Our day started early, as this state park is about a 40 minute drive away and we wanted plenty of time to spend at the park. Once in the park, we walked the entire nature trail through the park, seeing manatee, eagles, a cheetah, a fox, owls, a bear, and many species of birds. RuthAnne almost walked into a snake that had just swallowed a rat, but the ranger stopped her. It wasn't poisonous. One of the highlights was seeing Lu, the resident hippo awakened and fed. He is the only non- native resident of the park, but seems quite at home there.
After our animal-filled morning, we found a quaint restaurant called the Monkey Bar on the river for lunch. From our table on the deck, we could watch the monkeys on monkey island, who live there full time and are taken care of by the restaurant and the local fishermen.
On our way back to camp, we stopped at a local fruit stand for fresh fruit and vegetables.
The day was topped off with a lovely evening at MaryAnn and Phil's house for dinner...what a special treat to end the day.
