Myakka was a return trip from last year. This was
the one park I was unable to get consecutive nights in one site so had to
cobble together 4 nights each at a different spot. This really wasn’t so bad
in our van and I was on bird probation anyway from my last stint in the
Everglades so couldn't disappear again for the day!
The water levels were up in the lakes so many
of the shore birds were nowhere to be seen. We headed out to Nokomis and Venice
for one day. The highlight was going to Clyde Butcher’s gallery, studio and darkroom.
He is the Ansel Adams of South Florida. Beautiful photography and well worth
the trip.
In Venice, we went to both the South and North
Jetties. Very big difference between the two! On the South side, there really wasn’t
a beach and parking was very difficult. In fact, we got into a bit of a scuffle
when a Mercedes tried to drive into the side of the van fighting for a space. The North side was
a park with lots of parking and space to spread out. There was also a funky
restaurant where you can get a beer to drink along the jetty and hang out. Dogs weren't allowed but we opted to ask for forgiveness with no problem.
