1199 February 3, 2025 Monument Lake

We both took walks this morning around the perimeter of the huge casino parking lot.

Mexican petunias.

A loggerhead shrike.

We had a 45-minute ride to Monument Lake Campground.  We made a stop at Midway to dump tanks and fill with potable water. There are no hookups at this campground and we wanted to be prepared. 

We stopped again at the Oasis Visitor Center at Big Cypress National Preserve.

The alligators were out enjoying the brilliant sunshine.

Anhinga.

We arrived at Monument Lake a little after 11am.

We put the awning out and sat outside for a long time this afternoon. 

There was a palm warbler bebopping around our campsite looking for crumbs.

A red-bellied woodpecker flitted from tree to tree.

We rode bikes around the lake.  One of the resident alligators was sunning himself on a rock.

We had mango and greens with mango white balsamic vinegar and grilled tuna steaks for our dinner.  It was nice enough to eat outside and there were relatively few mosquitos.  We sat outside until after dark enjoying some music. 

Monument Lake always feels like coming home.  We have been coming here for most of the last 20 years.  When we had just a short couple of weeks to visit Tim’s brother, Jeff, we would race from home down 95S to Florida.  When we got to Monument Lake, we would finally breathe and relax.  Lots of great memories here in this beautiful place!  We will spend the next 5 nights here before moving on.