February 12 - February 20, 2016

I could have stayed at Lake Kissimmee State Park for much longer. It is such a peaceful place. Our nine days there went by very quickly. The drive to our next destination, Highlands Hammock State Park was a just over an hour long. We stopped on the way for groceries and checked the Sebring Golf Course and booked a tee time for tomorrow. 

After checking in at the Park Office and setting up at our site we headed out on our bikes and hiked a couple of the short trails. We had hiked all of the trails here last year and so knew which ones we wanted to see again.

                         

The golf course was extremely busy and it took us much longer to play nine holes than it normally would. However, it was a gorgeous day and a great walk, along with a few good drives for each of us.

      

After two nights at Highlands Hammock it was time to head to Venice so that we could volunteer at the Swing for a Cure golf tournament; a Scleroderma fundraiser. Our day of volunteering was a long one, with our day starting at 8:30 am and ending at 7:30 pm. Our jobs included monitoring prizewinning holes and selling raffle tickets. Thanks to Janet we did not have to travel far for this event as she put us up at her place for two nights.

       

       

Our next stop was Alafia River State Park, a park we visited for the first time. The park is a former phosphate mine. The reclaimed mine altered the landscape creating several small lakes and steep grade trails. The park has numerous mountain bike trails and horse trails. We hiked many of the trails and attempted a couple of the easy bike trails. On one long hike we spotted three very large black creatures in the distance. We didn't know if they were wild hogs or black bears. Needless to say, we walked very quickly from that location. A stop at the ranger station verified that what we saw were some of the enormous black hogs living in the park.

        

This park is very quiet. Our site has a great view of the water and includes a large picnic table and a fire pit. It is very easy to relax here.

        

 

    

        

    

February 3 - February 11

I was glad to cut our visit to Lake Okeechobee short. It was just an Ok place. However,  I did get to see the Okeechobee Locks where, back in the 70's, my parents and I, in our 30 ft sailboat were to pass through en route from the east coast to the west coast of Florida. Unfortunately, engine trouble prevented us from making it to Okeehobee so it was fun to see what might have been.

                              

Our next destination, Lake Kissimmee State Park was about a two hour drive away. The  drive on state roads was very pleasant, passing through cattle country and then through orange groves. After a stop at Publix in Lake Wales for groceries we checked in at the Park. Lake Kissimmee is one of my favourite state parks. With 5030 acres of land there is something for everybody with  hiking, biking, kayaking, and observing the many animals of particular interest to us. So far, we have seen deer, wild turkeys, eagles and an eagle's nest, many other birds, plus an armadillo. Although the temperatures have been below normal, the daytime temps have been ideal for hiking. 

          

We spent one rainy day exploring the town of Lake Wales and came upon a Mardi Gras Festival while searching out a recommended restaurant. The weather didn't keep people away as the streets were lined with people waiting for the parade and enjoying some of the great smelling street food.

Mardi Gras day was followed by many cool days here at Lake Kissimmee. However most days were great for hiking. In the past seven days, we have hiked about 60 km.

       

    

January 20, 2016 - February 1, 2016. Venice, Lake Okeechobee

YThere is so much to do in Venice, even on cool rainy days. We bundled up, Florida styel (long pants and a sweater) and went to the Venice Theatre to see a performance of Sweeney Todd, The Mad Barber of Fleet Street. Our expectations were not high for this community theatre troupe but they did not disappoint. The play was excellent. With a seating capacity of 90, the small theatre provided close ups for every scene. 

When the rain stopped and the temperatures rose, we rode bikes to our favourite coffee shop, Black Gold and even added a few extra kilometres by riding to Starbucks. 

Robbie Burns Day provided another opportunity for much laughter and good food. Thanks to Brian, we  dined on vegetarian haggis, salmon and a delicious pie. As well, we used our best Scottish accents to converse throughout the entire evening. I should have taken pictures of us in our pot cover tam o' shatters and Janet in her tablecloth kilt.

Tuesday is always golf day at Venice Ranch and we didn't miss one. As well, we golfed at Bird Bay several times on our own and played 18 holes with Janet at Lake Venice, a much larger course.

                 

All good things must come to and end and when our time at Venice Ranch was over we headed towards an RV Park near Lake Okeechobee. The drive over was very pleasant with lots of cattle and orange groves in view. We arrived at the Okeechobee RV Park and were immediately disappointed. Due to all the rain, to golf course is closed. As well, sites are very close together and the daily rate is way beyond our budget. On the plus side, the people here are very friendly and the temperature today was in the mid 20's with bright sunshine and clear, blue skies.

We took advantage of today's great weather to explore a part of the Lake Okeechobee Florida Trail. A paved trail of over 100 miles encircles the lake. Today we drove about 10 miles and will tackle a few more tomorrow.