OK this is getting to be a pattern. My thermarests deflate pretty quickly through the night, I get up a couple times to reinflate but by early morning I have a pretty natural incentive to get up and out.

Workout in the day room while the sun comes up, it’s gonna be a warm one as I am sweating pretty well but the showers are great as is the oh-so-good camp coffee after. Getting low on coffee – will it make it to Canada? Doubt it.

Today we’re going to explore by bike a bit. See the old fort, check out the other beaches, maybe do some kayaking. First we walk around the camping area of the park. It’s nice, the best way to see this park and environs would be to have your own kayak on a waterfront site. Talked to a lady, she booked hers 6 months in advance, I looked online, can’t get more than one day at a waterfront site until May, 2023. Lots of non-waterfront though and those sites are still very good.

So we bike. Like most of southern Florida, the riding is flat and the pavement excellent. We see the old fort, walk the pier and the beach around the fort/pier. Very nice. Go for a swim and have lunch at the East Beach which doesn’t hold a candle to the North Beach (we’re spoiled now). We decide to go back for the car before kayaking so we can get to the North Beach for a final dip and home before dark (we have no bike lights).

We are too late to go for a very long kayak but the operator lets us take two solos out for 45 minutes for free. (I think cuz we are both listening to AltNation on Sirius sat radio). It’s nice, but the rental spot is way down a channel – it takes 20 minutes just to get to where the kayaking is interesting. We do it, I go around a little island, don’t see the manatees that are supposed to be plentiful then we have to go back. We end up not returning to do a longer trek but the kayaking would be excellent here.

We go to a different part of North Beach, beautiful. We are wary of the nasty little burrs that come from some beach grass – they are no fun to step on or even try to remove with your fingers.

Back at the camp the mozzies and noseeums are about – I start dinner, a campfire and dig out a mosquito coil while Christy retreats to the day room for respite. Within 15 minutes the bugs abate. I find they bite, they itch, but not for long.

Dinner, camp fire, bed. We think we are leaving tomorrow so I tell Chris it is not worth dragging the big Walmart double-bed mattress I got in Quincy out of the car, inflating it and then deflating in the morning.