20, I begin an 81 day cross country trip to visit 21 national parks which will complete my goal of visiting all the national parks within the contiguous U.S. You never know what the journey may bring or even if you finish the journey but I intend to do my best. It’s a big, wonderful country out there and the national parks represent the best of the best of this country.

Below you will find my itinerary. I invite you to meet me somewhere along the way en route. For those of you into camping, I have a tent big enough for eight people (theoretically, at least). Bring a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag and hiking boots.

DATE	DAY	DESTINATION	HOURS	LODGING
Mar 20	1	Tallahassee	7h 37m	Country Inn & Suites, 3096 N. Monroe St.
Mar 21	2	New Orleans	6h 40m	Hilton, 333 St. Charles Ave
Mar 22	3	New Orleans		Hilton, 333 St. Charles Ave
Mar 23	4	Beaumont Texas	5h 47	Village Creek State Park, 8854 Park Road 74 Lumberton, TX 77657
Mar 24	5	San Antonio	5h 53m	Comfort Inn & Suites, 8640 Crownhill Blvd, San Antonio, TX
Mar 25	6	Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 400 Pine Canyon Salt Flat, TX 79847	7h 36m	No Reservations accepted
Mar 26	7	Guadalupe Mountains National Park		No Reservations accepted
Mar 27	8	Guadalupe Mountains National Park		No Reservations accepted
Mar 28	9	Saguaro National Park	7h 32m	Catalina State Park, 11570 N Oracle Rd Tucson, AZ 85737
Mar 29	10	Saguaro National Park		Catalina State Park, 11570 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ 85737
Mar 30	11	Petrified Forest	6h 22m	Quality Inn, 2602 Navajo Blvd. Holbrook, AZ 86025
Mar 31	12	Petrified Forest		Quality Inn, 2602 Navajo Blvd. Holbrook, AZ 86025
Apr 1	13	Death Valley	8h 26	Panamint Springs Resort, 40440 Highway 190, Panamint Springs, CA
Apr 2	14	Death Valley		Panamint Springs Resort, 40440 Highway 190, Panamint Springs, CA
Apr 3	15	Death Valley		Panamint Springs Resort, 40440 Highway 190, Panamint Springs, CA
Apr 4	16	Ventura, CA	5h 40m	Rodeway Inn, 1690 E. Thompson Blvd, Ventura CA 93001
Apr 5	17	Channel Islands	Island Packers Confirmation W85583 Ventura to East Santa Cruz 9 am	Camping Santa Cruz – Scorpion – Lower Loop # 001 Confirmation #2-39311667
Apr 6	18	Channel Islands		Camping Santa Cruz – Scorpion – Lower Loop # 001 Confirmation #2-39311667
Apr 7	19	Ventura, CA	East Santa Cruz to Ventura 4 pm	Rodeway Inn, 1690 E. Thompson Blvd, Ventura CA 93001
Apr 8	20	Pinnacles	5h 37m	Site 20, Loop A, 5000 Highway 146, Paicines, CA 95043, Tel: 831-389-4486
Apr 9	21	Pinnacles		Site 20, Loop A, 5000 Highway 146, Paicines, CA 95043, Tel: 831-389-4486
Apr 10	22	Pinnacles		Site 20, Loop A, 5000 Highway 146, Paicines, CA 95043, Tel: 831-389-4486
Apr 11	23	Lassen Volcanic	6h 37m	Apples River House Bed & Breakfast 201 Mora Ct Redding, CA, 530-243-8440
Apr 12	24	Lassen Volcanic		Apples River House Bed & Breakfast 201 Mora Ct Redding, CA, 530-243-8440
Apr 13	25	Lassen Volcanic		Apples River House Bed & Breakfast 201 Mora Ct Redding, CA, 530-243-8440
Apr 14	26	Redwood	5h 59m	Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP Cabin 6 (003) Confirmation: 467144
Apr 15	27	Redwood		Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP Cabin 6 (003) Confirmation: 467144
Apr 16	28	Redwood		Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP Cabin 6 (003) Confirmation: 467144
Apr 17	29	Hood River Oregon	8h 33m	Comfort Inn Columbia Gorge, 351 Lone Pine ?Drive, The Dalles, OR 97058
Apr 18	30	Mount Ranier	10h 37m	National Park Inn, 47009 Paradise Rd E. Ashford, WA 98304
Apr 19	31	Mount Ranier		National Park Inn, 47009 Paradise Rd E. Ashford, WA 98304
Apr 20	32	Mount Ranier		National Park Inn or PNational Park Inn, 47009 Paradise Rd E. Ashford, WA 98304
Apr 21	33	Chelan, WA		Campbell’s Resort on Lake Chelan 104 W. Woodin Ave, Chelan Washington 98816 Tel: 509-682-2561
Apr 22	34	North Cascades	6h 52m	Stehekin Lob Cabin # 2
Apr 23	35	North Cascades		Stehekin Lob Cabin # 2
Apr 24	36	North Cascades		Stehekin Lob Cabin # 2
Apr 25	37	Chelan, WA		Lakeside Lodge & Suites 2312 W Woodin Avenue Chelan, Washington 98816-9133 Tel: 800-468-2781
Apr 26	38	Coeur D’Alene ID	6h 52	Quality Inn & Suites, 280 W. Apopleway Avenue, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814
Apr 27	39	Craters of the Moon	9h 3m	Lava Flow Campground – No Reservations
Apr 28	40	Craters of the Moon		Lava Flow Campground – No Reservations
Apr 29	41	Craters of the Moon		Lava Flow Campground – No Reservations
Apr 30	42	Great Basin	8h 56	Hidden Canyon Retreat, 2000 Hidden Canyon Parkway, Baker, NV 89311
May 1	43	Great Basin		Hidden Canyon Retreat, 2000 Hidden Canyon Parkway, Baker, NV 89311
May 2	44	Great Basin		Hidden Canyon Retreat, 2000 Hidden Canyon Parkway, Baker, NV 89311
May 3	45	Capitol Reef	5h 42	No Reservations, Fruita Campground near visitor center
May 4	46	Capitol Reef		No Reservations, Fruita Campground near visitor center
May 5	47	Capitol Reef		No Reservations, Fruita Campground near visitor center
May 6	48	Black Canyon of the Gunnison	5h 34m	No Reservations: first come, first serve. South and North Rim or east portal
May 7	49	Black Canyon of the Gunnison		No Reservations: first come, first serve. South and North Rim or east portal
May 8	50	Black Canyon of the Gunnison		No Reservations: first come, first serve. South and North Rim or east portal
May 9	51	Pagosa Springs – Chimney Rocks	4h 58	Elk Trace Bed and Breakfast, Pagosa Springs, 7008 Honey Bee Bpo, Pagosa Sporings, CO 81147
May 10	52	Great Sand Dunes	3h 13m	Great Sand Dunes Lodge, 7900 Highway 150N, Mosca, CO
May 11	53	Great Sand Dunes		Great Sand Dunes Lodge, 7900 Highway 150N, Mosca, CO
May 12	54	Great Sand Dunes		Great Sand Dunes Lodge, 7900 Highway 150N, Mosca, CO
May 13	55	Rapid City, SD	10h 57	Hotel Alex Johnson, 523 Sixth St, Rapid City, SD 57701
May 14	56	Theodore Roosevelt	5h 1m	Cottonwood campground, north loop, site 13
May 15	57	Theodore Roosevelt		Cottonwood campground, north loop, site 13
May 16	58	Theodore Roosevelt		Cottonwood campground, north loop, site 13
May 17	59	Voyageurs	10h 22m	Ash-Ka-Nam Lodge, 10309 Ash River Trail, Orr, MN 55771
May 18	60	Voyageurs		Ash-Ka-Nam Lodge, 10309 Ash River Trail,Orr, MN 55771
May 19	61	Ashland, WI		Quality Inn, 30600 US Hwy 2, Ashland, WI 54806
May 20	62	Hancock, WI	8h 47	Portage Canal Seaplane Base 21125 Royce Road, Hanckock, MI 49930
May 21	63	Isle Royale National Park	906-482-0984	Windingo – no reservations required
May 22	64	Hancock, WI		Portage Canal Seaplane Base 21125 Royce Road, Hanckock, MI 49930
May 23	65	Saugatuck	10h 42m	Hidden Gardens Cottages & Suites, 247 Butler Street, Saugatuck MI 49453
May 24	66	Saugatuck		Hidden Gardens Cottages & Suites, 247 Butler Street, Saugatuck MI 49453
May 25	67	Cuyahoga Valley	6h 2m	Clarion Inn Hudson-Akron North, 6625 Dean Memorial Parkway, Hudson, OH, 44236
May 26	68	Cuyahoga Valley		Clarion Inn Hudson-Akron North, 6625 Dean Memorial Parkway, Hudson, OH, 44236
May 27	69	Cuyahoga Valley		Clarion Inn Hudson-Akron North, 6625 Dean Memorial Parkway, Hudson, OH, 44236
May 28	70	Adirondack Park	10h 6m	Alpine Homestead Bed & Breakfast (Tannery Room) 1314 Co Why 29, Olmstedville, NY 12857
May 29	71	Acadia	10h 7m	Yellow House Bed & Breakfast
May 30	72	Acadia		Yellow House Bed & Breakfast
May 31	73	Acadia		Yellow House Bed & Breakfast
Jun 1	74	Bridgeport, CT	9h 11m	Quality Suites, 1500 South Avenue, Stratford, CT
Jun 2	75	Shenandoah	7h 11	Big Meadows Lodge, Skyline Drive Mile 51, Shenandoah National Park, VA
Jun 3	76	Shenandoah		Big Meadows Lodge, Skyline Drive Mile 51, Shenandoah National Park, VA
Jun 4	77	Shenandoah		Big Meadows Lodge, Skyline Drive Mile 51, Shenandoah National Park, VA
Jun 5	78	Greensboro	5h 7m	Jimmie & Stephen
Jun 6	79	Greensboro		Jimmie & Stephen
Jun 7	80	Fernandina Beach, FL	6h 5m	The Addison on Amelia Island 614 Ash Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 800-943-1604
Jun 8	81	Home	7h 45m

Unicoi Trip – Day 7

23 December 2017

A couple of points about DoubleTree in Orlando. It’s showing its age but is still a very nice hotel. Strangely, the bathroom only had a back lit mirror for illumination. I would hate to try and shave with that mirror and I admit while taking a shower, it was mostly by feel, not sight. Strangely, you are charged for self parking – $12.50. God only knows what the valet parking would have cost.

I had an opportunity for some XXX rated entertainment. I went to bed around 10:30 pm and heard what I assume to be a young couple come in the room next to mine. It sounded as if they had been shopping because you could hear shopping bags being moved around. They were talking pretty loud at first but I got up and turned on the fan on the A/C and couldn’t hear them any more, so I dozed off pretty quickly.

Around 12:30 am, I awoke and heard some kind of sounds that sounded like someone was hurt. I listened for a little while and then got curious and got out of bed. I shared an inside door with the couple next door and things were getting hot and heavy in the next room. The young lady certainly seemed to enjoy things and I know the man’s name is Denny because it kept being shouted out. He was much less vocal – mostly grunts. I’m always surprised people don’t realize how thin hotel walls are.

All good things must come to an end, and so they finally got to the post coitus stage and I was able to get back to sleep.

The drive home was uneventful except for getting out of Orlando. My GPS got a little confused (or I did) and it took about 15 minutes longer to leave Orlando than it should. I was home by 11:30 am. The trip was everything I had hoped.

Unicoi Trip – Day 6

22 December 2017

I never thought I would get out of Georgia. Somewhere around Gainesville my GPS seemed to go crazy and routed me back to the park. I cleared it and restarted with Orlando as the destination. In a fit of pique, it then took me down back roads, and then eventually two separate dirt roads before it decided to head south. I think it was the Russians.

Recently, I paid to have the GPS updated and ever since, it seems to be more confused than I. No update is a good update.

I finally crossed the state line at Lake City. The old downtown is rather quaint. I then made excellent time until just below Gainesville, Fl when I75 became stop and go traffic until I reached Wildwood. I kept wondering why my GPS kept saying I was still and hour and a half out of Orlando.

Much later, I got to the Ronald Reagan Turnpike and found sections of it were also stop and go. Damn those holiday travelers – spoiling traffic for us retired hikers.

In any case, I pulled into the DoubleTree Hilton just off I4 around 7 pm. I started the trip this morning at 7:30, so it made for a long 11 1/2 hour day of driving. That’s what happens when you get lost in the Georgia backcountry.

This is my first time in a DoubleTree and it is nice. I got a good rate through my Hilton Card which I never use. Tomorrow should be an easy 3 1/2 hour drive home.

Unicoi Trip – Day 5

21 December 2017

The Mount Yonah hike is described as “moderately strenuous” and “hard” hike. I concur. As you leave the trailhead, you immediately begin to climb. Gradually at first, but then it gets steeper and the trail rockier. Atlanta Trails calls it a 4.4 mile round trip hike and it feels like it. The peak is 3,166 feet high and your elevation gain from the trailhead is 1400 feet. Atlanta Trails has an excellent description of the hike and I used their distances in my descriptions.

You can see Mount Yonah in the distance.

Two guys set off as I pulled up and one said he would have hot tea waiting for me at the top. (I’m still waiting for the tea!) Another group pulled up and beat me on the trail by a few seconds but quickly out distanced me

At mile marker 0.3, you cross the fanciest bridge I’ve ever crossed on a hike, that’s probably due to Army Rangers.

Around the 0.5 mile mark you go through a series of switchbacks as it progressively gets steeper. On my way back down, I passed several day hikers that looked as if they were in over their heads on this section.

At 0.8, someone had put a series of cut stone steps to ease your climb to the next switchback. The trail at that point actually begins to descend significantly until you round the base of the mountain. Once around the base, you then climb at a steady rate. About this time, I was stopping every few yards to catch my breath.

Mile 1.0 has a short scramble over a boulder field that was more fun than difficult. However, I wonder how some of the dogs on the trail will handle it? Perhaps better than their owners.

Mile 1.2 is a clearing with a majestic boulder overlooking the valley. This is apparently a popular campsite. The incline gets steeper and rougher due to erosion of the trail until you reach 1.6, the ranger station and landing zone for their helicopters. They have the most outdoor toilets I’ve ever seen at a site – six.

Army rangers train on the mountain, including rappelling.

From hereon, you pretty much follow a gravel road until you are near the summit. Then it is back to trail, boulders, and as you round the bend is a jaw dropping view of the valley below. You get a tinge of vertigo standing near the edge.

I followed the trail upward and made the summit which is a large bald (and helipad). I back tracked a little to the cliff edge and had lunch overlooking the valley.

I admit I am slow, but I’m old. I can climb for long periods of time as long as I take numerous breaks. However the downhill part takes a toll on my hips and knees.

As I was finishing lunch, the group of three who beat me to the trail started their descent. I think they were surprised, but pleased I made it to the top.

The trip down was faster, but in someways tricker with the loose rocks. It took me a little over 2 hours to make the climb and about an hour for the descent.

Everyone on the web raves about his hike and I can see why. It challenges you but pays off in the end.

On the way back to the lodge, I took a side trip to Sautee. This is a really quaint little village that has made the most of old buildings, converting some into gift shops, sandwich shops, potteries, etc. It isn’t nearly as touristy as Helen.

I stopped to get a sandwich for dinner and bought my required amount of taffy.

Tomorrow, I start the trek home with a night in Orlando.

Unicoi Trip – Day 4

Continue reading “Unicoi Trip – Day 4”

Unicoi Trip – Day 3

19 December 2017

It was an eventful day. I hiked 3 of the 6 waterfalls starting at 8:30 this morning and finishing at 3:30 pm. My puppies are tired and I suspect it will be a 3 Advil night tonight.

I went to bed early last night but didn’t get to sleep until after midnight because I was wrestling with the thermostat. I set it and it never shut off. The heat was unbearable even though it read 76F. I kept lowering it to get it to shut off and then it would run until I lowered the temperature again. Finally, I had lowered it so much that it was too cold in the room. I shut the fan off (it was on continuous run) and that did the trick. I was awake at 5 am and up by 5:30 pm.

I decided to do the closest fall first – Anna Ruby, just outside of the park. It is in the Chattahoochee National Forest and the fall keeps bankers hours – the gate did not open until 8 pm. I guess the US Forest Service sleeps in.

I then headed to Dukes Creek Falls. Depending on who you believe, it is either a 2.3 mile round trip or a 3.8 mile round trip. It felt more like the 2.3 was correct. You experience a 344 foot elevation gain while you hike. This was the tallest fall I saw today at 165 feet. The water flow was pretty good and a fly fisherman added to the idyllic view.

The fee for parking was $4 payable to the US Forest Service. It’s an honor system and you fill out your envelope with your car tag and make of vehicle, the date and time, etc. Guess who does not provide pens or pencils and guess who didn’t have one on them? The pen I had was dried up but I etched the form and put the envelope in the box.

From there, I headed to DeSoto Falls, so named because a piece of Spanish armor was discovered near the falls and supposedly DeSoto explored in this region. This was about a half mile round trip to the lower falls. There are three falls along this creek – upper, middle and lower. The middle and upper were closed due to debris on the trail – another casualty of Hurricane Irma.

Parking here was $3 but I found out at this area that your Senior Pass with the National Par Service works also for national forests. Both the previous area and this one had notices for a proposed increase in fees to $5.

The lower falls are 35 feet high and you experience a 160 foot elevation gain on the trail. The first part is steep but after that the trail flattens out.

The next decision was a tough one. I wanted to hike Ravens Creek Falls but this was a 2.5 mile one-way trip to the falls meaning that I had to hike 5.0 miles round trip. I decided to go for it and I am glad I did. The falls are really nice and you pass another fall, Duke Falls (not to be confused with Dukes Creek Falls earlier).

Duke Falls along Ravens Creek Falls trail

The trail was almost all up hill for 2.5 miles (567 feet elevation gain) and the last 100 feet were very steep, almost to the point of climbing hand over hand. The falls are 50 feet high and pour through a split in the rocks. The elevation here was 2,639 feet so I succeeded in getting some height in with my hikes.

Along the trail, I passed some older and younger hikers (I must be getting my second wind) and was feeling pretty good until some younger hikers passed me on the trail.

There was a class of young students with their chaperones and they made it to the top as well.

After I got back to the jeep, I decided to call it a day. My tootsies were tired and tomorrow is another day. However, there is a 99% chance of rain tomorrow, so I may not be hiking after all. Stay tuned.

Unicoi Trip – Day 2

18 December 2017

I awoke at 5 am and tried to get back to sleep but gave up at 5:30. I rolled out of Tifton around 8 am and set the GPS to avoid expressways. Boy, did it ever. It routed me through highways 11, 129, and 23 until I arrived in the Bavarian village of Helen, Georgia, circa 1968. The morning was fogged in and I didn’t see sunlight until around noon.

In 1968, the town businessmen decided a make over was needed and an artist at a nearby town remembered his stay in Bavaria just after WWII and pitched them on the idea. It looks remarkably as you would think a Bavarian Village to look like (since I’ve never been to Bavaria).

I checked in at the lodge at Unicoi State Park, and Groupon, true to form, did not warn you about unmentioned fees. I added $42 to the amount I already paid – tacked on by the lodge. In any case, the room is serviceable. It was freezing cold when I walked in and I quickly jacked up the temperature.

After unloading everything to the room, I headed out to Helen to tour Bavaria. Key West and Duvall is a piker compared to Helen. Tee shirts, jewelry stores, restaurants and pubs galore. I made a quick tour of downtown and headed back to the park.

I checked out the zip line adventures in the park and scheduled a Thursday experience when the kid asked me how many were participating. I said one. Wrong answer. They require a minimum of two. If anyone wants to join me, come to Unicoi State Park on Thursday for zip lining. He took my phone number and will call me in case anyone else signs up.

I need to decide what hikes to do tomorrow. There is a 9.2 mile round trip, 6 hour hike to Anna Ruby Falls starting in the park. However, I could simply drive to the falls, pay a $3 admission fee and walk 0.8 mile round trip.

They have a brochure of local waterfalls in the area and I may try to complete the tour of all six.

1) Anna Ruby Falls 0.8 mi round trip, easy

2) Duke’s Creek Falls, 3.8 mi round trip, moderate difficulty

3) Raven Cliff Falls, 5.0 mile round trip, moderate difficulty

4) High Shoal Falls, 2.4 mile round trip, moderate difficulty

5) Horse Trough Falls, 0.8 mile round trip, easy

6) DeSoto Falls, 4 mile round trip, easy to moderate.

Dinner tonight will be in the lodge dining room.

Unicoi Trip – Day 1

17 December 2017

I admit to a little cabin fever after my Myakka River trip and the need to get back on the trail, especially since I feel the need to increase elevation on my hikes. I need to hike upward since my first hike on my spring cross country trip will be an attempt on Guadalupe Peak in Texas at and elevation of 8700+ feet with an elevation gain of 3000 feet.

The area around Helen, Georgia may fit the bill. I found a Groupon for the Unicoi State Park Lodge for a very good rate and I booked 4 nights at the lodge. My intent is to do some day hikes in and around the park.

As usual, the hard part is getting out of Florida. I made it to Tifton, Georgia, 242miles and 6 1/2 hours from home. I pulled into the Choice Inn and Suites around 4:30 pm and had dinner at Applebee’s across the highway.

I saw an interesting trick by the FHP on the Florida Turnpike around Jupiter. Four FHP had pulled over speeders all in a distance. Apparently what they were doing was stopping the first car and when everyone thought they had passed that FHP by and resumed speed, a second FHP pulled the next speeder over. This worked for 4 speeders and 4 FHP. Then when you’ve driven another 6 miles and think you are home free, there was another FHP with a speeder. Fortunately, I had put the jeep on 70 and kept going.

My intention is to bypass Atlanta tomorrow. I’ll head toward Athens. It’ll increase my travel time by 1 1/2 hours but at least I’ll not have to face Atlanta white knuckle traffic. It is probably an even better idea since the closing of Atlanta airport.

There are several hikes I researched in the Helen area.

1) Andrews Cove Trail, 7.2 mile round trip with 1105 foot elevation gain

2) Dukes Creek Trail, 4.6 mile round trip with 344 foot elevation gain

3) Mount Yonah Trail, 4.2 mile round trip with 1450 foot elevation gain

4) Raven Cliff Falls, 4.8 mile round trip with 567 foot elevation gain

5) Smith Creek Trail, 8.9 mile round trip with 1699 foot elevation gain

6) Anna Ruby Falls Trail, 0.8 mile round trip with 193 foot elevation gain

7) High Shoals Trail, 4.9 mile round trip with 1204 foot elevation gain.

I’ll decide what and how many to hike after talking with Park rangers and taking weather into consideration. It’s supposed to rain for the first two days in the park and temperature in the 40’s. However, even if I get wet, I’ll dry out by the fire at the lodge.

Myakka River State Park – 20 November 2017

Monday – 20 November 2017

I’ve been camping since I was 15 in the Boy Scouts and have camped in all kinds of conditions all over the United States and Canada but I have to admit I’ve never had a wilder night than in the campground last night. The young ladies with the projection screen attracted a large number of horny males (their words, not mine). It seemed the only way tumescent males can converse is a the top of their lungs, answered by females in the same decibel range.

Fortunately for me, they migrated to a campsite further down from me and then the party really started. The adults were playing bean bag toss while the kids played hide and seek in everyone else’s campsite but their own. I can’t blame the kids, they were just having fun, but the adults neglected any control on the kids and themselves.

It kept getting worse as the night wore on and I assumed the campground host was going to intervene any minute, but he didn’t. Finally around 10:30 pm other campers started screaming at the revelers which only fanned the flames. Threats were made, F Bombs were tossed and threats to call the park manager was made. It finally quieted down around midnight.

I was up around 6:30, made breakfast and was ready to hike by 8:30. I first walked 2 miles along the park road to a bird observation deck. On the way, I stopped a park ranger and related the tale of the campsite. She promised to check with the campground host and if the guilty parties could be identified, talk with them. I told her I didn’t want to spend another night like the last one. It was very close to becoming violent.

The only native wood stork in North America.

At the bird observation deck, you could see in the distance roseate spoonbills, wood storks, and white pelicans. Just before I got there some photographers managed to photograph five immature bald eagles.

One photographer was a retired correctional officer who had brought a neighbor’s son with him for a nature outing and had loaned the young man a very expensive camera. The kid was in hog heaven. The retiree said the kid had no father figure in his life and he was home from school for Thanksgiving and he decided to bring him to the park. He said the kid loved nature, especially reptiles. I wonder if he likes iguanas?

From there, I headed to the trail head for Myakka River Trail and hiked first to Mossy Hammock primitive campsite and from there to Bee Island primitive camp. The trails are maintained by the Florida Trail society and were well marked.

The intersecting roads not so well. I ended up taking a wrong turn on a road (even with a compass reading) and came out on a trail that added 0.6 miles to my hike. At the end, I hiked 6 1/2 hours today and covered 11.2 miles. Believe me, I am bushed. Fortunately, it was pretty flat and ok walking. Some of the trail was rutted from use but passable. No waders needed.

A mossy hammock. This reminds me of the Ho Rainforest in Olympic National Park.

One thing the park service needs to do is not allow anyone on a four wheeler lay out a trail. During a 3.3 mile stretch of dry prairie, you could tell the trail just meandered around the prairie for fun. I’ll bet the person laying it out just decided to have fun on the four wheeler and that became the trail.

A surprising amount of wild flowers were still in bloom and there was plenty of bird life. I actually met two humans in the middle of the prairie. I told them I wasn’t sure I would see humans again after meandering through the prairie. They looked about as done in as I and I couldn’t tell them they had a very long way to go to get off the prairie.

Low tonight predicted to be 63F with a chance of showers. Tomorrow is 72% chance of rain. I was so tired, I went into Sarasota and ate dinner at some restaurant I can’t remember. The natives have started out restless again tonight. It has been a 3 Advil day.