On the way down, we camped at Cliffs of the Neuse state park in North Carolina. Calista had a stomach 
bug the first night, so we stayed in a hotel near St. Augustine the next night to do laundry and get ourselves back in order. Things went smoothly from there. We drove through Ocala National Forest (our intended place to camp) and visited DeSoto National Memorial. This site commorates the landing of Hernando DeSoto in 1539. He led the first European expedition to extensively explore what is now the Unitied States - less than 50 years after Columbus "discovered" the New World. We heard an NPS ranger discuss the evolution of weapons in native american cultures and among the Europeans, and took a short hike along the water - the park is on a bay south of Tampa/St. Petersburg. That night we camped at Myakka River State Park, which preserves a chunk of undeveloped prairie as well as wetland and river. We explored a "canopy walk" - an elevated tower/bridge combination that allows visitors to view the tree canopy of the forest. I was surprised to learn that "dry prairie" was once a common ecosystem type in Florida; most of it has now been turned into farm or grazing land.
bug the first night, so we stayed in a hotel near St. Augustine the next night to do laundry and get ourselves back in order. Things went smoothly from there. We drove through Ocala National Forest (our intended place to camp) and visited DeSoto National Memorial. This site commorates the landing of Hernando DeSoto in 1539. He led the first European expedition to extensively explore what is now the Unitied States - less than 50 years after Columbus "discovered" the New World. We heard an NPS ranger discuss the evolution of weapons in native american cultures and among the Europeans, and took a short hike along the water - the park is on a bay south of Tampa/St. Petersburg. That night we camped at Myakka River State Park, which preserves a chunk of undeveloped prairie as well as wetland and river. We explored a "canopy walk" - an elevated tower/bridge combination that allows visitors to view the tree canopy of the forest. I was surprised to learn that "dry prairie" was once a common ecosystem type in Florida; most of it has now been turned into farm or grazing land.Everglades
One of our major destinations was Everglades National Park. We made a short stop at the visitor center for Big Cypress National Preserve, which protects the bald
cypress wetlands north of the "glades". Many tourists had stopped to see alligators in a canal near the visitor center. In 2002, Mike and I had hiked part of the Florida Trail starting from this point. From there, we went to Shark Valley, where we took a short hike and saw some of the famous Everglades wildlife - alligators, anhingas, and other birds. Then it was on to Flamingo, at the southern tip of the park on Florida Bay, where we camped for the night. The next morning, we explored various ecosystems along the main park road, taking short hikes at West Lake (which is lined with mangroves), Mahogany Hammock, and the overlook/tower that provides a view of the vast sawgrass wetlands that defines the Everglades, as well as the famous Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo trails. We returned to the Everglades area a few days later, camping at Long Pine Key for the night. We attended a ranger program, where Calista asked a question and earned a junior ranger badge!
cypress wetlands north of the "glades". Many tourists had stopped to see alligators in a canal near the visitor center. In 2002, Mike and I had hiked part of the Florida Trail starting from this point. From there, we went to Shark Valley, where we took a short hike and saw some of the famous Everglades wildlife - alligators, anhingas, and other birds. Then it was on to Flamingo, at the southern tip of the park on Florida Bay, where we camped for the night. The next morning, we explored various ecosystems along the main park road, taking short hikes at West Lake (which is lined with mangroves), Mahogany Hammock, and the overlook/tower that provides a view of the vast sawgrass wetlands that defines the Everglades, as well as the famous Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo trails. We returned to the Everglades area a few days later, camping at Long Pine Key for the night. We attended a ranger program, where Calista asked a question and earned a junior ranger badge!Dry Tortugas
Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park is quite an undertaking. The park is 70 miles west of Key West, and the boat leaves around 8:00am. We stayed in Key West, in order to maximize convenience - and had to settle for a $50 per night campground! It was a somewhat-cramped private campground, but our site did have a nice view of some mangrove-lined water - 
which might have had an outlet to the ocean. The trip to the island was awesome. Water was very clear and blue. We toured the fort (Fort Jefferson, which was built in the 1830s) on our own, and then took turns snorkeling among coral reefs and playing with Calista on the beach. Calista visited the captain and even got to "drive" the boat for a moment! We had been listening to an audio recording of the Nevada Barr book "Flashback", which takes place on Dry Tortugas - so that added to the experience.
which might have had an outlet to the ocean. The trip to the island was awesome. Water was very clear and blue. We toured the fort (Fort Jefferson, which was built in the 1830s) on our own, and then took turns snorkeling among coral reefs and playing with Calista on the beach. Calista visited the captain and even got to "drive" the boat for a moment! We had been listening to an audio recording of the Nevada Barr book "Flashback", which takes place on Dry Tortugas - so that added to the experience. Returning to the mainland, we took another boat trip in Biscayne National Park. The concessioner had botched our reservation for the regular boat, and we ended up on a smaller boat with a group of three people who were in a similar situation. We toured a small island called Boca Chita Key, and zipped over crystal-clear water.
On the way home, we also stopped briefly at Canaveral National Seashore.
We hiked up to the top of a large shell midden mound, which afforded a view of the ocean and a lagoon. We camped the final night a Faver-Dykes State Park, a bit south of Jacksonville. The park had a medium-sized, quiet campground in the woods. In the morning we caught views of a scenic river valley in the park (pictured here) before heading north. Temperatures peaked in the low 80s in the morning, but in the Carolinas we hit a cold front and by late afternoon it was in the 40s and raining! We were glad to be driving and not camping, and made it home by 11:00.This trip included two new NPS sites for me, bringing my total to 278, approximately 71% of all the sites in the system. I am only missing 9 sites in the eastern regions, 4 of which are in the Caribbean. We also spent more time at Biscayne and Canaveral than I had at the past.
Here are the rest of the photos.
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