With the dinghy already in the water from yesterdays trip to New Pass, we decided to go out again today. Johnny and April tried to find Mound Key a couple weeks ago with no luck, so Randy decided we would go there and show them where it is. Randy and Corey have been to Mound Key several times, but I never had been either. So Corey drove Johnny and April’s dinghy and Randy and I went in ours. We decided to make it a morning excursion for just a couple of hours so we would get back before the afternoon showers.
Mound Key Archaeological State Park is a Florida State Park, located in Estero Bay and is only accessible by boat. It most likely began as a flat mangrove-lined oyster bar and was built up by the Calusa Indians in the 1500s. The mound is 30 feet high and is believed to be built from seashells, fish bones and pottery. There are trails around the island to take and they lead up to the top of the mound. From the top, you can barely see a sliver of Estero Bay. The hike was nice, though a little warm and buggy, and we saw a lots of banana spiders and a gopher tortoise.
After touring Mound Key, we piled into our dinghies and headed toward Big Carlos Pass to go to the beach at Lovers Key. After we beached the dinghies, we walked around some and saw a couple of sea turtle nests with tiny baby turtle tracks leading from the nest to the water. Corey was happy running the beach and skim boarding. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.
