Today we took one of our aimless spins about the countryside. We initially went SW through Arcadia and on to Punta Gorda. This metropolitan area lies on the Gulf between Tampa and Fort Myers. It has very new buildings and a population which seems to consist almost entirely of rich, white elderly people like us. The streets are wide, the views are quite nice and all the roads seem to be one-way.
We went down to the Gulf all the way at the end of the road and found Ponce DeLeon Park which is a little parking lot next to the beach. Fortunately for me, they had a restroom. They also had a nice pair of fishing piers with stainless handrails and plenty of wildlife and bizarre flora.
We noted that the beach had something strange about it. Most beaches we have been to have nice white sand, a diverse assortment of humans and waves. This beach has sand and elderly white people. No waves, no kids, no noise, no minorities, no fire rings, no trash cans were visible. According to a sign posted conspicuously in the parking lot, there will also be no skateboards, loud electronic sound making devices, juvenile possession of tobacco, pets or breaches of the peace. I am only slightly surprised that the sign did not stipulate that minorities were verboten because all we observed were old, white-haired people, beach chairs and the Gulf.
From this diversity Mecca, we drove up to Myakka River State Park. The $6 entrance fee we spent may be about the best money we have ever invested. The road in the park passes mostly through pine, palm and oak hammock areas with abundant wildlife. We saw a pond with not less than seven alligators, a water moccasin, egrets, cranes, a swallow-tailed kite, half a dozen deer, an giant mystery fish, chameleons, and squirrels happily jumping through the canopy. We took a walk to a canopy structure which allows the brave to climb a wooden tower and take a suspension bridge to another tower so you can be among the treetops instead of merely looking up. Peg climbed the tower but was not too skookum on the bridge so I walked over and met her after descending at the other end. The drive north from the park has a road that is completely covered with a canopy of trees that extends as far as the eye can see. It has beautiful oaks both sides with Spanish Moss hanging from them. The view is magical even if the road is a bit squirrelly.
Myakka is a wonderful place and I recommend it to all, even if they are required to drive a ways to get there. We got some great pix.