January 30 through February 5, 2004

Friday January 30:

It has warmed considerably, and the temperature under the RV is 60.7 at 6:45AM.  We plan a 65 mile drive to Naples to visit Walmart, Home Depot for parts to install the water pump, and Sam's Club to resupply and fuel, then we will return here for the weekend. The AA battery charger we use for the NiMH camera and GPS batteries stopped working too; upon investigation I found it was leaking water...  :-((.  Well, that is what happens when it is used under the table and a glass of water gets spilled.  :-)  We must buy a new one in Naples;  that device is essential.  On the way we will stop at the Big Cypress visitors center to sign up for a swamp walk on Monday, and on return will stop by the dump station for a refill on water.  We got an early start (for us) and were on the road by 9 AM.  First stop, Big Cypress visitors center a few miles west on US 41.  The parking lot was under construction, but we ignored the sign "No Motorhome Access" and went in anyway.  The Rangers said we SHOULD park in this new lot, the sign was warning against coming in to the small parking area just in front of the building...well, we do not fit and would not go THERE anyway...DUHHH.  One of the rangers on the desk said there were few mosquitoes here because the water was fresh; I do wish they would tell the mosquitoes at home they should go to salt water....but I'm glad there are few mosquitoes here!   Perhaps they mean fresh RUNNING water? These swamps have a shallow sheet of fresh water running through them, on top of the limestone rock that underlies this region, draining rain water and overflow from lake Okeechobie to the sea.  We depart the visitors center after signing up for Monday's swamp walk, heading west toward Naples, next stop Walmart.  I am glad we had GPS coordinates, and an address, as the palm trees lining the road made it hard to see even a Walmart as we drove.  This was not a super Walmart, so we could not get many grocery items.  I did find a nice Energizer battery charger, that had independent control on each cell, would charge any NiMH battery, and would run from 12v DC as well as 110v AC, and would fully charge in 35 minutes.  This is far superior to the former one that required 5 hours of use on the inverter to fully charge.  The new one came with four 2000 MA Hour AA cells that I do not need, and the $27 price was far higher than I paid for the last one, but this one does exactly what I need;  I avoid the lure of the "bargain" units sitting next to it.  :-)  Next stop is Home Depot for some materials to install the new water pump.  We have an address from our phonebook CD, verified by a phone call, and head toward it.  Claire spots a different Home Depot along our route, and we squeeze into the entrance driveway on short notice.  Naples traffic is proving to be heavy, slow, and annoying.  We are glad to be able to cut one stop off our list early.  I find everything I want at home depot, but it takes longer than I had planned, as usual.  I found a new bacterial septic tank product that had been recommended in an Internet RV group I follow, so added it to my cart; for $5 I will take a chance and try ZEP commercial septic system treatment in my black tank.  The Ridex we have been using does allow odor to build as the  tank fills in about a week.  If this is better, we will go with it....   We move on to Sam's Club, where Claire shops while I crawl under the RV to be certain the stuff I bought at Home Depot will work to attach the Pyrex digital meat thermometer to the transmission cooling line; it looks feasible, so we keep the hose clamps, pipe insulation, and silicone seal.  The gas at Sam's is no apparent bargain, and crowded besides; we decide to skip the gas and leave Naples by the MOST direct route possible; rush hour is building, and the traffic is choked.  As we drive, rain starts, soon becoming heavy.  When we get east of the city, traffic moves, but the rain limits visibility and water pools on the road, making speed limit driving hazardous; we arrive at the dump station, and park out of the way to shower before filling water.  The ranger approaches, I tell him we will wait for the rain to stop before dumping.  He is satisfied, and says he will join us when we dump; the fee with golden age passport is $2.  The showers help wash some of the fatigue away, but the rain picks up intensity as we approach the dump station, and my full rain suit is welcome.  The ranger does join us, standing in the rain as I dump, rinse the hose, then move to the water fill.  We are near empty, so filling takes a while.  I stand dry and warm inside my suit, while the ranger has only a short rain jacket on...he finally excuses himself and returns to his trailer as I top off.  I expect there are folks who dump without hoses, leave water running, and generally need heavy supervision in the dump station, but what a shame it must be that way....  A short distance from the dump station we find the Ochopee Post Office, standing alone and deserted along US 41.  We drop our letters in the post box outside, and read the sign saying this is the  smallest post office in the US, pressed into service after a fire destroyed the Ochopee general store in 1953.  It also serves as the Trailways bus station.  :-)  The area served by this Post Office is sparsely populated and falls in three counties; both Seminole and Miccosukee Indians inhabit the area.  We arrive back in Midway campground near dark, but with enough light to back into our available space easily.  This campground is well run, and even though there are campers waiting on the road to get in, our space is occupied only by the chair we left to mark it's occupancy.  Dinner is Italian soup, quick to prepare and quite satisfying.  We are both exhausted, and think how little we have done; I blame it on the crowded, slow Naples traffic, and hit the pillow early.  The heavy rain continues to lull us to sleep through the night....

Saturday January 31:

Today is RAINY;  this is OK, as I have a lot to do on the net, and awake early to start it.  The signal here is only one bar digital, but the net connection works well.  I have most of the webpage to do, and am rusty from months away from the process.  It takes longer than usual.  I am not at all unhappy to feel no urge to do anything outside;  between showers, Claire walks the campground loop, getting in her 2 miles.  Claire decides to use the inactive time preparing stir fried chicken with bok choy...DELICIOUS!  There are unappreciated benefits to be had from rain.  :-)  

Sunday February 1:

This day dawns cloudy, but most showers have passed.  The forecast is for improving conditions this afternoon.  I work on the net and the webpage; today is Superbowl Sunday, and I want the work finished and a full battery by 6PM game start.  The battery is starting to work like it did last fall, having overcome the laziness induced by storage sulfation.  I think we will get at least this season out of it.  The sun comes out, requiring the awning; it is amazing how fast it goes from cool to hot in the south when the sun comes out.  By mid afternoon I have the webpage finished, and as Claire proofreads it I trim the excess epoxy from the repaired toilet seat, and install it; nearly perfect fit!  :-)  When it comes time to upload the webpage, the cell connection becomes balky, dropping out for the first time since we have been here.  I blame it on the numerous fluffy clouds drifting by, but who really knows?  Most likely it is just Murphy's law; inanimate objects will refuse to work when it is most inconvenient to the user.  :-(  Claire tries to make some calls, but they too disconnect annoyingly.  Dinner is lentil soup, and I eat it outside under the awning;  quite pleasant after being cooped inside for two days.  :-)  About an hour before Super Bowl, the phone starts to work again; the clouds are much fewer too.  Well, we can upload the webpage, charge the battery, and watch the pregame show at the same time!  :-)  Before the game really starts, I have the web tasks finished and relax with the generator off for a bit; then the game turns ANYTHING but relaxing as the Pats do not have the romp everybody expected.  In the end things turned out OK, and the Pats place kicker redeemed his two misses on easy ones early in the game with the winning field goal with seconds to go.  It was after 10:30PM, very late for us, but time to turn in!

Monday February 2:

We slept quite late today;  the sun was shining brightly in the windows by the time Claire awoke at 9AM, and it was time to open the windows;  we may need the awning before we go to the swamp walk at 1PM too.  We open windows, then vents, and immediately lower the awning too;  the short task is well worth it, even though we must secure it before moving;  it is SOOOO pleasant with the cool breeze wafting through the RV and the sun shaded.....we find things to occupy us until 12:15, when it is time to leave for the 3 mile drive to the Big Cypress visitors center.  It is warm today, and we open all vents and set the Fantastic Fan to pull outside air in to keep Purry comfortable.  He lays in the air stream under the fan and looks quite contented....  :-)  We dress as specified for the swamp walk; old jeans, old sneakers with laces, and I leave my wallet at home.  I do take the camera, in a plastic bag, and keep everything in my shirt pockets; we were warned everything below the waist could get wet.  Ranger Randy Bekkers met us outside the visitors center promptly at 1PM, with an aerial photo map of south Florida, which he used to explain the water flows in the area. We are the only participants in the walk today; the ranger expresses gratitude that we showed up, giving him an excuse to get outside.  The walk scheduled Saturday had gone as well, in the rain, although the Ranger said the water  was COLD. I would have bet money on it being cancelled.  I asked if the stuff above my waist would get wet; only if I fall was the answer, and it happens sometimes if folks are not sure footed.  I decided I must be sure footed... I wanted the camera with me!   :-))   I was surprised to learn that the flows from Lake Okeechobie to the Everglades and Florida Bay run through Shark Valley, but the Big Cypress area gets its water primarily from rainfall landing in the swamp.  Later we were to learn that "swamp" is a wrong term for this area, as it implies stagnant water; the rain water falling here drains to the Gulf of Mexico due to the slight 1 ft per mile slope of the land, keeping the water moving 100 ft/day.  This movement is what keeps mosquito populations down too, I suppose.  We encountered no bites on our 3 hour walk.  :-)  The ranger handed each of us a wooden broomstick walking pole, and we headed out across US 41 to the south side of the road, our destination being a line of taller cypress trees which look like they are growing on a hill from here, but I am told they are bigger because they are growing in deeper water on lower land.

 We expect mud and find it, under two inches of water; if we stand long in one place, our shoes sink in and must be lifted out slowly (with a big sucking sound) to avoid losing them; the ranger picks up an old rubber shoe sole, size 9.  Nearby I fish out two socks and put them in a plastic bag Claire has brought.  It seems someone had problems with footgear in this place... so far ours is holding up fine!   :-)    Many white snail shells are visible, mostly laying under shallow water; I'm not sure if these are dead or alive.  There are tiny fish swimming in the shallow water; I'm sure they help keep mosquito populations down too.  :-)  The ranger explains that the mud is a calcium soil formed by the action of organisms whose name I have forgotten, but which look slimy and disgusting floating in the water, but really feel more like a sponge when picked up.  There are "tree Islands" growing on piles of sand which are slightly higher and drier, providing cover for deer and the occasional but almost NEVER seen Florida panthers (called mountain lions or cougars out west).  It is interesting to see the "Panther Crossing" signs along the roads here; the probability of seeing one must be nearly zero.....  We slogged through this dwarf cypress area, the trees being dwarf and widely separated because the soil is shallow and nutrients insufficient for taller growth.  These trees are actually older than the bigger ones we are headed for, because they were too small for the loggers that clear cut the area in the 30's and 40's.  The cypress trees in Florida do not live especially long, the oldest being 400 years, mainly due to hurricanes which sweep through knocking them all down, starting with the biggest.  We see unusual flowers, like this tiny but pretty bladderwort.

It is hard to believe that this flower attracts, catches and digests tiny insects for nourishment, similar to the Venus fly trap.  We arrive at taller trees, and find the water deepening nearly to our knees

The bottom here is firm underfoot.  No longer do our feet sink into the mud.  There are air plants attached to the cypress trees, with leaves looking like pineapple leaves.  The rare flower on them is beautiful.

We are told these  are not parasites like mistletoe is, and will not hurt the trees. I wonder about the Spanish moss, which is related and also non-parasitic;  I think I have seen trees weakened by the Spanish moss growing so thick it blocks light from the tree leaves, but as usual this question occurs to me AFTER the opportunity to ask....     We must take care to avoid stumps, logs, and cypress knees invisible under water; falling would be disastrous for the camera.  Once I trip on an under water obstruction, and catch myself on a small cypress....whew!   We see a small slick floating on the water, looking like oil.  

It was a floating bacteria colony, told from an oil slick by breaking a piece off, and observing that the circle does not close up like an oil slick would.  We arrive at a surprisingly large open pool of water in the middle of the large tree forest.  

It is an alligator pool, now fortunately unoccupied as evidenced by the undisturbed vegetation growing in the water. I would not want to meet an alligator in this water environment! He would have the advantage big time!   Notice the light colored material floating in the left foreground; this is the organism that nearly covers the shallower parts of the swamp;  it looks slimy and repulsive, yet feels like a sponge when picked up and squeezed out [yes, we DO know that from experience :-)].  This organism is responsible for the thin muddy calcium soils over the limestone in the shallower parts of the swamp; it absorbs calcium from the water and dies, sinking and decaying over time to form the soil.  Ranger Bekkar explains that the alligator is perhaps the key contributor to this ecosystem; by digging pools with their legs and tails they provide water holes for the dry season, which keep fish alive, which feed birds starting their northerly migration.....   Generations of alligators enlarge the pools to the size of this one, which is too deep to wade cross without getting wet way above the waist.  Alligator droppings are acidic and the acid breaks down the limestone floor of the swamp, allowing the holes to be dug deeper.  We see a rare air breathing orchid growing low on a large cypress; there is no flower, and the ranger has been watching this one for 4 years waiting to see it bloom...maybe this is the year, but there are no buds showing yet.  He does show us the flower pictured in a book he brought along....breathtaking!  We wish it would be blooming for us...  This floating bladderwort (a different species than the yellow terrestrially rooted yellow flower seen earlier in shallower water) obliges us with it's tiny insectivorous flower.

Ranger Bekkar has a degree in ecological education, a specialty not offered very many places.  He is ideally prepared for this job, which he is very good at and obviously enjoys a great deal; he was here the last four winters, and in summers moves to a park in the north, such as Acadia in Maine where he spent last Summer.  We thoroughly enjoy this place, one which we would never have ventured into without a trusted guide.

  We return to the visitors center, where we hose off our clothes and wash out our shoes.  I place the camera and my vest on a stairway out of danger from water, and wash down.  The mud washes off easily; I'm amazed.  Clay soils would stick like glue...  We say goodbye to the ranger and head out slowly to the RV.  Half way there I realize I had forgotten the camera and vest; I quickly turn around, and soon meet the ranger heading my way with them.  What a guy!!  :-))  I must say this walk was one of the best experiences we have had in a long while.  We have always been concerned about venomous snakes in the southern wilds, and would not have ventured into such a place as this alone.... (although I vividly recall a trip into the Myakka river area many years ago to tread clams out of the mud that I would not have ventured into without Ralph or Harry, either).  We saw no venomous critters then, nor on this trip, and the ranger said he looks carefully at each log as he leads his tours to be certain there is no threat, and has yet to see a poisonous snake.  He knows they are out here, just that they avoid human contact when possible ... and here there is almost always a way out for them.  Even cottonmouth moccasins will not attack...they just stand their ground and prefer that you go somewhere else.  :-)  Mammals prefer drier ground, and 'gators stay in their pools or on the banks of them.  I doubt we will go wandering into strange swamps at night for pleasure...but it is nice to have the haunting "ghost" of the dangers of the swamps exorcised at last.  Dinner this evening was left over Italian soup.  My night for dishes, and for once Claire beat me to bed.  It was not yet 9PM when I joined her...

Tuesday February 3:

I awoke very early by recent comparison; perhaps I'm finally getting rested?  :-)  The temperature outside is 62 at 4:20 AM.  We went to bed with all overhead vents open, and they are now all closed, but it is comfortable in here without heat other than the kitchen stove heating coffee that has been too long in the thermos.  It is much better piping hot!  Claire arose very early for her, 7AM, about when I went back for an early nap.  :-)  Before 9 I was up and preparing to install her Christmas present super dooper water pump (ShurFlow Extreme 5.7).  This pump comes well recommended, but with a long list of installation caveats; flexible lines next to pump, 12 gage wiring fused 15 amps, special high flow input strainer, unrestricted input and output water lines.....  Fortunately all the special stuff we did not have we'd bought in Naples, and the job went smoothly if not exactly easily;  the working access to the pump area is two small drawers pulled out from under the driver's side hanging locker.  I'll not bore all of you with the gory details of this installation, but will place it on a separate page; for those interested, see "Water Pump Installation".   It was before noon when the pump was finished, and I thought it good to use the time in this nice campground to do other necessary maintenance chores.  The generator foam air precleaner was due for it's 25 hour cleaning and oiling; washing it gives me another chance to check out the new pump.  :-) [ I must take care not enjoy Claire's present TOO much, or I'm on notice I'll have to get her another one...  :-) ]   The day is hot, 79 under the RV, with only a little breeze; it's just enough to provide comfort when out of the sun, and I am fortunate all my jobs are in the shade or can be moved there.  Dinner is breaded  pressure cooked pork chops, rice, and the sweetest tasting fresh cauliflower we have had in a long time.   The drinking on the fly birds reappear during dinner, and I cannot resist some last pictures, but I'll save the bandwidth for new stuff..  We are ready for an early night tonight, as we must move tomorrow....

Wednesday February 4:

The night was not restful; there was some distant engine noise in the middle of the night that was not loud…but was just OUT OF PLACE here in the middle of the swamp.  It kept both of us awake for a while, which was ridiculous when we sleep like babies in Flying J truck stops with trucks roaring in and out all night. When we finally concluded it might be road construction equipment working at night to minimize traffic impact, we immediately fell asleep!  I think we will soon miss the quiet of this place in the middle of the 'glades....  The temperature at 6:15 AM is 62.  It is comfortable inside in T shirt and knee ripped old "dirty work" slacks,  the last "clean" ones left.  It's laundromat time fer sure, and TODAY!  The new water pump is hardly loud enough to wake me up....I guess that is good...UNLESS we develop a plumbing leak. I am experimenting with the headband flashlight in place of room lighting this morning; the battery is low and best used for the computer.  The LED flashlights run on rechargeable AA cells, so this may be a good way to conserve electricity in the early morning hours when TV has been used a lot at night.  All I need is enough light to see the keyboard and not overflow the coffee cup when I pour from the thermos.  :-)  I played around a bit and found the older less focused LED flashlight we have is better than the Brinkman with is's tight lens focused beam for this use; it makes enough light to see the close stuff, does not overpower the computer screen when it shines there, and the beam is wide enough to let me look comfortably through the bottom part of my bifocals at the keyboard. Whoopie!!  Life is good when your needs are simple.  :-)  I set up the printer and printed out some necessary items; now it is getting light and it is 7AM.  Plans are for showers, an early departure, and dump and water fill on the way out to Lehigh Acres Walmart for resupply and overnight; somewhere along the way we must find a laundromat too.   I notice the new septic treatment product seems to work better than the Ridex we used in keeping tank oder down.  A trace of oder was present two nights ago, and yesterday morning I put another 2 fluid ounces of the Zep powder in the tank...this morning, no odor.  :-)  Ridex never seemed to stop odor once it started.  This product, enzyme and bacterial like Ridex, is Zep commercial septic tank treatment.  It is less expensive than Ridex per container and appears to be lighter weight than Ridex.   I used the same volume as I used Ridex, and if it works better, as it now appears to, the cost is no issue, being trivial for either.  We left the campground around 9:30, proceeding to the dump station, where the attending ranger told us I-75 was closed in North Port due to a fire on a bridge.  We thought about detouring through Arcadia, but this added a lot of extra miles.  Our route took us along the Western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve, and birds were everywhere.  This underwater diving anhinga dried it's wings high in a tree.

  We stopped in Immokalee to do a huge load of laundry.  When it came time to use the dryers, it appeared we would be competing with the local users for the few working machines, so we packed the wet clothes in plastic laundry bags, and drove off to find another place (one benefit of living in a house on wheels).  We finished the job in Lehigh Acres, after asking at a local supermarket where to find a laundromat.  We resupplied at Walmart, and refueled too; the price here was as low as we've seen for a while; 4 cents less than Sam's in Naples.  The couple parked near us in a motorhome from Mississippi live full time in theirs, and sell blown glass crafts in a stall they set up outside different Walmarts (by special arrangements with the company).  They pull a 20 foot trailer with their equipment, a motorcycle, and extra clothing storage.  The good thing about the trailer is that it can back up, unlike a towed car.  They did say that they must be VERY careful backing in tight quarters though, as the trailer/RV combo is hard to control while backing.  They are currently looking for a 24 foot trailer.....   Dinner is left over lentil soup and a nice tomato and cucumber salad.  After dishes, it is time for bed.

Thursday February 5:

 This AM we awoke very early to get on the road and beat the rush at the fire damaged I-75 bridge at exit 182 in North Port.  A park ranger warned us we might have long delays here with the heavy daytime traffic.  We intended to be moving by 6AM, but I awoke at 3:30 and went in to Walmart for a few things.  The staff outnumbered the shoppers by orders of magnitude, and boxes of merchandise were everywhere, being stacked onto shelves.  The added overhead for Walmart to be open at this time was a greeter and one checkout clerk, and since there was one shopper in line ahead of me, I guess sales justified that expense.   There was no competition in the aisles, and the staff was very eager to help....SOMEONE to talk to!  :-)   The work traffic was already heavy by 6AM; I guess workers start early here to beat the midday heat, or perhaps they have long commutes.   It moved well until we got to the damaged bridge, where the northbound side was reduced to one lane to allow construction of a crossover ramp to bring the southbound traffic over to use half the northbound side of the highway.  The north and south bound bridges here are separate across a small stream, where a tractor trailer loaded with flammables overturned and burned in the southbound lane, the fire weakening the bridge beyond serviceability; replacement will take at least 6 months.  The backup was about a mile, but it moved steadily and we crossed easily.  Venice was still mostly asleep when we arrived at 7:30, and found on street parking near the beach.  Our intent had been to use the beach parking lot, but RVs over 20 feet are prohibited there.  Before starting anything else, Claire made the bed, and Purry had to be involved.

He still has a lot of fun in him for a mature guy.  :-)  We then walked the beach, bringing back long dormant pleasant memories of days on the sailboat, and when we vacationed here when Carol and Matt were young.

The gulls are still entertaining visitors with their eager search for food....almost out of people's hands.  We  marveled at the tern looking birds with the longer lower bill  flocking with the gulls .  

Claire searched the bird book later, and found they are skimmers, the only bird with a lower bill longer than the upper one....  Development along the beach has progressed a bit here, there are quite a few more "No Trespassing" signs now than there were when we first came here on the boat, then vacationed with the kids as they were growing up. I guess the amazing thing is that so many recognizable features still seem to be as they were then; the concession stand on the beach, the marina with a name change but similar appearance, the jetty with fishermen still working the waters;

The little North Jetty fish camp across the inlet is still there; it cannot be rebuilt on now public land, but remains as it was long before this area became the tourist and retirement haven it is now.  Even the apartment complex on the waters edge at the jetty that Claire's aunt had lived in just after selling the orange grove is still here, although there is an added swimming pool.  We walked to the end of the jetty, again marvelling at the tame pelicans, as we had years ago.

 I can still see Matt fishing for hours off this end of the jetty as a boy about 8 years old.....those are long dormant brain cells!  :-)  

The brilliantly blue-green water and white sand are memorable hallmarks of this area; it's good to walk again down these memorable paths.  More Venice pictures are placed on this Extra Venice Pictures page, for those interested,  with little added comment.  The wind was brisk from the southwest, so we walked back along the road, past the public boat landing where we sometimes docked the sailboat dinghy; it still looked familiar, although the parking area is all paved now, with marked parking spaces and signs with a long list of rules for use. We passed the exclusive Venice Yacht Club where we, as non-members, were never welcome.   We have no desire to go there now either...  :-)   We relax in the RV for a while, I walk Purry until a giant poodle and owner head our way, then we head out for the post office.  The parking area has filled, and people courteously make way for us to pull out, so they can grab our two parking spaces.  :-)  The roads in Venice are tight for the RV; this is something surprising to me, as Venice had always seemed to have broad streets before; it all depends on your point of view!  :-)  Departing our parking spot at the post office would have been impossible without free spaces around us permitting maneuvering to get out. We hurried to vacate while those spaces remained unoccupied.  We found parking downtown at a vacant Goodyear store to walk around and window shop a bit.  It is time to go on to Ralph and Reni.  Their country home on 5 acres that had been a mystery to find in earlier years now has roads on the GPS map;  I mark the approximate location in the GPS and tell it to "Go To";  at least it will take us to the circle, then we will find the address.  We arrive about on schedule at 2:30, having observing the slow traffic in the southbound I-75 lane as we passed under it; I'm quite glad we started early to avoid the rush.  :-)    The driveway is familiar and welcoming, and we park in the circle under the cooling shade of a tree.  Ralph and Reni respond to the door bell, and soon we are catching up with old times.  We have all eaten, so snack and chat until the early morning start catches up with us.  Claire goes down first, but around 9PM I found myself in need of my pillow too.  We said good night and retired quickly to the RV, where it was quickly dream time.

Plans: We are planning on traveling soon to a place where Claire can re-certify as a TaeKwonDo referee for this year; until this weekend we thought that required us to be in Atlanta on Feb. 14.  We recently heard there has been another certifying clinic added in Florida on Feb 22.  When we verify that we can attend this one, we will forego the trip to Atlanta, with its risk of freezing conditions that might occur at this time of year that far north.  We prefer to spend more time in Florida before heading west, but the nearly 500 mile distance to Atlanta would push us to continue to the Mobile AL area, rather than the Florida peninsula ; we shall see how things work out next week.  Stay tuned....  :-)