February 21-28, 2006
Alligator Heaven ! That’s where we are! In Alligator Heaven!
It started out with a drive on a dirt road through a tunnel of trees. That was the entrance to the RV park.We arrived in Venice, Florida – about 1 hour north of Fort Myers – and camped in a very nice, small campground on the Myakka River, about 8 miles from the beaches. The park is heavily wooded and our spot is right on the river which makes it easy to use our kayak.
Pictured is our spot with a canal behind us – where the alligators travel. 
They like to sit in the sun during the day and sometimes they do that right across the canal behind our motorhome - as pictured.The first thing Joni wanted to do when we arrived was take a ride on the river in her kayak. It’s a dark, merky looking river which winds it’s way to the Gulf. We met the campers next to us right away, and Joni offered to let our neighbor Amanda use her blow up kayak so they could paddle down the river together. They were gone about 2 hours and went about 3 or 4 miles round trip.
Little did we realize that the river is FULL of alligators. We did NOT see one on that ride, so we felt pretty comfortable floating down the river. Using a blow up kayak in that river is probably not a wise thing to do. We didn’t use it again.
The next day the campground was holding a canoe/kayak trip for anyone interested. Joni signed up right away and was ready and waiting to go the next morning. It was a 4 hours round trip ride with a stop for lunch. That’s where Joni realized how many alligators were living in that river as they spotted 4 gators before lunch. 
They are large, wild and not to be reckoned with! Being in a small kayak in the middle of the river and coming across an alligator is a freightening experience. The trip leader assured us that no one has every been hurt by an alligator on his watch. A few days later, Joni launched her kayak from our campsite and paddled about 3 campsites away before she saw THE BIG ONE. She back paddled and went right to the bank and got out. That big guy is CLOSE to our motorhome.
All those gators didn’t stop Joni from paddling around though. She just kept a close watch and stayed as far away from gators as she could – even though many were spotted.
We met a couple who were parked a few campsites away from us, Anne and Fred Yole. They were kayakers so they joined Joni one afternoon and saw lots of alligators that day. They also joined us for diner at the restaurant on the river called “Snooks”.
There is a very nice bike path that runs from Old Venice right to the beach. Delton and Joni took that bike path one afternoon and rode along the intercoastal ending up at the beach and then went for a walk along the boardwalk and shore line. 
We spotted a BIG Jellyfish while walking. We didn't want to mess with him. We also played tennis. Delton is getting pretty good. Joni is very happy that Delton has taken such a big interest in playing. He also enjoyed a round of golf at the local course.
We enjoyed a baby back rib diner – sponsored by the campground one evening and met quite a few people. Many of the campers are here for the entire winter and have homes up north. After 1 week it was time to leave this campground and Venice. We headed to Lakeland (between Tampa and Orlando) for another visit with Dean and Gayle McGibbon.
