09 Pine Island & Tampa

Trip Start Jan 15, 2008
1
9
Trip End Jun 08, 2008


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Where I stayed
Fort Desoto Campground
(Tampa hotels)

Flag of United States  , Florida,
Sunday, June 8, 2008

The promised rainy season, which is critical to the Everglades survival, has yet to appear as of the first week in June :(. The water level in the pond beside the Anhinga Trail (see previous "Turtle Island" picture) is down an additional twelve to eighteen inches. The local birds have now spread out to nest while the migratory ones have all left. The Baldcypress have restored their needles -- these trees are now extemely beautiful compared to their February nakedness. On the plus side, I have not needed to use my recently acquired bug jacket; though mosquitoes can still be wicked when hiking or eating outside but kayaking is still relatively bug-free as long as a breeze is present. Even with no rain, the wildlife I keep on encountering is phenominal.

I continue chasing flowers (but by popular demand I have reduced the number in my log); for me, the airplants (including orchids) are still my favourite -- the Butterfly Orchids are just starting to appear 001-Softshelled Turtle nesting
001-Softshelled Turtle nesting
 . For less than $20, I picked up a used Minolta close-up lens; I can now take reasonably good pictures of small flowers. So far picture-wise, my flower count of different types is around one-hundred and fifty. As an extra diversion, I am also shooting pictures of butterflies and moths; these subjects are extremely difficult (read challenging) to stalk, especially when using manual focus.

Visited Tampa and got to camp at the Fort Desoto Campground... Not only do they like dogs in Tampa, they even have beaches for man's best friend and they supply the doggie-bags. Besides lots of sun, I got to see a Man-of-War bird (a.k.a. Magnificent Frigate); even in the distance they are like a larger version of my favourite Swallow-tailed Kite. By skipping the toll roads (Alligator Alley), I also got to hike again in the Great Cypress Forest -- Bogie is also welcome on the Big Cypress trails.

A fire, deliberately set by some moron, consumed forty-thousand acres of sawgrass and valuable hammocks in the north-east part of the park and threatened an endangered species, the Cape Sparrow. Although fire is a necessary part of the Everglades lifecycle, an uncontained wildfire in the windy dry season can cause a catastrophy. So far, four of the firefighters have been bitten by Brown Recluse spiders -- the bitten area has to be carved out or it continues eating away the flesh 003-Ravaged Turtle nest
003-Ravaged Turtle nest
 . I also do not envy them having to wear their fire suits in the 90+F heat and work in snake infested areas where all wildlife is extremely skittish. We were lucky on Pine Island that the wind was blowing the smoke and flames toward Miami.

On a night time adventure chasing Golden Orb Weavers (spiders) and Barred Owls, Cindy and I had two sightings of a Coyote (also reported by other people) -- I finally feel vindicated at getting brushed-off earlier this year when I reported a Coyote sighting near Bear Lake.

Since the body count is increasing for the remainder of the trip in the van plus ongoing adventures, I am scrambling to rig the van with a rear motorcycle carrier (Class IV hitch plus Versa-Haul Sport carrier). The van is now a little too low at the back now but the handling is still reasonable (the next set of shocks will include overload springs). I have really enjoyed my learnings in the Everglades -- the only disappointment being the lack of a rainy season; hopefully next year will correct this omission.

Hurricane season started June 1 and will likely now coincide with the delayed rainy-season. Also this week, Bogie and I got bit parts in a Japanese movie about the Everglades -- Bogie is now the first dog to have officially been allowed on the Anhinga Trail (but he did get a fake warning ticket from a Park Ranger) 005-Red-breasted Woodpecker nesting
005-Red-breasted Woodpecker nesting
 .

After attending Meghan and Josh's wedding mid-June, I hear the environs of Lake Superior calling :)). Hopefully I can get new motorcycle tires in Wisconsin since I have just worn out my second pair...

Tidbits:
- Vultures love Hyundai and Ford Focus windshield rubber since it contains fish oil, much to the chagrin of the vehicle owners/renters :)).
- Pythons, released by pet owners when they got to large, seem to have eaten most mid-sized animals (hare, raccoon) in the Everglades; the long term impact has yet to be felt.
- Cute sign: "God put me on Earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die!" -- Hope this is true for me :)
- The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, run by the Audubon Society, does not allow dogs :(.
- "The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness..." - John Muir
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