Myakka State Park

One of the places I visited in Florida was Myakka State Park.  This is a huge state park, mostly forested, but with a large lake full of gators and waterfowl.  The have lots of different areas of interest, but I only had time to take a boat tour of the lake, go for a walk along the shore to the berm dam separating the upper and lower lake, and climb the canopy walkway and tower.  I only had an afternoon :)  The boat tour guide and ranger we ran into at the berm dam were very helpful, and this is a great educational opportunity if you have kids.

The first picture above is of a flock of American White Pelicans.  These birds are over 4 ft long, with a wingspan of about 8 ft.  The only larger bird in the US is the condor.  Eek.

I'm posting one of my gator pictures here, even though I have a separate post for these.  Please see "My Gator Badge" if you want more pictures of dangerously close carnivores.

The picture below that is of the Roseate Spoonbill.  The only pink bird native to Florida.  Yes, flamingos can be pink.  No, they are not native.

The tires below are the bumper for when the tour boats dock.  They don't have breaks you see.  A little bit of amusement park ride there. :)

The final pictures are from the Canopy Walkway, tower and trail.  The walkway (below in the picture) is 25 ft up.  The tower is 74 ft. up.  Great views - but you don't realize how high this is until you get up there.  Fortunately for me (I'm afraid of heights), there is a chest high VERY sturdy railing at the top.