Day 7: Stormy night, and a visit to Englewood FL

Wow, what a night!  A light rain started in the evening, but during the night several major storms came through.  The one at 2:00 am woke me, and it continued with thunder, lightning, and pouring rain until about 4:00.  At that time, the campground host knocked on the door of the RV and recommended that we move into the bathhouse, as there was a tornado on its way.  So we dressed, packed up some essentials (including the dog) and headed to the bathroom, where we hung out (in the men's room) for 30-40 minutes.  No tornado, thank goodness, but lots of wind and rain----and a chance to chat with fellow campers in the wee hours.

By 5 am we were back in bed, with high winds continuing.  There was a nice break around 9, when Ranger and I were able to get outside before the next line of rain came through.  Poor Ranger----he panted and trembled through most of the night, as he is very disturbed by thunder, though he did relax a  bit while in the men's room!

And the results:  lots of downed limbs and much standing water.

After sleeping late, we headed out for a previously- planned visit with Dan's cousin Mike Collins, his wife Mary, plus cousin Judy and aunt Ruth.  Mike and Mary have a trailer in Englewood, about 30 miles from our campsite, and they escape the Wisconsin winter each year, staying 3-4 months in Florida.  

We had a lovely lunch with them.  Their trailer park is quite nice, very neat and clean, with friendly neighbors and access to a stream for kayaking.

Back at Myakka River State Park, there had been some clean-up of the main road. I took off on my bike while Dan did some sweeping of the RV roof and Ranger kept an eye on all who ventured out around the campground.

While the rain had stopped, the strong winds continued, making an evening campfire an unwise move.  With the front moving through, the temperatures have been dropping (80 yesterday afternoon, 56 as I write this).  It's supposed to be "cold" (ie. 60 degrees) for the next few days, but clear.