Myakka River State Park - Feb. 19 - 22

Our original plan was to break up the trip to Myakka by staying in Big Cypress for 1-2 days but I had impulsively booked an extra day at Myakka and we stayed an extra day in Coconut Grove. This was all good because compared to Flamingo, Big Cypress really was filled w/swamps and alligators – lots of them! The only thing we lost out on was a trip to Shark Valley. The line getting into the parking lot was just too long given that we had about 235 miles to go. It’s always good to have something bookmarked for another trip.

Myakka River State Park is in the southwestern part of FL. The river connects two shallow lakes bordered by prairies, hammocks and pinelands. There are so many transitions from one habitat to another that were perfect for birding, wildlife as well as biking and hiking. There is close to 40 miles of hiking trails most of which can be cycled. Myakka has 3 campgrounds; Palmetto Ridge (the newest and best facilities) and Old Prairie are close to the entrance while the third, Big Flats is about 3.5 miles down near Upper Myakka Lake. We were rendezvousing with Steve & Ellen but they didn’t know we were arriving a day early and were at the other end of the park so we didn’t catch up until the next day. Our first night was in BF which was a nice, older campground where the lake and Birdwalk were close by. Campsites 23 – 26 were the best. In #25, we found our friends Alan and Ruth and shared a glass of wine and dessert. The next 3 nights, we moved to #49 in Palmetto. This site was in a super end spot and humungous! S & E’s site was not so great (right next to the loo) so they came over and joined us.

Down by the lake, there was lots of activity with airboat tours, canoeing, a café with alligator stew for Harry, ICE CREAM, WiFi and just hanging around the porch meeting up w/friends. Ellen, Alan and I biked quite a distance out into the prairie looking for the Bachman Sparrow. We were certain we heard the call but he never made his appearance. We did see the Meadow Lark, rare for the area, as well as feral pigs and an alligator covered w/babies. After going to Kissimmee and now Myakka, I wonder how many people who go to FL ever take the time to go out into the prairies. They are really beautiful!

S & E had engine problems during this stay that were sorted out (we thought) before we departed for parts unknown as we were unable to get reservations anywhere for Saturday night. Knowing what we now know about how things work in the FL State Parks, we would still be resistant to booking a year ahead and locking ourselves into a schedule. 

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Coconut Grove, South Miami, FL - Feb. 15 - 17

Coconut Grove, the neighborhood in South Miami where Dan and Marcia live, is a unique place with Banyan Trees overhanging the streets, shops, restaurants, the Barnacle Historic State Park and a short walk to the water and marinas. We had a wonderful time starting with a Jazz Concert celebrating Monk & Coltrane at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami the night we arrived. Another couple, Michael and Mallie were also staying with D & M in the condo over the long weekend. M & M share their time between JP and Long Cove at Tenants Harbor. Next time we are fogged in at Tenants, we know where to paddle ashore! 

We were fortunate to be there for the Coconut Grove Arts Festival which is block after block of the finest art I have ever seen in one place. This is a juried festival with artists coming together from across the country. The 6 of us spent most of the day at the festival. Marcia then showed me the art of relaxed, no stress hosting when she pulled together setup and appetizers for a party for 40-50 people within an hour. It was a special treat to meet some of the artists whose pieces D & M have decorated their condo with.

The Miami Boat Show, a visit to the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden and sunset cruise in True South kept us pretty busy over the next couple days. Tuesday, we had reservations at Myakka River State Park so it was time to move on but this was a great visit! 

We had a home issue that came up over the weekend. The new temperature alert that we installed went off. The temperature had gone down to 45. Brian checked the house and found that the furnace was off and could not get it going. They were still dealing with the 2 feet of snow from the last storm w/another 5-10” predicted for Sunday with high winds and temps predicted to drop. Tom walked over (snowed in) and tried to trouble shoot but it became clear the problem required a plumber. We had tried 3 different plumbers before calling Jonathan Hickey’s company. They came during the storm at about 8 p.m. on a Sunday night. At that point the upstairs temp had gotten down to 34 and 38 in the basement!

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Everglades National Park - Flamingo - Feb. 7 - 14

I had this mental image of the Everglades that goes something like this: Haz-mat suit, mosquitoes inches thick, pythons, of course, surrounded by swamp filled with water moccasins and alligators! It may be like that in the summer but not this time of year. 

The Everglades is a totally misunderstood place that is beautiful with endless things to do, and no, we did not see any pythons (or snakes for that matter)! The park service provides ranger talks 5 nights a week under the stars looking out over FL Bay, day programs and hikes, bird walks every morning and canoe trips daily at Nine Mile Pond all for free. There are many ponds and walks such as the Anhinga Trail where you can be guaranteed to see lots of wildlife up close and fishing for Harry. When stopping at a Bass Pro Shop, he decided to get FL license and give it a try.

We stayed 8 days but wished we’d planned for the 2 week maximum. Flamingo campground is all the way down 40 miles from the park entrance surrounded by coastline and mangroves. The campground is in a field w/palms and trees for shade. Pileated woodpeckers were on both sides of our site building nests in the dead palm trunks. Steve and Ellen had arrived several days before us, already knew the lay of the land and had befriended Alan and Ruth setting the stage for my immersion into bird watching!

Bikes were a must for cycling to the amphitheater, different ponds, the marina and Visitor Center. S & E’s campsite was the place to be at dusk when a barn owl predictably made several passes across the field hunting. Next door, Alan, a professional birder, tutored Ellen and I on bird identification and hotspots for seeing rare birds. Almost every morning, the 3 of us went on the bird walk, sometimes followed by a second looking for yet another new bird. We went on an early bike/walk looking for the reclusive Mangrove Cuckoo and found a Hermit Thrush instead. Several nights we dined at the Buttonwood Café by the Marina where dinner was cooked in a 5^th wheel pulled up to the side and you could bring your own wine. The second time around, we brought our own wine glasses as well because the styrofoam cups just didn’t make it. We also found it better to order cheap (sandwich or pizza) after getting 6 small oysters with the fried oyster dinner.

Every day was special but the 12^th, my 60^th birthday, was perfect! We picked different days for the canoeing trip so S & E could stay with Nina. The 12^th was our day so for 4-5 hours we were canoeing across ponds, through mangrove tunnels and old airboat trails. I told Harry to avoid using the J stroke so we wouldn’t get picked as the chase boat at the end of the line but he did it anyway and back we went! Alligators were so close, we had to switch sides to paddle to avoid hitting them in the head. Waiting in the back while everyone went single file through the tunnels, alligators were bellowing a couple yards away in the mangroves. The day before on S & E’s trip, their group came across an alligator with a PFD in his mouth! What were the chances of being born and dying on the same day of the year! The day ended with a special dinner of grilled lamb, Alan and Ruth singing Happy Birthday, and we all enjoyed ice cream, Lacy cookies (thanks to Ellen) and another bottle of wine.

Reluctantly, we said our goodbyes on the 15^th and left leaving time for a final stop at the Anhinga Trail in search of the Purple Gallinule. The parking lot had signs warning of Turkey Vultures tearing windshield wipers and rubber trim off cars. It’s pretty serious and tarps are provided for those who want them. In fact this is a problem throughout the parking lots in the park. Take a look at the photos! One more stop just outside the park by Canal 111 in search of the Vermillion Flycatcher who was sitting right there waiting for me and on to a Laundromat before joining Dan and Marcia in South Miami.

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Kissimmee Prairie Reserve State Park - Feb. 5 - 6

Kissimmee was a wonderful park that was totally different than places we have stayed thus far. Definitely a "10"! Forget the GPS getting there! There were many “roads” laid out and cleared for development that never happened. The GPS seemed to think they still exist and are passable – not!  

The park covers about 54,000 acres of “dry prairie in central FL. Dry prairie may be a bit of a misnomer as we encountered ankle deep water in several places while hiking the Kilpatrick Homestead Trail. Following a half step behind in Harry’s footprints, I was a little concerned about alligators and snakes. There was an abundance of birds much of which I couldn’t identify because I had not yet gone to “bird camp” in the Everglades. I now know this is one of the few places to see rare birds. I did see a Crested Caracara and Meadow Lark. The park is also known for many different butterflies but there weren’t a lot of flowers out when we were there.

A couple campground notes: Stay longer!; Plan a visit over a weekend for their buggy tour; Great rocking chairs at the Visitors Office for stargazing, birding and relaxing; Internet service was sketchy; dog friendly (only one small trail excludes dogs); Equestrian sites can be booked but the family side has better sites and facilities. 

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Blue Springs State Park - February 3 - 4

Poking from Little Talbot to Blue Springs SP, we stopped at a fish market recommended by Jan and Dean just after the ferry trip over to Mayport and picked up some shrimp for dinner. Next a second stop in St. Augustine for lunch again recommended by J & D and on to Blue Spring just in time for a very quick walk to see the manatees before grilling up the shrimp for another fine dinner.

The manatee run is from November to April. They come up into the inlet by the spring to get warm and go out into the river to feed. The water here is a constant 72 degrees where the St. John River can fluctuate between 50 and 70+ degrees. Each morning they do a count in the inlet. This morning's count was 162. We went to a lecture and hiked and biked around. 

Tomorrow we are off to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park for a couple days and then on to the Everglades. Cell phone/internet connection in both places may be questionable.

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Little Talbot Island - Feb 1 - 2

Oh, bet there are bugs in that beard! Parks in FL fill up quickly (about a year ahead) on weekends so we grabbed a spot just 10-15 miles down the road at Little Talbot Island State Park.This park is smaller, more low key and dog friendly. All State Parks don't allow dogs on the beach. Ft. Clinch would only allow them on paved roads but on Little Talbot all hiking trails are fine. They also told us dogs were fine on Fernandina Beach at any of the public accessways which we had discovered on our way to the park.

Campers at Ft. Clinch talked about a rat problem on Talbot but the good news was lots of owls! Truth be told, I'm sure what is at Little Talbot is at Ft. Clinch and vice versa. No critter sightings other than a couple armadillos buts lots of great birds including Wood Storks. Rumors like that keep the riff raft out!

Our first night, new neighbors showed up in the evening with a beautiful Airstream to die for - Jan and Dean and their two pups, Missy and Gracie. The next evening, they invited us for a wonderful grilled shrimp and snapper dinner with their friend, Terry. A fun night and a campground definitely bookmarked for a return visit. Campsites 16, 39, 38 and 34 were the best especially 16. We walked the Dune Trail, a 4 mile beautiful hike but there are many,many miles of biking trails we didn't get to.

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Over the line in FL - Jan 30 - 31

I don't remember who said FL beaches don't come close to ours! Fernandina Beach was a pretty spectacular place. Just over the border but still in view of Georgia, we stopped at Ft. Clinch State Park on Amelia Island for two nights. The beach side was all booked up so we stayed on the riverside which we thought was the better spot nestled in the live oaks looking out over the entrance to Fernandina harbor and a sandy beach. In fact, our campsite (#40) was right by the beach and fishing pier.
The beach side was a little too tight and exposed for us.

Weather was turning cool for FL but we enjoyed biking, touring the fort, beach and had an interesting walk around Willow Pond. Not long after Harry said there wasn't enough water for alligators, we heard a loud crack and then thrashing in the water. Across the way, a fairly large alligator had an equally large turtle that he was wrestling with. Harry was convinced the alligator thought the turtle too big and let him go. I don't know. Sounded like a cracking shell to me . . . . ! Met an interesting couple, Jack and Ann, who customized an ammunition truck into an RV. Avid fishermen, they caught a Sheep's Head, black bass and sea trout. Ann treated us to a taste of Malbec wine she had made. Nice! Sightings of great water birds and deer.

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Running South out of the cold - Jan 27 - 29

With 0 degree temps and the bay freezing over in Hull, it was definitely time to get out of Dodge! We really had no other plans than to get as far south as possible our first night so we wouldn't freeze in the van.There was also a forecast for freezing rain down into DC and Virginia. Sane folk would book into a hotel for the night but not the Chisholms who didn't want to risk (or unpack) all the perishable food and wine. 20 miles south of DC, we stopped for a dinner break and attempted another run that only got us another 60 miles to the Cracker Barrel in Ashland, VA by 11 p.m. totaling 609 for the day. Turned out to be a good move because our frozen windows melted by the time we were ready to go in the morning with temps at a balmy 33 degrees.

We readjusted our goal from FL to SC and headed for a favorite, Buck Hall Recreation Area in McClennanville, SC for a couple days so we could stretch and relax sort of. Now that we could fill our water tanks, water started dripping underneath the van. Imagining the worst that our winterizing routine was lacking, further investigation revealed faulty elbow connections to the shower mixer. "MacGyver" is pretty good but not without parts that would have to wait another day.

Just a couple photos

Heading Home - Nov 1 - 9

We are headed home slowly! With a northeaster headed for NE Wed/Thur and the gas shortages in PA, NY and NJ, there doesn't seem to be a reason to rush!









Copper Breaks State Park, Quanah, TX - Nov 2
Pine Ridge CG (ACE), Dequeen, AR - Nov 3
Twin Creek C (ACE), Royal, AR - Nov 4
Natchez Trace State Park, Wildersville, TN - Nov 5
Tennesse Valley Winery (Harvest Host), Louden, TN - Nov 6
Smoky Mtns. National Park, Elkmont CG, Gatlinburg, TN - Nov 7
Cracker Barrel in Hamburg, PA - Nov 8

You can tell I'm getting tired! And finally we are home!

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Oct 31

Carlsbad Cavern National Park was worth every one of the extra 297 miles we drove south! We didn’t arrive until mid day and knew that wasn’t the right time to dive in. The entrances to the caves close early afternoon to give people time to complete the hikes and we knew that there were fairly strict rules about leaving dogs in cars.  We planned to scope it out, check the kennels available at the Visitors Center and get oriented with maps, etc.  It was also Halloween and there was a fairly large group of people who went down in costume. It’s was a pretty good guess that it would have been loud and spooky to join them!

Conceptually, it made sense to offer kennel service while having a strict “No dogs left in cars” policy. We went to the well marked kennel door. Dogs were barking. There was a sign that said “Knock and if no answer, ring the bell. Please be patient as the attendant will be coming from the Gift Shop.” We knocked, rang and waited until a door opened to the right of the kennel.  The attendant came out and unlocked the kennel door from the outside. The kennel was a cinder block 10’ x 10’ room with a narrow hallway. Both were lined with cages but there were only 3 dogs in the main room. It was impossible not to focus on only one – a yellow lab with eyes glazed over in a cage totally stressed having chewed the wire and pushed out the end of the cage. The dog managed to grab a cardboard box and had chewed that up as well. The attendant tried to push a partition midway into the cage for unimaginable reasons because the dog took up the whole space. I was horrified and asked how long the dog had been in there. He didn’t know but looked at a tag and said since 9:30. It was noon! No water, no supervision, no inside access that would have given someone a clue there had been a problem going on for the last 2 ½ hours! Time to regroup on this one! We needed to find a campsite and then sleep on this.

I had gotten a map from the BLM Field Office and planned to find dispersed camping. There was a BLM property, Black River Recreation, about 10 miles south. I knew it was a wilderness area where camping wasn’t allowed but it looked like there were areas on the perimeter that would be OK. We got down there and found the roads were fenced off with barbed wire. We went into the recreation area and found a fire ranger who was incredibly nice. He told us to take our time in the recreation area and then he would lead us to a spot that would be fine to camp. It must have been about 10 miles or so in on dirt roads. It was a beautiful spot but we decided we weren’t really comfortable there. The temperatures were in the 80s and it was wilderness so snakes become more of a concern and it was also hunting season. There were spent shells on the site and parked trucks that we had passed. Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling and move on. We had also decided that we wanted to go down into the caves at 8:30 in the morning so we could leave Nina in the car and get back before it got too hot. The kennel was not an option! All of this added up to going back to a rundown RV park at the park entrance. Even Harry passed on the showers which were military style; 4 shower heads in one room, no partitions! LOL! Didn’t know he was so shy!

The caves were fabulous and definitely worth the effort. It would have been fun if we had been there before the bats had migrated to Mexico. Each night at twilight, they exit the cave in mass. My pictures don’t do the caves justice. You really need a good camera and tripod.

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