How windy was it?

© 2012 Lydia Hinshaw

Snow egret stands up to breeze

Our windbreak, with remains of picnic shelter on left

 TIERRA VERDE, FL -- We've come back to Fort De Soto County Park, south of St. Petersburg, because it's one of our favorite places, and because, six months ago in Montana, we were able to get reservations, which we had to pay for in full at the time.
 The good news was we scored a coveted waterfront campsite.  The bad news was we scored a coveted waterfront campsite.  Our "beach" faces north, and this time of year, storms often blow in from that direction.  Experienced campers here often put up vertical tarps across the end of their campsites, sacrificing the view in the interest of blocking the wind.
 So after a pleasant afternoon on our arrival day, Thursday, we were awakened after midnight by a howling gale that continued for about 29 hours before backing off a bit.  It made our campsite uncomfortable.  It was impossible to consider fixing a meal, and conversation was difficult because of the noise.
 The official weather reports said the winds were a steady 20 mph, gusting to 38.  It felt like more than that.  Our picnic shelter, which lasted all summer in Montana, had its metal poles bent.  One of its six plastic junction tubes snapped and the other five were deformed.  (We glued the broken one back together and are hoping we'll be able make it usable again.)
 And so although we came here to enjoy the outdoors and the bird life, we spent Friday wandering from restaurant to coffee shop to supermarket in nearby beach communities.  Back at the ranch, we strung up a tarp, which looked like it would shred fairly quickly (surprisingly, it didn't), and huddled in the van for the rest of the evening.
 Saturday morning the wind dialed back a bit, but it was 10 degrees colder.  We drove to more sheltered parts of the park, away from the campground, to cook breakfast and lunch.  We were also able to get out and take some pictures.
 Sunday morning dawned dead calm.  For the first time we were able to fix breakfast, sit in our camp chairs and enjoy our coffee while watching seabirds and dolphins feeding just off our campsite.  This is what we came for.
 We are hoping it will last three more days.