Lake Griffin State Park. FL

You can only stay a maximum of 14 days at a state park. So we needed to travel on to another location. On the way we decided to stop and visit with Sherry Hay in Tallahassee. The campsite was a private site only a couple miles from Sherry's home. I sort of felt like a sardine but I took a picture of our spot because of the enormous oak trees in the campground. 

Name of Campground - Big Oak RV , seems logical. 

Next stop:  Lake Griffin SP. 16 March thru 27 March. Spot 11. South of Ocala, but north of Orlando. 

Although we have the convenience of GPS, getting directions from a website is always worthwhile. Our directions online were somewhat disconcerting though. You see they said to take a right 1 mile after Walmart. Were we in the wilderness? Did Walmart put a center out in the boonies? We found Walmart. And one mile later we  turned right and entered another world. From a six lane divided highway to "the Real Florida." 

We saw this quote, "the Real Florida", throughout Florida State Park advertisements. Typically when one thinks of Florida, one imagines pristine beaches and amusement parks. The real Florida is swampy, wet, overgrown with Spanish Moss, Resurrection Ferns and plenty of amphibians.

It was a beautiful site and only 1 mile from Walmart. 

The campground had a number of amenities. One of which was a boat trip around Lake Griffin. We took advantage and joined the tour. We saw beautiful scenes, gorgeous waterfowl, and a unique rookery, (breeding ground for birds).  

This rookery was unique in the fact it needed very little management. You see it was located on an island. And the natural enemies of the waterfowl did not cross the water to rob nests of eggs or grab a distracted bird. That would be because the 'gaters' roamed the waterways. 

Of course, we were warned to look out for the 'gaters'. 

Another amenity was canoe rental. So I took advantage and rented one for the morning. I fished a couple of inlets and then moved out into the lake. I was a long way from the shore, casting with the wind when...The iPhone rings.

It is Connie. "Where are you? I am waiting at the docks." Did I forget her?  Did she say she wanted to go with me? Did I miss something?  Oh well, "I will be back in about 20 minutes. I am in the middle of the lake."  I apparently forgot the wife. 

Before we left Lake Griffin, we traveled to the gulf coast to see Homosassa Wildlife State Park. I will start another post for that trip. 

We also made a day trip to the Atlantic coast. Ditto on another post. 

We were getting near the end of our stay at Lake Griffin. I had been unsuccessful catching any fish at our campsite, so I thought I would try a new location. 

Google showed us a small city park near Lake Griffin. So we scoped it out and found it to be pretty and quiet with few people. It looks fishy anyway.

We arrived the next day to a completely different scene. 

Apparently there was a fishing derby going on. Well at least there must be fish.

But we saw a critter of a different sort. It was large, far larger than my rod could handle. It had only one color and swam on the surface like a 'gater'. It wasn't too fast and seemed to fear no angler. Con got a picture, but no one believes it. 

Next stop Lake Louisa State Park, FL