We left Collier-Seminole SP yesterday morning (no plans to ever return--one of the worst of the Florida state parks!) , and rather than jump on I-75 for a three-hour drive to our next destination, we decided to stay with Tamiami Trail (Route 41) up the gulf coast. We discovered that between Naples and Fort Myers, both sides of the road are FULL of stores---strip malls, chain restaurants, and so forth, non-stop! And of course, lots of traffic, making it a slow trip. We turned off Rte.41 toward Sanibel Island, and as soon as we went over the causeway and saw all that blue and green water, it seemed the side-trip was worthwhile. Sanibel is a beautiful place, with easily accessible public beaches like the one above. The community is cute and quaint, lots of little shops and bike paths everyone. What it is not is RV-friendly! Narrow two-lane roads and bumper-to-bumper traffic! Bicycles are definitely the preferred mode of transportation there. We did manage to find the one public parking area with spaces for "vehicles 20 feet or more in length", which allowed us to take Ranger for a walk on the beach. Yes, surprisingly, they do allow dogs on the beach there, with just a request that they be on leash and be picked up after.
Little Manatee River State Park is just east of St. Petersburg/Tampa, and it is a small park with only 30 campsites. We were greeted by an extremely friendly and enthusiastic ranger---always a good start to a stay!---who provided maps and lots of suggestions for things to do. Our site is private and level, just across the road from clean bathrooms with nice new showers. Hurray!
Having come about 150 miles north from the Everglades region, it is noticeably cooler--cool enough for a campfire last evening. Today's high expected to be mid-70's, after 55 this morning for the dog walk. Still sunny--no rain at all so far on this trip.
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