Life's a Beach

We didn't do much today. We started out at Sandspur Beach where we hoped to find better snorkeling. It was really windy though, and we couldn't find any rocky areas where we had found the coolest looking fish yesterday, so we decided to head back to Caloosa Beach, where we'd started out snorkeling on Friday. Being the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the family picnic action was in full swing there. We realized quickly, once we'd hit the water that there was a really huge current moving past the end of the rocks where we expected to see the best fish. Carefully maneuvering ourselves near the rocks, so as not to get sucked out to sea, we snorkeled for a bit and saw some fish, but decided that the swift current was creating cloudy water conditions which didn't make for the best viewing. We tried swimming to the rocks on the other end of the beach, which turned into a major workout, as we fought against the current. Finding few fish to view at that location, we returned to the beach to hangout under our umbrella, since the day was really hot at this point. Finally we headed back to our campsite to get out of the heat and try to cool off. Thankfully, the wind had turned cooler at this point, so we got some relief. We realize that we have felt very lucky regarding the presence of mosquitos and other biting insects in Florida, which we were warned are unbearable starting this time of year. We've had very little problem with insects at all in Florida, particularly after we were eaten alive in New Orleans! We hit 100 miles on our bike odometer today, which is probably a good thing, considering all the great eating we've been doing. Enough lollagagging around, we're heading out of here first thing in the morning. We've got the Atlantic side of Florida to check out! today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bahia Honda State Park

A Day in Key West...or 90 miles from Cuba

Talk about a whirlwind day. Rather than spending another day at the beach, we decided to take a day trip to Key West, especially since it's only 45 minutes from here. We arrived at 9ish this morning and already the thermometer was pushing the high 80's. First in order was checking out the town on bikes. Being that it was a holiday weekend, it was difficult finding a parking spot, but I befriended an elderly Cuban man sitting on his porch and he let us park in front of his home. First up was a bike ride around the town, checking out the streets and getting a feel for the vibe. Most of the residences are picturesque cottages hidden among dense tropical foliage. Some of the streets are bricked and the cock-a-doodle-doo of roosters is not uncommon. In the historic area, especially on the main street, there is every kind of food you can imagine; Cuban dishes, French crepes, Mexican tacos, and of course local fish specialties. Bars are everywhere serving up daiquiris, rum runners and touting "Papa Hemingway drank here." Ironically, I actually think he did. As we rode our bikes down Duval St, you would get the occasional waft of cigar coming from the various "Dominican made from Cuban seed" cigars. It also seemed that Spanish was the most common language we heard. Or maybe I just felt that way because everyone just assumed I was Cuban and spoke Spanish to me. Well, we couldn't come this far without having our picture taken at the Southern Most Point in the Continental US. It was pretty funny, there was a long line of people queued up to have their picture taken. Apparently, the protocol was to ask the people standing behind you to take your picture. It made for a very congenial wait! Next we rode our bikes over for a tour of Hemingway's House. It was a fun, interesting tour and they pretty much let you have the run of the place. The Hemingway stories and anecdotes were really enjoyable, but I was a little creeped out by the 40 some odd 6 toed cats running around. A bit much for my taste. After more biking and exploring the various streets, we came upon Harry Truman's Little White House and decided to take a tour thru that as well. We learned a lot about President Truman and are even more eager to visit Independence, Mo in a couple of weeks. BTW, I had no idea he started his day at 7:25 with a glass of oj and a shot of bourbon "to kick start his day." Dude! By this time we had worked up an appetite and decided that a Cuban restaurant was most apropos. Mojitos, pork, rice & beans, plantains, beef & chorizo sandwich, and the most delicious bread that came with two spicy sauces pretty much did the trick. After this rather large meal, we rode bikes over to Fort Zacharay Taylor to check out the beach. We heard from several locals that this was the best beach in Key West, and it looked pretty damn good to me! The temperature as pushing the high 90s by now and a short nap under a shady tree just wasn't quite cool enough. The great thing about traveling with your home is that you can be flexible. We decided to ride bikes back to the van, change into our suits and drive back to the beach. This turned out to be an excellent decision. We not only swam, but got in the best snorkeling of the trip. All in all, we spent a good 3 or so hours playing in the water. Knowing that we wanted to spend the night in town, we made the best of the outdoor showers to get spruced up. The Sunset Celebration is a big deal in Key West. By the time we walked to the wharf several hundred people had congregated for this event. In true Key West style there was singing, musicians playing and lots of good people watching characters all waiting for the sun to set. Unfortunately, the sun was hidden behind a huge cloud making the event slightly anti-climatic. We walked around town and were bombarded with loud noisy bad musicians playing in the bars. New Orleans this ain't. We searched for awhile for a little restaurant we had read about in the New York Times. Thankfully, it was quite a few blocks off the main drag. It was packed, but they were able to fit us in at the 4 seater bar. We had the best meal of the trip here and became good friends with Brent, the bartender. We each had fresh local fish. How do you know it's fresh? As people ordered, we watched Pete, who was the host, take it from his ice chest that was in the back of his pick up truck to the chef. We also heard lots of local stories that can only be repeated when several glasses of wine have been consumed. Good times! We didn't get back to the campsite until midnight..we're tired it's been a long day, good night! today's pics Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bahia Honda State Park

Being a Beach Bum in The Keys

We were blessed with a breezy night which definitely helped cool us off. I think the coolest it got was about 78 degrees, so the breeze really did make sleeping manageable. We didn't have to leave our campsite until about 1 and we only had a 45 minute drive further down The Keys to our next spot, so we decided to just chill out (so to speak) and swim. The only problem was that it was low tide so we had to walk about a couple hundred yards to get in waist deep water. It was ridiculous. The plus side was watching all the shorebirds show up and checking out the tide pools. Our big destination for the long weekend is Bahia Honda State Park. It is consistently rated as one of the best beaches in Florida. We reserved a spot last October, and still only had a choice of two sites that were left. Our expectations were pretty low. Our campsite isn't so bad, not on the beach like last night, but at least we have some vegetation to keep us cool. We spent the rest of the day swimming and snorkeling at different beaches in the park. The snorkeling is so so, nothing like Hawaii, but still fun. The biggest excitement I had was seeing a sting-ray. Yes, it definitely scared the bejesus out of me! A park concessionaire offers snorkel tours out to some coral reef so we are definitely considering doing that later on. I think tomorrow we'll head down to Key West and see what's happening at the southern most point in the US. Today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Bahia Honda State Park

Getting Swamped in the Everglades

Knowing we had a big ahead of us, we got up at 6 and were off by 7. It took a little over 4 hours until we reached Shark Valley Visitor's Center in the Everglades. It's a 15 mile loop to the observation tower that can be reached by either tram or bike. Knowing us, of course we opted for the bike ride. As we started riding, the skies opened up and the showers began. Don't worry Josh we were prepared! We had water bottles, sunscreen, bug spray and ponchos. We even brought along lunch. Growing up one of my favorite tv shows was "Gentle Ben" a show in the Everglades about a park ranger and his little boy that raised a bear. Well, Mr. Park Ranger was always whizzing around the Everglades in his very cool airboat. Imagine my surprise in seeing a very dry grassland with trees and wildflowers. It almost felt like the Serengeti and we expected giraffes to wander across the grassland. We later learned from the ranger that this is the end of their dry season. During the wet season this area is flooded. Nonetheless, the canal that runs through the park is teaming with wildlife. Every nook and cranny houses an alligator in various sizes. They are hanging out in the lily pads, in the swampy canal, in the culvert and even on the trail. Living next to these sly creatures are a variety of birds, snakes, turtles and god knows what else. It was really amazing to be pedaling along witnessing all this without any barriers between us and them. The park rules state that you should leave at least 15 feet between you and the wildlife, gators especially. At times, this just wasn't possible so you just moved along quickly. The halfway point was the observation tower. It had rained on us off and on during the bike ride, but when we reached the tower the skies really opened up and the biggest thunder clap I ever heard went kaboom! We think the lightening struck the top of the tower. Sure scared me to death and I thought good, long and hard before actually venturing to top. We used the camera's self timer to take the picture of us at the top of the tower. Our blog picture for the day. After this excitement, and a bit weary from the bike ride, we finally reached The Keys. Tonight we are camped alongside the Atlantic Ocean with a lovely warm breeze to embrace us. It feels so good to know we are going to be hanging out in The Keys for the long weekend. Tomorrow we head to Bahia Honda State Park and actually stay put. Looking forward to sleeping in, getting in a little swim and chilling out. Today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Long Key State Park, The Keys, Fl

Room with a View, Fort de Soto, Florida

We had a later start than usual this morning, but eventually were on our way further moseying along the coast. We eventually left the unpopulated rural area of the forgotten coast and began driving along strip mall after strip mall. We decided to take an alternate path and opted instead for the touristy towns whose highlights were pastel colored condos and tshirt shops. As we got closer to the St. Petersburg area, we began island hopping, criss-crossing over various bridges until finally reaching Indian Rock Beach. Today's eating adventure was at Keegan's, another DDD special. We got there about mid afternoon and couldn't wait to chow down. I had the grilled blackened grouper sandwich, and Ned had the Parmesan encrusted grouper cheek sandwich with chili aioli sauce. Check out today's eats. Our camping destination for the night was at Fort de Soto County Park. We usually stay at State or National Parks, so I didn't know what to expect. Well this place is over the top wonderful. It's huge, has miles and miles of beaches, lots of cool history, and great bike paths. The added bonus is that we got a secluded campsite at the end of the point, right on the water. Check out today's pic. We hung out at the beach for several hours, playing around with our snorkel gear and swimming in the warm water. Ned, aka Mr. Science, bought a thermometer so that he could test the temp at various locations on our trip. You gotta love that guy! After getting cleaned up from all the salt and sand, we took a 6 mile bike ride around the island, checking out the fort, pier and enjoying the wildlife. We finished up the day with cocktails and snacks at the campsite, watching the sunset. It was so cool watching an egret, silhouetted in the dusk, catching fish. today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Fort de Soto, Florida

Snorkeling at Manatee Springs

We continued our journey along the Gulf driving through "The Forgotten Coast" most of the day. This part of Florida is definitely off the beaten path and not touristy or populated by people or kitsch. We drove through towns with names such as Panacea, which were anything but. Ironically, I really enjoyed this stretch. The well worn rustic houses built on stilts abutting a cypress laden coast line seemed timeless. The temperature was not only hotter, but the air was thick with humidity. At 8 am the temperature read a scooch higher than 80. We stopped at a roadside BBQ joint for lunch and enjoyed the usual southern plate of a meat with two sides. Mercifully, I actually managed to get steamed broccoli for one of the sides, unheard of, but a nice break from the usual coleslaw, fried something or other, and mac n cheese. Today's destination was Manatee Springs, one of Florida's fresh water springs. It feeds into the Suwannee River and is the winter refuge for West Indian Manatees. After setting up camp in a Magnolia and Palmetto grove, we couldn't wait to check out the springs. We heard it was a great place to snorkel, so were well prepared with suits and snorkel gear. What we weren't prepared for was how stunningly beautiful it was. The deep part of the spring is 22 feet and it's a vivid turquoise color. Before we began swimming we saw snakes and turtles in the water. Really! And yet we still swam. The water is 72 degrees year round, which seems cold, but because it was so darn hot and humid it felt refreshing. We had the springs to ourselves for awhile and then were joined by scuba divers and a couple of families. We spent most of the afternoon swimming, snorkeling and floating around. After a late afternoon nap in the hammock, we took a walk along the boardwalk out to the Suwannee River and watched huge sturgeon jump into the air and smack into the water. It was quite the sight to see. Ned wanted to cool off again so he took a dip in the springs. Quite the way to end the day, having a swim all to yourself in these exotic springs. Today is our 7th Anniversary and I can't think of a more romantic setting than camping under Magnolias along the Suwannee River. What a lucky girl I am to be sharing this journey with my Ned. today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Manatee Springs State Park, FL

Solitude on St. George Island, Florida

We slept on the upper bunk of the Eurovan last night hoping to take advantage of the cross breeze. What we didn't anticipate was the added bonus of seeing a wonderful sunrise. What a great way to start the day. After our early morning coffee, we decided to bike to the beach and get in another swim before we packed up and headed out. Two hours later, we decided we had better hit the showers and the road. Today's drive along the coast ran the full gamut, from over the top obscene mansions to funky beach towns. I particularly liked the "taco trucks" or roadside food served up from Airstream trailers. After a few stops, we eventually pulled into St. George Island State Park, a rather remote place located on an island off the central coast of Florida. Once across the bridge we drove to the southern tip of the eponymous island to finally reach the small campground. While the campground was full, the beach was not. In fact, there was only one other family on the beach when we arrived. Sweet! The Gulf waters were just as warm as yesterday, and clear, but not nearly the deep blue aquamarine at Grayton Beach. There was also a considerably smaller surf, which was a little sad for Ned who had purchased a boogie board today in hopes of catching some waves. Nonetheless, a beach to ourselves is nothing to complain about! The beach is known for being a bird watcher's paradise and we were not disappointed. At one point, a Great Blue Heron hung out next to us. We were also visited by a variety of shorebirds, like the Least Tern, Sandpipers and the ubiquitous Gull. It's nice being in such a remote location and having a quiet evening "at home." Tonight we just grilled up some burgers and recovered from fun in the sun before taking a bike ride at dusk. We rode down a dusty dirt rode and realized before long we weren't alone. Two beady little black eyes would stare at you before scurrying across the road. We were dodging small white crabs between 4 to 6 inches. When we would occasionally ride across asphalt you would hear them clickity clack like tap dancers as you rode past. By the end of the bike ride it was completely dark and the crabs would be highlighted by our headlamps. All I kept thinking was, "don't fall off the bike"! Tonight we are being entertained by the sounds of a live bluegrass band from a nearby campsite. They're pretty darn good too! Today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:St. George Island State Park