Our own island..

 We started this trip intending to camp at Jonathan Dickenson State Park. The day was beautiful but our site was barren. No trees, no grass and all gravel. Jesse, Lisa and I decided to have lunch, explore and then go home.


Then something wonderful happened and we got a phone call to go camping with some of our other friends on the boat. So we headed to Jensen Beach.









Rob and Michelle picked us up at the dock and we headed to one of the small islands in the intercoastal just outside of Jensen Beach.

Others were already set up when we got there but I think we got the best part of the island.



We set up camp and realized that the zipper on our tent broke. No big deal. We put the tarp over the front and had a flap for an entrance.




There was plenty of wildlife, birds, starfish and dolphin.









The water was beautiful and the drinks were flowing..













The puppy was having the time of his life.























The girls went exploring to the other side.

Michelle was swinging on the rope with the kids.

 

We drank so much and started crashing the rest of the parties on the island.









 The sunset was amazing!!
Once the dark was upon us we then realized that the place had rats... Thank god for my ratter Capone who kept watch of our doorway.

 

He managed to keep them all away from our tent. We had an awesome time and hopefully we will visit a different island without rats next time...

Taking a trip down the Tamiami Trail..

A bit of a history lesson on the Tamiami Trail.

Construction on the north–south section was begun in 1915. The east–west portion was originally called the Miami-Marco Road. The following year, Miami’s Capt. James Franklin Jaudon first proposed a road connecting Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts with an eye on developing his properties in the Everglades. While a 1927 Rand McNally map indicated the southern terminus to be Fort Myers, US 41 signs were already up on the completed segment (south to Naples) in late 1926; US 94 signs made their appearances when the final section was completed in April 1928. The Tamiami Trail took 13 years, cost $8 million US, and used 2.6 million sticks of dynamite in its construction. The Tamiami Trail officially opened on April 25, 1928.

So with that being said we decided to see all there is to see on the Tamiami Trail. We also decided that we were going to skip the section between Tampa and Naples. Since there is not much to see except built up shopping malls. 

So we began the trip on Saturday morning early in Naples just outside of Marco Island. Our first stop was the Collier-Seminole State Park. We stopped to see the existing Bay City Walking Dredge which was used to build the Tamiami Trail.

The visitor center was closed but it was a beautiful building. We then walked to see the Collier Monument. Barron Collier donated a portion of his land to the county. He owned a million acres of florida swamp. Here is where he is remembered.

 

 We walked the 2 mile Hammock trail before heading out for our next stop which was the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk in the Facahatchee Bay. Jesse was taking donations instead of giving..lol Just kidding..

The board walk was long and had huge Cypress trees with bald eagles, birds

and Gators that lived all along the walk. 

Our next stop was the Gulf Coast visitor Center in Everglades City. They also had a Boardwalk of their own...

We saw crabs, Alligator and a Manatee. Unfortunately I could not get a picture of that but it was really cool.

Moving further South we stopped to see the smallest Post office in the world which is in Ochopee,FL.

We stopped for lunch at Joanies Blue Crab Cafe. Very expensive but the food was great. We dined on blue crab cakes, gator, shrimp, Indian Bread and washed it down with a cold beer. 

After lunch we stopped in at the Skunk Ape Headquarters to take a look around. The owner was there to tell his tales of his last Skunk Ape sightings..   

Moving along now.. A quick stop at the H.P Williams roadside Park for a quick look at what their boardwalk had to offer. There were gator, and birds and some beautiful trees. 

 

So far it had been quite a long day and taken alot more time than we had originally expected. One more stop was made at the Clyde Butchers Galleries.His photographs are amazing and I wish I could afford one of my own.

What a perfect end to our day. 

 The property was beautiful.. Filled with gators and so many different species of birds like the Blue Heron, Egrets and Ibis.

The sights were amazing and I wish I had a really great camera with attachments to capture it all.

We ended the day in Little Havana in Miami for dinner at Versailles. Standing next to an old time Cadillac.

 Well we plan on returning to finish everything we missed. So the trail will continue another time...