February 11, 2005

Up this morning, to cool temperatures as it came close to freezing last night and the sun had not warmed up things yet. On the recommendation of the campground host – went to Perry (25 miles) to try to get our boat motor fixed. The place that he recommended could not get to it for another two weeks – and in turn we were recommended that we go to St. Marks (45 miles the other direction). Proceeded to St. Marks – (partially as we were planning to go there at some point anyhow) – only to discover that this marina would not have time to look at it for a month. Guess we will have to continue to look elsewhere for a less busy repair shop.

Stopped at a little restaurant (that had obviously seen better days) in a hotel and each of us had a sandwich: Mickey – Shrimp; Mom – Grouper; Dad – Mullet; Keelan – Nole Burger. As the waitress indicated – they are FSU Seminole fans around here and will only serve Nole (Semi”nole”) burgers. The sandwiches were huge – fries, onion rings, corn puffs and hush puppies plentiful and the lemonade bottomless. We waddled out of there being very stuffed for a very reasonable price.

Went down to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge – to do a short reconnaissance for a future day. The Refuge is on the marshy lands and forest next to the ocean – and is a refuge for many migratory birds, and animals. Stopped at a lighthouse in the part and took a short walk around the lighthouse levee. (The temperature was still cool and with the strong winds blowing in from the ocean – most people were bundled up in heavy jackets – however Dad continues to go around in shorts and sandals). The lighthouse itself has been in service for over 200 years. During the civil war – the confederate soldiers took the lens out of the lamp – and hid it in the marsh so that the union forces could not use it to navigate their way along the coast. When the union soldiers took over the area – they ripped down the stairs up to the lighthouse – so that confederate soldiers could not use it as an observation post. In September 1843, a huge ocean storm came in and the waves covered the coast, washing away all the buildings at St. Marks – leaving only the lighthouse standing. The lighthouse keeper’s family only survived by clinging to the floor at the top of the tower. As a result, the new community of St. Marks was moved further inland. Despite this, the lighthouse still looks majestic and keeps watch over the ocean and marshes.

On the walk – we encountered a number of different shore birds, herons, egrets, kites, and pelicans and a couple of alligators. On the way back we came across an armadillo that was routing around on the side of the road for the ants. We stood and watched and he kept moving down the side of the road towards us – until he was no more than a couple of feet from us. In the action of moving a palm leaf out of his way with this snout – he looked up – saw Mickey and scampered off. A moment later – a park ranger came up and indicated that armadillos have poor eyesight – and with the strong wind blowing – probably did not sense our presence. However, he did indicate we were lucky, as an armadillo’s usual defence is to scratch with his claws – and apparently, they can jump up to 3 feet high and can leave some vicious marks. Guess we were lucky.

Stopped by a roadside vendor and picked up some fresh honey and honeycomb. In addition, we picked up a jar of wild Mayhaw jelly. Mayhaw’s are small berries that grow in the swamps. It has a light taste – the kids saying that it is like strawberry and cherry together … only different (as Mickey would say).

Returned to campground – and the kids worked on their schoolwork – and we had a late dinner (still too stuffed from lunch) which Keelan helped to prepare and Mickey helped make the dessert.

February 12, 2005-

Up again to another a cool clear morning. (Some of the people here are running around in heavy winter jackets, etc.). Checked the weather on the TV and found out that Tallahassee (55 miles away) was 27 overnight – colder than Chicago, Washington, Boise and Spokane. Somehow, this just does not seem right – when you can see and smell the Gulf of Mexico.

Headed back off the St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge to do a couple of the trails that we had seen yesterday. The trail around the pond at the Information Center had a number of juvenile alligators (14 – 20″) sunning themselves on top of the water. The kids were interested in finding Sweetgums (star-like burr seedpods). These one-inch round spiky globes have a sap, which was used as a chewing gum by natives and early settlers. Although we had found a number of the seedpods – it was the wrong time of year to break them open and try the “gum”. The boys also found that poking holes the “algae bubbles” in the pond could be fun and that it would take a couple of holes before the bubbles would actually deflate. They also learned that the “Yellow Belly Sap Sucker” made neat rows of holes in the trees – and it would return later to feed on the sap and the insects that were attracted to the holes that they made.

Continued down to the Tower Trail – a longer trail around fresh water pond. The pond was a popular place for observing birds – and being on a migratory route there were many birds that either wintered here or stop off on the way further south. The refuge hands out folders that list 247 birds that are common in the area and there were quite a few birder’s around with their spotting scopes and camera in full operation.

The trail took us through an older forest where the trees were used to make Turpentine. You could see the scars and stains on the trees from where the collection boxes used to hang. The path then opened up – and was on a dike between the fresh water pond and the salt-water marshes. The refuge has made a series of dikes to increase the number of fresh water areas in order to increase the wetland area available to birds. The ponds are also open to limited fishing during the summer – and from the size of the fish that were jumping, it must be good fishing (not to mention the other animals that feed off the fish).

After eating lunch, we headed north out of the park. The area turned smoky and we came upon an area where they were doing a prescribed burn right next to the road. The wind was carrying the smoke and flames away from the road – but it was amazing to watch. The tall “Slash” pine trees that they have here seem to not be unhurt by the fire, as do the palmetto palms. Travelled to Wakulla Springs – a large natural water spring State Park complete with historical buildings and archaeological sites.

The park itself has 55 recorded archaeological sites including Paleo-Indian kill sites, village areas and burial mounds. There are also evidence of Spanish and other European explorers in the area. A large Macedon skeleton was also found at the edge of the springs – which seem to show the importance of the watering hole from the pre-historic times. In 1934, Edward Ball bought the entire land around the spring – to develop into an attraction – but unlike Silver Springs, he wanted one that was dedicated to the preservation and conservation of the wildlife and natural springs. He built Wakulla Springs Lodge in 1937 in a Mediterranean style, so as not to detract from its natural surroundings. The building itself features painted cypress beams, and a several large stone fireplaces. The lodge and surrounding land were deeded over to the State to manage.

The lodge is also the last resting place of “Old Joe” a 16-foot alligator. Old Joe is reported to be the most photographed wild alligator in the world – and was a favourite attraction in the spring. However, in the early morning hours of August 1, 1966 – Joe was killed. The National Audubon Society and Edward Ball Wildlife Foundation offered a $5000 reward for the arrest and conviction of the offenders. The Reward was never claimed and has this become the subject of many rumours and legends as to who “Old Joe’s Assassin” may have been.

The spring itself was also reported to have been discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513 as a “Fountain of Youth” – sound familiar? The main spring is considered to one of the deepest springs in the state (there are over 600 springs registered in Florida), having been explored to a depth of 300 feet. The average flow from the spring is 575 million gallons of pure water per year. In 1999, National Geographic recorded the world’s longest cave dive here and went over three miles up into the underground cavern – the channel leading it right under the dining room of the lodge.

Wakulla Springs is far less commercial than Silver Springs – and although there are boat trips you can take down the river – the lodge is built far enough back from the spring it does not spoil the natural beauty. It is a bird watchers Mecca – and also allows swimming on the small beach area to the left of the lodge (however there is a sign warning about swimming in an area that alligators are present … and we thought leaches were bad). The springs are so clear that you can see schools of large fishes – and watch the Anhinga diving and hunting for smaller fish. Wakulla Springs also has some fish (reported to be Mullets) that seem to love to jump way out of the water for no particular reason other than for the joy of jumping (there are a number of explanations that have been put forward for the behaviour – but none have been proved). The fish jump high into the air – either straight up, or in tumbling motions – a number of times in succession (we witnessed up to 5 jumps in a row). Local folklore states that there is a fish – named “Henry” who regularly jumps over a pole that extends out from the main dock area – however we were not fortunate enough to see this.

Stopped by a little seafood shop in St. Marks – and picked up some fresh shrimp, which we thoroughly enjoyed as a snack that night.

February 13, 2005

Up again to another clear and cool morning. The hedges between the campsites although very aesthetically pleasing, also provides roosts to all of the various song birds in the area – which means when daylight starts to arrive – there is a short symphony of sounds which quickly turns into a cacophony.

The boys ended up working on schoolwork during the morning, while dad tried to get caught up on his photo editing and organization. In the afternoon, we loaded up and headed down a narrow gravel road to a local Hammock. The owner of the campground recommended the road to us, as it was where the locals went to fish and crab. When we arrived at the levee that connected the mainland to the hammock – there were a number of people with rods and buckets.

The crabs that people were catching were about 5 inches in diameter. The method was relatively easy – tie a chicken neck or fish head on a heavy line and throw it in the water. When the crab starts to eat on the meat – pull it up and scoop up the crab in a net. It takes quite a few of these crabs to have a good feed – but the locals seem to enjoy both catching and eating them. People say that we could probably get away with catching some as there game officials do not come out much – however we would have preferred to have a licence. Beside which Florida has made up with the lack of enforcement officers by simply increasing the fines (as one local put it – if you get caught fishing illegally – they take your fishing rod, your boat, your boat trailer, and the vehicle that you used to tow it – seems to be effective at reducing recidivism rates).

Continued back to Perry to do some grocery shopping and allow the boys to time to play at a local park. They ended up hooking up with two young boys (son’s of the pastor) – and ran off a lot of energy playing football tag around the playground. Dad was not successful in finding a WiFi site so that he will have to try after we have moved on to our next campground.

By the time we got back to the campground it was dusk – and there were deer all along the sides of the roads. Do not know if I would like driving these roads at night on a regular basis.

February 14, 2005

Valentine’s Day. Up this morning to a heavy rainstorm. As the forecast was for rain most of the day, the plan was for the boys to go to the Club House to do school work, Mom to use the Club House Oven to bake cookies, and for Dad to head to Tallahassee (about 70 miles away). Dad’s goal was to find an Internet connection in order to do banking, and post the journal, and see if he can get an oil change on the Suzuki. As Dad headed into town, he encountered a sow feral pig and two piglets crossing the road. These pig / boar combinations have been running wild for many years – and are apparently plentiful in the marshlands.

Mom and the kids made out well today, and the weather let up by the afternoon when the kids had completed their work. Dad on the other hand did not make out quite as well. By the time he got to Tallahassee, it was raining so heavily that it was difficult to see much more than a few feet. This made driving, and following directions somewhat difficult – and finding a WiFi site almost impossible. Was not able to locate anything at the two universities, one tech school, public library, state capital building, etc. Finally able to locate a Barnes and Noble bookstore – which has a pay-for-use site that is relatively cheap. (Freedom Link). They have set up sites at most Barnes and Nobles across the country and are in the process of setting up sites at most McDonalds, etc. and this may be a partial answer to our connectivity problem.

Dad was able to get most of his e-mail done and was able to post this week’s journal entry. However when he left the mall – he seemed to get turned around in the heavy rain and ended up heading north rather than south. (The in-town streets were not listed on the small map that Dad had – and there were no direction signs to the main highways). By the time Dad had realized his error – he was about 30 miles in the wrong direction – and by the time he turned around and came back – it was rush hour and still raining. Needless to say it was a long day – and he still didn’t get an oil change. Oh well – will have to try at the next stop.
Dad came home to a great supper of smoked pork – and a lively game of Canasta – and yes Dad is still losing.
Dad’s feet and legs have finally started to show signs of recovery from the mosquito bites that he received in the Glades. Mosquitoes do usually not bother Dad but for some reason this year they have really affected him – swelling up and remaining itchy for a long time. He has had to use Calamine lotion on his legs to get to sleep at night. The itching and swelling has now gone down – just in time to become food for the no-see-ums that they have here. These suckers are small enough to get through the screens on the RV – and are really nasty in the evening. It is nothing to walk the 50 feet to the washroom and come back with over 70 of them on your legs.

February 15, 2005

Up to a slow start this morning – with plenty of time to do some odds and ends and lay around. The kids went for a bike ride while mom and dad packed up a lunch. All of sudden Mickey came back – with wet pant legs and a very wet bike. Seems that he had taken a bit of a tumble off his bike and went into the swamp. Remembering the story about the Brazilian boy and the alligator that Ranger Frank had told – he quickly scrambled out of the swamp – to ensure that the local alligator was not close by. Seeing that he was safe, Mickey scrambled back down into the pond – grabbed his bike and brought it back to the campsite … and got it cleaned off all on his own. Not to be out done, Keelan decided that riding through the puddles would be good enough for him. However, he did not realize that without a back fender, his back was getting quickly covered with sandy mud – so much for his new clean shirt.

We headed off on a road trip to Bald Point State Park – about 1 1/2 hours down the road. On the way there went through the little community of Alligator Point – very pretty and seemed slower paced than many of the other coastal towns. There were also a number of homes and lots for sale in the area – as it seems to be a bit of forgotten coastline caught between the marshy areas. The real estate companies and chamber are trying to promote the area as the “Lost Coast”.

The State Park itself was pretty well deserted – and we had the place to ourselves. For the most of the day the fog was present – and gave everything an eerie appearance. The boys have dubbed this day as the day of the crabs. The first beach we encountered was on the sheltered side and was just teaming with Hermit Crabs. A Hermit Crab occupied every shell -big or small. They all seemed to be scurrying around – looking for larger accommodation. When we walked into the tidal marshland – the tide was low enough that we could see Fiddler Crabs – lots of Fiddler Crabs. They were fighting with each other – or busy digging new homes in the soft marsh mud.

Next – we went to a beach on the Gulf side of the Park – and found numerous exoskeletons of Horseshoe Crabs. They ranged in size from 1/2 inch to 6 inches in diameter and were very fragile. The boys collected a number of the better ones – and are going to attempt to bring them home with us (will have to see how this works out).

We spent so much time wandering around the Park that it was late when we headed back to the campground. As a result Dad got stopped by a friendly Florida Highway Patrol Officer – and will be about $80 poorer as a result. Arrived back at the campground with only enough light to pack up the basics in preparation for the travel day tomorrow.

The boys got a real thrill as it was a foggy night and for some reason the frogs were far more vocal tonight than they have been. Even the big bullfrogs were adding their voice to the chorus – to the point that it was almost deafening. Would have been wonderful to sit outside longer and listen to them – but the little no-see-ums were just too bad.

February 16, 2005:

Started off with another foggy morning – as we continued on our westward trek. The fog continued for about the first two hours – and then we got north of it around Bristol. (The long bridge over the Apalachicola River outside of Bristol also forms the boundary of the time zone change between the Eastern and Central Time Zones).

Tried to stop by the Pioneer Village in Blountstown only to discover that it is closed today (had seen a special on TV about the Village – and the number of historic buildings they had rescued from around the area). Unfortunately where the gate was it was too narrow to turn the motor home and toad, so we had to disconnect it. Needless to say we are getting pretty good at that. The attendants came out to the gate to ensure that we are all right and could turn around – but had no interest in opening up the park.

The road then began to open up into cleared fields, which were used for grazing and large gated estate properties. Continued on, skirting Pensacola (which we will go back to another day) and arrived at Styx River RV Resort just outside of Robertsdale, Alabama. The RV resort is beside a water park (that is closed at this time of year) – and received some substantial damage from the hurricanes. Part of the campground and trails are closed – and some of the buildings and amenities are in the process of being fixed. Got the unit set up – and met some of the neighbours – and for most this was their home park and they were primarily from the Northern States. The one gentleman stated that we should go down to the Gulf Coast – as the devastation from the hurricanes is considerable. The sites in the campground are small and somewhat close together – but everyone keeps saying that it is a great resort – so we will have to see.

February 17, 2005:

It got a bit cool over night and again everyone seems to be running around in heavy jackets. A lady out walking her miniature dog – took one look at Dad coming back from the shower in his shorts, flip flops with a towel around his shoulders – and said – “You’re from Canada right”. There is a little restaurant in the campground – that serves breakfasts for cheap – so we all enjoyed a big and relaxing breakfast this morning.

Into Pensacola, to check out the National Museum of Naval Aviation. Tried to navigate there by a secondary road that seemed to be more of a direct route. Turned out that about 10 miles into it there was major construction / repairs due to hurricane damage – so we had to backtrack and take the Interstate into town. The National Naval Aviation does not charge an admission fee. It has over a hundred of planes from the history of aviation in the US Navy and Coast Guard. In addition there were some mock-ups of living spaces on an Air Craft Carrier, a WW II naval camp, and a display and memorial on Prisoners of War. Pensacola is also home base for the Blue Angels precision flying team – so they are honoured with a permanent display – and many great flying formation pictures.

There were numerous cockpits that the kids could climb into and sit in the seats and examine the controls. The restoration efforts that were undertaken on some of these planes were incredible. There was one plane (a Photo Recon Banshee) that was recovered from a playground in eastern Florida – where it had been filled with concrete and had been climbed on and over by many children. Little did they know that it was a “last of its kind” recon plane. After nearly 30 years of sitting in concrete – it was bought by the Museum where it underwent many thousands of hours of restoration to bring it back to its original condition.

There was also an exhibit on Rigid Airships (Blimp types) – with the USS Akron and USS Macon and their accompanying planes (called Sparrow hawks) that could dock and launch from these “Aircraft Carriers in the Sky”). The mock up and pictures from the inside showed the immense dimensions of these air ships – combined with the hooks and launchers for their planes. Truly amazing.

The kids had a private tour of an exhibit called flights in aviation. This consisted of various exhibits and experiments demonstrating laws of physics including relativity, gravity and air pressure. We have decided that the best place to buy gold by weight is at the top of Mount Everest. The information and demonstrations were great but the presenter was not too dynamic. The kids had fun discovering their weights on different planets. They both want to live on Jupiter so they don’t have to use their car seats.

After completing the Museum we drove through the Naval base into the old port district of downtown Pensacola to where the Aircraft Carrier Oriskany (1945 – 1976) was berthed. The Oriskany is in the process of being stripped in preparation for it to be taken out to sea and scuttled in order to make a man-made reef and diving area. Although some of the conning tower and masts were gone – the kids were impressed with the sheer size of it.

Headed back to the campground for the evening. On both our way to Pensacola and back we were able to see many of the signs of the damage that Hurricane Ivan inflicted on this area. There are areas where many of the huge Live Oak trees were uprooted and there were piles of wrecked material scattered along the side of the road. Even in downtown Pensacola there were huge pieces of concrete that have been uprooted or where the soil underneath them had been washed away. Apparently the Gulf Coast area further south was even harder hit. However – and maybe it’s because of the presence of the Naval base, there seems to be a lot more work being done by people around here to fix things up. There were new treated beams being laid down in some of the public pathways – and groups of people (looking like a rag-tag bunch of volunteers) were busy replacing those that were damaged or swept away.