Orlando, ‘Religulous’, ‘The Way of War’, Everglades (again), Key West

(posted from Boyd’s Campground, Key West, FL)
(This post covers 21-25 February, 2009)

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Thursday, 26 February-

Today we spent most of the day driving to Key West. It’s only 135 miles from Flamingo to Key West but we had some stops to make. We checked out the Everglades Visitor’s Center, we shopped for supplies, and we stopped for a Key Lime pie sample on the way.
We arrived in Key West by 1600 and went to Boyd’s Campground and checked in. We then drove in to a parking lot at Fort Zachary Taylor, unloaded the bikes, and rode into Mallory Square just as the sunset celebrations were getting underway.
After walking around to sample the various performers, we had supper at Cuban restaurant near the Square. I had a very strong caprinha to drink and just a guacamole appetizer and then a grouper ceviche appetizer.
We then walked the length of the harbor walkway pushing our bikes and rode back. But then we decided we could use another drink so rode back to a nice restaurant with a rooftop bar and listened to live music.
We finally decided to call it quits around 2200 and rode back to the van for our ride to the campground. I updated the blog and gratefully called it a night.


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Wednesday, 25 February-

What a beautiful day. After a mid-Sixties night we woke to a pleasant 70-degree morning. After morning chores we took a short walk on the Long Pine Key Trail. We then drove to the Anhinga Trail area again to walk the Gumbo Limbo Trail. But we noticed the tourists on the Anhinga Trail (the one we were on last night) seemed to be taking a lot of pictures. We soon found ourselves walking the same boardwalks, this time in daylight. We again saw many alligators but also the classic Florida birds (egrets, herons, bitterns, turkey vultures, and anhingas). We then finished up with a walk through the Gumbo Limbo Trail.
We then headed south for Flamingo. Along the way we stopped at Paurotis Pond to see the wood storks and roseate spoonbills.
At Flamingo we checked the weather report at the marina and decided we’d take the fishing boat out even though it was blowing 15-20 knots and Whitewater Bay was reported to be choppy. We first checked in at the campground, then returned to the marina to launch the boat.
We headed up the Buttonwood Canal and into Whitewater Bay. The canal was smooth but Whitewater Bay had small whitecaps. But with the wind blowing from the east and us headed mostly east we had it nice—at least until turning to come back.
We zoomed out the Wilderness Waterway for a couple of hours. Around Mile Marker 33 we shut down the engine and just sat enjoying the view and the pleasant sun.
We hit the satellite messenger and marked our position on the GPS, then turned back so we could get back in time to load up the boat and still have sunlight to make supper.
Our trip back was a bit rough as we were now going into the wind but the boat took it well. We made it back to the launch ramp about an hour before dark.
As we loaded and tied down the boat we noticed a USGS (US Geological Service) boat come in and load. We struck up a conversation with the young folks running the boat. They had been out working on tidal and salinity-measuring gear, mostly replacing batteries.
We drove back to the campground, taking a brief delay to walk around Eco Pond. In camp, we had a gourmet supper of beef stew accompanied by a glass (ok, a paper cup) of Wal-mart’s very nice Oak Leaf box wine and a dessert of mandarin oranges. (Man, are we living it up out here!)
We then took a bit of a break. I caught up the blog while Orat read ‘Yukon Alone’.
Before bed we stepped out to marvel at the spectacular night sky and then turned in for the night.

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Tuesday, 24 February-

I did a bit of re-supply shopping at Wal-mart, then headed on over to the airport to pick up Orat. I circled through the Arrival area just to see the layout, then drove to the cell-phone waiting area. I like that idea. Instead of having to find and pay for a parking spot, all I had to do was go to the cell-phone waiting area (a large, free parking lot well away from the terminals) and wait for Orat’s call, then go pick him up. And in this case I was in the parking lot looking for a good spot when his call came. Five minutes later I picked him up and we headed out.
We drove down 441 toward Okeechobee. Our first stop was a motorcycle shop which had Ural motorcycles and sidecars and Royal Enfield motorcycles displayed out front. We only stopped for a quick look but were invited inside by the owner who gave us a little tour and talked about the Urals.
For lunch we stopped at the Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction. Orat tried the Cuban sandwich and I had a “Pan con bisteca” or (literally) “bread with steak”, sandwich. The name doesn’t do my sandwich justice. It was a wonderful, fresh Cuban bread with a nice thick slice of steak garnished with fried onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and (of all things) potato sticks. Excellent choice! And we had a bonus at the Desert Inn. Ever since St Cloud we had been in cattle country. And the Desert Inn is a working-man’s place. And it was there that we noticed that the table of working guys (and a woman) were all wearing spurs. Very, very cool! This was true Old Florida stuff.
In Okeechobee we stopped at the Wal-mart to return my Redbox movie. The box had malfunctioned at St Cloud and would not accept the return. But since you can return them to any Redbox, I just brought it along to the next Wal-mart I’d be passing.
We also shopped for a sleeping bag for Orat. All we need was a simple bag which could be used as a quilt or a sleeping bag and we found a perfect one for --- get this--- $10.47.
We went on down 441, following it down the east side of Lake Okeechobee. We had enjoyed seeing the cattle country north of the lake and there were still some cattle ranches here, but we also began seeing sugar-cane fields. Again, the stuff of Old Florida. We mostly passed mown-close sugar cane fields but also saw some controlled-burns as well as a big Domino Sugar processing plant which was burning sugar-cane residue to make electricity.
Below the lake and Belle Glade, we began seeing tropical plant nurseries. There were dozens of them! We had to wonder at how large their market must be to have such extensive nursery areas and retail lots.
We made it to Florida City and the Wal-mart there by 1730. We shopped for supplies in preparation for entering the Everglades for the next day or so. We then drove on to the Everglades entrance station and then the Long Key Campground.
We settled into our campsite by 1830 and had supper. Afterwards, we drove to the Anhinga Trail for a night-walk. As we arrived we noticed a large number of cars in the parking lot and thought our plans for the evening may be spoiled. But it turned out this was the park’s evening event— an evening walk—and it was just finishing up.
Orat and I spent the next two hours slowly walking the Anhinga Trail boardwalk, looking for gators and other denizens of the night. The night was pleasant but not so warm as it had been last Friday on my previous visit. But we still managed to find a large group of very active gators in the waters under the west-side boardwalk. We took our good old time and very much enjoyed the wild feeling of seeing the gators.
We then drove back to the campground. But we realized it was only 2130 and a bit early for sleep. So we drove to the Pa-hay-oh-ki boardwalk and walked that one. This was a very different feeling. The boardwalk leads to an observation platform looking out over the wild Everglades.
By then we were both exhausted from our long day. We drove back to the campground and gratefully hit the sack.

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Monday, 23 February-

Another hang-around day in Orlando. I tried the local library and they had wireless but it’s only available to residents of Orange County (around Orlando). Thankfully, I’ve found that attitude to be the exception rather than the rule. But the guy was gracious enough to direct me to the local Dunkin’ Donuts for a wi-fi hotspot. And this one was great— just a nice, fast connection directly to the Internet. I spent three or four hours on it, doing everything from catching up my iTunes podcast backlog to catching up on email and the news, to making a long phone call to Labashi via Skype.
Late in the day I drove through Orlando to St Cloud to position myself near the Orlando airport to pick up Orat tomorrow morning. I went back to the same Wal-mart where I had stayed a few nights ago since I knew it was a good one.
I rented ‘The Way of War’ with Cuba Gooding, Jr. Horrible movie. It doesn’t make sense, the actors look like they’re playacting, it’s just awful. When I saw it had several of the actors from ‘The Wire’ in it (especially Lance Reddick who played Lt Daniels in ‘The Wire’), I was rooting for it but the storyline just didn’t cut it. Skip this one.

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Sunday, 22 February –

Today I hung around Orlando. I spent much of it at the local Bass Pro Shop, picking up a few items for fishing. A local outfitter gave a talk about fishing and I had a chance to talk with him later for some recommendations on fishing for snook from the Chokoloskee side of the ‘glades.
After that I hit a local park for lunch then just began driving around through Orlando’s neigborhoods. I ended up west of the city in Ococee and found the local Wal-mart for the night.
I picked up ‘Religulous’ with Bill Maher from the Redbox and passed the evening with that. I appreciate what he was doing but I think I would have preferred someone a little less inclined to interrupt with his own opinion. The people being interviewed were perfectly capable of saying foolish and ridiculous things without prompting, interruption, or interpretation from Bill. I did, however, really like his making a strong statement that agnostics should be more vocal about objecting to the evils of organized religion.

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Saturday, 21 February-

After a wonderfully-quiet night at Flamingo, I headed north in Mocha Joe. I stopped at Pa-hay-oh-ki to remind myself what was there (an observation tower looking over the river of sawgrass) and chatted with a couple from British Columbia who have a second home at Hundred Mile House. I very much enjoyed comparing notes about touring Canada.
I stopped at the Long Key picnic grounds for lunch and there met an interesting photographer. He said he was from New York and does some work for Time and some celebrity photos but his passion is insect photography. He’s a little disappointed to not have more bugs in the ‘glades this time of year but I gave him directions to a good place for photographing tree snails so hopefully that will help.
When I said I was from south-central PA, he asked if I had ever heard of Camp Hill--- that’s where he grew up. And of course I have. He had worked for Book-of-the-Month Club in Camp Hill and that’s what led to his working for Time Magazine.
We chatted for quite a while as he maneuvered around for good shots of an interestingly-colored lizard in the brush. He showed me some really top-notch photos on his iPhone and have me addresses to galleries of his work on the web.
After lunch I drove up through the park and into Florida City. I stopped at the Everglades Hostel to see about renting a canoe and then went on to the Homestead Library to chat with Labashi and post my blog update.
I decided I’d start working my way up to Orlando to pick up Orat on Tuesday. I worked my way around Lake Okeechobee and reached the little town of Okeechobee by 1800. I stopped at the Wal-mart there but it just didn’t appeal at all. I decided to keep running and ended up another 100 miles north at the St Cloud Wal-mart before stopping for the night at 2000.
Along the way I stopped at the Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction for a piece of pie. I had read a little about this historic roadhouse/flophouse/onetime brothel and wanted to see it. One of its claims to fame is a manikin in the ladies room which is only clad in a tee shirt. Should the overly-curious lady visitor lift up the tee shirt to peek underneath, a loud alarm goes off in the bar.
I had an overly-generous piece of apple pie ala mode as my supper.
By the time I reached St. Cloud I was ready for sleep—it was a long day of driving.

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Oleta River State Park, Another flat!, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Everglades, Night-time gator spectacle

(posted from Homestead Library)
(This post covers 17 – 20 February, 2009)

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Friday, 20 February-

This morning I hung around the campsite awhile and talked with a few folks. A guy from Bellingham, Washington has a chance to buy a kayak like mine and had many questions. The bottom line is he really needs to paddle it in the rougher conditions he wants to use it in and not take my word for it. But we did have a pleasant hour talking kayaks.
A bit later I greeted a neighboring camper whose vehicles had Maine plates. He’s from Skowhegan and was quite a talker. He had worked around machinery all his life and eventually had developed health problems working in a paper mill which used toxic chemicals for paper finishing. He spun many stories, telling me in great detail about pouring lead bearing babbits and working on ships with pistons as big across as a dinner table. I eventually had to just say I needed to get on with my day or we’d probably still be there talking. But they would all have been interesting tales.
I headed south to Flamingo since I wanted to get into the campground for the weekend. The campground person where I stayed last night said the Flamingo campground may fill up for the weekend and I didn’t want to have to make the long haul out of the park if that happened.
After checking in and having lunch I read about the Everglades for a couple of hours since I wanted to walk later in the day. The temperature today was supposed to hit 85 but I don’t think it even hit 80 and the van was very pleasant with the doors open and a nice breeze blowing through.
I stopped at the visitor’s center and then got on the Christian Point Trail by 1500. I walked it for almost two hours in very pleasant weather. I then drove north to check out the birds at Paulotis Pond, where I saw wood storks and a few roseate spoonbills— but fewer of the latter than last time (two winters ago with Labashi).
I continued north to Mahogany Hammock where I jogged the half-mile boardwalk. I wanted to get back to Eco Pond by sunset and barely made it. I walked the circumference of the pond as the sun set but didn’t see anything but a few spoonbills, two bitterns, and a handful of stilts.
I went back to the campsite and made a quick supper and took a short break. I then walked a mile and a half to the visitor’s center for the evening program. This one was on sea turtles and I learned of the five types of sea turtles here in Florida Bay (green sea turtles, loggerheads, leatherbacks, hawksbills, and Kemp-Riddleys). The ranger turned out to have grown up in York, PA.
After the presentation I walked back the mile and a half under an incredible sky. I could pick out most of the Seven Sisters and could easily see the Milky Way. And I saw a nice, long shooting star.
I am one tired puppy tonight. I figure I walked somewhere between eight and nine miles today.

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Thursday, 19 February –

This morning I drove to nearby Biscayne National Park to check it out. As many times as I’ve been to Florida I’ve never been there. As it turns out, there’s not a whole lot to the mainland portion of this park so I only spent a couple of hours, taking a short walk and watching visitor films. I did see interesting footage of the damage done by Hurricane Andrew to the park and to Homestead and Florida City in 1992.
I then realized I was actually pretty close to the Everglades National Park entrance—only 15 miles away. I had become tired of the look-alike beach communities as I came down Florida’s east coast so I was ready for something different.
I drove into the park and felt at home right away. Ah---- THIS is better!
After an hour at the visitor’s center I drove on to the Long Key campground and picnic area. I read a bit at the picnic area then decided I’d stay in this area tonight rather than go on to Flamingo. I checked in at the campground and took a walk on the main Pinelands Trail late in the day. I walked five miles and timed it to get back to the van at dusk. After supper I took it easy for an hour or so, then once it was good and dark I drove to the Royal Oak visitor center. The visitor center itself is closed at this time (about 2000) but the boardwalk leading out of there is (I heard from a ranger) an interesting night-walk.
As I began my walk, I left my lights off and listened to the many night sounds. There’s LOTS of splashing and grunting and groaning going on out there! I followed the boardwalk around to a turnoff and heard an amazing amount of thrashing around and some grunting. I turned on the light and the scene reminded me of a horror movie. I could see dozens of shiny-orange eyes—gators. And just below me the bushes were moving about—much like Jurassic Park just before the T-Rex attacks. In this case it was caused by the unseen gators brushing against the roots of the bushes under the water. And then I’d see the side of a gator or a back. Or two gators rolling over each other. The whole cove was alive with thrashing and roiling and it was downright thrilling in a primitive, I-sure-hope-they-can’t-get-me way. Incredible!
After things settled down a bit I walked to the end of the boardwalk and saw a small group of people nearby. I walked over and told them to be sure to take the turn that would take them to the thrashing-about area. I then started back toward the van.
I was walking along with the flashlight off and suddenly saw a log-like something across my path ahead. I turned on the light and there was an eight-foot gator across the pathway. This section wasn’t boardwalk—it was a paved path along the impoundment. I backed away from the gator and waited a bit for it to move on but it just settled down on the path. I soon realized I’d either have to wait it out or take the boardwalk turnoff the long way back around to get back to the van. I took the long way.
That actually worked out well. I caught up with the folks I had directed to the turnoff and joined them in watching the gator spectacle. My tactical light was much brighter than their conventional lights so they were able to see the gators much more clearly. We had a great ol’ time.
After awhile I split off from the group and headed back. After I made it back to the paved path I looked back up to where the eight-footer had been blocking my way and it was gone.
Back at the van I thanked my lucky stars for this night. THAT GATOR SPECTACLE WAS FANTASTIC!
I drove back to the campground and caught up the blog before reading a bit to end the day.

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Wednesday, 18 February –

Today I continued south along the beaches. I drove down A1A through Miami Beach and South Beach, crossed back to the mainland, then back out the Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne. At the end of the Key lies Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. I took a look about, then walked five miles of trail while listening to music and ‘This Week in Saskatchewan’ on the iPod. Once again I took a short nap, then crossed back to the mainland during rush hour and drove down US1 out of Miami and on to Homestead and Florida City.
I knew there’s a Wal-mart that welcomes overnighters at Florida City so I stopped at the Miami-Dade library at Homestead and had a long chat with Labashi and read the Wall Street Journal. I was also going to read the New York Times but I noticed it was a week old. I asked about the current one and was told the week-old one is the latest available. To save money they have the Times sent by bulk-rate mail. So would you still call that ‘news’ when it arrives a week later? I’d think a week-old Times is so out of date the library would be better off to just cancel the subscription.
After closing the library at 2100, I drove on to the Florida City Wal-mart for the night.

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Tuesday, 17 February –

This morning I left the Wal-mart in Miramar and went looking for a library. The GPS led me to a very nice one—the Miami-Dade County Library at Miami Garden. I set up in a private corner and had a nice-long video-chat with Orat. He’s coming down to Florida next week and we’re going to have a good time!
I updated the blog and then called Labashi. She’s visiting her parents at their home outside Detroit and today she was at the local hospital as her Dad prepared for a surgery.
After my chat with Labashi, I headed east and spent the rest of the day at Oleta River State Park. This little park has the most wonderful mountain biking trails. I’ve never seen anything like it. They are very intricate and made for interesting walking. The trails are very narrow and one-way trails so I had to enter them at the ‘Wrong Way’ sign (as instructed by the ranger) so I’d see the mountain bike riders coming in time to get out of their way. I walked five miles of trail, enjoying it all. The trails wound in and out of mangrove-lined lagoons which looked very spooky, yet the water was a clear green--- very unique.
I pushed hard on the walk and felt pretty well wiped out afterwards. I found a nice shady and breezy spot for Mocha Joe, open the doors and took a nap for an hour or so.
As I began winding my way out of the park after my nap, I heard an odd slapping sound. I stopped and checked the tires on the right side of the van and saw nothing. I drove a little more and checked again. And again. Finally, I saw it--- a screw embedded in the right-front tire tread. It was so nicely seated in the tread it looked like it had been installed there by the factory.
The head of the screw was pointed directly forward so I decided I’d try plugging the hole right where it was. I dug out my handy-dandy Wal-mart premium tire plugging kit and the tire pump. I used vice grips to unscrew the screw and of course air began leaking out. I used the rasp tool to enlarge the hole for the plug and then installed the plug. I used some soapy solution to check it and it appeared fine. I had only lost three psi of air doing the plug. That was easy to replace using my tire pump and I was soon on my way. The whole process only took ten minutes or so. This was the fourth tire I’ve plugged this year—two of mine and two for some young guys broken down on the McCarthy Road in Alaska.
I’ve now had flats on three of the four tires on the van since June. The right-rear was holed near Tombstone Park in the Yukon (I had that one professionally plugged). The left front was holed on the McCarthy Road in Alaska (not far from where I plugged the tires for the young climbers) and now the right front picked up this screw in Florida.
Oh, yeah, and I forgot to mention that my windshield is now cracked. It was hit by gravel kicked up by a car in front of me on I-95 just above the Florida-Georgia state line about ten days ago. I took five hits on the windshield in Alaska and Yukon but this one is the worst. I now have a ten-inch crack in the windshield on the passenger side.
I left Oleta River State Park as it closed at sunset. I found a Wal-mart nearby (the 163rd Street one in Miami) and saw it would work for the night so I went on to the Miami Garden library again. I called Labashi again to check in on the surgery and all had gone very well.
Back at the Wal-mart I rented ‘Traitor’ with Don Cheadle. Good movie! I had expected a shoot-em-up but it was a well-thought-out movie which gives us something to think about.

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Kayaking the Loxahatchee to Trapper Nelson site, “Dark Knight”, broken-down 1966 Batmobile, Flagler Museum, “Righteous Kill”, “Bangkok Dangerous”

(posted from Miami-Dade branch library in Miami Gardens, FL)
(This post covers 14 – 16 February, 2009)

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Monday, 16 February-

I had wanted to visit the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach but had gotten into town too late yesterday. The museum is close to the Wal-mart so I thought this would be perfect--- stay the night at Wal-mart and catch the museum in the morning.
I arrived at the museum by 0900 and saw a sign showing it doesn’t open until ten. I had passed a nice-looking little park on the way in so retreated there and went for a walk. My walking loop brought me back to the van in about 50 minutes so I drove on over to the museum and realized something wasn’t right. There were no cars. Oh, yeah. It’s open Tuesdays through Saturdays. I had lost track of the day again. I found a shady spot in the lot and went for another walk for a total of five miles this morning.
Near the Morikami is the American Orchid Society offices and garden. I walked through the gift store and almost bought a ticket into the garden. But I realized I would have enjoyed that with Labashi but not alone.
I had lunch back at the van and realized the walk and lunch had made me sleepy. The van was parked in a perfect shady spot for a nap. I got out the iPod and listened to music for a while and before long I was fast asleep.
I then headed back to the ocean and followed A1A down through Fort Lauderdale. Just below the Fort Lauderdale airport complex is a Bass Pro so I shopped there a bit but only bought two fishing lures. I see the price of boats is down somewhat. I saw a classy 18-foot Mako center console with 90-horse four-stroke Merc and a custom galvanized trailer for under 17K. That’s still too much for me but I believe that boat would have been over 22K last year.
After a few hours at Bass Pro I asked the GPS to take me to a Wal-mart. I passed one at Hallandale Beach but it was right on the intracoastal and the parking lot was jammed. I saw from the map that the one at Miramar should be a little further out of the city and therefore more likely to have a decent-sized parking lot.
After supper I hit up the Redbox for ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ with Nicholas Cage. It was okay for an action/adventure film. It was more interesting to watch as an exercise in film-making than for the storyline, though.

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Sunday, 15 February –

Today I headed south again, just basically following the beaches. I ended up in Palm Beach by 1130 or so. I saw a sign for the Flagler Museum just as I saw a good, shady parking spot for Mocha Joe and the boat. I walked across the street to what turned out to be a beautiful formal garden. I thought the museum might be just beyond the garden so took a walk through, marveling at the spectacular sculptures and unfamiliar tropical plants. I learned the museum was actually a few blocks away so took my time in the garden, then went back to the van and pulled out the folding bike. I had a very pleasant bike ride down the Lakeside Bike Trail along the Intracoastal. The museum didn’t open for another fifteen minutes so I cruised the neighborhoods. Wow. Above my pay grade, that’s for sure.
I spent several hours in the Flagler Museum, enjoying it but I’d sure like to have had Labashi along. She would have had interesting opinions on everything.
After the museum I rode the bike north a few blocks looking for a café or something for lunch. There were multiple cafes, all open air and inviting-looking but packed. And the parking lots were jammed with BMWs, Mercedes and Bentleys and here and there a Rolls. Not my style. I found a Publix supermarket and bought some fresh fruit and had a late lunch in the park.
I then drove on down A1A. I tried a library at Lantana but it was closed today. I then looked for a Starbucks and found one in Delray Beach. I had to park a few blocks away because there was obviously something going on in the area. That turned out to be the Garlic Festival. Since Sunday was a free day at the Garlic Festival I walked through but didn’t think it that special.
After a walk a few blocks in each direction, I returned to the van and looked up the local Wal-mart. This one didn’t have a Redbox but I found a similar machine at a nearby Albertsons Supermarket and rented ‘Righteous Kill’ with Deniro and Pacino from the ‘MovieCube’ (a competitor to Redbox).
I liked this one. The story has a bit of a twist and keeps you guessing throughout. You think you know what’s going on but suspect there’s something coming and the movie doesn’t disappoint. Recommended.

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Saturday, 14 February-

Today I went kayaking on the Loxahatchee River at Jonathan Dickenson State Park. The Loxahatchee was the first of Florida’s rivers to be designated a Wild and Scenic River.
The draw here is the Trapper Nelson Interpretive Site, several hours upriver. Nelson was a New Jersey native who established himself as a ‘wild man’. He carved out a homestead in a remote area of the river and lived off the land as best he could. When game became scarce, he began renting his cabin to adventurous types and he built a rustic zoo of alligators, raccoons, wild cats, and snakes. His home was close enough by water to Palm Beach that local captains began taking boat loads of tourists to see him, for which he was paid by the head. It’s said that as a boat approached, he’d swing out on a rope and drop into the water, then swim to the boat and climb aboard to count heads to determine his cut. He was poor but savvy. He learned to check at the courthouse for properties near his which were under tax liens. He’d pay the taxes and take ownership of the properties. In this way he increased his ownership to over 800 acres.
In his middle years he became suspicious and warned off prospective visitors with a shotgun in hand. His death was mysterious in that he was found dead of a gunshot wound to the chest with the gun lying nearby. The death was ruled a suicide but many believe there it was murder. He had, for instance, testified against a brother who had committed murder (killing another brother) when they had first come to the area. The murderer had declared he’d have his revenge and had been released from prison by the time of Nelson’s death but had an alibi for the time in question.
The site was left as it was in its heyday and is very intriguing. The site never had electricity but did have hot and cold running water. Nelson had dug a well by hand and used a gasoline-driven pump to elevate water to a tank. He also installed copper piping in the fireplace for his hot water. What a cool place. It’s understated but also very ‘real’ feeling and evocative of its time.
After the paddle back downriver I had had quite a day but still had a few things to do. I visited the sani-dump to take care of the porta-pottie, then took a nice, long shower at the campground.
I would like to have stayed another night but at $22 that’s a bit much, so I thought I’d try the next Wal-mart. Along the way I found the library at Jupiter and took care of mail and posting the blog. I then found the Wal-mart and tried my best to find another wi-fi hotspot so I could chat with Labashi. I found one at a Dunkin Donuts but it wasn’t working.
I wanted something more substantial for supper so tried a Sonny’s Bar-B-Q. It was okay. I had hoped for some killer bar-be-que sauces and they had five different sauces but they seemed rather ordinary to me. I think I’m developing more of a taste for the North Carolina-style vinegary sauces.
I returned to the Wal-mart and rented a movie from the Redbox. This one was ‘The Dark Knight’. It was flashy, but I can’t say it was good.
Oh, yeah. This is not related to my renting ‘The Dark Knight’, the latest Batman movie, but remember the original Batmobile built by Geoge Barris --- the one with the glass-bubble tops? I saw it today. It was broken down and blocking the turning lane into the Wal-mart. A cop was parked behind it with his flashers on and the poor guy driving the Batmobile had the hood up and was fiddling with the carburetors. A young boy was in the passenger seat and looked a bit mollified that he was in the Batmobile and drawing a lot of attention from passers-by, but the Batmobile wouldn’t start. Shortly after I passed, though, it apparently started. By the time I swung through the parking lot and came back for a closer look, the Batmobile was pulling out. Check it out at www.1966batmobile.com.


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Titusville, Merritt Island Refuge, Johnathan Dickenson State Park
(posted from Palm Beach County Library, Jupiter, FL)
(This post covers 11-13 February 2009)--------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 13 February-

This morning I woke up a bit early and decided to move on. I bought a few items from the Wal-mart, then headed south on A1A. That took me through one beach town after another and to some very nice views of the ocean. I stopped at Sebastian Inlet State Park for lunch, then a bit later at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park for a short walk on their nature trail and along the inlet.
That afternoon I stopped at Jonathan Dickenson State Park at Hobe Sound. I checked out the river area and walked the Kitching Creek Trails. The trails were supposed to be an hour of walking but I did it in a half hour (I suppose because I wasn’t stopping to read the nature-trail signs) so I did it again in the opposite direction to get a bit more of a workout. I’d guess I did five miles total today.
I had supper at an overlook as the sun went down and wondered where I’d find my spot for the night. The state park campground was full and I’m unfamiliar with the Wal-mart at Jupiter Beach but those close to a beach typically have no-overnighting signs. I stopped at the park office on the way out and I believe the ranger lady mistook me for someone else. She asked “Haven’t you found anything yet?” as if we had talked about this before. I said no but then asked if they had any overflow sites. She apparently took pity on me and gave me a nice site in the supposedly-full campground. Nice!
I spent the evening blogging and reading.

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Thursday, 12 February-

I again started out at the library, this time going through their Florida books collection. I jotted down some suggestions from ‘Off the Beaten Path- Florida’, ‘Scenic Drives in Florida’, and “Best Small Towns in Florida”. I also jotted some notes about recommendations for artificial fishing lures for snook—something I hope to need later this trip.
I then drove out to Cape Canaveral National Seashore to see the beaches and I saw the space shuttle sitting on its launch pad. Someone said it’s supposed to go up the 19th of this month (I later learned it was supposed to go today).
I then drove the Wildlife Drive to the Cruickshank Trail. I walked the five miles of dike trail, starting out in hot sun but then a few clouds made it a bit more comfortable.
That evening I again hit the library, continuing through the Florida Collection. I then tried connecting up the laptop, thinking I might talk to Labashi but something was wrong with their server and I couldn’t hook up.
I returned to the Titusville Wal-mart and there had an interesting chat with Rudi from Toronto. Rudi had rented a motor home in Toronto and was touring with his lady friend. I learned he had been to Deadhorse with this same girlfriend and she had hated it. She said it’s just trailers stuck together. With a revolt on his hands, Rudi had had to sweet-talk the hotel manager into giving them a room, this one with a tv and their own shower. And he had had to pay an extra 80 dollars a night for it. Yep—sounds like Deadhorse. It IS after all, a working camp for the oil field, not a tourist hotel.
After saying goodbye and good luck to Rudi, I hit the hay.

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Wednesday, 11 February-

I spent the morning and an hour or so of the afternoon at the North Brevard County Library, updating the blog, video-chatting with Labashi, and reading the various papers.
I went out to the van to get lunch and while I was eating a librarian came out and asked me to leave! It turns out the library has ‘tax day’ three days a week and on those days the parking lot is full. Someone had complained about my van-trailer rig taking up five parking spots. I was just having lunch before leaving so it was no problem for me. But once the librarian left a couple getting into their car nearby told me I’d been “narc-ed” by an old lady who had to circle the lot to find a parking spot. Now that’s hilarious.
I then drove to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and checked out the visitor center. I walked the nice little boardwalk but saw only an osprey and a turtle. I then moved further east to the Hammocks Trails. I walked the two-mile Palm Hammock trail, then the half-mile Oak Hammock trail, then did them both again. The Palm Hammock trail felt more remote and I had a surprise on my second pass. I rounded a turn and there in the trail was a big feral pig. Or rather a feral hog. Its hair was gray—much like mine. As soon as it saw me it bolted for the deep bushes. I walked for a little over two hours at a pretty good pace, so that should be about six miles.
I then returned to the library for the evening (rather than hang out at the Wal-mart). As I entered, a program was announced and I went to see Kathleen Duble, a young-adults author and her program about developing stories and characters. She told us how she had gotten the ideas for each of her six or seven books and how she peopled the stories. She also did an illustrative exercise. She had a kid from the audience come up and she draped a piece of clothing over the kid (a cape) and said “Who’s this?” and led the audience through chosing a name, establishing an identity (middle child, bookish while his siblings were athletic), choosing a problem the kid needs to solve or have solved (turn the cape into a plus rather than a minus), etc. It quickly became clear this could lead to a young-adult story. At the end of the program it was time for the moms and kids who were familiar with her works to get autographs so I slipped out the door, glad I had seen the program.
Afterwards I read, then headed back to the Wal-mart. I rented a Chris Rock DVD (his appearances in New York, London, and Johannesburg) and had a good laugh.

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Pedal-to-the-metal to La Flor-ee-da, Fernandina Beach, “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”, Little Talbot Island State Park, Fort Caroline and Tinicum Preserve, Anastasia State Park, Fort Matanzas, Washington Gardens State Park, Tomoka State Park, “Pineapple Express”

(posted from Titusville Library)
(This post covers 5-10 February, 2009)
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Tuesday, 10 February-

This morning I took my store-bought shower (at the campground) then went exploring. Tomoka State Park is on lands formerly settled and farmed by Indians. A large and somewhat-foreboding monument has a very large Indian chief at the top with various braves apparently attacking from below. The Indian village, called Nocomoco, existed up to the Seminole Wars.
I walked the nature trail from the end of the little peninsula to a now-closed museum and back. Just behind the museum I jumped three deer, all very tall, slender, and healthy-looking. My walk was only about a mile this morning.
I then went looking for an internet connection. I wanted to read the papers, check email and hoped to give Labashi a call. I first drove to the Ormond Beach Library and was surprised to learn there is no wireless in the Volusia County libraries. That seems almost criminal given there’s a lineup to get online terminals and setting up wireless is so easy. I stayed for another hour-plus reading the New York Times, Miami Herald, and Wall Street Journal.
I then looked up the local Panera and had a coffee while checking email and some online news sites. I saw Labashi wasn’t logged on at home (when she’s logged on her Skype name has an ‘online’ symbol) so I called home via cell phone, hoping she just had the computer turned off. But she wasn’t home. Rats.
I decided I’d head toward Titusville and perhaps along the way I’d find a library with wireless. In New Smyrna I found a nice library but unfortunately I was still in Volusia County. But they did have a list of wi-fi hotspots in the area. I drove to a coffee shop in New Smyrna Beach but I got there too late—they were closing in a half-hour. On to Titusville.
At the Wal-mart I checked with a manager about staying in the lot and she said it was okay with them though Titusville does have a no-overnighting ordinance. I decided to stay and for the first time tried Redbox—a DVD rental vending machine. The rental is $1 per night. I rented ‘Pineapple Express’. A forgettable, stupid-fest from Seth Rogen. Can I get my dollar back?

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Monday, 9 February –

This morning I headed back to the beach. This year I bought a Florida State Parks annual pass so I can check out each park and not be put off by the day-use fee. In fact, now that I’ve bought the pass, it will be an incentive to visit parks I’d probably otherwise pass up.
So this morning I used the pass at Anastasia State Park, right on the ocean at St. Augustine Beach. I parked in the beach parking lot and walked to the strand just for the view and then returned for a bit of lunch. I then drove down A1A to Fort Matanzas National Monument. This Fort sits on the bank of the St. John River, guarding the water entrance to St. Augustine. We took a ferryboat to the site and there listened to a French-army-clad ranger tell us the history of the fort. And in the rooms of the fort, everything is in place just as if the men had stepped out for a few minutes.
After the fort, I walked the nature trail, a very pleasant little boardwalk stroll of about a mile.
I then drove on south to Washington Gardens State Park. This is one of those I’d have bypassed without the annual pass.
But I loved it! The park is situated in the most spectacular grove of live oaks, all festooned with Spanish moss. The formal gardens are a very nice mix of citrus orchards, formal gardens, and the grounds of the original owner’s home. (It seems very odd to have just been in such cold temperatures and here I see oranges and grapefruits on the trees!).
And this garden obviously wasn’t planned as a garden for tourists. The land had been owned by a distant relative of George Washington and handed down through time until the point where it was sold for development. But the timing was bad (or good, as it turned out). Land sales crashed in 1924 and it sat idle until the large parcel was purchased by an industrialist and his wife. They created the gardens around the citrus orchards and the artesian well which had been dug in the mid 1800s for the orchards. As the couple neared death, they arranged for the property to be donated to the state for preservation in its then-current state.
After the formal gardens, I walked the four miles of nature trails of the property. I saw four huge pileated woodpeckers, each at least a foot high and traveling in pairs.
I then drove on south and checked out the Wal-mart at Palm Coast. But it looked like a zoo. The parking lot was small and way too crowded. I saw there were no-overnighting signs but may have been able to stay. I saw Gamble-Rogers State Park on the map and thought I’d give it a try but the campground was full. I remembered trying this same campground a few years ago and it was full then, too.
I drove on to Tomoka State Park which was inland from the beaches and they had plenty of sites. This is my first pay-night for camping-- $22.50.
After settling in I walked through the campground and met a guy named Evander . I praised the beautiful job he had done on shining up his 1974 Airstream trailer. It looks like a new one. He says he put 800 hours into stripping off the old clear finish and polishing the aluminum until it shines like a mirror. He says he has to apply a polish and wax every other year and that takes 40 hours (!!!!). I can’t imagine.
Evander told me he took his rig to Alaska two summers ago so we had a lot to talk about—we had been to many of the same places.
Later in the evening I walked over to the shower house and there met an interesting good-ole-bwa from Jaw-ja (as in ‘Georgia’, you know?). This gentleman began talking about growing up in a community where all the men had real jobs—like carpenter, plumber, etc. I’m not quite sure I got the point but I think it was about the economy being bad because everybody’s a banker these days. Anyway, his name was Cleveland Walker--- which he pronounced ‘WAL-kuh’--- and I very much enjoyed our chat. Mr. Walker has done quite a bit of traveling and we had a common experience there. I love conversations like that.
I spent the rest of the evening catching up the blog and reading. It is SO nice to be down here.

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Sunday, 8 February-

This morning I thought I’d use my National Parks pass to visit Fort Caroline, on the St. John’s River northeast of Jax. Fort Caroline is a National Monument but my pass should still be good there.
I found Fort Caroline easily enough and learned I had timed it well—there was a 16th Century re-enactment group on site this weekend. I browsed through the re-enactment area at the fort but only chatted briefly with several of them. I then visited the fort and walked the trails.
Fort Caroline was active in the mid-1500s. It was built by the French and attacked by the Spanish, who killed over 250 Frenchmen in seizing it.
Next to Fort Caroline is the Tinicum Preserve and part of it or next to it is the Teddy Roosevelt Preserve. These large land areas were held in their natural state into the 70s by a family who then donated them to the Federal government for preservation. It’s a wonderful mix of topography and vegetation. And I had it on a perfect, mid-70s day.
All in all I walked six miles of superb trail, enjoying every minute of it. Back at the van, I had a late lunch then drove toward the ocean. At Atlantic Beach I turned south on A1A and followed it to St. Augustine, arriving there about 1600.
I found parking well out of the old town area but I didn’t mind—I had my trusty folding bike along. I set up the bike and rode into Old Town and explored the length and breadth of it. I stopped at the old re-created Taberna where Labashi and I had had a good sangria two years ago and I had another one. Excellent!
Once off the main drag through Old Town, I explored the side streets, then the residential streets and the massive stone fort. I had a great old time just buzzing around on the bike and looking at everything.
As the sun set, I headed back to the van and went to the nearest Wal-mart. This one had a no-overnight-parking sign but I’ve found that doesn’t always mean no. In this case it meant (according to two different greeters) that the police may or may not kick me out but I was welcome to try.
I was so tired from all the walking and biking I decided I’d take a nap and then decide whether to stay or move on. I knew I could drive to Palatka and stay there but that’s 30 miles away. I ended up staying the night and had no problem.

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Saturday, 7 February-

Last night was a balmy 36 and I slept very well. I did a bit of shopping for supplies at Wal-mart this morning, then headed back to Fernandina Beach to make the turn to the ocean. I spent the morning easing in and out of small ocean-side parks, did a bit of shopping at a Harris Teeter (I was looking for plantain chips but didn’t find them. On the other hand, they had a great Lebanon bologna!).
I stopped at a boat launch area as I crossed to Talbot Island, then a bit later stopped at Little Talbot Island State Park for a walk. I walked a bit over four miles, mostly through a very pretty hammock of rolling sand-hills. A red-shouldered hawk surprised me by zooming soundlessly out of the trees on my left and passing by at eye level only ten feet in front of me. I also shot some good video footage of an armadillo. I had passed him by and paused to look around only to have him (or her) start to make noise in the underbrush not eight feet away. I’ve seen these before and those were very shy. Not this one. It completely ignored me though it did try to keep it’s rear end toward me as it dug along.
About two miles in I came to a wide, very flat beach. I only stayed a few minutes, then turned and retraced my steps into the fascinating hammock of massive live-oaks, hollies, pines, palmettos, and royal and sabal palms. What a pretty walk on this sunny-and-70 day.
I made it back to Mocha Joe about 1530 and then drove through the northeast outskirts of Jax and on toward Jacksonville Beach. I saw a Wal-mart but it seemed awfully busy so I only briefly checked it out. Closer to Atlantic Beach I found another Wal-Mart and beside it an Office Depot. According to wififreespots.com, Office Depots have free wi-fi now so I thought I’d check. A middle-manager type told me they do indeed have wi-fi and I could set up in the office furniture area if I liked. But when I set up there was no public wi-fi. A geek-type told me their wi-fi hasn’t worked for weeks. But I did learn there’s a Panera down the street.
I was soon sitting at the Panera and smiling at Labashi on a Skype video call. Cool! We chatted for a half-hour or so and caught up on the email and snail-mail. I continued browsing the web and caught up on my podcast downloads as I had a sandwich and coffee.
I then returned to the nearby Wal-mart for the night and blogged away, then listened to some podcasts and music before falling asleep.

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Friday, 6 February –

I got underway by 0800 and put the pedal to the metal (that’s 65 for Mocha Joe). My only stops were for gas and rest-stops so I was drinking a cup of the free orange juice they offer at the Florida Welcome Center by 1400.
As I stared at the maps in the Welcome Center parking lot, I decided I’d try something different this time. Instead of zipping around Jacksonville and making a beeline down the center of the state for Palatka, I’d head east to the ocean.
I passed a Wal-mart along the way and stopped in to ask if I could park there later tonight. I then went on to Fernandina Beach and parked a few blocks off the main drag and went for a walk around this nice little town.
Just as I entered town (near the marina) I came upon a woman who was tending to her dog. We struck up a conversation and I learned she was from Maine and she and her husband were on one of the boats in the marina. When she said Maine, I mentioned we had been there this Fall for the funeral of our sailing buddy. She knew the story of his untimely passing and we had a small-world moment.
As we chatted she recommended a local pizza place, saying it was the best pizza she had ever had. What do you do with that kind of recommendation? You have to go try it!
I thought I’d make it part of my walk but after two miles of walking and not knowing exactly where it (Moon River Pizza) was, I thought I’d better walk back to Mocha Joe and drive to it. So I did put my four miles in today. And that took me back downtown. Along the way I passed a sign for the library so thought I’d check it out. I read the papers for an hour or so and ended up closing the place at 1800.
Then I drove over to the pizza shop and had two big slices of excellent pizza. It was very, very good. A nice, thin, crispy and just-a-tiny-bit burnt crust and stacked high with grilled veggies. As I say, it was very, very good. Maybe not as good as Pontillo’s, but pretty darned good.
I drove back to the Wal-mart for the night. I had picked this one because I had seen a Blockbuster nearby. I walked over to the Blockbuster and rented “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”—a movie I’d have passed on if it were for Labashi and me. It’s a Kevin Smith movie and I know Labashi wasn’t impressed by ‘Clerks’ and ‘Clerks II’. And she wouldn’t have been impressed by ‘Zack and Miri’. If you could get by the language, the movie wasn’t THAT bad--- it was even funny some of the time. But ratchet up the slacker-sex humor in ‘Clerks’ about five times and you have ‘Zack and Miri’ (it IS about making a porno, after all). The plot didn’t make a lot of sense but it was interesting what they WOULDN’T have Miri do (language-wise and clothing-wise). The message was Zack’s foul-mouthed but good-hearted and Miri’s your sister. So if you’re thick-skinned and a Kevin Smith fan, the farthest I could go in making a recommendation is to give this one a ‘maybe’. Maybe you’re bored, you’ll watch anything. And maybe you’re not with anyone who’ll think you’re an idiot for laughing at the over-the-top, way-too-scatological humor of this one.

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Thursday, 5 February-

I finished up the prep for Florida this morning—packing up the laptop and various electronics, hooking up the boat, etc--- and departed by 1030.
Today was a good day for driving though very cold. For the last several years, I’d find the temperatures moderating quite a bit by the time I made it below Washington, DC, but not today.
I found gas prices very reasonable compared to the Alaska trip. Today I paid $1.89. Gas had just hit $4.00 a gallon as we departed for Alaska on 15 June. But with the kayak and Thule box on top and pulling the boat today, I’m only getting a little over 11 miles per gallon while I normally get around 15, sometimes 17 with a tailwind.
I had an easy time of it today and made it to my normal over-nighting place, a Wal-mart in Lumberton, SC, by 1830. I had a steak at a Texas! restaurant and decided I could drive a few more hours. I drove on to Manning, SC, arriving just before 2200. I did some quick shopping at the Wal-mart, glad to be inside on this cold night. After stowing my stuff, I cranked up the propane heater for a few minutes, then turned it off (I never sleep with that on) and settled in for the night.
I awoke around 0300 shivering. When I saw the thermometer, I knew why--- it was only 22 degrees! In South Carolina! Usually it’s near 50.
I pulled down Labashi’s big winter sleeping bag and happily crawled inside. Even then it took an hour to warm up.

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‘King Corn’, ‘Little Big Man’, Florida trip prep

(posted from home)
(This post covers 1-4 February, 2009)

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Wednesday, 4 February –

I had my cystoscopy and review of last week’s CT scan today. Everything else is clear but I apparently have what appears to be a kidney cyst but the doctor would want additional scans to confirm it. I asked if I have to get this done before Florida and he okayed waiting until I return from Florida. YES!!!!
I started packing my personal gear, maps, and the files I’ll need.
That evening we finished the ‘Flight of the Conchords’ disk. I think I need a break from the Conchords for awhile. No walk today.
I’m off to Florida in the morning.

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Tuesday, 3 February –

Labashi gave me a Florida-ready buzz-cut this morning. Now if the doctors will just clear me I’ll be on my way. I then caught up on the news and blogged a bit before lunch.
After lunch I worked on Mocha Joe, fixing a problem with one of the blackout-curtains. I cut and fitted a length of steel flat for the top of the curtain. Labashi sewed in a pocket for it and I re-installed it. That should work.
I also cleaned out the can and vacuumed it, then re-stowed. I finished loading gear in the Thule top-box. No walk today.
That evening we watched ‘Little Big Man’ with Dustin Hoffman as Jack Crabbe, a 122-year old survivor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Loved it!

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Monday, 2 February –

I spent much of today prepping the kayak and boat for the Florida trip. We had a sunny, 45-degree day through mid-afternoon (when it clouded up suddenly) so it was pleasant to be out. I gathered all the kayak gear and loaded it into the kayak, cleaned up the kayak’s exterior, and loaded it up onto Mocha Joe. I still have a few days before leaving but weather is looking sketchy for the next few days.
I also did some prep of the fishing boat. I drained the old gas into my lawnmower container since the outboard is sensitive to old gas but the lawnmower doesn’t seem to mind. I fixed the deep-cycle battery box’s terminals (one had worked loose and corroded) and cleaned out re-stowed the boat’s storage compartment, and greased the trailer-wheel hubs.
That evening we watched ‘King Corn’, a documentary about two city guys who moved to Iowa for a year to grow an acre of corn and use that experience to tell us all about corn—from genetically-modified seeds to how our food-chain has been radically changed since the 1970s by corn products.
No walk today.

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Sunday, 1 February-

Today we drove to Chambersburg to pick up some stuff from Maypo. The most immediate item was the envelope containing the license plate sticker for the fishing-boat trailer. Without that I can’t take the fishing boat on my upcoming trip. The other items were all related to estate work.
We chatted with Maypo for an hour or so, then headed home the long way. We had a 55-degree day and that’s quite a change for us lately. At Caledonia, we turned north and drove up through the Michaux State Forest. We were disappointed to find the campground closed at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. This was one of my favorite places to stay for a weekend or two in winter so I hate to see it closed.
We continued up past Laurel Lake where we saw a dozen or so ice fishermen enjoying the sun as they watched their tip-ups.
We came back through Boiling Springs then Dillsburg. I’d been wanting to check out the relatively new Java Junction coffee shop in Wellsville but it had closed at 1400 so I’ll have to do that another time.
After supper we turned on the Super Bowl and soon went to our offices to work on the web while the game played in the background. No walk today.
After the game we watched a couple of episodes of ‘Flight of The Conchords’.


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