Hey All!
Our latest adventures took us down to Lake Kissimmee State Park outside of New Wales Florida. This state park was so fun and there were very few people! We almost felt like we had our own private park. The park is located down a winding country road in central Florida. The drive was nice and along the way we passed lakes, cattle ranches and orange groves. We finally reached the park around 2pm where we easily made our way to the campground.
Our first impression of the park is that it is remote but so very beautiful. It is filled with Spanish oaks, Lodgepole Pines, and palmettos. There are acres and acres of forest here. Inside the park is a small lake and a canal that provides access to the larger Lake Kissimmee. The canal is the only way to get to Lake Kissimmee as there is no access from land due to the wetlands and marshes that surround the lake. The small lake was a marina and a general store and I was bummed that the general store is only open on weekends, so we did not get to check it out as we were only there during the week.
The first day we took an off road bike trip through the forest. The 6.7 mile loop was fairly flat, bumpy and fun…. Ned only got us lost a couple of times….he always found the way back to the trail thanks to those impressive Eagle Scout skills. I’m telling you ladies, if you love the outdoors and are looking for a man…. get one that was an Eagle Scout. They are quite handy to have in the wilderness!
The next day we went over to a place called Camp Mack to go on an airboat ride with Alligator Cove Tours. Our guide introduced himself as Captain Flame. Captain Flame was late because he had gotten the earlier tour group “stuck” and had to wait for someone to come out and help. That worried me a little! Captain Flame is very knowledgeable about the lakes in the area and the beautiful flora/fauna. While the Captain was giving us the lowdown about the upcoming tour, I couldn’t help but notice that he had something scary looking in his beard. I tried to focus on his presentation so as not be rude, but I remembered I had just previously noticed an ugly black caterpillar that was crawling around on the front of the boat ….so I was worried it had climbed into Captain Flame’s beard. When he asked if we had any questions, I took the opportunity to tell him about his potential beard critter. He freaked out a little and pawed at his beard with urgency…..but luckily it was just a leaf….Also, can I say that I don’t think Captain Flame is his real name, just sayin…..We recommend Alligator Cove Tours and Captain Flame.... we had fun!! The first picture below is us with our new airboat tour friends. Captain Flame is the one in the blue shirt.
On our airboat tour, we saw a few alligators but, they submerged so quickly……. so hard to get pics. We also saw bald eagles, sandhill cranes and wild turkeys. We saw cypress trees and cypress knees. We saw many flowers growing from various plants floating on the lake. This was Ned’s first airboat ride, and he thought the trek through the marsh and around the lake was fun and he would definitely do it again.
Back at the campground, we are happy to report that we had several wildlife encounters. First encounter was with an armadillo who jumped out of the bushes when we were walking the dogs. We just stared at each other for a minute, then our dog Louie lost his mind and tried to chase him. Luckily, Louie was on a leash and the armadillo was able to scurry away. Later that evening another armadillo (or it could have been the same one….) came over and proceeded to poke around our campsite while we were relaxing by the fire. I don’t think they see very well because he kept running into things. I guess word gets around fast because the next night his friend Mr. Possum invited himself over. However, I think he was just looking for food and the bathroom. We also had few deer stop by but because we didn’t have anything good to eat…. They moved on. It was quite an exciting night.
If you go to Lake Kissimmee State Park, be sure to bring a camera, bike and hiking shoes. There are so many trails, wildlife, plant life and it is a great place to take the family to enjoy nature. Be sure to bring groceries too because the nearest town is 20 miles away.
Our next stop was supposed to be St. Augustine Florida, the oldest city in Florida. We were super excited to visit this side of Florida, but we will need to change our plans…. There is a problem with storms and severe coastal flooding and Ned says our RV doesn’t float very well….:) So not sure where we go next….stay tuned…..more to come!
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