We have been at Collier Seminole State Park in Florida now about a week after leaving the Corps of Engineers Park on the Caloosahatchee River. We have been here a week and have used the boat to do some exploring and have driven around the area checking out possible camping sites in the future and of course all the local sites. Collier Seminole Park is located about 16 miles East and South of Naples along the Tamiami Trail otherwise known as US 41. We have always driven past this park on the way to the Keys and wondered about it. The land itself was owned by a man named Collier who had a great deal to do with development in South East Florida and the construction of the link between Ft Myers and Miami. Mind you he was trying to develop the land as a Southern Paradise to live in. A great deal of the park is mangrove with tidal salt flats mostly populated by a variety of bird life with a river that starts at the campground and drains out to the Gulf of Mexico. Parts of this river appropriately named the Blackwater River have been dredged but it still very shallow for any motorized boat
This first picture is of our campsite which has full hookups…not a common thing in this park! When we checked out the park a week or so ago we realized that they had assigned us a tent site which we could not fit on and they were kind enough to assign us one of the campground host sites for the two weeks we are here.
These two pictures are of the boat basin and of the riverhead leading toward the Gulf. This is right at the campground where you can launch boats and from where all travel on the river emanates. They have a variety of programs to some areas of the back country with canoes and kayaks ..day and night… to see what these mangrove swamps are like. The most important thing for us was the tidal changes as we had to be very aware of when low tide was when using the boat.
Our first trip down the river was like being on the African Queen with the sides narrowing in on us then expanding out with islands everywhere with lots of open very shallow water. Our GPS was the only thing that kept us abreast of where we were at all times. Actually, before you are allowed to leave the basin you must file a travel plan with the rangers making them aware where you expect to travel and when you will be back. You have to check in and out as a safety precaution.
One of the attractions here at the campground is one of the original “Bay City Walking Dredge’s”. It’s really quite unique….tracked dredges could not navigate the swamps of the everglades so they devised a method having the dredge walk forward about 10’ at time. This was all powered by a single all fuel diesel two cylinder engine that was quite interest to see also.
Ok, time for the wildlife report……We saw a lot of the usual birds which I have shown above….the Great Blue Heron, a unknown hawk, a pileated woodpecker and even a Burmese Python!!!!! Apparently lots of people have turned their pet snakes loose in the everglades and this is one big snake….Marge almost stepped right on it as we were hiking on a remote trail through the swamp. It was somewhere around 10’ long or more with a girth of about 15” to 20”. Scary!!
On another note Big Al (92 year old father in law) is having a hard time. He will be going into Hospice after the 1st of the year as things are failing. He is a good man who has survived a lot. Please keep him in your thoughts this Holiday Season.
Lastly, we have been busy and unfortunately our connections with the internet have been limited. After next weekend we should have broadband again and I will try and keep up a little better. Most of all may you all have the best of the Holidays!
