[5:30 p.m.] It’s not on any of my maps. I just stumbled upon Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park on my way to Vanderbilt Beach near Naples. So I pulled in, paid my $3 to the park ranger and had a look around. After walking through 50 yards through dense sea grapes and pines, there it was: yet another unspoiled Florida beach with white sugar sand and only a handful of human beings. Of course, Wilma had a lot to do with the lack of crowds. In fact, the ranger told me the park will be closed Sunday as the county prepares for evacuation ahead of Wilma.

The park’s lone concession stand is named “Hurricane Charley’s Hideaway” and, not surprising, it was closed. But unlike Bonita Beach, where they were trying to discourage folks from coming to the oceanfront, at least the bathrooms at Delnor-Wiggins were open for business.

This park sits on a barrier island, separated from the mainland by swamps and creeks. There’s a wilderness hammock, viewing tower, bathhouses, changing stalls and outdor showers. Boats can launch from here, too. But the only craft I saw braving the four-foot waves were jet skis ridden by teenagers. These kids were getting some serious air motoring into the face of the waves and soaring straight up. Of course, it is a bit noisy. But the waves were breaking so loudly, you hardly noticed the jet skis.

[6:15 p.m.] Of course, I met more surfers here, including 38-year-old Neal Shaw or Orlando. He works for a construction business which, among other things, is helping rebuild Malfunction Junction in Tampa. Neal came out this morning to surf this break and he had stayed ALL DAY. He has come over to Florida’s west coast to surf the waves pumped in by hurricanes Rita and Katrina. And now, as a late-season bonus, he got waves from Wilma.

“I thought it [waves from hurricanes] was all over but I kept praying “please, let there be more,’ “ Neal said. “And then, out of nowhere comes Wilma. It’s just been great because all of those hurricanes made their best waves on the weekend, when I’ve had time off to surf.”

Neal said he came out this morning to Wiggins Pass and he couldn’t believe hs eyes. There was a favorable offshore breeze, the swells were glassy and, best of all, they were hundreds of yards long.

“You could just ride and ride,” Neal said.

Neal says he’s also an avid outdoorsman and was planning to camp overnight at Big Cypress National Preserve, then return in the morning for more waves. The park will be closed but Neal plans to walk down the mile-long beach from the public access spot to surf Wiggins pass again. With the water a comfy 81 degrees and no sign of the dangerous rip tide that plagues many of Florida’s best surfing spots on the east coast, I kept thinking “dude, I wanna dump all these cameras and get out there for some tasty waves.” Maybe I can find a surf shop to rent a stick, but I got a feeling today was the day to surf here. By Sunday, the waves and current might start geting a little dicey for an old man like me.

[7 p.m.] Ok, it’s time to prepare for a change of base camps, from Fort Myers to Bonita Springs. I’ve got to pack and get my cameras, computers and video gear ready for what we’ve all been waiting for: Wilma’s arrival. It’s hardly rained at all down here and I’ve already lost two pieces of equipment. The first was my prized fisheye lens, which fell out of my monster truck after I opened the door and hit the pavement. If it had dropped out of my Honda Civic, it probably wouldn’t have suffered much more than a scratch. I figure it’s payback karma for all the ozone I’ve killed with this 9 mile-per-gallon beast the last three days. And today, for some unexplained reason, my two-month-old Canon GL2 video camera decided to go heywire. What’s going to happen to these cameras when the downpour starts? Good thing I brought along backup equipment. But if that stuff goes, you folks are going to have to be satisfied with ye olde fashioned written word. And I don’t think anyones likes that idea.