From the late 1800s until the mid 1900s Florida was the cigar manufacturing capital of the world.  Ybor, just outside of Tampa was the center of it all.  Cuban tobacco was brought to the US and thousands of immigrants followed it.  Factories sprung up by the hundreds.  The business and town boomed.  Labor disputes periodically rocked the industry but the death blow came when cigarettes displaced the cigar as the vice of choice.  (Thanks to the cigarette companies giving cigs to the Red Cross to distribute to soldiers.  Ybor is remaking itself as a tourist destination.  The cigar industry museum is interesting and the dozens of chickens roaming the streets entertaining.  Beyond that it is mostly bars and cigar shops.

They do have what is claimed to be the oldest and largest Spanish restaurant in the US, the Columbia.   We have other plans for dinner so didn’t make that stop.  I suspect it is worth a visit.  Maybe another time.

No manatees here but the northern trail is a nice walk through river bottom and upland pine forest.

A group of swallow tailed kites put on a splendid aerial acrobatic show.

We are camped too close to a Bob Evans and just can’t resist so it’s off to breakfast today. Financial times say The Farm has sold off the restaurants to an investment company.  Home they don’t mess it up!

The Tampa Electric power plant in Apollo Beach has developed its warm water discharge canal as a refuge for manatees.  It mimics the conditions found at warm springs all along the Florida coast.  The Manatees are loving it today.  There are a dozen or more hanging out for all to watch.

On face value it seems like a win-win solution. The power company gets great press and the manatees a protected area.  There is some push back though.  Some developers are saying “The power plant refuges” provide safe haven for the endangered manatee.  That means its ok that we develop the natural spring areas for human use without worrying about the Manatees.  Of course that isn’t exactly true and environmentalists are pretty vocal about manmade refuges not being the same thing as their natural environs.  I have to agree with that sentiment but did enjoy watching from our perch on the elevated boardwalk.

First; a tribute to a Rebel victory of sorts. The United Daughters of the Confederacy saved one of the only surviving 19^th century Sugar Plantation homes in southern Florida.  They didn’t really have interest in the original owner, Gamble, who after 12 years’ attempt at sugar production lost the home and property to his creditors.  The Women were more interested in what happened later.  The house served as a commissary and service port for confederate blockade runners during the war.  Even more significantly, it is said to be the hide out for Judah Benjamin the Confederate secretary of State as he arranged passage out of the country just ahead of would be captures who sought to bring charges of treason. Judah got out of the country, returned to England, and returned to his first profession, the practice of law.  They claim he rose to a position of their equivalent of the Supreme Court.  I agree, I would call that a Rebel victory.

Next; the Desoto National Memorial. His was an amazing four year exploration of much of the south.  He didn’t find the precious metals and gems they hoped for and Desoto himself did not survive.  The group inflicted a lot of pain on the indigenous peoples, not a good thing.  History identifies perhaps the greatest impact of Desoto’s mission as the information his party gathered and documented on the south eastern part of the continent and its influence on explorers and settlers that followed.  One has to marvel on what drove these early explorers.  Desoto came on his own dime (ok, so his wealth came from participation in earlier raids on South American civilizations) and driven by the need for something to do since Spain no longer needed its soldiers to fight the Moors.  History is fascinating.

Park Rangers gave talks in period costume on the weapons and armor used by Desoto and his men. They brought war dogs they set loose on the Indians to tear them to pieces.  They wore chain mail and full armor on horseback.  They brought a long gun, miserably inaccurate but frightening in its noise and smoke.  They were certainly an intimidating bunch.

We head for Ruskin and the River Oak RV Resort. It will be our base for exploration of Tampa and St Petersburg

A loop drive takes us into the cypress swamps. This time of year only the lowest elevations, the cypress strands, stand full of water and the wildlife concentrate along that channel.  There are flashes of bright white as egrets and herons move through the watery mangrove lined tunnel.  The big red eyes and yellow green legs give away the position of black capped night herons skulking among the roots.  As the day brightens it seems nearly every sunny spot is filled with a resting alligator.

Odd factoid. They radio collar

Big Cypress Fox Squirrel

and track a species of squirrel.  Yep, a squirrel.  Typically we think of them as cute and annoyingly plentiful but this guy is endangered.  Might this be one of those rare fellows?

Along a short walk along the Tree Snail Hammock trail we found the areas tiniest endangered creature, the tree snail. They seal themselves to tree bark in the winter to conserve moisture.   Pretty cleaver…..hmm, never thought I’d say that about a snail.  Anyway, the shells are beautiful.

Marsh trail in Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to check out an evening fly in. Graceful, agile wading birds glide in singly or in large groups as they return from feeding all over the park.  Ibis are here in the largest numbers but egrets and heron make a showing as well.  A few anhinga show up as the light dims.  There is ongoing chatter as the numbers grow as well as a few raucous altercations as individuals via for most prime locations.  We are on the watch of a big crocodile who is reportedly in these pools.  It is pretty far inland but regulars say he’s been seen around here.

Dinner is all about seafood today and someone else is doing the cooking. We check out the “World Famous” Oyster House in Everglades City.  We started with a stone crab claws appetizer. They are tender and delicious.  The horseradish dipping sauce is great too but nearly too much for the mild flavored crab. Kent went local with southern fried alligator.  It is good stuff as promised.  Fresh fish for the day is grouper so I went for the grouper picatta.  Mild fish sautéed in butter with lemon how can your go wrong?  Of course we had to try the key lime pie.  It was delicious but it could have been tarter.  All in all, a great meal.

A walk through the Florida Panther Refuge didn’t result in a panther sighting but did bring home the point that these rare beautiful creatures are really being pressured by humans. We walked a trail meandering through thick undergrowth and at no time were we out of range of the sound of vehicles on the highway.  Statistics indicate over 40 cats per year killed by cars each of the past two years.  That is a big hurt for a population of only about 200.  Big cats need big space.  Will we find a way to give it to them?

Gator poo. A miss-step finds a squishy pile.  The smell…oh my.  Imagine a feeding process that begins by aging the kill a few days before eating it followed by lying around in the heat to slowly digest it.  What is left is quite fragrant.  Here is the gator and her little ones who claim the mud hole nearest to this spot in the trail…likely the contributor of the smelly deposit.

And yes, I am wearing a head net. Without it and a couple doses of DEET we would not have made it past the first mile.

A hike along Fakahatchee Strand cypress slough took us through a thick cypress stand that has sprung from huge stumps of old growth cypress. It is amazing how this tropical environment is recovering from the heavy hand of man.  If we can keep the water coming to it there might be trees just as big one day.