Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

New and Old Friends on a Tour of the Sites

Wednesday January 28, 2015
Myakka River State Park
Big Flats Campground
Sarasota, Florida

 

 

Nancy and Bill met Michelle and Peg at an RV Dreams Rally we were unable to attend.  They wanted to introduce us so when Peg and Michelle came over to Myakka for a bike ride, we were invited to join them all.  You bet!    They even came to our site to pick us up.   Nancy asked if I could come out and play.  I told her my daddy says I can.

 

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We head out toward the bird walk.   And when we get there, we find a juvenile eagle flying over head.  Or at least that’s what we think he is from such a distance. Nancy has better pictures.  He is great fun to watch as he soars through the skies. 

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The water is way up and there aren’t the tons of birds we have seen here other years but the usual cast of characters are around.

 

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Little blue and snowy egretsIMG_5590

 

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We saw the eagle again on our way back to our bikes to peddle over to the Outpost.

 

 

Why did the turkey cross the road?  So Michelle will get off of her bike and take his picture and Sherry will get off her bike and take a picture of them both.  Wild turkeys are smart birds.  They also have subtle but beautiful colors.

 

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When we reach the outpost we walk on out to the weir.  Bill says he’s seen it many times so he voluteers to stay with the bikes so we don’t have to lock them up.  Nancy and Peg pose with a venerable old oak on the walk to the weir.  Michelle wants Peg to climb up and sit in the saddle but Peg declines.

 

 

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Nancy is horsing around behind the tree looking for a way up. Her head peeking through does give a better idea of the size of the tree, and the size of her head.  <grin>

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This is the first time I have ever seen the water level so high that water is running over the weir.   They have also finally locked the gate here to keep people off of it.

 

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When we get back Bill shows us what he used to defend the bikes against  all comers.

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The four of them bike back to Bill and Nancy’s for their picnic lunch and plan to go over after that to see the Canopy Walk as the last thing on the Major Sites of Myakka Tour.  We decline that invitation thinking there will just be too many people in the park in mid afternoon to want to do that based on our siting of the full tower just yesterday.  

We really enjoyed getting to know Michelle and Peg.  If we’d known they were going to go back for a chat at Nancy and Bill’s we would have come up to say a proper good bye.  We hope we’ll see them down the road.  They’ve just started full timing and it seems to suit them perfectly.

In the evening I walk out to get the sunset.   I still think it looks almost like a tropic island with the palm trees although that isn’t water between them and the sun, it’s the prairie.

10 comments:

  1. Sherry, we had a great time! I'm so glad you both joined us on the Myakka Tour. What a lovely SP. It was fun chatting and getting to know you better. Your passion for this lifestyle is so enlightening. Great pics too!!! The impromptu gatherings of such wonderful friends is a big ole plus of this FT RVing and we love it. Can't wait to see you again sometime soon! Safe travels . Michele

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  2. Nice tour and great pictures! That long dark lump in the water is unmistakable, isn't he.

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  3. Nothing better than going out to play with friends! We enjoyed biking at Myakka SP last year—it was so much fun to be able to ride everywhere in the park. Your sunset photo through the palms is so beautiful with those layers of tropical colors.

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  4. The turkeys are such characters. We see them up here in the countryside as well. They manage quite nicely through the winter.

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  5. I'm glad to hear that you had a chance to spend some time with Peg and Michelle. Good people. Hope our paths cross again some time in the future.
    Syl

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  6. RVers are such a friendly group. Nice ride and very fortunate to sight the eagle more than once.

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  7. Yep, what a FUN day. A bit cool, but so bright and sunny!! Your Sunset Photo reminds me why I like the Big Flats campground so much...BEAUTIFUL:o))

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  8. Your eagle pictures were great! So fun to meet up with friends on your travels and keep up with them along the way. Nice bike ride on a pretty day. The sunset and palms sure do look tropical over the prairie :)

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  9. The eagle and the turkey, what a contrast. The eagle is a thief if he gets the chance and he is our national symbol and the honest down to Earth turkey, well he gets to be our Thanksgiving dinner. Does this speak to who we are as a people?

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  10. Great shots of the eagle. We have wild turkeys here in MD too that roam our woods. I wish I'd had a camera when a hen was walking down our driveway with a bunch of young turkeys following - see that a lot with ducks but not very often with turkeys.

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