This past Sunday we spent the day exploring more of our new home state. We walked along the intercoastal waterway in Venice on the Venitian Trail. The weather was so beautiful to be outside, especially yesterday.
The park is famous for its diverse wildlife. You can see alligators and wading birds from the park drive year-round. In the winter, ducks and shorebirds feed in the shallows as bald eagles and ospreys fish from above. Sandhill cranes nest along the water's edge. Twelve miles of the Wild and Scenic River flow through the park. (We didn't see too many of the animals. A couple turtles, blue heron and blue crane was all. We are really spoiled by where we live. We see more wildlife there daily).
Lower Myakka Lake lies in the 7,500-acre Wilderness Preserve south of SR 72. From the lake the river courses for several miles through a narrow, serpentine channel, bordered by spanish moss-laden branches of live oaks and graceful, arching trunks of sabal palm trees. These miles of solitude and undisturbed banks are ideal for canoeing. A privately-owned dam prevents access during periods of low water.
We ate lunch at Marker 4 Oyster Bar (also in Venice). We watched the boats go by and even sat next to the dock where a charter boat came in from a scuba trip.
In the afternoon we went on a pontoon boat tour of the Myakka River. I took some pictures (some turned out better than others) of the cruise.
The crusie started at Snook Haven. This is a pretty cool little restaurant/bar. Yesterday there were a lot of bikers there and they had live music in the pavillion outside. There's also a campground right nearby (if you're into that kind of thing).
The Myakka was designated a Florida Wild and Scenic River by State legislature in 1985. It is one of only two rivers in Florida to be recognized with this special status. The act provides for preservation and management of the 34-mile portion of the river within Sarasota County.
The park is famous for its diverse wildlife. You can see alligators and wading birds from the park drive year-round. In the winter, ducks and shorebirds feed in the shallows as bald eagles and ospreys fish from above. Sandhill cranes nest along the water's edge. Twelve miles of the Wild and Scenic River flow through the park. (We didn't see too many of the animals. A couple turtles, blue heron and blue crane was all. We are really spoiled by where we live. We see more wildlife there daily).
Lower Myakka Lake lies in the 7,500-acre Wilderness Preserve south of SR 72. From the lake the river courses for several miles through a narrow, serpentine channel, bordered by spanish moss-laden branches of live oaks and graceful, arching trunks of sabal palm trees. These miles of solitude and undisturbed banks are ideal for canoeing. A privately-owned dam prevents access during periods of low water.
I wish the palm tree pictures would have turned out better. They were beautiful!
Spanish moss on live oaks.
We had a great day! When we got home I fried up some fish, boiled potatoes and threw a Mrs. Smith's pie in the oven. By 9:30 we were wiped out and in bed. What did you do this weekend?
3 comments:
I love the pictures and am jealous of your weather! I'm also a fan of the header :)
Since it was in the 20s most of the weekend I only ventured out once. Please send us here in NJ some of that heat!
I loved this post! Great pictures and info.
Beautiful area.
I can't wait to see pics of your tree! :)
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