The cats are relaxing with me on a sunny quiet afternoon in Fort De Soto Park. Fort De Soto Park is located at the very southern tip of the Pinellas Peninsula. On the west side of the peninsula is the Gulf of Mexico. The harbor entrance to Tampa Bay is to the south, and on the east side lays Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay is mistakenly known as a city. There is a city called Tampa. Tampa Bay is a large body of water between Pinellas County and the city of Tampa. The campground is so very peaceful and quiet. Knowing over one million people live in Pinellas County starting just three miles north of Fort De Soto is hard to imagine while I am here. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida with 3,339 people per square mile. That number does not even include the tourists who flock here. The population of Pinellas County is greater than that of the individual population of the states of Wyoming, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, or Vermont. The population is also greater than the District of Columbia. Ft. Desoto is made from a series of barrier islands, the last stretch of barrier islands in Pinellas County not ruined by the building of condos and hotels. Barrier islands are exactly what they are named, sand dunes meant to protect the main coastline. They are long narrow offshore deposits of sand that run parallel to the coastline. Barrier islands are not meant to be permanent. These islands are formed by the ebb and flow of the tides, waves, water currents, winds and storms. The barrier islands never should have been built on. Someday nature will reclaim these barrier islands.
