Monday, January 6, 2014

Little Manatee River

November 19-20

Florida has some amazing campgrounds and Little Manatee State Park is one of them. Each RV site is surrounded on three sides by native foliage giving privacy and home to Florida no-see-ums (midges). This was the first time we had the opportunity to set up the awning and after realizing the trailer top needed to be down to attach it, the rest went smoothly. The weather was so pleasant that I spent most of my waking hours outside and did not realize until it was too late that the midges give a very itchy ankle bracelet.

Staying for two days meant I could use my new Dutch oven purchased especially for this trip. I had seen and enjoyed the food created when we were on the Grand Canyon  and thought I would try to replicate it. There are numerous sites on the web explaining how to use the ovens. To save time, we purchased a bag of briquets that did not require lighter fluid and ingredients for corn beef and cabbage. Five hours later I discovered that the briquets I used burned more quickly and do not provide an adequate source of heat for a long enough period of time. Although dinner was edible, the final product was not what I anticipated-especially the undercooked potatoes.

Several large Gopher Turtles crawled along the road next to our campsite.  This one did not want to be bothered with a photo op and let it be known. 



Evidence of feral pigs abounds along the hiking trail, accessible a few miles from the campground. It is an easy hike and offers a variety of habitats within a small geographical area.




No comments:

Post a Comment