Enjoying A Beautiful Waterfront Campground - W.P. Franklin COE

Alva, Florida -along the Caloosahatchee River (82 degrees, clear blue skies)

 

Our site #18

Just east of Ft. Myers, Florida is a beautiful Corp of Engineer Park along the Caloosahatchee River called J.P. Franklin.  For $12 a night for a water/electric (50 amp) site this is super deal using a Golden Age or Access Pass.  Even at the full rate of $24 it's a bargain, especially for Florida.  Most of the sites are along the water and reservations are a must.  Even in the off season the campground was full most of the time of our visit.

We decided to stay here so we could participate in the "Ding Days" a special week long festival held at J.N. Ding Darling NWR where we volunteered this summer.  The Wildlife Drive was closed most of the time we were there for a major overhaul and we were looking forward to checking it out.  Luckily the government shut down ended and these parks are back open.  Sanibel is about 1 1/2 hours from the campground.

Our campground overlooked a lock system and we enjoyed watching the boats come in and out.  We even saw a house going down the river.  Check this out...a barge on a barge. 

We attended two of the  "Ding Days" and especially enjoyed the special reception for the Duck Stamp winner. These stamps are sold at Fish and Wildlife refuges for $15 and offer free admission to any refuge for a year.   Hunters also purchase them to hunt migratory waterfowl.  Ninety-eight cents out of every dollar generated by the sale of Federal Duck Stamps go directly to purchase or lease wetland habitat for protection in the system and Ding Darling designed the first stamp in 1934.  The contest, originally established by Franklin Roosevelt, can be entered by anyone 18 or older. It's quite an honor to win and this years stamp was created by Robert Steiner.  He has traveled over 50,000 miles this year talking about the program and it is the second time he has won. He would autograph your stamp upon request. There is also a Junior Duck stamp program for children. This years winner was only six years old.

2013-2014 Federal Duck Stamp

Duck Stamp Winner 2013-2014 Common Goldeneye

Junior Duck Stamp winner Madison Gramm Canvasback Duck

We also went of a photography trolley tour with a few of our friends and saw  the new improvements to the Wildlife Drive.  The road used to be a dusty gravel surface and it's now been paved with asphalt and looks terrific.  Riding a bike will be so much more enjoyable.

I learned some great tips for improving my pictures of birds.  Our guide suggested if possible to shoot your pictures with the wind at your back.  Birds fly into the wind and if you have positioned yourself correctly you might get some great in flight photos.  Another great tip when using a point and shoot camera is to use the  sport setting for moving birds.  It has a higher shutter speed and your pictures are less likely to be blurred with their movement.

Photography Tour

Alligator checking out all the tourist along side the road

We are now on our way to begin what's now been christened The Crazy Christmas Kiosk gig in Port Charlotte with Slippermania. You might remember we did this last year.  It's lots of fun and it pays fairly well.  We are sharing the kiosk this year with our friends Fran and Randy.  I'll tell you more about it in our next post.