We left Imperial Bonita Estates in Bonita Springs Florida after preparation for departure. Our next stop is about 130 miles north where we will spend several nights at Little Manatee River State Park. The drive over was pretty congested as there were many fender benders along the way. One thing I won’t miss about Florida is all the nasty traffic congestion.
We pulled into our site a little after lunchtime, set up and ate. We are here three nights but don’t have a lot planned other than an excursion into Tampa. We have stayed at this park several times in the past and one thing we like about it is the network of trails it has.
We took a few hikes in the park during our stay and noticed Spring is in its early stages as the leaves are popping out of the dormant trees and some spring flowers have begun to bloom. The vegetation is mostly wooded with a scattering live oaks and dense palmetto as the understory. There is an active prescribed burning program here and the heavily managed areas are more savannah like with little palmetto growing.
One unique thing about our visits to this park is that we have always seen Swallow Tailed Kites. Habitat degradation and changes in wetland hydrology have caused their range to shrink in the US causing a nearly 80% decline in population. Destruction of habitats is chiefly responsible for the decline in their numbers. The Swallow Tailed Kite, once listed as endangered, is mostly found in large tracts of wetland forests in the SE USA.
Another day we headed over to Tampa where we took a nice urban stroll checking our the city. We walked along the city’s riverwalk which was teeming with people enjoying the sunny Sunday afternoon. Besides the people boaters donning their swim suits were trolling back and forth in the river. Across the river from us was the University of Tampa.
The university is a small private school with around 9,300 students. The coolest building on campus and probably in all of Tampa is Plant Hall, the main academic and administrative building for the University. It was originally known as the Tampa Bay Hotel, built by railroad and shipping magnate Henry B. Plant.
Constructed between 1888 and 1891 at a cost of $3 million, the hotel was designed to to be the grandest of all winter resorts. With 511 rooms this five story hotel was unique with its very ornate Victorian gingerbread features topped by shiny moorish minarets, domes and cupolas.
The hotel once hosted notables such as Teddy Roosevelt, the Queen of England, Booker T. Washington, Stephen Crane and Babe Ruth (who signed his first baseball contract in the hotel’s grand dining room). Now it is filled with classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices. A very cool building…
NOTE: We left Lake Louise State Park and moved a short distance over to Three Flags RV Resort in Wildwood Florida…
That is a very nice state park.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a different world there. Love the turtle.
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