Myakka River State Park

Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest and largest state parks.  The Myakka River flows through 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, hammocks and pinelands.  It is about a 2 hour drive from Rainbow Resort.  We were up and on the road by 8:00 am this morning and arrived at the park and were on the water by 10:00 am.  What a beautiful spot to kayak.  There are 39 miles of hiking trails, a canopy walk, the river plus 2 lakes.  There are airboat rides, tram rides, fishing, boating, biking, hiking, paddling AND ice cream!!  What more could you possibly want.

 Oh and by the way - there are alligators!!

and more alligators.  From little babies that were very camera shy to these big guys who just kept an eye on us a we paddled past.  Some of these were well over 10 feet long.  They were much bigger than our kayaks.

 But such a beautiful, peaceful place to explore.

 This turtle took a second look as I came close for this picture.  He was well over a foot long.  It appears he has managed not to be alligator food so far.

 and more alligators.  We must have seen at least 100 of these big fellows today. Many just laid on the bank and watched as we passed by.  Others in the water would float along and then sink beneath the water just like a submarine.  They are pretty shy of people and we had no reason to be concerned about them.

 By this point we had paddled down river into a preserve for a 5 miles round trip.  When we got back to where we parked we decided to continue to paddle up river to see if we could get to the Upper Myakka Lake.  We had been told they were selling ice cream at the cafe there.  So off we headed.  We had paddled for a couple of miles, up river, when we asked some fellow kayakers coming down river how much further.  They thought at least another hour.  We decided that it would be a smart move to paddle back down river, get the truck and drive to the ice cream parlor!!  Here we are heading down stream at a fairly leisurely pace. John, Tom and Judy all look pretty comfy don't they.

 We are finished.  Over 7 miles of water and 5 hours of paddling.  We are DONE!!!  Here Judy is bringing her gear up to the truck for loading. I think by the smile on her face either she had an awesome time or just damn happy to be back on land again.  or maybe both.

 As we were sitting enjoying our ice cream this airboat arrived with a load of sightseers.

 This great heron just stood there giving me the evil eye as I walked within a couple feet of him to get this picture.  He wasn't too concerned.

 After the ice cream gave us our second wind we headed to the canopy walk.  You walk through the tree tops on a suspension bridge to a 74 foot tower which you can climb to get a view of the park for miles around.

This is the view from the top.  I got up there, looked around, took a picture and when the tower started to sway I headed for the ground level.  I have a serious problem with heights so always surprise myself that I can get up there at all.  So pretty though.  Hate to miss something like this.

This is the tower from the ground.

And the canopy walk from the ground.

After we finished at the park we headed for home.  Stopping in Zolfo Springs for dinner on the way.  Tom and I sat outside when we arrived home to enjoy a beautiful evening.  Neighbors Duane and Marilyn stopped over to see how our day went and to see my pictures.

Another beautiful day in paradise.  Time is getting short here.  Not looking forward to going home.  I am going to really miss this place, the great friends we have made and all the activities.

Until next time - safe travels.