Myakka Backcountry

Myakka is one of Florida’s largest state parks and includes almost 39 miles of hiking, biking, and horse trails. Many of these trails provide access to the remote interior of the park. I decided to take my bike into these remote areas to see some of this backcountry. My first stop was at Ranch House Rd which gave me access to Meadow Sweet Pasture.

Meadow  Sweet Pasture

In 1910 Mrs. Bertha Palmer, an innovative business woman bought and built her 19,000 acre ranch here on the Myakka prairie. Over her short eight year tenure she bought Brahma bulls improving the spindly herds in Florida. She also developed dipping vats to combat tick fever as well she fencing her entire ranch. These practices were all unheard of in her day.

Mrs. Bertha Palmer on her ranch

Cattle on Upper Myakka
Lake

Daily Labour Report

Mrs. Bertha Palmer passed away in 1918. In 1930 the Palmer family sold over 17,000 acres of ranch land for the development of the now Myakka River State Park.


Travelling through this dry prairie I can’t help but think that at one time pioneers thought of this land as a barren “wasteland”, not worth taxpayers’ money to survey it. This prairie helps store fresh water, captures the sun’s energy, and converts CO2 to O2. Grasses are twice as effective as trees in doing so.

Water Hazard

Sometimes tricky sandy trail

Primitive Campsite

Beautiful Florida Prairie

As I make my trek through the backcountry one concern for me being alone out here are the animals one may encounter. Yes the 2 legged ones of course but mostly the four legged type. Namely, feral hogs which I have not seen as many this year as in the past and prefer to keep it that way. Descended from domestic pigs and the European wild boar feral hogs can be dangerous. They are large and can have tusks protruding from their mouth. A single sow can have as many as 24 piglets in a single year. Because of this high birth rate, rapid range expansion exists along with the difficulty in animal control. Feral hogs are generalists meaning they eat roots, grasses, nuts, small animals, and carrion. Hopefully not Rhonda. Luckily I saw evidence they are around but didn’t see one.

Evidence of  feral hogs

Can't capture them with the door shut

After peddling for quite some time (according to my map at least ten miles) I came to a cross road, trail, and/or path whatever you want to call it, I had to decide which way to go. Taking in the sun and lost in my thoughts, out of the blue came a familiar sound. I looked up and a gator was bearing down on me. No, not the four legged reptile type I see everywhere in Myakka but the four rubber tire type; a John Deere Gator. Yes, out in the middle of nowhere here come two volunteers in their 4X4. Talking with them I found out they were spraying for Cogon Grass. Cogon Grass is a bunchgrass that can reach 5 feet tall. It has serrated edges and spreads rapidly by windborne seeds. Native to Southeast Asia, Cogon Grass was introduced into Alabama in 1911 from packing material. In Florida it was used as food for grazing animals. Left untreated it can take over entire plant communities destroying native plant species. The volunteers could not find any cogon grass so I could not take a picture. They must be doing a good job.

Which way do I go

...and away they go

Travelling through the back country you never know what you will stumble upon. A rustling noise in the undergrowth surprised me and out walks a nine-banded armadillo. The name armadillo means “little armored one” in Spanish. However, I’m calling this guy Armani Armadillo because he has a nice suit on. If startled, they can jump four feet in the air then curl up in a ball to protect their belly. I’m the one doing the jumping this time. The nine-banded armadillo gets its name from the nine grey armored bands. They can weigh between 6-16 pounds, are almost hairless (except for their bellies), eat ½ pound of insects per day, and are born in sets of identical quadruplets.

Nine-banded Armadillo

After spending all morning and part of the afternoon biking the backcountry I found myself back in the civilized world of cars, noise, and people. I made my last stop at one of my favorite stops “the bridge” to see whatever. Finally, the rosette spoonbills have shown up. This beautiful pink wading bird has a bill that looks like a spoon and is adapted to filter food from the water. Florida has the largest breeding population and is the only spoonbill species native to the United States.

Colourful Rosette Spoonbills

On shore and also swimming in the water close to the rosettes are some gators. This time it’s the four legged reptile type. They are by far the most sought after tourist attraction in Myakka. In the wild alligators can live 35-50 years whereas in captivity they can live 60-80 years. These rivers and lakes are overflowing with tilapia, an important food source for gators. It is against the law and a federal offense to feed an alligator. I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count on how many times I’ve seen people throwing small fish or food to these gators.

Couple of gators just swimming around

Way in the distance something caught my eye. Low and behold it’s a Great White Heron “morph”. They are found mostly in the Keys and are the same as the Great Blue Heron except all white. 

Great White Heron

I left the rig at 8:30 am and didn’t return for 6 hours. It was a wonderful day of fun, sightseeing, and biking. I rode almost twelve miles on sandy trails in the backcountry and seven miles of paved road. Now that’s a great day in Rhonda’s world, glad I could share it.