Hontoon Island State Park, Florida

6th November, 2016

One of only a dozen or so of Florida’s 174 State Parks that I have been able to reach more than once is the secluded and secretive Hontoon Island.

Located near Deland, or about halfway in between Orlando and Daytona Beach, this park is only accessible by boat. So if you don’t have a boat to get there, sorry, you are screwed.

Not to worry, as the park offers a “ferry” to help you cross the St. Johns River and reach the island park.  The cost of the ferry is free and the ride lasts for about three minutes.

Also, this is one of the few parks that does not charge for admission either. I do encourage you to donate however to help support the park, as every dollar helps.

The eye of a hurricane is an area of completely calm conditions, which is surrounded by the strongest winds of the hurricane.  In many cases, you are able to look up through the eye and see blue sky for several minutes, or even an hour. After the eye passes, severe winds and extreme rain instantly resume.

A Hurricane Watch has been issued for portions of the Florida Gulf Coast.

The Hurricane Watch includes coastal areas extending from Apalachicola to Tarpon Springs.

The majority of the area included is known as the “Big Bend” region of Florida, but the watch extends further south as well, just north of the Tampa area.

There is currently no hurricane or even a tropical storm in existence. However, the National Hurricane Center is forecasting the further strengthening of Tropical Depression 9 into a Tropical Storm overnight.

Rainbow Springs is located just over an hour south of Gainesville Florida, or just to the west of Ocala.  It was the first stamp I received in the Florida Passport book. Only 174 more to go!  This park had a walk up entrance counter as opposed to the normal drive up gates, and as I was walking up, I nearly pissed my pants.

Cayo Costa is a remote, completely undeveloped island that is entirely a state park in southwest Florida.  It is the outermost island off of the coast near Fort Myers. This island is about nine miles long north to south and only a couple of miles across east to west. The landscape consists of massive oak trees, sabal palms, various seagulls and waterfowl, and of course wide, pristine white beaches.

There is no electricity on the island. No electricity, no lighting, no vehicles, and no buildings.

Hell yes! This was an experience I craved for 22 years, and I assume many other people have as well. An island covered in palm trees and cut off from the world where we can sleep by the beach, dance in the moonlight, and be away from the retarded, miserable, chaotic world and all of its problems for a while. (Or maybe forever…)