We head over to Ponce De Leon Park on the other side of Punta Gorda. To get there we have to drive through one of those awful neighborhoods where every single house is on the water and has a dock for their boat. It must be dreadful to live here...
At the park there is a plaque in memory of the first recorded death of a white man in America in 1513 at Pine Island. The Spaniards were exploring the area and met the local Indians on at least three occasions. At the first meeting items were traded, but at subsequent meetings fighting erupted and several Indians and a Spaniard were killed.
We stroll on a boardwalk through the mangrove forest to the pier in the hope to see some of the advertised local wildlife.
We are not disappointed. As we talk to the fisherman on the pier we are introduced to the beautiful resident yellow crowned night heron that dares to come remarkably close.
The fisherman use life little Fiddler crabs to catch Sheepshead fish. As they start talking about this Sheepshead fish we hear a big poof of air and turn around to see a Manatee surfacing and diving back under. Of course the camera was not ready so we only got a picture of the water... but we all saw it!! What a spectacular sight! Martijn also sees a Needlefish jump out at the water.
Anyway, back to the Sheepshead fish. The jaws of this fish are lined with 2 rows of teeth they use to grind on crabs and barnacles. After a little while the fish are starting to bite and both Niels and Lucy are allowed to reel some in. We are having such a jolly time that we lose track of time.
Much later than planned we have lunch and by the time we've done some shopping we realize we're not going to make it to our planned stop so we divert to another campground in Lake San Marino.
Today: 110km - 3h
Total: 14,765km - 299h50m
