100 Days, 5000 Miles and Still Alive!

We have designated Mile 0 of the Overseas Highway at Key West, Florida as our official turn around point after 100 days and 5000 miles on the road. Lewis and our CR-V, Todo, have both been exceptional in taking us in safety and comfort over hill and dale, and through swamp and marsh from coast to coast. We will follow the Atlantic Coast north to South Carolina before actually making the hard left turn that will send us West. Many more exciting adventures ahead so stay tuned!
We hit the Everglades again on our way north to Georgia. Cycled the Shark Valley area literally dodging alligators. (see pic above!) Then had a wild kayak adventure in a mangrove tunnel where we were way, way too up-close and personal with snakes and gators! We love Florida having spent 6 weeks in this wild and crazy place...but it can get weird out here!

Mangrove Tunnel Adventure

It can get weird out there!

Still Alive and Kicking!

Some Fun in the Keys

Emily and Mel joined John and I in the sun saturated Keys for an activity filled week.
We enjoyed swimming and snorkeling off the beaches as well as a snorkel trip to a pristine reef well off the coast. Jet skiing was also part of the activities agenda. We circumnavigated Key West on the jet skis in waves 3-4 feet high...that made for quite a wet adventure! We spent a day visiting Everglades National Park to see many, many alligators and great birds, as well as a boat ride through the mangroves. Next we did a boat trip to Dry Tortuga which is almost 70 miles off the coast. There we visited historic Fort Jefferson and enjoyed some of the best snorkeling. John found a great big conch shell (see pic above.)
Additionally, we swam, visited the tourist highlights, ate, drank, ate some more, visited Mallory Square for the sunset rituals and generally carried on quite well!
Super fun week!
The girls have returned home now, and John and I are recovering!!

Awesome Travel Buddys

The Bo in Action!

Daily Sunset Rituals at Mallory Square, Key West

Everglades National Park

Birds-eye view of Everglades National Park

Bo, Sara, Emily and Mel visited the world-famous Everglades National Park yesterday. At a million and a half acres, we didn't get to see all of it in one day, but we gave it a good try! We boated the channels, hiked the boardwalks, birded the ponds, and drove the scenic routes.
Everglades National Park has been designated a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance. The park protects an immense interconnected network of marshland and forest ecosystems that are maintained by water flow. It contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, mangrove and cypress swamps, pinelands, and hardwood hammocks, as well as marine and estuarine environments. The park is known for its rich bird life, particularly large wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets. It is also the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. A truly amazing place.


Boat trip up Buttonwood Channel to Coots Bay...saw many crocs and gators!

Red mangrove tree roots along the canal

Toothless old croc!



Behind us is a grass river 8 miles wide!

Visitors from Santa Cruz

We are enjoying a fun time with our daughter, Emily, and her partner,Mel who are visiting us from Santa Cruz. Great to have part of our family with us!
Today we went snorkeling out on an ocean reef and saw incredible coral varities...including brain coral and multi-colored fans and feather corals.


Heading out for a hike in the mangroves.



Emily feeding a Tarpon at Islamorada.

Photo Update

Bo escaping the jaws of Swampy the giant gator.


Time to catch up on pictures from the Econlockhatchee River kayak run.



Atlantic Ocean at Canaveral Seashore

Kayaking with Alligators

Monday was the first day of our week long kayak trip with the Sierra Club out of Chuluota, Florida. We are staying at the Big Oaks Ranch on the Econlockhatchee River and going out to kayak at a different location each day. On Monday we visited the Blue Spring which is one of the many incredible springs in Florida that gush out millions of gallons of water each day from the underground aquifer. We kayaked out of Blue Spring into the St Johns River where we saw the typical fauna of alligators, herons and egrets.
On Tuesday, we kayaked at the Canaveral Sea Shore in a big ole lagoon called Mosquito Lagoon.
Today we kayaked 10 miles down the Econlockhatchee River. What an amazing experience! A tropical paradise of palm trees, cypress trees, some pines with lots of Tarzany vines hanging out over the river. So many alligators, up close, that it was quite a thrill! One gal in the tour got so excited about the alligator that she tipped over in her kayak fairly close to a BIG gator that the guide had dubbed "Bone Crusher'. Our guide said that the gators are shy... no worries!

I am posting this without photos as the signal strength in Swamplandia is too weak to upload my photos. I will make up for it later.

Trail Riding the Pinellas

Yesterday was the final day of our week long cycling adventure on the Pinellas Trail out of Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. We spent the week zooming north and south along the trail between St Petersburg and Tarpon Springs, stopping at the beaches, parks, shops and restaurants en route. Our fine dining finale for lunch yesterday was Eli's BBQ where the patrons were waiting 10 deep in line.



Eli working the BBQ. That's HOT!!

Well worth waiting for...beef ribs with beans and slaw.

The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida

Salvador Dali and the Dali Llama are on opposite ends of the human spectrum. The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is all about the wild and crazy artist from Spain, housing 90 of his over 2000 art pieces in a beautiful museum with garden. Wikipedia's description of Senor Dali is, "Dalí was highly imaginative, and also had an affinity for partaking in unusual and grandiose behavior. His eccentric manner and attention-grabbing public actions sometimes drew more attention than his artwork...". Evidently, he was quite the showman.

Lobster Telephone



Cycling Dali style






Museum Staircase

Cycling the Pinellas Trail

It's Spring Break on the Gulf Coast and John and I have joined the hordes of youngsters and oldsters clogging the beaches and roads. Luckily we have a dedicated bike path to ride and a dedicated group of cyclist to ride with here in Indian Rocks Beach. Our Bicycle Adventure Club group is spending the week exploring the areas on and around the bike path during the day, and partying and dining at night. Eat, Ride, Eat, Sleep....Repeat!!




Pines and Palms









and water every which way you look!

Biking Birders

I haven't yet decided if Bo and I are Biking Birders or Birding Bikers. Today we cycled through the Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island with binoculars at the ready. As we cycled through the Mangrove Swamp, we saw the usual bird suspects...shore birds, herons, egrets, plus a new egret for us..the reddish egret. Alligators and snakes were also in evidence. We were surprised to discover crabs that climb trees! Figure that!
Another highlight of the day was dining on Stone Crab claws...yummy!

The Rich and Famous

Thomas Edison is one of the most famous people in America for his many wonderful inventions, particularly the light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera. Today John and I visited his winter retreat on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Meyers, Florida. Thomas Edison and his family enjoyed winter stays at Seminole Lodge( as they called their winter home) starting in 1901. In 1916, Henry Ford, who was a great fan of Thomas Edison, purchased the property adjacent to Seminole Lodge and the two friends became neighbors. We toured both homes on the two estates as well as Edison's laboratory where he, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone endeavored to produce and manufacture a quick growing, domestic source of natural rubber.




Edison's Laboratory