John Pennekamp State Park

An entrance sign and our rental car. A brand new
Toyota Camry

John Pennekamp State Park is one of the crown jewels in the Florida State Park system. This isn't your typical park with a campground and a few hiking trails. This park has two beaches, terrific snorkeling, and kayak rentals. The park also runs snorkeling trips to the coral reef and glass bottom boat tours. The park is not far from the mainland. It is at Mile Marker 102.5 on the Overseas Highway in Key Largo.

The cost to get into the park is $8 a vehicle. To spend a night at the campground I think it is $38. That is the most I've ever paid for a state campground, but then again I had never went to a Florida State Park on the beach with access to a coral reef.  We stayed there the first three nights of our vacation

The park has two beaches. The best is Canon Beach. About 70 yards out is a replica Spanish Galleon. You can snorkel out to it. There is a large variety of fish. The most common by far, are Yellowtail Snappers. I saw two species of Parrot fish. They were Rainbow and Blue. I also saw an orange fish that looks like a Clownfish. However, Clownfish do not live around  Florida, so I will have to research it.

The campground is on a lagoon. Because of this fact, it must be loaded with mosquitoes in the summer. Even in the second week of November there were tiny little biting flies (possibly sand fleas). The bites hurt me, but the pain was gone in a minute and they did not leave welts like a mosquito bite does. Laurie, on the other hand, reacted much differently. She had dozens of welts on her legs. They were itchy, and she ended up rubbing on anti-itch medicine.

Despite the bugs, the campground sells out fast. If you want a site, you have to reserve it 11 months in advance. So, yes, I reserved my campsite last December 11. I didn't see any empty spaces in it while we were there.. Our campsite was the last one on the lagoon side of the road. Our tent was set up within fifteen feet of the tidal swamp. I can't say if the other sites had as much wildlife as ours did, but every time we pulled in we saw something new. We had two species of warbler (Palm and Black and White), three wading birds, White Ibis, Green Heron, and a juvenile Yellow Crowned Night Heron that was there so often we named it Phil

Photos below of the wildlife we had in our campsite. Then after that snorkeling info

Green Heron

Palm Warbler

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

Iguana

Close up. Yes he was in the campsite. He was closer to
my tent than I was while taking this photo

White Ibis

You can snorkel at Canon Beach and have a great time at the Spanish Galleon. I snorkeled there twice about an hour and a half each time. I don't have any pics of my experience. The water was dingy from the waves and my underwater picture taking was terrible anyway. Still, you don't have to shell out money to see some pretty cool fish. As I said above, there were tons of Yellowtail Snaper but also cool Parrotfish.

Of my many bucket list goals in Florida, one I was really looking forward to was snorkeling at the coral reef. John Pennekamp has multiple tours a day that take you out to the reef. The cost is $30 a person. They also offer scuba tours (and kayak and motor boat rentals). Our particular tour went to an area of the reef called Grecian Rocks. There was a large variety of fish. Since we fanned out, everyone's experience was a little different. I saw multiple Parrotfish, a huge school of Blue Tangs. Sargent Majors and Angelfish. I saw a yellow-black-yellow fish called a Rock Beauty.

 The very first fish I saw was a Barracuda. It was roughly 3 feet long. I know how fearsome they look, but they are harmless to people. I saw multiple barracuda in the 3-4 feet range. As  was rounding a corner  I saw two exceptional specimens that were easily six feet. I know they were longer than I was. Not only were they longer than the other barracuda, but they had girth also. They were awesome. The pictures below are of those fish. They were  the highlight of my snorkel trip.

On the way back to shore Captain Katie (more on her below) spotted some Bottled Nosed Dolphin. She swung the boat around to get them to play in the wake but they were not in the mood. We did get very nice looks at them anyway.

 I would be remiss, if I didn't mention the crew. The Captain was a young woman named Katie who couldn't have been twenty five years old. The mate, named Natalie was even younger. They were both well trained and did a great job handling the boat and the fifty or so passengers on board. I would specifically ask for that crew again if I had the option.

Below the barracuda pictures, more stuff about the park

Barracuda showing me that his teeth are
bigger than mine

Huge school of Blue Tang

You don't need to go off to the reef to enjoy the park (although I recommend it). There are a couple short hiking trails, two beaches, and an aquarium in the Visitor Center. If you want to see the reef but can't swim they have Glass Bottom Boat rides. But my advice is to get in the water if at all possible. 

Far Beach at sunrise

A canon at Canon Beach

The Journey was the boat we took out to the reef to snorkel

The beach was not sandy. It was made up of hard packed stone
with a layer of dead coral over it. Water shoes are a good idea.
The white buoys out there is where the shipwreck is

Seems self explanatory, you're not an idiot

https://pennekamppark.com/

The best $2.50 you can spend in Florida is at Robbie's Marna

Announcement- I went to Florida for 12 days. I have a lot of experiences and photos I want to share. In doing so, I will have many posts about Florida. I will try to give useful info in each post for anyone interested in visiting these great places.This is the first one I hope you enjoy

In between Mile Markers 77-78 on the Overseas Highway you come to Robbie's Marina. It is easily visible when coming over the bridge going south.

Robbie's is famous because trophy sized Tarpon hang out around the docks. For a fee of $2.50 you can go out on the docks and see the Tarpon. You can also buy buckets of fish for $4 that have between 6-8 fish in them and feed the Tarpon by hand. Doing this has been on my bucket list for years. On the third day of our vacation I got to check it off of the list. Robbie's opens at 7 am and we were there just after opening. What I didn't realize was how many other photo opportunities I'd have. Even if you are afraid to let a two hundred pound Tarpon rip a piece of fish out of your hand, it is worth the $2.50 to see the monsters anyway.

Laurie took dozens of photos while I was feeding the tarpon (I bought three buckets of fish). This photo below is by far the best. The fact that she got one photo of their lightening speed feeding is amazing. Much more below the photo of the tarpon

 The Tarpon aren't the only animals around the docks trying to get a free meal. There were Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets on the docks. Though, they did not seem to be freeloading. Pelicans are a different story. They have no fear. They will try to steal the fish right out of your hand. One did steal a fish from behind me while I was holding it. They were pretty annoying actually. There were also White Ibis hanging around. Like the Egrets, they were there, but not bothering anyone. Photos of birds and another Tarpon below

Snowy Egret

150 pound Tarpon a thousandth of a second after eating
out of my hand

Multiple Trophy Tarpon below me

Great Egret

White Ibis

Coming Face to Face with a
Brown Pelican

Eye to eye

Up close and personal with a Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Gadwall photo shoot

   Gadwall may not be as known to non-birders as other ducks such as mallards and wood ducks but they are fairly common during the cooler months in southern New England. If I looked for them during the winter months I would find them most of the time if the ponds aren't frozen. They are a very reliable bird at Trustom Pond. However, like most ducks, they don't get very close to people (mallards, of course are an exception). I have great looks at them in binoculars and my scope many times, yet I don't think I have ever taken a picture of one because they were so far away it wasn't worth it.

   That was until today. My friend Sue and I went to a little pond in South Kingston looking for songbirds in the berry trees around the pond. We were pleasantly surprised that the pond had 19 ducks on it. They were all Gadwall. The pond is only about an acre and we could walk all the way around it. The ducks kept an eye on us and wouldn't get too close. However, unless they flew away, they were a captive audience. We patently watched them swim around and feed. When they got into good light, we would snap some photos. We enjoyed watching and photographing them for almost two hours. It was a fun afternoon.

Guess what I did after work today

 

Hudsonian Godwit

 If you guessed, chase birds? you would be correct. After an entire post about how frustrated I was getting, I spent my afternoon chasing birds. While I was at work reports were pouring in of sparrows everywhere (sarcastic yeah. Also a Hudsonian Godwit was seen by Moonstone Beach.

   As you just read, I was at work. However, I really wanted to see the Godwit. I knew the tide would be dropping all day so if it was there at high tide, I knew there was a good chance it would be there after work. Hudsonian Godwits are rare around here because they really don't stop in migration. Most of them fly right over from Canada to their wintering grounds. They are a great bird and I enjoy seeing them. Work couldn't get over quick enough. Also seen today were a bunch of Vesper Sparrows. If I got the Godwit early I'd go after them despite sparrows being so frustrating.

   I left work and zipped to Moonstone. The Parking along the edge of the road was full of cars. I went to the left to where you can see Card's Pond. I had it within seconds. There were a bunch of other birders including my friends Sue Palmer and Richard Tucker. I admired the bird for fifteen minutes then went off to chase the Vesper Sparrows. I love shorebirds, especially rare ones. Truth be told, if I wasn't after numbers I'd have watched the Hudsonian Godwit for hours and blow off the Vesper Sparrows.

I walked to the back of Peckham Farm to find the sparrows. I was given some direction to where they might be. However the place is huge. It is hundred(s) of acres. It was like finding a needle (that likes to hide) in the hay before it gets cut and put into the haystack. Anyway, long story shortened, I did see two of them right near the bike path. Richard Tucker made his way up an hour after me. He had Vesper Sparrow already but I had seen a beautiful (look it up on Google images) Nashville Warbler. He needed it for the year and eventually it popped up and he got it. All in all, the most fun I've had birding in weeks

Lester and Lessons

 

This gull has wintered in Ninigret Pond for the past 14 years.

 It is unlike me to only have a couple of posts in October. Since I got back from New Hampshire I have had four days off from work. I have birded all four days. Birding from morning until after dark, I have nothing to show for my effort. Not a single new bird. On Sunday after work I dragged Laurie all over southern Rhode Island for five hours. There were two very good birds reported. I got the Long Billed Dowitcher (lifer) but dipped on the Lapland Longspur.  

   The Dowitcher was handed to me. When I got to Green End Pond in  Middletown my friends Jan and Linda were on the bird. I looked into their scope and there it was. Not a lot of skill going into that one. It has been a long time since I found my own new bird. Even seeing  "good birds" that are already checked off of my list have been rare. Basically, I'm in a slump. 

The last three weeks of October are known as "Sparrow Season" to birders. The majority of sparrows that migrate come through at that time. I am not a fan of sparrow season. They are little brown birds that hide in tall grass and shrubs. They would rather stay hidden than be seen out in the open. They are a pain in the ass. Lastly, some of them are pretty rare such as Vesper and Lincoln's. Only a few are going to be seen (One Vesper so far). If I'm working, I have no chance of seeing it after work. Plus it gets dark so early that birding is near impossible after work, and sparrows are much more active in the morning anyway. Enough complaining

Lester

After a bad couple of weeks birding, I needed to figure out a way to have fun. I decided I needed to take more photos even if it is of birds I already had photos of. I went to Trustom and found some Yellow Rumped Warblers, they are very common but I was happy to see them.  Later in the day I met my friend Sue at Ninigret. When we were at the boat ramp we saw "Lester". Lester is a Lesser Black Backed Gull (LBBG from now on). LBBGs are native to Europe and northern Canada. They will occasionally stray down to Rhode Island and other places. They are a bird you would probably see every year, but only a couple.

That is except Lester. This bird has been coming to Grassy Point in Ninigret Salt Pond for 14 years in a row! He comes by himself and stays the winter. It is the same bird every year. No one seems to know why he keeps coming back or where he goes in the summer. But he is reliable. Sue and I walked out to Grassy Point with the sun at our back and took photos of the gull for ten minutes. Despite how dependable Lester is, the species is rare in Rhode Island. It felt nice to see a "good bird" even if I saw him last January.

Lesson #1

I left at dawn and got home well after dark. I obviously got hungry and thirsty. I stopped at the convenient store and bought a couple Gatorades and a snack. For lunch I stopped at the locally famous (featured on Phantom Gourmet) Tillys for a steak and cheese sub. No one can argue a steak and cheese for lunch. But all told, including gas, I spent over $40 birding today. Most of that was a waste of money. For now on I have to do a better job buying my drinks at Stop and Shop and making lunch at home. There is no need to piss money away just to chase birds.

Lesson #2

I meant it above when I said I really don't enjoy sparrow season. However, I feel that if I am going to do a Big Year then I really need to put forth effort all year. So I have been to Snake Den about a dozen times. Snake Den is the best place in RI to see sparrows, but I have been other places also. I only have about 5 more weeks this year to chase because I will be in Florida for two weeks in November. I have 280 birds so far. I know 290 is probably impossible, but 285 is within reach so I might as well try.

However, next year my goal will not be to see as many species as I can. I think I will still try for 250, but I won't beat myself up or my car to chase every bird. I'm sure I'll bird all winter because there isn't much else to do. I'm also sure May days off will be chasing all the colors of migrants. But there will be more fishing. Hopefully there will be more hiking. 

What I will remember is the last couple weeks of October will only be spent chasing birds if I want to. I blew off two "trips" to bird the last two weeks. Last week I wanted to go pike fishing in NH. This week my goal was to try to catch spawning Kokanees in Connecticut. Last week the mornings were forecasted to be cold in NH and that easily convinced me to stay home. Today was beautiful and would have been a glorious day to fish in Connecticut. The thought of the five hour round trip turned me off to that idea. That said, I regret not doing either trip. 

So next October I am going to try to schedule those trips again. Maybe the long rides will turn me off again. Maybe the weather will suck and I can't go anyway. What I do know is I won't stay home just to look for a Lincoln's Sparrow. There is a very good possibility a Vesper, Clay-Colored, Lark, or Lincoln's Sparrow will show up while I'm away. But unlike this year, I won't care if I miss a bird!   

One of the many Yellow Rumped Warblers at Trustom Pond

 

Three days in foliage

Laurie and I took our annual three day trip to see the foliage in New Hampshire. We always go the weekdays before Columbus Day weekend. It is too busy up there to deal with Columbus Day crowds. I have Thursday and Friday off the week before Columbus Day anyway, so it works out well that I just have to ask for Wednesday off.

We actually left on Tuesday night but didn't get to a campsite until 11 pm. We set up the tent and went to bed. When we woke in the morning it was roughly 38 degrees but it was clear. We put the tent in the car and headed to the Eastern White Mountains. We actually headed for Maine to see some ponds I always wanted to see. They are just so far away I have never made it there.

There are three ponds very close together about ten miles from Rt. 2. Two are roadside and the other requires an easy two mile round trip. The two roadside ponds ( Crocker Pond and Broken Bridge) both have a ramp for putting in canoes and kayaks. Round Pond is the one that requires a short hike.  Although the light was bad for photos, the ponds themselves were very pretty

Round Pond

Crocker Pond

Broken Bridge Pond

 After we left  the ponds on Wednesday our plan was to hike out to Province Pond and sleep at the shelter there. Unfortunately for us, the key to Laurie's car got bent so we went all the way back towards North Conway to get another made. This wasted a lot of time. By the time we got a key made it was too late to go to Province Pond. We found a campsite and called it a day.

The following morning we headed out to Province Pond. We weren''t going to sleep there but it was a good 3.2 mile round trip hike. I still wanted to see the pond. I learned that Beech trees take longer to turn color than other trees. The woods on the way to the pond were predominately Beech and still quite green (see below)

The trail to Province Pond was still very green

 Province Pond was nice. We walked around to the far side and ate a snack at the shelter. This is this is the first view you get of the pond from the trail.

Province Pond

 Before we left the Evans Notch area we stopped at one of my favorite roadside gems, Basin Pond. It is right off of Rt. 113. It is the perfect roadside pond. It is surrounded by mountains, has a picnic area, and has trout. It is outstanding.

Basin Pond

Basin Pond

 From Basin Pond we had a pretty long ride. After sleeping in the tent the previous two night, Laurie and I had reservations for a motel on Thursday night. I didn't know where the motel was. She had picked it out and it was a surprise to me. Before we went to the mystery motel, we did a quick hike up Artist Bluff in Franconia Notch State Park.

View from Artists Bluff

It turned out the mystery motel was Loon Mountain Resort. Laurie got a really good deal on Groupon. We got to the motel about 5 pm. The motel room had a great view of the mountains. It had a sliding glass door and we could go out on a small balcony. 

View from inside motel room

Same view from the balcony

 The first thing we did was go for a swim in the indoor pool. After that we jumped in the outdoor hot tub which was really fun in the cool autumn air. After our swim, we went into town and ordered a pizza. We brought it back to the motel and ate it while watching the Patriots play the Giants. We had looked at the schedule before the season started and knew the Pats would be on Thursday night. This is the third year in a row they have played the Thursday before Columbus Day. The timing is perfect for our getaway plans.

Looking across the outdoor pool, the indoor pool is behind the
doors at the left of the photo. The outdoor hot tub was under the
blue umbrellas.

 When we checked in at the front desk on Thursday the clerk gave us our room key along with some coupons for the resort. Laurie didn't know it when she booked the room, but we got to ride the Loon Mountain gondola for free (regular admission is $20). When we left our room on Friday morning that is what we did. We took it to the summit.

A view of a gondola going up

A wider view from the summit. The pointy mountains are
the peaks of Franconia Ridge.

 One of the things you can do at the summit is climb through caves. There are ten caves you can climb through. They are pretty tight. You have to squeeze through some tight spots and lay on the ground in places. Of the ten caves to go through. I went through nine. The tenth didn't seem big enough for anyone over seven years old. It was really fun.

 All good things have to come to an end. After an hour we headed back down.

View going down from the car we were in

After we left Loon our plan was to hike out at Tunnel Brook Ponds. Tunnel Brook Ponds are a great hike. The trail goes out to a series of Beaver Ponds along Tunnel Brook. Unfortunately, the road leading out to the trailhead was closed due to work being done to it. We drove around to the other side of the road, a loop of about 20 miles, but we couldn't get in that way either. On our way around to the south end of the road, we stopped at Olivarian Pond. It is another one of those roadside ponds that no one seems to go to. I have fished there once before. I caught a bunch of rainbows that day. It looked as though I would have done just as well if I fished Friday. Trout were jumping all over the pond.

Since we couldn't go out to Tunnel Brook and we wasted so much time trying, we took a quick walk (ten minutes) out to Jeffers Brook Shelter where we made lunch before driving home.

Jeffers Brook Shelter

 All in all, our three day getaway was more like real life than a vacation. The trip had some great ups such as Basin Pond, Loon Mountain, and free gondola tickets. It also had its downs that we had to deal with including wasting so much time to have a key made and the road being closed to our last hike before driving home. The weather was far better in New Hampshire than back home in Mass. Although we woke to chilly mornings (36-38 degrees all three days) we did see some sun. When the sky was overcast the ceiling was very high. I could see Big George and the Presidential's summits all three days even when the sky was grey. The temp topped out at about 60 degrees everyday. Meanwhile in Mass and Rhode Island the outer bands of a tropical storm were pounding the coast. There was huge surf and wind gusts.

Despite the couple of challenges, we had a very good time. I loved watching the Pats game and going in the hot tub. We visited a total of six mountain lakes (four were new for me). It was fun and sure as hell beat going to work.