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April 30 th 2008This is my 41st journal entry! Wow, you guys have had a lot to read over the past 10 months. Hopefully it’s been as enjoyable for you to read as it’s been for me to write! We’ve spent the past week or so touring Arizona. The first stop was in Sedona which is in the northern part of the state. The area is gorgeous, huge red rock mountains with lots of green plants. The scenery is very dramatic and visually interesting. It’s still a desert landscape with lots of cactus but there are plenty of pinion pines and junipers and right now, everything is in full bloom. Most people don’t realize that the desert actually blooms. We stayed at a small campground called “Page Springs” in the town of Cornville, just south of Sedona. It was a pretty campground in a tiny valley with the meandering “Oak Creek” flowing right through. There were tons of Cottonwood Trees and the pollen blowing off of them made it look like it was snowing. It sure didn’t help my allergies! We met Bill and Sherri at Page Springs. They gave us a lot of information about the local 4-wheeling trails. They even lent us their book describing the trails. They have a jeep and spend a lot of time 4-wheeling and we also found out they collect rocks! That’s interesting for me as I love to collect rocks too! Everywhere we go there are different rocks to collect and I end up occasionally shipping boxes home just so we don’t get too bogged down with rocks here in the coach. They gave me some interesting samples and Bill even cut open a few geodes for me with his wet saw. It was cool to see what was inside of them! Most of our short time in Sedona was spent 4-wheeling. We went to three different areas. One called “Greasy Spoon”, one called “Soldiers Pass” where we saw the 7 Apache Pools (the coolest gray frogs were hanging out at the pools) and Devils Kitchen. The third trail was called “Van Deren Cabin”. We had hoped to see some rattlesnakes in the cabin but none were around. Too bad! The 4-wheeling was really fun and pretty challenging to boot! One morning we hiked up the famous “Cathedral Rock”. It’s a huge red rock mountain known to be a special “Vortex area” (enhanced energy location) in Sedona. The hike was not too long, only a mile and a half but it was pretty steep and afforded some gorgeous views once on top. It was so steep at times that there are steps carved into the rock. It wasn’t any serious climbing but still made for a nice little rock scramble! We also stopped at the “Chapel of the Holy Cross” which is a beautiful modern church built into the red rock cliffs just outside of town. There are gorgeous views and the church is really incredible the way it sits up on the cliff, the whole front is glass and the views are just as beautiful inside as outside. One afternoon I checked out a few crystal and gem shops and bought some nice pieces for my collection. It’s hard to find good shops at home, there aren’t many around. I would like to have spent some more time shopping in Sedona but time was short for us and we didn’t get time. The last interesting thing about Sedona was that the gas pumps have TV’s on top of them. It’s called “PumpTopTV” and it gives local traffic and weather information plus some news. It was quite interesting to wait for your gas to pump and watch TV at the same time. From Sedona we headed south to Tucson. Tucson has a warm place in our hearts as both Dan and I went to The University of Arizona and we spent quite a few years in town. Also, one of Dan’s best friends (Mike J. from elementary school) lives in town. We camped just outside of town at Catalina State Park and it was so nice. The sites were really spread apart and just surrounded by quiet desert in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountain Range. Mike came over the first night and we had dinner together. It was so good to see him, he was the best man at our wedding (and Dan was his)! The next day we decided to take the top of the jeep and head up the back road to Mt. Lemmon. Of course we couldn’t have taken the top down without washing all the red rock dust off of it from Sedona so we stopped at a car wash and spent a good hour cleaning the jeep top to bottom. I’m mentioning this to you because roughly fifteen minutes later we headed up the dusty dirt road to Mt. Lemmon and proceeded to undo our nice car wash by totally dusting up the jeep. By the end of the day it looked worse than it had before the car wash! We did have a fun day riding up to Mt. Lemmon and enjoyed the ride, scenery, ski lift ride and picnic at Windy Point but the day was not without incident. On the way up the jeep developed a loose bolt that holds the windshield on. We didn’t have tools with us (a lesson well learned-always carry tools, especially when 4-wheeling) and poor Dan had to keep hand tightening the bolt all the way up the mountain. Near the top we saw the Mt. Lemmon Fire Department and we stopped to borrow a socket wrench to tighten the bolt. Luckily they had the right tools and we were on our way before too long. The firemen told us about a huge fire that had devastated the small town of Summer Haven at the top of Mt. Lemmon. It happened in 2000 and roughly 196 thousand acres were burned along with most of the homes on the mountain. It is believed to be started by a cigarette. It was unbelievable and sad to see the damage! That night we met Mike and his kids, Morgan and Mason. We haven’t seen them for a while and it was good to see them. They’ve grown so much! They took us to the University area for some delicious pizza then we went bowling. I haven’t bowled much over the past few years and managed to bowl an 80, 60 and 100. Not too well! I’m not going to be in the bowling championships anytime soon. You should have seen our shoes too! Neon pink and yellow! Nobody will be stealing them any time soon! The following day I stayed home and Dan took Mike and Mason 4-wheeling. From what I hear it was pretty crazy riding, and the jeep still amazes us by not getting stuck. Some day we’ll get to use the winch! I on the other hand had a very relaxing day hanging out at the campsite. I took my bike to the picnic area where they had a reptile exhibit. They had quite a few rattlesnakes, a Gila Monster (who was so cute and I got to pet him) plus a few other lizards and skulls of local animals. It was really interesting. One of the rattlesnakes was very agitated and kept rattling his tail. That was neat, as I have never heard a real rattlesnake actually rattle (other than on TV)! I learned a lot about the local animals. I took a short hike along some Indian ruins that are over 1000 years old. There wasn’t much to see but there were lots of things to take pictures of. The last day in Tucson we decided to take a drive to Nogales Mexico. It’s about an hour and a half south. It’s pretty much a very poor border town with lots of tourist shops selling cheap tourist junk. There were quite a few dentists and also pharmacies selling all kinds of drugs that require prescriptions in America. It’s sad to see small children begging for money on the streets! We had a few margaritas (huge ones), some tacos, did some browsing and made our way home. After coming home we said good bye to Mike and then drove over to check out the campus which has grown so much. It’s too bad it was dark at this time because I would have liked to have had some pictures to post. It’s a very impressive campus with huge old buildings. Our time in Tucson ended quickly, we really had a blast being back in town and especially seeing Mike and the kids. When Dan and Mike are together it’s just like they go back to high school days. It’s so great to see old friends! Phoenix is next! April 20 th 2008Our time in the giant state of Texas was short and sweet! We stayed in a town south of Houston called Kemah. It looked like a nice place to spend a weekend as they had a nice River Walk area that had shops, restaurants, children’s amusement rides and a big wooden rollercoaster. We stayed there because it was close to my cousin’s house. My cousins, Amanda and Mike and their adorable baby Emma live in Pearland Texas. It’s just south of Houston and we went out to dinner with them and then went back to their gorgeous home and hung out for a while. We really had a nice visit! Hope to get back there again! Since leaving Houston, we’ve really been on the move! We stopped for one night in San Antonio and toured the center of town where we saw “The Alamo” which is the most famous spot in Texas, where 189 defenders fell in 1936 after repeated attacks by Mexican General Santa Anna’s army. Its full name is Mission San Antonio de Valero and it was established in 1718 as the cities first mission. The chapel and Long Barrack are all that remain. The town has a beautiful River Walk (Paseo del Rio). It’s one level below the downtown streets and edged by hotels, shops and restaurants. It’s very scenic with beautiful gardens and huge shade trees overhanging the river. They have river boats that give rides, a river taxi and lots of great places to hang out and listen to music along the sidewalks. We had dinner before we went at the famous Rudy’s Bar-B-Q, just outside of town, where we stuffed ourselves on sausage, ribs, brisket and chicken along with their famous creamed corn and coleslaw. Not a diet dinner but good food. We got extra so we would have leftovers and believe me there was plenty leftover! The next day we moved quickly through the Texas hill country and into the plains where there were oil wells dotting the landscape. Southern New Mexico was not much different and the rolling hills soon gave way to flat grassy plains with nothing in site. We did see some Pronghorn Antelope along the way. I didn’t even know we had Antelope in the USA! Most of the small towns we passed were no more than a few houses which looked abandoned. It was a desolate area with an occasional cattle ranch along the way. We stopped in the famous Roswell New Mexico where we slept in the local Wal-Mart parking lot. We didn’t get abducted by any Aliens but there were some painted on the Wal-Mart! The following day we drove into Santa Fe New Mexico (the capital city). The ride into town was gorgeous as we just climbed and climbed up to 7000 feet. It was very scenic! The Sangre de Cristo mountain range hung in the distance with its towering snow covered peaks. The homes and buildings in the area are all adobe and painted to blend in with the mountains, the fences are all primitive style mesquite wood. It’s a very artsy town with a really nice town center with tons of shops and restaurants. There’s a lot of history in the area and we saw the “Oldest House in the US”, the Francis De Asisi Cathedral, the Cross of the Martyrs and much more. We did a huge scenic loop drive one day (maybe 250 miles huge) and saw Bandelier National Monument. There’s a canyon called Frijoles Canyon in Bandelier that has ancient Indian Pueblo ruins that date back 10,000 years. There are remains of a huge Pueblo (village) plus Kivas where the Indians practiced religious activities. All along the cliff in the canyon are remains of cliff houses. You can climb up into them and check them out. There is even a ceremonial cave which is 140 feet above ground level. We climbed four very steep ladders to get up there. It was an amazing place to visit. Our drive continued through Carson National Forest and the scenery really began to change. We drove out of the canyon lands and up into a forested area with huge pine trees. There was even snow on the ground in places and it was incredibly beautiful. The landscape was so dramatic! We passed through the remains of an ancient volcano that erupted thousands of years ago and sent lave spewing as far as Kansas! The area is called the Valles Calders National Preserve and it’s a huge open field where there are herds of Elk. It’s one of the largest calderas in the world! We stopped in a pretty little canyon and took a hike along a swiftly flowing river and later found out that the canyon we were in was used to film the swimming hole scene from the movie “Wild Hogs”. As we continued our loop we drove through beautiful red rock canyons and down into the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument where we took another scenic hike amongst these huge sandstone tent shaped rocks. We finished the drive in the small town of Madrid where we had dinner. Madrid is the funky little town where they filmed the street scenes of “Wild Hogs”. It’s an artsy town with quirky little shops and art studios all painted cute colors. Unfortunately everything was closed by the time we got there. We took one day and went east of Santa Fe to the town of Pecos. We relaxed and hung out all afternoon at a fishing hole. Dan fished and I read my book and took a nap in the sun. It was a well needed day of relaxation! Of course our relaxation didn’t last long and the next day we took the scenic high road to Taos New Mexico. On the way we stopped at the famous Santuario de Chimayo. It’s a centuries old chapel known for its Good Friday pilgrimages. It’s also well known for its miraculous healing earth that you can dig out of a little hole in one of the back rooms of the Sanctuary. It’s so peaceful there. I bought a pretty set of rosary beads while there! Taos is a very scenic town at the base of the mountains. Dan dropped me off for a little shopping time and afterwards we headed into the mountains for a picnic lunch and then continued our loop back towards Santa Fe. We passed over the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge which is 650 feet above the Rio Grande. The river has cut a huge canyon in the land. We continued on and stopped at the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa on the way home. Ojo Caliente is a spa area with natural hot springs. It only costs $16 to get in for the day and there are seven different pools to soak in. The pools are built into the mountainside and felt so good to soak in them. The temperatures range from 87 degrees in the huge mineral pool to 107 degrees in the arsenic pool Yes arsenic, it’s good for arthritis, stomach ulcers and digestion). The rest are around 101-103 degrees. There’s an iron pool, a Soda pool, a Lithia pool and even a mud pool where you slather yourself with mud and sit in the sun to dry out before hopping into the mud pool to wash off. We finished the day off with a nice dinner in the spas restaurant before heading home. Of course, the spa didn’t stop there! We had planned to move south the next day but ended up changing our minds. We drove right back to the spa, parked in their RV campsite and planted ourselves there for a few days of rest and relaxation. We had a lovely time! While there we did some hiking to the ruins of an ancient Tewa Indian Pueblo (called Posi-Ouinge) where there were shards of pottery all over the ground. It’s mostly a big mound where the pueblo has literally melted away. The next day we went mountain biking to the Mica Mine. We packed breakfast and went to a dry river wash, made a fire and cooked some bacon and eggs before heading over to the mine. It was really cool at the mine. The ground was glittering with mica! We climbed to the top of the mountain and could see for miles! We tried to take a shortcut back and it backfired and we ended up at the swollen Rio Ojo Caliente and couldn’t cross the river so we had to go all the way back up this huge hill to go home! We ended the day back in the mineral pools to soak off the five hour bike ride! I also had a few treatments while at the spa, a massage last night and an Herbal wrap and Facial this morning, all wonderful and relaxing! And now, we are on the move again and headed towards Sedona Arizona. Tonight we’re stopped in Gallup New Mexico. It’s near the border of Arizona. We drove to the Red Rock State Park to watch the sunset. We didn’t get to do any hiking but it looks like an awesome area to hike. I’m sure we’ll find plenty of hiking to do in Sedona and you know you’ll read all about it! April 10 th 2008We’ve really been on the move since leaving the Okefenokee Swamp! Our first two days were spent in Panama City Florida. We had a quick walk on a beautiful white sand beach the first afternoon and then ended up at “Crabby Dicks” for a huge steamed seafood platter. The following day it stormed all day so we mostly hung around the coach. We did manage to get out to see the movie “Horton Hears a Who” in the afternoon. From Panama City we headed due west and passed through Alabama and then into Mississippi where we drove along the coast from Biloxi south, passing through Gulfport and Bay St. Louis. It was very sobering to see this area that received the worst damage from Hurricane Katrina (and previously Hurricane Camille) almost two years ago. The whole coast, which consisted of a very pretty white sand beach with homes and hotels all along the coast, was totally wiped out! All you can see for miles is foundations where houses and buildings once stood! Almost all that is left is garden walls, some trees that made it through the storms unscathed and swimming pools. The road is still pretty torn up, the broken homes have been cleared away and the pools that are left alone (without homes to go with them) are fenced in orange emergency fencing. Mile after mile we drove, and almost everything a few blocks from the ocean inland is gone! The damage is immense and very visible, even after almost two years! They are just now beginning to rebuild, virtually every building in the area is brand new. Louisiana was not much better! New Orleans suffered more flood damage and human loss than anything. We came into town along Lake Pontchartrain and the flood damage is still visible as many people are still living in campers alongside their homes. Some houses have been bulldozed over, some have been rebuilt and some are in different phases of being rebuilt. It was obviously a very poor repressed area even before the storm hit and now it’s much worse! Homelessness abounds with many living in tent cities under the highways. The RV Park we stayed at (French Quarter RV Park) was right in the center of town just two blocks from the famous “French Quarter”. The area was a bit creepy as we had to drive through an abandoned grocery store parking lot (that was bordered by the only low income “projects” in New Orleans and a very old ancient graveyard). The parking lot and grocery store were fenced in with black wrought iron fencing and we had to pull behind the store to find the RV Park. The RV Park had a huge block wall surrounding it that was topped off with spiky metal points. I guess that’s needed in the area we were in! The highway with all the homeless in tents stood right behind the wall to the back, the “projects” were on one side and the empty grocery store was in front! The RV Park proved to be a little oasis in the middle of it all! The park was not much more than a fancy parking lot but there was a nice brick building with a beautiful reception room and an enclosed patio with a gorgeous pool. They had excellent security 24 hours a day, a huge electronic gate to get into the park, very friendly staff and you couldn’t beat the location which was a short walk to the French Quarter! (We later found out that they own the abandoned grocery store and plan to build two hotels and make the whole thing, including the RV Park, one big fancy resort). The French Quarter was something else indeed! It was a small area of town which consisted of blocks of narrow streets all lined with old buildings. The whole area smelled like a stale bar and it was pretty dirty but still a very interesting, happening place. There were tons of restaurants, bars with loud music blaring through the open doors (jazz, blues, rock, zydeco-you name it), shops all selling the same old beads, masks, T-shirts and tourist junk. Strip clubs and Cabaret shows abounded. At night some of the streets are closed off to traffic and its one big party. Alcohol is allowed on the streets and everywhere people are walking around with booze popping in and out of the myriad of bars and clubs. The French Quarter borders the Mississippi river on one side. Along the river is the “River Walk” an area with statues, monuments and gardens. There’s the River Walk Mall, a steamship called “Natchez”, and some nicer shops and cafes. The Mississippi River has tons of barges and oil tankers moving up and down river. There are oil refineries and businesses all along the Mississippi. It’s a river of commerce! We rode our bikes to the famous “Café Du Monde” one morning and had Beignets which are little rectangular French puff pastries (donoughts) smothered in powdered sugar. They are delicious, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A jazz band was playing some music as we sat in the outdoor café and enjoyed our Beignets. There also was a movie being filmed in the café as we sat there (we might just be in the background)! Later in the morning we went to the Market Café (another open air café) and had brunch while listening to some live Blues music. What a nice way to have brunch! We only spent two nights in New Orleans. The first night we walked into the French Quarter, had a great Cajun dinner at the “Red Fish Grill” and walked around town scoping the place out. The movie was being filmed along the Trolley Path that night so we stopped to watch for a while. All over town there were “Grip” trucks (huge tractor trailers) filled to the brim with equipment and large fancy RV’s for the actors. There was tons of security, emergency vehicles and police. I couldn’t believe how much equipment or man power it takes to make a movie! I’m not sure what movie it is but a famous WWF wrestler was in it. We got to see him acting out a part and might be in the background for that scene too! After watching a scene or two we popped into Harrah’s Casino (just outside of the French Quarter) and played some poker machines for a little while before taking a cab the two blocks home (remember they were creepy blocks-especially after dark)! The day we biked we rode for hours all over the city! We went up town, down town (through tons of city traffic) through the Garden District, The River Walk and the French Quarter. We saw the Superdome where gangs caused all the chaos during Katrina and we toured The St. Louis Cemetery #1 where Marie Laveau is buried. Marie Laveau was known for her Voodoo (which is very much in use still today in the area). People leave offerings by her grave when they cast a spell and afterwards once the spell is realized they come back and mark the grave with three Xs in red clay. There are warnings outside the cemetery about “entering at your own risk” and it’s thought to be haunted. We visited at a safe time when other people were touring but it’s a very creepy place. The dead are buried in large vaults above ground. This is due to the fact that the ground is so wet and years ago caskets buried would surface in floods and float down the street! The Garden District is a lovely area of town where there are huge mansions and beautiful gardens. It was really nice riding through the streets looking at the beautiful homes although we did have a little adventure there! We were on some side streets and suddenly realized that the police were closing off a few blocks of the area creating a perimeter. We heard them talking on their radios about someone on the run still being within the perimeter. Then we realized that we were also in the perimeter! They must have been creating it as we were biking along. I asked the cop if “we were in the wrong place?” and he told me “just keep moving straight that way” (as he pointed away from the area). We moved out quickly and never found out what happened! Who knows? That evening we again walked to the French Quarter and had another Cajun dinner at Oceana. We sat out on the tiniest (most structurally unsound) balcony I have ever eaten on! There were four tiny tables on the balcony and you had to go out a window to get there. The balcony felt very shaky and rickety. After dinner Dan checked it out from below. He should have looked before because we never would have sat there if we saw beforehand how it was (or wasn’t) supported! Luckily, we didn’t fall and had a great dinner! We walked around town and up Frenchman street where all the jazz clubs are. It was pretty dark and quiet with quite a few beggars on the street so we moved out of there pretty quickly back to Bourbon street in the French Quarter where all the people were. On the way we passed a really cool museum where the artist used human bodies as canvas. He did some incredible work. I posted some pictures of his work and you have to look closely to see the bodies in some of the pictures as sometimes he uses background paintings that continue the picture out from the body. Amazing! (In the tiger picture, the girl’s armpits are just inside the eyes and her rear end creates the tiger’s muzzle-look closely) We finished the night partying, going in and out of clubs and bars enjoying all the different sights and bands. It was a fun night but we had enough of New Orleans and moved out the following morning to Baton Rouge which is only an hour and a half away. April 4 th 2008
PLEASE CHECK THE PREVIOUS ENTRY FIRST- WE POSTED TWO IN ONE DAY! We just spent four wonderful days in the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia! We stayed at the Stephen C. Foster State Park. It’s part of the National Wildlife Refuge and named after the man who wrote the song “Way down upon the Suwannee River”. The camp is beautiful! It really feels closer to actual camping than most of our usual stays. Our site is nestled in a Pine forest. It’s very private; the sites are really spread out. The park is on a narrow tract of land that juts out into the swamp. The nearest town, Fargo Georgia, is 20 miles away and it’s not much of a town. At night they close the gates to the park and since only about half of the 66 campsites are occupied this means very few people hanging around. It’s very peaceful! We even had a few campfires which we haven’t had for a long time! There must be an Air Force Base nearby because one afternoon we had two fighter jets buzzing the swamp. They came in low and fast, making turns on their sides. It didn’t last long but I did get a few seconds of cool video plus a couple of pictures. They were amazing to see! The swamp itself is awesome! The water is very dark. It’s very clean and clear with little debris, but because of the dark tannins in the water (which also make it taste like iced tea) you can’t see through the water. It just looks black when you are in a boat. (Which means you can’t see what’s under you either). There are tons of huge Cypress Trees covered with Spanish Moss. Lilly Pads and Grasses grow along the banks of the waterways and there’s not much land at all, just an occasional “Hammock” of trees. Beyond the few waterways is true swampland which looks totally impassable. There are tons of Alligators all over the place, some huge ones up to 12 feet long, and millions of bugs and frogs. The sounds from the frogs are truly amazing. They make all kinds of sounds all day and night long. There are the usual frog sounds plus some very mechanical sounds, some like metal clickers, warthog type sounds, and even big bass drum type sounds. Sometimes it sounds as if someone is working in a machine shop out in the woods. I can’t believe they all come from frogs! We also saw quite a few hawks during the days and heard owls every night. We’ve been on the water every day, once in a canoe, twice in our kayaks and once in a small motorboat. From the park dock area, there is a narrow canal that leads out to Billy’s Lake. The lake is actually the headwaters for the Suwannee River and it feels more like a river than a lake. The “river” is considered to be a series of narrow “lakes” in this area. From there you can head upstream two miles to a dock on a small island called Billy’s Island. There used to be a colony of people living on the island, but they are long since gone. The remnants of a small settlement (very few remains actually), plus an old Indian Burial Mound are all that is left. The swamp is rapidly taking over. There is another route upstream, you can go 3.8 miles to Minnie’s Lake or continue on another 5 miles to Big Water Lake. Of course these lakes don’t feel much like lakes and actually feel like wider areas of a river. The waterways get very narrow in some areas and it takes a bit of skill to maneuver through the twists and turns. We spent two days exploring this area. Another day we took a trip downstream (we had left our jeep at the take out point) and went through an area called River Narrows and the River Sill. This journey was not without incident as mid trip my paddle got stuck in a tree and slammed into my neck nearly knocking me out of my kayak into the alligator infested water. Next, I got hung up on a tree stump that was underwater. It’s a bit scary when you are in that position in an inflatable boat (again in alligator infested water). Dan came to my rescue and I quickly climbed into his boat (quicker than his liking) so we could dislodge my boat. The boat and I came out unscathed! Of course Dan didn’t get through trip this without incident either. At one point his fishing rod got tangled in some branches above him (we’re still talking about a very narrow river in this area, just wide enough to pass while ducking the shrubbery on the sides). While trying to untangle his rod a huge thick black spider (about four inches long) fell into his lap. It’s always an adventure with Barbie and Dan! We’ve had a lot of fun teasing the Alligators even though we probably shouldn’t have. The smaller ones usually duck underwater quickly and swim away but the big ones just stare you down and dare you to come closer (you know they are sizing you up to eat you)! One even hissed and growled at us (and we got video of it)! We backed off quickly from him! The alligators are huge and quite intimidating especially when they are 12 feet long and you are in a 14 foot inflatable kayak, almost eye to eye with them. In a kayak you are basically sitting right on the water. The perspective from a kayak is amazing! You become part of the environment when you are in one. It’s much different than a canoe or motorboat where you feel as if you are sitting above the water, protected and somewhat disassociated from it. The rest of our time at the park has been spent mostly riding our bikes or taking walks. There are a few nature trails here, one with a ¾ mile boardwalk above the swamp. We saw a Water Moccasin along one of these walks but didn’t have the camera with us. We rode our bikes out to the docks at night and listened to the swamp creatures and owls. It’s such wild nature here, very untamed and totally awesome. By the time this is posted we will have moved out and back to Florida, this time to the panhandle area to Panama City. We are going to try to head west from this point. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS ENTRY BELOW. WE POSTED TWO ENTRIES IN ONE DAY! April 4 th 2008Tampa went by as a blur for me. I was wiped out and kept to the coach for two days while Dan entertained himself while fishing. I didn’t see any part of the town, Dan said I didn’t miss anything either. It wasn’t a big happening area. My leg is feeling better, no rash and I actually wonder if this is Shingles or not. I guess time will tell! We moved further north along the west coast of Florida to a back woods area called Crystal River. Our campground, which listed that they accepted “big rigs”, was very tight and it was good that we only spent two nights there. I was feeling a bit better and caught up on rest by this time so the first night we drove out to see the coast. There are no beaches in this area; it’s all salt marshes that run into the Gulf. It’s beautiful and wild none the less. The area has tons of huge Oak Trees, all completely covered with thick Spanish Moss. We saw a gorgeous sunset! On our full day in Crystal River we set out to explore the state parks. Crystal River State Park is very wild with a marina and some fishing spots and hiking trails. We took a walk along the river in the fishing area and saw five Manatees. That was our first Manatee sighting since Sanibel Island. The river water was crystal clear and the first Manatee we saw was a huge mother with her baby. The baby was only about four feet long and the mother towered over it. The baby stayed right by her side as they cruised along the river edge, sometimes only three feet from me. They were munching on the aquatic plants in the river. I walked along with these two for quite some time before seeing three other Manatees further out in the middle of the river. At one point one of them was face to face with an alligator and neither seemed to worry about the other. I guess they live peacefully together! After visiting Crystal River State Park we headed a bit south to Homosassa Springs State Park. This park has a zoo with all Florida native animals (many of them are rehabs and can’t be released). They had a bear, a Florida Panther, tons of birds, Manatee and much more. The one animal that was not native to Florida was Lu the Hippo. He was left over from the previous zoo (that was not doing well) when the State took over the land. At six thousand pounds he was too big to move so the people of the State petitioned to let Lu stay and the Governor agreed to keep him. Lu is very cute but doesn’t like you to snort at him, he snorts back and gets very agitated. The birds were interesting, they had so many, and a few species we haven’t yet seen in Florida (Roseate Spoonbills and Flamingoes). They had tons of Vultures all over the place and they were certainly the trouble makers of the park! They were constantly squabbling amongst themselves, flying all over fighting. They were in and out of all the other animal cages sometimes even picking on the other animals. The poor black bear was surrounded by them. They seemed to be picking things off his fur, maybe some bugs or something. The Panther loved them and it was quite interesting to watch while he tried over and over again to catch one. It’s so nice to see an animal like that actually move in a zoo, especially nice to see him hunting! They are usually sleeping when you see them. They also had Manatee at the zoo, six big huge ones to be exact! They are in a closed off section of the river where warm springs pour into the river. They love warm water and can’t survive in cold water. The biggest Manatee was named Rosie and she was thirty six hundred pounds and fifty five years old. I had no idea they got that old (or that big for that matter). All the Manatees were tremendous animals. They move so slowly and seem so gentle. We watched the manatee show and the man running the show told us all about them and then got in the water with them and hand fed them carrots and green peppers. They seemed to really like that. They also had an underwater viewing area where you could see them close up. Dan said they look like huge engorged ticks with tiny little heads and you know what? They kind of do look like a tick! The following day we headed out and moved to Starke Florida. It’s about an hour west of St. Augustine. Dan’s Dad, Shelly, and Aunt Felice were driving up the coast so we left the coach in Starke and drove over to St. Augustine to meet them for breakfast. It was good to see them! We spent the rest of the day, rainy as it was, checking out St. Augustine. It was way too miserable to go to the beach (our coldest day in Florida so far) so we cruised up the coast thinking we might go see a movie. We happened to pass by “The Fountain of Youth” and went in to check it out. It was the actual spring that Ponce De Leon discovered in the early 1500’s. We tasted the water and it tasted like sulpher, yuck! They had a small planetarium show, a giant discovery globe where they depicted the voyage of the early travelers to America (did you know that all of America was once called Florida?), plus some Timucuan Indian Burial Grounds and lots of Peacocks. It was a cool place to check out. We stayed at the KOA in Starke Florida because it was on our route to the Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia. You can read about that trip in the next entry. The KOA campground was nice, we hung by the pool and played shuffleboard and the highlight for me was going to I-Hop and getting Green Eggs and Ham and Who Cakes. It’s a special they have because the Dr. Seuss “Horton Hears a Who” movie is out in theaters right now. We’ll try to get to see it one of these days. For now, we’re movin on and after the swamp and will finally head west. Keep an eye out for more!
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Past JournalsJuly 2011June 2011September 2010May 2008April 2008March 2008February 2008December 2007November 2007October 2007September 2007August 2007July 2007 |