Santee State Park, South Carolina

Santee State Park in South Carolina is located on the western edge of Lake Marion.  It is conveniently located half way between Florida and Maryland, so we stopped for a couple of nights on our trip home. Our campsite was right next to the lake, which made for gorgeous views all day.

Sunrise

Sunset

Daytime

We took Cali on a 4-mile hike in the woods, where we didn't see another soul. We decided to let her run.

Could you pick a bigger stick to run with?

Tomorrow is back to Maryland and the end of our more than 2-month long RV trip.  Wonder where we will take it next?

St. George Island State Park

Miles and miles of deserted beach

St. George Island State Park is located in Florida's northern panhandle, on the gulf side. Dr. Beach named the island's beach the 3rd best in America in 2013, 2014, and 2015.  Forbes also named it the 3rd best beach in the United States in 2013. The beach really is gorgeous--white sand, pretty green-blue water, and very few people (at least in March).

Entrance to beach by our campground

Are we there yet?

We walked from where you see the "DB" dot on the picture below (that is where our campground was located) all the way to the tip of the island and back--over 9 miles total in bare feet.  In retrospect, my feet would have appreciated shoes, but it was an awesome walk by ourselves on this gorgeous beach. The temperatures were in the mid-70s with a gorgeous breeze.  Just perfect.

Signs were posted to stay off the dunes--the dunes were protected sea turtle and bird nesting areas.  I wondered what the original purpose was for this bridge in the dunes.

This great blue heron was standing by a fisherman waiting for a hand-out. He was very patient.  I don't know if he was ever rewarded for that patience.





We decided to celebrate our last day in Florida by going to Paddy's Raw Bar.  Delicious oysters, beer, and cider!

Gold Head Branch State Park

Lots of Lily Pads on This Pond

Gold Head Branch State Park is located north of Gainesville, Florida. It's a beautiful large park, somewhat isolated, with several small lakes/ponds and lots of picnic areas.  The park got my vote for most creative use of Spanish moss. They also had some lovely hiking trails with a clear-water creek that you could walk in to cool off. Cali especially appreciated the creek. 

The lake had canoes for rent and a small amphitheater which was just serene. We also enjoyed our 16-mile bike ride into town on our tandem bike.  

Lake Griffin State Park Kayaking

Getting ready to kayak.

Every park seems to have this sign...

...but we did see an alligator this time!

We are staying at Lake Griffin State Park, which is located in central Florida near the Villages. It's a pretty little park, but the hiking opportunities are limited. So we decided to rent a tandem kayak this afternoon. A stiff breeze made the return trip more strenuous than when we were heading out. It was very pleasurable--quiet, lots of birds, and an alligator!

Heading out, calm waters.

Forgot my sunglasses!

Highlands Hammock Prescribed Burn

We've seen the evidence of prescribed burns at other campgrounds, but we hadn't seen one being carried out until today at Highlands Hammock in Sebring, Florida. They conducted a burn right across the road from our campsite, so we had an excellent view! The rangers warned us to bring in our awning, chairs, rug, etc.--anything that may be burnt by stray embers. Regular prescribed burns safely reduce excessive brush and shrubs, encourage new growth of native vegetation, and maintain plant and animal species whose habitats depend on the burns.  

See the Firefighter with the Red Blowtorch? 

The Water Hose is Ready if the Fire Gets Out of Hand.
Good thing too--see the RVs just feet away, across the road?

Lots of Manpower Watching this Fire.

Myakka River

Myakka RIver

We stayed at Myakka River, one of Florida's oldest and largest state parks, just for one night.  We have a longer stay planned for next year and wanted to check it out.  This park has lots of hiking and biking trails, a nature tram ride, and air boats rides. The air boats are quieter than the ones on Lake Kissimmee--I am not sure why.  It's a hugely popular park, which means lots of road traffic, so the off road trails are better. Cali, our canine companion on this Florida trip, loves to chase squirrels. She is really well behaved until she sees one of these little monsters, and then she goes a little nuts. 

Our Touring Companion

 


The first day at Myakka was too windy for much wildlife but the sunset was pretty. The second day was nicer and Dick got a picture of these white ibis' and snowy egrets.

Myakka Sunset Through the Spanish Moss

Ibis and Snowy Egrets

Lake Manatee and Anna Maria Island

Our Shy Turtle Friend

We spent five nights at Lake Manatee in Bradenton, Florida.  The best part of this campground, in my mind, is its close location to Anna Maria Island, a place we love to vacation. The lake is pretty. The hiking and biking options are more limited than other state park campgrounds we have visited this year, although we did spy this cute turtle on one of our walks. The biggest distraction was the noisy nearby drag races on the weekends. 

Lake Manatee

As I mentioned, the best part of this campground is it's close proximity to Anna Maria Island. Dick's grandparents and parents used to own homes on the island and we have vacationed here often over the years. The beaches, with their white sand and stunning green-blue water, are gorgeous, flat, and warm--perfect for walking. We went over to the island twice, once to meet Dick's sister Lynn.  Both times we ate at the Anna Maria Island Oyster Bar.  Ah, the good life!

Gulf Side on Anna Maria Island

 

Bay Side on Anna Maria Island

 

Lake Kissimmee

Bald Eagle

Adorable Armadillo

Lake Kissimmee in Lake Wales, Florida is a beautiful, remote campground. We had spent a few days there in January and liked it so much, we returned for another 5 days in February. We saw a bald eagle, and lots of armadillos and deer.  

Hello Deer

A Lovely Hiking Trail

We went on many long hikes, often without seeing a soul. The Spanish moss was everywhere, and just made everything magical when the sun shone through it.

Spanish Moss in the Sunlight

Although there were signs warning us about the gators, we didn't see any. The air boats on the lake were very noisy.  We didn't notice them in January--maybe it was too cold for them then.

No Swimming!

The campsites themselves were very private--it looked like a jungle outside our window. 

Outside our RV window

.

And finally, the sunsets were quite pleasing!

The Villages, Lazy Days, and Manatees

Beautiful Log-Flatland Preserve

Windy Day at Weichens Preserve

We went to visit two sets of Aunts and Uncles who live in the Villages retirement community, which are expansive. The Villages cover five zip codes and house 110,000 people. The community offers any type of activity you could imagine--it's quite amazing. During this visit we took a hike at Flatland Preserve and walked the boardwalk at Weichens Preserve.

Just a Few of the RVs for Sale

Next up was taking care of a safety recall notice on our Navion RV at Lazy Days in Tampa, supposedly the world's largest RV center. We had quite the experience wandering the lots full of new and used RVs while the work was being done on our vehicle.

Coming up to breathe.  Can you see the little fishes
 eating the algae off the manatee's skin?

Jan, Rainie, and Dick

Our friend Rainie lives near Lazy Days, so we stopped in for the weekend.  It was fun hanging out, joining their backyard barbecue, and seeing the manatees.  

The power plant.  Look closely in the water
and you will see many manatees.

The manatees like the warm water generated by the electric power plant, so when the coastal waters are cooler (November to April), the manatees come in to warm up.