Wildlife at WP Franklin Campground, Alva, Florida

Wednesday, October 26, 2016


You may have noticed from my blog on October 4,2016, we ended up at WP Franklin Campground after fleeing hurricane Matthew.  Well, here we are again for three days of relaxing along the Caloosahatchee River (part of the Okeechobee Waterway connecting Florida's East and West Coast). We enjoy watching the yachts going through the locks, and being greeted by some of the local wildlife. Ah...I'm talking about animals, not people!

WP Franklin Campground was built adjacent to the lock and dam  and sits on an island that juts into the river.  The campground was laid out so each site is on the water and, being only a dozen miles from Fort Myers, makes this a very popular campground.  The local area is chock full of horse and cattle ranches.

Here's Kitty and Kallie relaxing  after having lunch.

Kallie likes to lay by the water and watch the variety of birds that make this area their home.  She really gets excited when Mullet start jumping out of the water.  They jump into the air and then belly flop back into the water.

Since we arrived mid day, we didn't have many close encounters with wild life today.  But, this gator swam by as dusk was upon us, and got our hearts pumping.  Fortunately, he decided not to check out our campsite and kept moving away.

I didn't have a tape measure handy, but I'm guessing he was about eight feet long.  If he would have decided to spend the night on our campsite, we wouldn't have argued with this guy!

Shortly after I snapped the picture above, the gator disappeared below the water, and I got this beautiful sunset shot!

Friday, October 28, 2016

This morning we were greeted by a loud screech from two bald eagles.  They are sitting atop a tree across the river from our campsite, and getting a clear camera shot at that distance was difficult even with a zoom lens.  I believe the male is on the top branch and female is just below and a little to the right.

We saw this pair last time we were here and were glad to see they were back to greet us.

 This tricolored heron liked getting his picture taken and I was happy to accommodate him.

After standing perfectly still for several minutes taking pictures of the tricolored heron, I looked up and saw this turkey vulture circling just above my head.  I must have been standing still so long he thought I was dead!

This Live Oak Tree leaning out over the water has a bird house in it.  Even birds like a home with a water view!

This Double-Crested Cormorant stopped by to say Hi!

Our trip ends with another gorgeous Florida sunset! 

Well, that's all for now.  We'll be heading home in the morning.

Captiva Island Can be Captivating, Captiva Island, Florida

Tuesday, October 11, 2016


Captiva Island has us captivated.  Perhaps that's why we continue to return to this island paradise.  The beaches are great and there's a bounty of shells, great restaurants, and unique shops.  The best time to come here is anytime except spring break time, or weekends during the peak season.  October weekdays is our favorite month to visit this island because kids are in school and the weather is perfect.

Local folklore claims there was a pirate named Captain Jose Gaspar who was based in this area in the late 1700's.  He would rob the merchant ships sailing in this area and would often take the women as prisoners, holding them captive on a island while extorting ransoms for their return.  Many believe that is how this island got its name.

We arrived here shortly after nine AM, and the beach, as you can see, was almost void of people.  It was mostly cloudy this morning, and that provided some protection from the sun along with some sun screen. 

Later in the morning, a few more folks were on the beach enjoying the waves and looking for shells

These are some of the shells we collected as we walked along the shore.  There's a bazillion shells here and you won't have any trouble finding your favorite shells.  It's a shell of a lot of fun!

Walking the beach and picking up all those shells made us hungry.  Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grill is one of dozens of great places to eat here.  Caution!  Their desserts are decadent and dangerous! They can cause rapid weight gain.  When we walked out of there we each weighed a ton, but is was worth every pound!

We'll be back here just as soon as we loose a few hundred more pounds!!

The Eagle Has Landed at WP Franklin, Alva, Florida

Monday, October 10, 2016


We are camping along the Caloosahatchee River at WP Franklin Lock and Dam.  Across the river is a Bald Eagle sitting atop a very tall tree surveying the landscape.  So, I shot him...not once, but four times.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

with my camera.

Extending Our Stay at WP Franklin Near Fort Myers, Fl.

Saturday, October 8, 2016

We landed in WP Franklin Lock & Dam Campground on Tuesday while fleeing hurricane Matthew.  Fortunately, Matthew stayed far enough off shore to spare our home of any damage.  So, we decided to stay at this campground for a few more days and unwind from hurricane stress.  This is a beautiful campground, it's very quiet and has a laid back atmosphere.  So, you can choose to lay back and relax here and watch the boats go by, or travel twelve miles to Fort Myers where there's an abundance of restaurants, shopping, and beaches.

Since we like eating and beaches, we decided to head to Fort Myers Beach for lunch and check out the beaches there.

Before leaving for Fort Myers Beach, I took this picture of the Andrea Cay as it was locking through the Franklin lock probably heading to Florida's east coast through the Okeechobee waterway.  This is not your average yacht.  She is 120 feet long and has twin 455 HP engines.  It was launched in 2002 and can accommodate 10 guests with a professional crew of four.  It's home port is Baltimore, MD,

Our first stop in Fort Myers Beach was Heidi's Island Bristo.  They serve a variety of items, including German food, on their menu,  and we can tell you their schnitzel was very good! Yummy!

The Beaches at Fort Myers Beach are nice, but the parking spaces are very limited and this wasn't even peak season!  After spending several minutes driving around looking for a parking spot, I grabbed a handicap spot just long enough to snap these three shots of the beach.

Ocean Boulevard runs through the middle of Fort Myers Beach.  It's only a two lane road and is woefully inadequate to handle the volume of cars that use this road.  The traffic congestion and limited parking was becoming a hassle.  So, we left without spending any time on the beach.

After touring the beautiful campus of Florida Gulf Coast University, and making a stop at camping world, we returned to the serenity of our campground for some serious relaxation.

Another of the many splendid activities we enjoy is watching the sunset, and Florida is blessed with some of the best almost everyday.  These pictures just don't do justice to the variety of vivid and spectacular colors that nature has to offer.

Well, that brings an end to another wonderful day!  If all of our days were half as good as today, we'd be very fortunate indeed!

Part Three: Fleeing Hurricane Matthew

Thursday, October 6, 2016


Hurricane Matthew should be directly east of us later tonight.  We packed our camper Tuesday and left our home in Okeechobee arriving at WP Franklin COE east of Fort Myers.  Matthew weakened after skirting the eastern edge of Cuba and devastating the western part of Haiti.  It has now regained it's category four status with sustained winds in excess of 170 MPH.  If it makes land fall and heads west, we are in serious trouble and may need to evacuate this campground.

Most of our friends from Okeechobee are all here now and we've been having a lot of fun together while we wait to see the final path Matthew will take tonight.  While we laugh and joke together, the strain of impending disaster hides behind our smiles.  In a matter of just a few more hours we will know if our homes in Okeechobee will survive the storm or be completely destroyed.  The path of Matthew is out of our control and our priority now is to keep ourselves safe and hope we can see the sunrise tomorrow.

The forecast here is 1-3 inches of rain and wind gusts from 30-50 MPH.  Okeechobee is in a hurricane warning zone and wind gusts there are expected to be near 70 MPH.  However, this forecast is based on Matthew staying off shore.  Any unexpected move to the west from Matthew would spell disaster for Okeechobee and could put us here near For Myers in harms way!

Friday, October 7, 2016

We had a much calmer night last night than was expected, and Matthew managed to stay off shore until it was much farther north.  A few friends who stay in Okeechobee report only minimal damage in our area.  We are indeed thankful that we were spared this time.  But,we know many others will not be so lucky as Matthew continues its violent march north along Florida's East coast and into the Carolina's.  Our hearts and prayers go out to all who were affected by this storm.  Heavy rains and strong tidal surges are taking its toll along Matthew's path, and the death and destruction totals are still being calculated.

Part Two: Fleeing Hurricane Matthew, near Fort Myers, Florida

Wednesday, October 5, 2016


We slept well last night knowing that we were safe, at least for now.  We spent a lot of time listening to the projected path Matthew is most likely to take.  As long as Matthew stays on track, our location here at WP Franklin Campground near Fort Myers should be safe.  But, if Matthew decides to make land fall near Stuart, Florida and head farther inland, all bets are off and we may need to take further evasive actions.

Several campers from Okeechobee are already here and several of our neighbors will be arriving today.  Matthew is scheduled to be directly east of us tomorrow evening, and we are praying it stays out to sea so we can avoid a disaster.

Today starts out with plenty of sun, but the storm clouds will be rolling in soon and the breeze will be getting stronger by the hour. 

But, for now, it's calm and if you haven't been listening to the news, you would think today is just another great day in South Florida.  This is a shot of our campground from the water view.

We noticed the water level below this dam increase several inches over night.  Based upon the high water level on Lake Okeechobee, I thought the US Army Corps would have these gates wide open.  But, what do I know?

You can see the outer band of Mathew beginning to sweep through the Florida sky here.

Once our neighbors get here, there's not much else we can do but keep an eye on Matthew and...PARTY HARDY!!

Part One: Fleeing Hurricane Matthew, Okeechobee, Florida

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

We were up late last night and again early this morning studying the course of hurricane Matthew very intently. It's still headed for Florida as a category four hurricane with winds around 170 mph.  It devastated Haiti and is ready to hit Cuba and the Bahamas before skirting the coast of Southeastern Florida.  At least two forecast models project the hurricane eye moving inland near Lake Okeechobee, while other forecast models show it tracking along the coast with varying distances from land.  It's due to hit our area in just over 48 hours!

Since Okeechobee is less than 40 miles from Florida's East coast, we would be well within the 170 mph wind bands if Matthew came very close to shore.  Also, recent rains have increased the water levels of all of the canals around our house and Lake Okeechobee is at the highest water level we have seen since we've been living here.  Also, the US Army Corps of Engineers has several projects underway around the lake to repair the aging dyke that surrounds the lake.  This spells DISASTER and we don't have much time left to decide what were're going to do!

Our local storm shelters do not allow pets, and there's no way we're going to leave Kallie behind.  So, we filled our gas tank, purchased extra water, and loaded our camper with enough food, clothing, and water to last several days.  We also took some things that we just didn't want to loose should our home be destroyed.  Within four hours we were on the road, but not exactly sure what our destination would be.  At first, I was thinking the Tampa area would be safe, but it's 2-3 hours from here.  So, we called one of our favorite campgrounds near Fort Myers to see if they would hold a spot open, and a very nice lady in the camp office took our name and said she would try to hold a spot since we were already under way.

The good thing about leaving early is there's no long lines for gas and the roads are not packed with vehicles evacuating the storm.  So, we made it to WP Franklin Campground located just a dozen miles from Fort Myers in less than an hour and half.

Here we are set up on site #5.

This campground is always immaculate and all the sites here are on the water front.  We are on the Caloosahatchee River, which is part of the Okeechobee waterway connecting Florida's East Coast with West Coast through Lake Okeechobee.  We have a nice view of this beautiful Spanish style home and I love looking at this boat!  Not a bad way to wait out a hurricane, don't your think?

As the sun started to settle on the Western horizon, these ominous clouds moved in and quickly brought use back to reality.  Matthew is less than 48 hours away!

If Matthew decides to make land fall in Southern Florida, we may not be safe here.  So, we must continue to pay close attention to it's track and be prepared to head out again.