KOA Kampground, Lake Whippoorwill, Orlando

KOA is a chain of 488 franchised campsites covering the USA. KOA stands for Kampgrounds Of America. The motorhome rental people arrange a 10% discount at KOA campsites so we stayed at several on our last visit to the USA. Even with 10% off, they still aren’t the cheapest but you do get guaranteed good standards, usually with wifi covering the whole site. So it’s a no-risk, pleasant place to start our adventure. Example: scenic path by the lake in the camp grounds. 

There is also much wildlife to be found in the campsite and the immediate vicinity. It’s different from UK species.  A pair of sandhill cranes is often seen wandering about. These are not camp pets, although they are reasonably accustomed to people, but will fly off if you get too near.

There are many unusual smaller birds, but the larger ones grab your attention first: turkey vultures for example. These are common, and gracefully ride the thermals overhead for most of the day. Sat on a lamppost these birds still look impressive, but actually look like rather sad, lonely turkeys on the ground.

A short distance away is Moss Park where the trees hang with wispy, Spanish moss, creating a kind of fairy tale effect. The enchanted forest. Spanish moss isn’t actually a moss but an air-plant and doesn’t  kill the trees, but may cause them to blow over more easily in high winds. This is typically what it looks like. 





From turkey vultures to wild turkeys. A bit more athletic looking than the Christmas dinner variety, but recognisable just the same.

Moss Park is one of hundreds of State and County protected wildlife areas in Florida. There may be a small charge for parking but in our case that’s an advantage because that means there’s somebody around to keep an eye on the motorhome. It may be a slight nuisance driving everywhere in a 25 foot vehicle, but we can at least fix lunch wherever we go and have cups of tea made with proper teabags brought from England. 

 

One keeps to the nature trails as dangerous animals and snakes lurk in the undergrowth. At least these are visible if they venture onto the paths. However, on this visit we see only cute creatures, for instance, a fox-squirrel and 9 banded armadillo.

Moss Park was a fascinating place, with numerous bird species as well, but these were difficult to photograph properly on the day.

 

We shopped at the supermarket on the way home. An interesting comment on the gun culture here in the States is how many firearms publications there were in the supermarket magazine section. Here’s a shot (!!) of the selection.