Awed by the Prehistoric Like Scenery at Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, Florida

Our travel destination for today was Sarasota, Florida, about 2 hours drive from where we are in Florida.

We left our hotel at 11:00 a.m.,  and stopped for lunch at our favourite American restaurant, C. B.

I had a grilled cheese sandwich and clam chowder.  After that my stomach did not feel good at all.

 I must remember to avoid this combination of food in the future to avoid stomach trouble during our travel.

                                                             

The drive took longer than we had expected, arriving  at the Myakka River State Park, Sarasota at around 2:30pm.

Officially opened in 1941 to the public, Myakka River State Park was one of the 8 state parks developed by the CCC- Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's depression era.

The American government wanted to boost the economy and the spirits of the American people, therefore it hire 5 million young men to do preservation work on their natural parks.

Many of the structures built by the CCC such as the Visitors’ Centre, the log cabins and the picnic pavilion are still used today

As we were driving into the park, we saw some people standing on the bridge above the river.

We joined the curious folks standing and looking quietly on both sides of the river.  What were they looking at?

They were looking at the alligators!  

These gators were lying very still. From afar they did not look like alligators but just some old logs along the river bank.

But the signs were there warming visitors that these alligators could attack people.

A few visitors stood on the lookout point to observe these wild animals.

Ignoring the warning signs, a man was standing and fishing by the river bank.

As we drove into the park further, we were amazed by the beauty of the park’s natural wilderness.

These huge trees with moss hanging down from their branches reminded us of the movie Jurassic Park where pre historic animals roamed the landscape.

We were awed by the wild prehistoric like scenery at the Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, Florida

The landscape was so wild! Something we'd never seen before.

We felt like we were back in time being in the middle of some prehistoric forests.



















We thought at any time, some dinosaurs or Tarzan might be jumping out at us!

















Being present in such a wild natural setting was a humbling and awesome experience!

As we drove to the end of the path, there was the outpost building with a gift shop and a restaurant serving alligator stew. Too bad, we were full from our lunch.

We walked across this bridge to the tower to view the amazing tree top canopy. 

Another awesome experience we had at the Myakka Park was the canopy walk.

Having climbed the stairs leading to a wooden bridge built 85 feet above ground, we got up to the top and walked across this narrow wooden bridge swaying between the two towers.

At the top of the tower, we saw a field of green below us as if they were green grass. In fact, these green things were the top of the trees that created a canopy for the forest floor. This was the first time we were ever this high above the ground to experience and view the tree canopy. A unique experience!

Aside from the view that amazed us was the fund that have been raised to build this canopy walk bridge. Many people have generously donated to build and maintain this bridge on an annual basis.

There was a river boat tour and a land safari tour available to visitors.

I noticed that visitors to the park could drive all the way to the parking lot.

From there visitors could take the tours and there was no walking required during these two tours.

I thought of my Mom and those seniors who have mobility issues.

The Myakka Park is a good place to visit even for less able bodies.

R.T.
Myakka River State Park
Sarasota, Florida, USA
Friday, Week of Feb. 19, 2018

p.s. After visiting the park, we met with Pat and his family and had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Sarasota. The girls have grown a lot!