A pleasant day and unplanned adventure

Lake Panasoffkee, FL

Today I continued south along Highway 98 down into the Florida peninsula, east on Highway 27 to Interstate 75 for a short bit and south to my stop for tonight at Lake Panasoffkee. It’s just a short distance north of Orlando. I’m here for a few days to enjoy this part of Florida and to visit with my cousin Ken and Gerry who winter in Homosassa, on the Gulf coast.

Today’s drive was really pleasant, starting out in forested areas and then transitioning into ranch lands, and into some serious equine territory and some serious money. All along Highway 98 and 27 were rolling hills with impressive gates leading on to ranches with white fences breaking up different pastures, and red barns dotting the landscape. There were horse trailers travelling hither and yon, hay for sale, tack shops and western wear stores. The odd golf course showed up from time to time as well.

This KOA is once again off the beaten path and away from the tourist areas, but still close enough to make it convenient. I love the southern hospitality and I thought maybe by the time I got into this part of Florida I’d have lost that, but no, it’s alive and well, and even stronger perhaps here. The folks at the KOA are lovely and couldn’t do enough to help. It’s facilities are relatively new, and despite having mostly permanent residents or at very least snow birds, everyone is really friendly.

Just after getting out of my car to see whether I was on a level patch at my site, I turned around and there was a sandbill crane standing behind me. After my peacock scare in Ventura, I wondered if it was going to be Hitchcock, The Birds, part 2. But seems that this one crane is being fed by one of my neighbours and it was alone. Phew.

After setting up I went to walk the grounds to check it out. The campground is along a tributary of Lake Kanasoffkee and includes a fishing pier and places for campers to leave their boats. This lake is apparently home to a great variety and number of fish, as well as birds, being the southern terminus of some of the migratory birds. And as I found out, it is also home to a lot of good size alligators.

As I was on the fishing pier I wondered what the loud sound coming from down river was and I soon discovered it was an airboat. Turns out there is an airboat tour company just a couple doors down from the campground. So I went to check out if they still had trips planned for the rest of the day and got on one at 3 pm.

While waiting for the appointed time, they brought out a 2 or so foot juvenile alligator which we could hold if we wanted. I bravely volunteered to go first. You can tell by my expression I was a little less than comfortable.

Then out I went, with 12 others, into the bayou and around the lake on an air boat. It was my first experience on an air boat and it was so much fun. After the safety drill, the captain took us out for a spin. We saw about a dozen alligators, (a couple of monster sized ones) many different bird species, and one turtle that the captain says is in the same place every day. I asked the obvious, was he sure it was alive, just as it popped its head out to see what the commotion was.

I loved the twists and turns and quietness of the bayou as we slowly made our way into some of the tributaries, with the cypress that are hundreds of years old, and the Spanish moss. And I loved the speed and manoeuvrability of the airboat. It was loud, but exhilarating at times. The hour flew by and it was certainly an experience I would recommend. Some of the others on the boat were up from Orlando, having grown tired of the pace of the Park experience there (Disney, Universal, Epcot), and glad to have had this different kind of park experience.

After a nap, I headed down the road to a restaurant recommended by the campground, and was glad again at being off the beaten track. This restaurant was clearly full of locals and I loved the southern hospitality and entertainment of the people-watching as I enjoyed my catfish, scallops, shrimp, hush puppies and corn fritters. Can’t you just hear my arteries clogging from there. It was fabulous. A great end to a great day.