We had a pleasant adventure in the Southernmost State Park in Florida this summer and I want to share it with you.
Continue reading “Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park”Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Windley Key State Park
Dang, it was HOT on the day we visited Windley Key with the Trouble Puppies, but thanks to good hydration habits, we survived.
Continue reading “Windley Key State Park”Ichetucknee Springs and Santa Fe River
Ichetucknee Springs State Park is a bit of a trek from our Eustis home, but has always been worth the travel. We like to travel the back roads and enjoy the green landscapes, which always look cool even when the temperature is not. On previous trips, we’ve floated down the river in rented innertubes and enjoyed sharing the river with other tubers. On our most recent trip, we met a friend from Gorgeous Ladies on the Water and took our kayaks up to High Springs to see how the trip would be different from our tiny boats.
Continue reading “Ichetucknee Springs and Santa Fe River”43rd Annual Swim Around Key West
One year when Steve and I visited Mallory Square on an early Saturday morning, we noticed that there were people swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, and each of them appeared to be accompanied by a kayak carrying a numbered flag. When we got home, Steve did a bit of sleuthing and discovered that the swimmers were actually circumnavigating Key West. This is an annual event — and in fact, there are two organizations that host two different “Swim Around Key West” (SAKW)events.
Continue reading “43rd Annual Swim Around Key West”WWW – 7.3.2019
Recent Florida Hurricanes
Hurricane Irma made landfall on Cudjoe Key as a Category 4 hurricane on September 10, 2017. Hurricane Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach as a Category 5 hurricane on October 10, 2018. These were very destructive storms, and our state still shows the scars.
Continue reading “Recent Florida Hurricanes”Pitcher Plants in Florida
If you enjoyed the movie Little Shop of Horrors, you’ll no doubt remember Audrey, with her toothy smile and endless appetite for human flesh. I suspect, after a trip to Tarkiln Bayou State Park, that Audrey was fashioned after the flower of the White Pitcherplant, Sarracenia leucophylla.
Continue reading “Pitcher Plants in Florida”A Naturalist’s Trip From Jewfish Creek to Big Pine Key
Crossing Jewfish Creek marks the official transition from Mainland Florida to the Florida Keys. It lies at the end of the infamous 18-Mile Stretch, the part of US 1 where perfectly nice people lose their minds and drive as if they are the only person on the planet who wants to get to the Keys (or needs to get home from the Keys). Since Henry Flagler completed the Overseas Highway in 1910, we’ve all been trying to be in the same place at the same time on that road! At any rate, we almost always open the windows as we cross the Jewfish Creek bridge so we can get a breath of fresh Keys air. I recently learned that the distinctive shade of blue used for the median barriers is called Belize Blue.
Continue reading “A Naturalist’s Trip From Jewfish Creek to Big Pine Key”No Name Key
With both the wind and tide against us, we decided to paddle around No Name Key for our Friday adventure. This was not our finest hour: we forgot the sunscreen. Although we completed our course in under 4 hours, we were burnt to a crisp and exhausted at the end of it.
Continue reading “No Name Key”Big Lagoon State Park
Big Lagoon State Park is the westernmost state Park in Florida. On the day we visited, we were dodging rain and would have liked to stay longer…so we will plan a return trip soon. Even during our brief visit, we managed to paddle across the channel to Perdido Key, commune with hermit crabs and snails, climb an observation tower, and check out the camping loop.
Continue reading “Big Lagoon State Park”