Old Florida

This week we've been spending time with our cousins. As much as I like posting the blog on time, we rarely get to see this branch of the family, so the blog was placed on the back burner. They have kids who are similar in age to our own and it's been fun watching them interact and get to know each other. My favorite part, other than just enjoying each others company, was hearing stories we've never heard before about people who are no longer with us.

If you watched Downton Abbey and saw the last episode, there's a scene where two sisters, Mary and Edith, are making peace with each other and Edith says “Because in the end, you’re my sister. And one day, only we will remember Sybil. Or Mama, or Papa, or Matthew, or Michael, or Granny, or Carson, or any of the others who have peopled our youth. Until at last, our shared memories will mean more than our mutual dislike.” I found that to ring so true. Fortunately my husband has never had any bad blood with his family but often in life we don't appreciate the people who share a common history with us until it's too late. Having this opportunity to reconnect and make new memories with them has been a treasure.

Speaking of treasures, we all visited Indian Rocks Beach together and had fun beachcombing! I'm embarrassed to say that it's the first beach we've actually visited since we arrived in Florida (yes, even after the Keys), but it was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how beautiful the white beach was. The weather was perfect and we found a lot of shells. The kids really enjoyed the water, which was warmer than what we're used to on the west coast.

Here are some of the shells we found.

They were everywhere!

When we started visiting Florida a few years ago, we wanted to learn about the area and see many of the popular tourist destinations. Many times we planned day trips and carefully plotted the most efficient routes. On several such trips we were disappointed, though, to see strip malls on all sides of us almost the entire time. It appeared to be never-ending. Like Florida had been swallowed up by concrete, stores, and restaurant chains. While that can be convenient if you're only here for a week, it really doesn't allow you the opportunity to see the nuances that make Florida beautiful and unique.

We started making an effort to get off the main roadways and seek out "the real Florida" when we explored. You know, places where people actually live and raise their families. Where libraries and museums are located and people are invested in their communities. Places where small businesses thrive and people have roots. Fortunately, it turns out that we didn't have to go very far at all!  Because of some great advice from people along the way, we found hidden gems like the one we visited last weekend, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, near Orlando.

Historically this lake was one of the most polluted in the country, but in recent years has been the focus of major restoration efforts. Through these efforts the area has become home to animals and birds of all kinds and has returned to something closer to what "Old Florida" looked like before being built up. White one-way roads have been added over an 11 mile area, so you can view the wildlife in their natural habitat from the comfort of your car. This area is opened to the public on the weekends and best of all, it's free! You can find alligators, bobcats, bears, turtles and much more! Because of the lack of fences, you should obviously exercise caution, but here's a sample of what we saw....

This preserve is also home to hundreds of species of birds and a wide variety of plant life. In fact, if you visit next January you can go to Birdapalooza! I was amazed at how close we were to many of these beautiful creatures. We noticed that many bird species have long necks and long legs. I supposed that's common in tropical areas?

 This is what one of the varieties of Palm trees looks like when it hasn't been pruned. Spikey!

This eagle was standing on a nearby field.

Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is my new favorite place to visit here in central Florida, hands down! If you're ever in this area on a weekend and you're interested in wildlife, conservation, or seeing "Old Florida", I highly recommend it!

- Jen

The Southernmost Point

We did it!! As of last Saturday, we've successfully checked off three of the four corners of the continental United States road system! Once we reach the easternmost point in Maine, we can say we've been to the four corners AND Four Corners on this adventure! We also reached another milestone last weekend by hitting the 24,901 mile mark. "What does that mean?" you may ask. That, my friend, is the circumference of the Earth! Here's what it looks like:

1. Northermost- Deadhorse, AK (Arctic Ocean)

2. Westernmost- Anchor Point, AK (Near Homer by someone's house. Very unceremonious.)

3. Key West, FL (Very ceremonious! This is the first point where we had to stand in line for a picture. We gave up halfway through and just took a picture of the monument with other people by it. ;-))

Florida is really an amazing place to visit. I mean sure, you have kids (Note: Referring to them as "kids" makes me officially old. Let it be known that I'm good with that.) who visit to party during Spring Break. You have snow birds. You have theme parks and strip malls. But aside from all those, you have this wonderfully diverse and beautiful place. Floridians are a rainbow of people from all over the world. The landscape is a gorgeous mix of tropical plants, farmland, protected wetlands, and so much more. If you haven't been, I HIGHLY recommend it! Plus in winter the temps are around 70 degrees F on average, so you can avoid the hot humid weather if that's not your cup of tea.

Our journey last Friday began here in Davenport, which is only twenty minutes away from the big theme parks and is the beginning of orange grove country and farmland.

Then we reached an area where the wildlife warning signs began to change and fences were on both sides of us. It turns out we were driving through the Florida Panther Reserve. We learned that the Florida Panther is one of the most endangered species in the United States and there are only about 120-160 remaining in the wild.   

We also saw this sign, which was a little confusing at first. (Bear? Badger?) Turns out it's a bear. After all the bear warning signs we've seen over this continent, we found this one most interesting.

We began to see trees that looked like Pine but were different, and almost furry. I think they were Long Leaf Pine, but don't quote me on that. Long Leaf Pines are another species that once covered much of the southern United States. It now covers less than three percent of the original range.

The Miccosukee Tribe lives along the route we took. They use thatched roofs on their buildings, which looks very cool. They also run a casino and offer a lot of tourists programs. According to their site, they are descended from the Muskogee Creek Nation and moved east.

Before reaching the Keys, we drove through Big Cypress National Preserve and made sure to stop at Everglades National Park for a boat tour. It was amazing! Did you know that the Everglades are a World Heritage Site  and International Biosphere Reserve recognized by the United Nations? The Everglades are being used as a gauge to monitor human impact on the environment. The Florida Everglades blog discusses it further.

Our tour took us through Mangroves, which are plants that actually like saltwater. Since the Everglades include both fresh water and saltwater, this is ideal. These are really interesting plants and I can tell you all kinds of fun facts about them now. Here's one. Did you know that a forest of Mangroves can withstand the force of a hurricanes and tsunamis, which helps keep our coastlines safe? Also, the bark of the Red Mangrove is used to tan leather and it's tannins are what make the water in the Everglades look brown.

We hoped to see manatees (Barbara!) but sadly, they were hiding. Did you know that the manatee has no natural enemies here? Boat motors are their biggest threat other than diminishing habitat and low reproduction. Sad, but true. Also, the legend of the mermaid came from sailors who saw these animals. Those sailors must have been at sea for a loooooooong time to think these looked like beautiful women with fish tails..... ;-)

We were excited to see Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins, though! Our daughter took this picture. Most of the time we were in a no-wake zone, but this one came along to play in our wake once we were clear.

All along our drive and through the Florida Wildlife Cooridor, we saw birds and animals of all kinds. They were beautiful and definitely different than what we'd see up north. Except for one bird... In the Everglades you'll find tons of Osprey. Another name for the Osprey...Seahawk! We knew the folks back home would appreciate that. ;-)

Pelicans are abundant in Southern Florida as well. You can find groups of them everywhere by the water! There are several different varieties.

Our youngest son had the most fun on the tour when the skipper let him drive the boat...

We spent the first night in Key Largo, which had us singing that song by the Beach Boys. You know...Kokomo? This got us thinking. Where exactly is Kokomo? Well, here's a little tidbit for you. THERE IS NO SUCH PLACE! If you get a chance, you should listen to the song "Where the Heck is Kokomo?"

Those are coconuts! We tried one with a straw in it.

The next day we drove down to Key West. If you're nervous about driving between islands, have no fear! The drive wasn't scary at all. Most of the roads are actually causeways, so you can't tell you're even between islands. They just look like roads. There are also many islands or "keys" along the way, which prompted a fun game of "If you had your own key, what would you call it?" Mine was "Door-Key". Get it? ;-)

Much of the roadway follows the old Overseas Railroad, or Key West Extension, commissioned by Henry Flagler, built to link Jacksonville to Key West. It was dubbed "Flaglers Folly" but was soon regarded as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" in its day. The railway was eventually replaced with a road, which was severely damaged in a hurricane. It now lies in ruins next to the newer road. I love the archways built into it!

Many of the houses in the Keys also have open spaces under them, as they are built on stilts. This allows water to flow under them when storms hit, which minimizes damage.

We really enjoyed Key West and it's architecture. The scenery was gorgeous and we made sure to try some Key Lime Pie, which was the best I've ever had. Oh, and there are CHICKENS everywhere! So fun! Here are some pictures that will give you a better idea of what it was like.

We went out for dinner and were horrified to see dolphin on the menu. When we asked the server about it, she said that it wasn't the mammal. "Dolphin" is what Mahi Mahi is called in the Bahamas.  Phew!

 We enjoyed all the fresh seafood.

Another surprise was that Iguanas roam free in Key West. These two were walking around the pool area at the hotel. They didn't bother anyone but one had a great time with the lunch someone left in their cabana....

We have officially gone over the 10,000 hits mark for this blog! So now I'm pleased to announce the winner of our little giveaway!! A big congratulations to Sheila F.!!! I'll pop your package in the mail this week.

I hope you all enjoyed learning about Southern Florida. Thank you for following along!

- Jen