This was the first picture taken when we arrived at Disney. I love Tinkerbell!
Category Archives: Florida
Somewhere North of the Everglades
It was stepping out into a watery wilderness a mere 7 miles from the headwaters of the River of Grass. Anyone local will tell you that you are too far north for the Everglades. They think of the southern end, near Fort Lauderdale, Shark Valley, Holiday Park, but the shallow waters start somewhere and East Lake Tohopekaliga is a good a place as any to explore if you are near St. Cloud, FL.
We tried a smaller airboat ride than I’ve done before. We floated out with Wild Willy’s and it was worth the effort to get there. Located in a RV campground on a dead end road, Wild Willy’s uses 6 person airboats, smaller and more personal than the bigger airboats I’ve been on on the past.
Our captain said he was the one and only Wild Willy. I’m not sure if that’s true or just what they all say but he was a crusty fellow who did his darndest to give us a fun and educational ride.
Without a word he used the airboat to coax birds into the air or drift quietly past them so I could get the best possible photos. Big difference from the frustrating experiences trying to get photos on some of the big airboats.
Willy pointed out an eagle nest with two eaglets while Mon and Dad perched in the tree tops a few trees away keeping a close eye.
Baby alligators chirped for mama gator and birds were everywhere.
One of the first we spotted was an osprey with a fish for lunch half as big as he was.
A great blue heron “photo bombed” some smaller wading birds…just because he could.
We scared up a flock of white pelicans.
We spotted quite as few Purple Gallinules.
I got a predator bird in flight. It was hardly more than a spot in the sky when Willy pointed the airboat toward it. I heard him say it was very rare and that he’d taken birder’s out days at a time looking for one. But I didn’t catch what he called it. So here’s my mystery bird. Any idea what it is?
Picking a Destination
Anyone who has been following this blog for any time knows that my travel goal is to visit all 50 states and not just as a layover on the way to someplace else. No I want to spend quality time in each state.
I was watching a travel channel program today and it hit my why I have such a problem with that goal. I mean , really, I set it. Why should it be such a difficult thing to work toward? The reason, because each state has so much to share. You just aren’t finished with a state with one vacation. Each state needs time to get to know it. Like a person… you don’t get to know someone by sharing a drink at a cocktail party.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been to Florida. I don’t always spend the time at Disney either. That’s a nice visit but not a priority for me.
But as I watched them talk about the Coral Castle in Homestead, FL I realized that I’m not done with Florida yet.
I haven’t ben to the Coral Castle, or the Miami Zoo.
I want to return to the Everglades and explore it in a lot more depth.
I haven’t spent any time in the northern part of the state or Panhandle and only touched on the sights in St. Augustine.
I’ve been to Hawaii twice but really want to get back there again. I haven’t been to Maui or taken the “Fast Ferry” between islands. I need to snorkel off Molokai and see Kilauea pour lava into the sea at night.
I can’t forget Alaska. My first visit was on a cruise ship . A nice trip but too tame for my taste. I want to set up a “base camp” maybe in Anchorage and explore out from there. I want to visit Fairbanks and see- no not just see-the northern lights, but photograph them.
One of the best trips I’ve done was with my sister to South Dakota but we didn’t get to see a pow wow or visit Sturgis or many other old west towns and there’s the whole eastern side of the state.
It’s hard to turn away from unfinished business. Every state I’ve visited needs a return visit to finish the exploration started on that first visit but if I always do that I’ll never get to the rest of the states. What a huge amazing country we live in!
Where Oh Where Has the Warm Weather Gone
It’s freezing everywhere! Even Florida is reporting record cold. Watch the price of orange juice soar now!
I thought maybe it was time for a little daydreaming. Warm sand, balmy breezes, glorious sunshine…believe me, I’d be headed south right now if I could – but I guess that wouldn’t save me since it’s cold there too. Anyway the next best thing is thinking about the warm and remembering.
There was Arizona. It was warm when I went horseback riding in Sedona.
Florida. It was warm when I visited with the Mouse at Disney
and when I rode the airboat at Holiday Park and hob-nobbed with the alligators in Shark Valley (Everglades).
And of course, Hawaii. It was nice there too. The first trip the native Hawaiians told us how hot and humid it was but to us northerners it was beautiful.
And the 2nd trip to Oahu was just as nice, snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, exploring the Polynesian villages, and getting blown around in the trade winds.
We nearly melted away climbing Makapu’u Point! But boy what a view!
I’m starting to warm up just thinking about these trips.
Gator Boys Memorial to J-Mart
Just a brief update.
At the end of last night’s episode (Big Croc Rescue) of Gator Boys, a short video clip, very short (10 seconds?) was played in Memory of their friend, John Martinez. The video was nice but short. I really thought they would do more. But maybe they just didn’t have time.
There were no still photos used so my pictures were not included but you can see those at www.dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com.
Rest in Peace, John.