Jonathan Dickinson State Park

The guys traveled to Jonathan Dickinson State Park on Sunday afternoon. The 11,500-acre park is named for Jonathan Dickinson, a Quaker merchant whose vessel shipwrecked nearby in 1696. During World War II the land the park now occupies was home to Camp Murphy, a top-secret radar training school with over 6,600 men. The land became a state park in 1950.

Part of the afternoon was spent sitting outside listening to the USA versus Canada hockey game. Even though the loss was disappointing, they celebrated by taking their first shower in about 3 days (the picture to the left was "pre-shower.")

Men of the Hammock

Before I went on this trip to Florida, I had never heard of the term "hammock" as a reference to a trees. It seemed like every where we went, we kept seeing the term hammock. Well today, Greg, Scott, Mark and Lars went to Curry Hammock State Park. This photo was taken on a nature trail.

Checking online, I learned that a tropical hardwood hammock is an ecosystem consisting of broad-leafed trees, shrubs, and vines, nearly all of which are native to the West Indies. Subject to thin soils and a tropical climate, hardwood hammocks form a dense canopy with a tangle of shrubs and vines at the ground level and its outer edges.

 Historically, tropical hammocks in Florida were found as far north as Cape Canaveral on the Atlantic coast and to the mouth of the Manatee River in Tampa Bay on the Gulf coast. Now, most of the hammocks have been lost to development, leaving small patches of hammock habitat in South Florida.

In addition to some hiking and biking today, the guys spent time relaxing and of course, eating! Here's Mark relaxing and eating.

Settling into the Grassy Key RV "Resort"

I talked to Greg this morning to get a report on what they've been up to since I left on Thursday. Thursday was spent settling into the Grassy Key RV Resort, buying groceries and learning how to adjust the sleeping positions of four men in a 27' motor home to account for each individual's sleeping habits, snoring, etc. Let's put it this way, even though it's called a "resort," the motor home at Grassy Key is not exactly a cruise ship!

On Friday, they had a good day relaxing in the pool, watching a beautiful sunset, and then playing cards (500) into the evening. Greg said the second night sleeping went better and they are looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the day before a predicted rain storm arrives later!

The Torch is Passed

Yesterday, as I was preparing to fly back home, our friends Scott, Dave, and Mark flew down to Florida to spend a week in the motor home with Greg "continuing the adventure." I had a chance to photograph them as literally I got on the same plane they arrived on from Minneapolis.

Scott, Dave (Lars) and Mark are old friends of Greg's from junior high and we all went to St. Olaf together. While the four of them have traveled to Lars' cabin together for years and took a road trip to Florida a couple of years ago, they have not all been on a motor home trip together. It will definitely be an adventure!

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

We woke up to drizzle again, but not a hard rain. At about 10:30, we walked down to the snorkeling shop and learned there would be a trip going out so we signed up for the 12:30 excursion. The boat traveled about 30 minutes out to Molasses Reef and then we had a chance snorkel for about an hour. The fish were beautiful and plentiful. There were 2-3’ swells, so it was a little different than some of our previous snorkeling experiences, but we both really enjoyed it. We were really glad to have taken our Dramamine before going out, though, as there were a couple of people on the boat that got very seasick. What a bummer to go on a snorkeling excursion and then just sit up on the boat being sick!

This will be our final post as Betsy is flying back to Minnesota tomorrow. We’re really had fun trying this blog out as a way to share some of the wonderful things we’ve been doing. Some of the things we’ve learned include:

·      We are very compatible travelers together (we already knew that!)

·      Overall, we like State Parks a lot better than private RV campgrounds.

·      If you don’t have big expectations about what the weather will be like, you won’t be disappointed.

·      Our motor home is really comfortable for us to travel in.

·      Our bikes have been the best piece of equipment we brought – we’ve used them everyday.

·      We’ve marveled at today’s technology – one morning we sat at a Florida campsite “talking” to our son Steve who is in France through Skype. Some campsites now have Wi-Fi and if not, there is always Starbucks!

·      We’ve been grateful for the chance to step back from our busy lives and live for awhile at a “slower pace.”

Bahia Honda State Park

After leaving the Jolly Roger Travel Park, we went further south down the keys, past the seven-mile bridge, to Bahia Honda State Park. We were hoping to do some snorkeling in the afternoon at the park. As we were waiting in the entrance line to go into the park, the car behind us rammed the back of our trailer. The driver said his car suddenly accelerated (he wasn’t driving a Toyota) – luckily, it appeared that he was uninjured and that our trailer and their vehicle were okay. We went ahead into the park and found one spot where we could back our trailer and motor home into. Greg is the master at backing the trailer into just about any reasonable spot, but for some reason, it just wasn’t working. Finally, after multiple tries, I suggested that we just take the trailer off, push it into the spot, and then back in the motor home. When we took the trailer off, we discovered that the force of the impact had severely bent our trailer hitch. We felt very fortunate to have discovered it, as it could have been a big disaster to have the trailer come off the motor home while we drove. We left the trailer in the park and then drove to Marathon to buy a new trailer hitch. After bringing it back and it took until about 2:30 pm to get it on the motor home and get the trailer back on. Well, we decided it was still a beautiful day for a bike ride, so we rode down to this beach in the park and enjoyed sitting out for a while. After a nice afternoon, we drove to the next campsite, set up camp and then went out for dinner and key lime pie!

A Beautiful Morning

We woke up to a beautiful new morning. This is the view close to where our motor home is parked. We think the weather is supposed to be nice today and then rain all day tomorrow again - so we are packing up and heading to our next state park in the Keys. We're hoping to be able to snorkle this afternoon - it will be the first time either of us will have put on a swim suit!

The Florida Keys

We finally arrived in the Florida Keys on Sunday afternoon. We had dinner just as it started to rain. It rained hard all through the night . . . . and rained very hard all day Monday. So we had an inside day reading, catching up on email, doing laundry, etc. It was very relaxing and we actually really enjoyed ourselves.

Biscayne National Park

The final National Park we stopped at today was Biscayne National Underwater Park that is south of Miami. We learned that Biscayne is held up as a triumph of the late '60's environmental movement. Big-money Miamians trying to build an oil refinery and shipping channel were fought off by a "rag-tag" group of activists including an African American fishing guide whose family owned some of the barrier islands that dot the park. The ranger said the park is a monument to what grass-roots environmentalism can achieve. It reminded us of the many people in Ken Burns' PBS Documentary on National Parks who worked so hard to make sure to preserve beautiful spots in our country for future generations. When I saw these beautiful parks today, I am so thankful for their passion.

Some of the wildlife we saw at Everglades National Park

My little Cannon "point & shoot" camera just doesn't do the wildlife justice. It appears the Everglades is a mecca for nature photographers. Along the first part of the trail, we saw all these people with huge lens, tripods, etc. alongside of lots of people with binoculars. We will definitely try to bring some binoculars next time! The photo of all the alligators was taken from the top of the observation tower that we biked to - you were able to see out about 18 miles.

A Day of National Parks

We left the campground at about 7:30 and headed east across Hwy 41. Hwy 41 goes right through Big Cypress National Preserve and borders Everglades National Park. At our stop at Big Cypress National Preserve, we had a chance to see quite a few alligators, but this stop just proved a warm-up for our experience at Everglades National Park. We had just planned to stop briefly to get our National Parks "passport stamped," but once we got to the visitors station, we learned there was a 15 mile bike loop that went out to an observation tower that overlooked the Everglades. Since it was such a beautiful day, we grabbed our bikes and started out on the loop. The picture shows exactly how it was for 90% of our 15 mile ride - just Greg and I. It was very beautiful and we saw lots of alligators as well as many species of birds. I had bought a "Birds of South Florida" guide and had fun trying to identify the different ones we saw. (See next post). We just couldn't believe that we could feel so alone in this beautiful park!

Collier-Seminole State Park & Marco Island

After we left Lovers Key, we drove south to our next campground at Collier-Seminole State Park that was located a little south of Naples. We didn't stop at all at Naples, but decided to drive over to Marco Island in the early evening to see it and try to catch a sunset. As we had been told, it is absolutely beautiful - certainly looks like the playground of the "rich and famous." Here's Greg fantasizing about some of the beautiful boats we saw. We stayed into the early evening at Marco Island and then drove back to the campground and got to bed.

Lovers Key State Park

We stopped at Lovers Key State Park after leaving Fort Meyers Beach. We learned it was named Lovers Key because before there was a bridge built out to this barrier island, only lovers risked going there in boats. It was a beautiful white sand beach with a much more undeveloped feel than the Fort Meyers Beach. We made a picnic lunch and had fun eating it while watching a group of pelicans diving for fish. After lunch, we went biking on the 8 miles of trails that covered the 4 barrier islands that make up this state park. For much of the time we biked, we didn't see a soul - we really enjoyed this park. The weather has turned - I finally put some sunscreen on today and we enjoyed the warmth and beauty of the sun.

Fort Meyers Dinner with Robin and Fred

We enjoyed walking around Fort Meyers - there is already lots of activity even though the college students haven't descended yet. There is a beautiful harbor and wonderful white sand beaches. The weather is starting to warm up, too. We had a chance to meet Betsy's cousin, Robin, and her husband Fred for dinner. We had a great time catching up and hearing about their annual trek to Florida for 3 months. We even got to see two beach weddings right outside the restaurant where we were eating.

The Economics of Beach Front Location

We arrived at Fort Meyers Beach on Friday in the early afternoon. After our stay at the lovely Myakka River State Park, Fort Meyers has a very different feel. We are staying at the Red Coconut RV Park that is right on the main drag. I enclosed a picture of Greg standing by some motor homes that got the beach front sites (probably what he was dreaming of) - no, we chose a less expensive site and fit comfortably right next two large rigs. Just for comparison, the beach front sites were $115 per night, our "non beach front site" was $80 per night, and most of our campsites at the State Parks range from $20 - $40 per night.

Our First View of the Ocean

In the afternoon, we decided to drive to Venice Beach so we could actually see the ocean. It looked like on the map that the drive along the ocean from Sarasota to Venice Beach would be very scenic – but it wasn’t! Instead, it seemed like one over-developed strip mall after another. Once we arrived at Venice Beach we hiked for about an hour down the beach. There was a 25-mile per hour wind – in the picture I’m showing how I have four layers on and I was still cool.

Wildlife at Myakka River State Park

It seems like everyone at this park has binoculars (we don’t) – it also seems like a lot of people who are interested in bird watching and kayaking. We saw this Great Egret – one among many interesting birds. We talked to two women we met while we were bike riding. One of the women (who looked like a very fit seventy plus) said she led Sierra Club hikes in the park. She said there are a lot of people in this area who work really hard to keep the area protected and undeveloped. We also saw alligators, armadillos, wild hogs, and deer in addition to lots of birds.

More Biking and Hiking

We had a chance to bike on these trails that were similar to mountain bike trails – wet and muddy but not too hilly. We also had a chance to hike on a “canopy trail” that included a climb up a 75’ observation tower that allowed you to observe the canopy layer of the trees and get a more extensive view of Myakka River.

Myakka River State Park

We discovered a jewel! Myakka River State Park is one of Florida's largest and most diverse natural areas located near Sarasota. It covers 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, and pinelands with all kinds of wildlife observation available. It is a beautiful campground and we've found lots of other friendly campers who enjoy biking, canoeing, kayaking, bird watching, etc. as much as we do!

Hiking in Manatee Springs State Park

We spent the afternoon hiking the trails at Manatee Springs Park that is adjacent to the Suwannee River. During the winter months, the manatees leave the ocean and the river and come to the warmer springs (The springs stay 72 degrees all year round) that bubble up from the aquifer underground. The manatees stay under water but come up for air every few minutes. Because of the cold weather, there are many more manatees that have come into the warmer waters of the springs – however; the ranger said they’ve already lost about 180 manatees due to cold weather. Surrounding the springs were trees that were perching places for hundreds of buzzards.

Stop at Wal-Mart

After waking up to 29 degrees in our motor home, we decided to stop at Wal-Mart to purchase a few more warm shirts and socks. I’m so glad to have my brand new down sweater jacket (my friend Deb recommended and I think it will be my most valuable piece of equipment on at least the first part of this trip!) – I’ve been wearing constantly. It also worked well to wrap around my head at night in my sleeping bag to help keep my head warm! All the Floridians are complaining about the cold but the sky is bright blue and sunny!

Butterfly Exhibit at University of Florida

We biked to the U. of Florida museum that included a butterfly exhibit. The tropical plants in the butterfly exhibit have taken a big hit from the below average temperatures. In talking to the staff person, we le

arned that there were going to have to replace a large number of plants due to the cold weather. The butterflies were beautiful!

We said goodbye to the Galiks in the late afternoon and took off to Manatee Springs State Park that was about 1 hour away. We are so thankful for the time to reconnect with our Karl and Marilouise; to laugh, exercise, and eat fantastic food; and to enjoy some wonderful fellowship together.