4/24 - Not Much Going On, So Some Ramblings About Campgrounds

I have not posted lately because I am visiting family and catching up with a lot of doctor's and dentist appointments.  I only get here in Ohio a couple of times each year, and usually only one of those times is with my motorhome.  Anyway, staying in Ohio State Parks has made me think about old and newer state-owned campgrounds, and even those old campgrounds that have been updated.  Here are some of my thoughts:

• First, understand that I much prefer to stay in federal, state, and county campgrounds because the spots are usually farther apart and the locations in much more pleasant areas than nearly all commercial campground.  I am not interested in amenities such as pools and hot tubs or activities like bingo night or potlucks.  Give me natural surroundings and quiet, and I am much happier. 
  
• A big problem is that many state parks, here in Ohio, but also in a lot of other states, desperately need to be updated.  Many were built 40-50 years ago for tents and very small trailers.  This means sites tend to be narrow and electrical systems in danger of failing.  For example, I am currently in a very pleasant state park in Ohio that has only 20 amp electrical hookups with sites so narrow that when you step out of your RV door, you land off the asphalt pad into mud.  Any if you are from a cold-weather state, you know what Spring mud is like!  
• The bad thing with 20 amp electrical hookups is that all trailers and motorhomes manufactured in the last 30-40 years have only 30 amp plugs, so you have to have an adapter to use 20 amp connections.  If you try to run an AC unit and attempt to use a microwave oven at the same time, you will blow a bunch of fuses.  It is a pain to remember to turn off the AC whenever you want to heat something up!  (I made this mistake today.)
  
• In addition, the electrical hookup posts in this place are very low, which means you have to kneel to see under the post lid and plug in.  In my case, I have to use a stool to sit on so I can look under the post lid and see where to plug in. 
  
• Another problem is that whoever paved or graded and laid down gravel in campsites decades ago obviously never tried to park an RV in one.  Some look like ski jumps with a foot or more of difference in height from back to front or vice versa.  They also are not level from side to side.  The front-to-back level is a little easier to deal with in a trailer or a motorhome with automatic levelers, but for those of us who have to use boards or those yellow plastic things under tires, it becomes difficult.  The site I am in now, is not bad front to back, but I have had to put down about 4" of boards under the tires on one side, and my rig is still not level.  Being unlevel makes it harder to determine fresh water or black water levels in your rig.      
  

On a positive note, a few days ago I left a state park that recently added about a dozen brand-new full-hookup sites.  (Full hookup, means you get 30 or 50 amp receptacles, a water hookup faucet, and a sewer connection.)  There are a few older full hookup sites in this state park, but they are very unlevel and have the same narrow camping pads.  I stopped using these because of the problems trying to get level. 

What was REALLY nice about these revamped newer sites is that the new paved area is 2' wider, which means you can step outside or even walk around your rig without landing in mud.  Sites are also much more level, and very importantly, they have a paved area around the hookups, so you can get to them without stepping in mud also!  Yea!  

Just for the record, I do not always have to have paved campsites, although I do like them when they are available.  Some of my favorite places are in the desert where you mostly get sand and gravel.  This is fine because those places do not have the mud that other places in the country have.  And a couple of really terrific campgrounds in Florida have just sand in campsites, but that is OK because the sand drains fast and the sand does not stick to your shoes or track into everything.  

Some people put down those plastic mats so they can put chairs on the ground without dealing with mud or dirt.  The problem is those mats kill grass that state parks try to grow.  One of the recent places I stayed at had put down a lot of grass seed and straw, and that did help control the mud, but even if the grass seed takes and grows, it will not survive the mats and heavy chair and foot traffic.  A longer-term solution would be wider asphalt or rock pads and "patio" areas that have better surfaces. 

Some state parks also have small laundromats.  This is helpful for those of us who travel all the time, and it was especially important during COVID because many of us did not want to go into crowded commercial laundromats.  The machines in this one are adequate, but I was in another state park a couple of weeks ago where the machines were large, new front-loaders.  I love it when these washers and dryers are clean inside and have NOT had things like dog beds or sandy clothing washed in them! 

The good news is that with warmers temps, at least the mud will have turned to just dirt and at least partially solved the problems.  I am looking forward to this and also returning for two weeks to the campsites that were recently redone.

ADDENDUM:  Yesterday, I chatted with one of the park maintenance men.  They said that in November, they would begin replacing all of the campground electric hookup posts with new, taller ones that would provide 30 amp service.  This solves two of the problems I posted about in the bulleted items!  Yea!  Also, this morning, they came around and added large, white gravel around all of the current electrical posts.  This will help with the mud this time of year.  Another Yea! 

They still need to make the asphalt pads wider and repave some to make them reasonably level, but this is a good start.  

3/20 Midway Campground, Big Cypress Preserve, FL

First, some negatives to this campground:  There are no pools, activities, bingo games, or even showers.  There is a small convenience store maybe 20 miles away, but a big grocery store is 50 miles away and a gas station is 25 miles away, so you need to make sure you have everything you need when you come.  

On a positive note, where else in Florida can you sit in your RV and watch the local alligators in the pond across from you?  And at night, assuming most people keep their lights off, you can see the Milky Way and those "billions and billions" of stars.  There is also an art gallery about a mile down the road, and lots of things to do, assuming you are a bit adventurous.  Clyde Butcher's Gallery offers wading tours through the swamp, and you can ride an airboat or take your bike down to Shark Valley.  

I discovered this place 10 years ago after getting very frustrated at Collier-Seminole State Park near Naples.  Collier-Seminole was an older campground with horribly overgrown and difficult to get into sites.  Anyway, you might wonder why someone would want to camp so far from civilization, but that depends, of course, on how you define civilization.  

Midway Campground is on old Tamiami Trail and is located "midway" between Miami and Naples, FL.  

 

The campground consists of a paved circle around a pond, with sites on the outside of the loop.  All sites are paved and have electrical hookups for motorhomes and trailers.  It had rained earlier the day I arrived, so these were the residual puddles.  Most of the Everglades area is made up of a limestone base that was originally sea floor with a few inches of soil on top.  It does not drain very fast, but the limestone also means you can drive over it without sinking in. 

This is the view looking across the pond from my front window. 

Good idea not to feed the alligators!!  Even better idea NOT to walk at night without a flashlight, or take your small dog anywhere near the edge of the pond, even in daylight. 

My motorhome from the opposite side of the pond. 

This alligator was only about 3-4' long, so it was pretty young.

Tamiami Trail (aka Alligator Alley) was constructed out of the Big Cypress and Everglades in 1928 by using a lot of dynamite to break up the limestone in a long ditch.  The stone and resulting gravel was piled up to make the highway higher than the swamp water level.   In most places, the original ditch still exists and makes a good place for birds and alligators, turtles, and fish to live.  This is a section of it across the highway from Midway Campground.

 

 

 

The next few photos show the big fish living here, which are eaten by the resident alligators and birds.  You can see the limestone bottom. 

These are gar, not pike, as I had originally thought.  (Thanks for the correction, Sondra.)  They are about 2' long.  There were also some fatter but smaller fish and some that fed on the algae on rocks.

And a couple of the alligators hanging around the ditch.

Back across the highway to the campground. 

 

 

This large snake greeted me as I was hooking up the first day.  Not dangerous.

 

This guy decided to come out for a stroll one day, but everyone started taking his photos, so eventually he headed back to the pond.

This is a yawn, by the way, not a threatening growl!  I think he really just wanted to take a nap and not be bothered. 

Obviously, he had had enough of the photographers.

If you drive about three miles west, you will find the Oasis Visitor Center.  It has a nice boardwalk that is ALWAYS filled with alligators! 

 

The obvious reason for the alligators is all the fish. 

 

Some big alligators. 

 And the boardwalk.

Some pretty plants in the ditch. 

Hated to leave this beautiful place, but the mosquitos and hot, humid weather is getting to me, so I am making a U-turn and heading north to chillier places. 

3/18 Shark Valley, Everglades, Bike Ride

This is one of the best bike rides in Florida.  Want to feel as if you are alone in the "River of Grass"?  This is a 16 mile paved road that is used by tour trams, hikers, and bikers.  I have ridden this roadway several times on my electric bike and hope to be able to do it again in the future.  

Only problem?  It would have been nicer on a day when the temps did not reach 90 degrees with 80% humidity.  Anyway, I knew I had to get there early because there are only three or fours spots big enough for tour buses or motorhomes.  I arrived 15 minutes before they opened!  The guy in the photo below is the tour bus driver going to make sure I have not pulled up too close.  I did pull up close because the ranger asked me to since a school bus would be arriving in a few minutes.  However, I knew the bus had a good four feet in front of it--close but doable.

The other reason for getting there early is beat all the people who are renting bikes!  I also like to start out on the eastern part of the loop because most people start out on the western part of the loop.  

I was all by myself on this part of the loop for the first hour!  Yea!

Just me, a few birds, and a handful of alligators. 

One interesting thing is that there are now fewer birds close to the loop.  The reason?  They have finally finished some of the water restoration projects that have reversed some of the draining and drying out of the whole southern part of Florida.  For example, Tamiami Trail, which is the road south of I-75 that crosses the Everglades and Big Cypress Preserve from Naples to Miami, used to block water flow.  Now parts of it have been raised so water can flow naturally underneath it.  They have also opened some gates that restricted natural water flow. 

So, now birds and animals can spread out more naturally and no longer congregate at some areas.  

In any case, this endangered wood stork is happy to have a lot more shallow water to find the crustaceans it eats. 

 

 

More of this lovely, empty bike trail and tram road.

One of a handful of alligators that were next to the road. 

After riding 7 miles, you can see the viewing tower in the distance. 

I did not stop at the tower because I have walked up the curving ramp several times, but below is the western part of the loop.  It is a lot straighter and has a sort of ditch or "borrow" pit along the entire length.  This means it usually attracts a lot of birds and alligators.

This is very pretty swamp lily.

A couple more alligators.

It was over 90 degrees today, so I was happy to get back in my motorhome and head back to my camp site. 

3/13 Back at Myakka State Park Again

This is one of my favorite places, so I am back here for a few days before I head farther south to Midway campground in the Big Cypress Preserve.  I have been mostly lazy here as I recover from mosquito bites and get some cleaning done in my motorhome, but I did go out the last day I was here to take some photos, as I will not be back here for a couple of years.

And a vulture jam on the roadway.  This one was in no hurry to get off the pavement.

 

Nor were these guys. 

Headed out to the concession area and parked in the big lot.  What is weird is that there are some parking areas before you get here and all were packed.  I think they need a couple of signs showing people that there is much more parking available here at the edge of the lake.

 

This is looking towards the lake from the parking lot. 

There was a short path at the end of the parking lot that went to the area where they had recently removed an old dam.  Apparently, it was no longer needed and just made a lot of the Myakka Lake and Myakka River stagnant.

There are still barriers in place because they want to give the area time to recover from the de-construction.

Across the Myakka River were a bunch of black vultures and a bunch of alligators. 

This is where a spur of the river empties into the lake.  It is next to the concession stand and is used for the large airboat that takes you across and around the lake.

And the pretty road leaving the concession area.

 

 

There is always something to see from the bridge that crosses the Myakka River on the main road out of the park. 

You can always see alligators at Myakka.

 

 

It rained yesterday, so the resurrection fern on the trees was looking alive again.  During dry periods, it just looks like a lot of dead leaves.