Tag Archive for ‘travel’

Cow Crossing

My destination the next morning was Ravine Gardens State Park near Palatka. The park was on my list of places to explore for two reasons; it was a New Deal era project (one of nine in the state), and it’s one of the few places in Florida that has some natural topography.

The 152-acre park encompasses two ravines that were carved through the soil by Whitewater Branch, a spring-fed creek. In 1933, at the urging of Palatka residents, the Civil Works Administration began a beautification project that turned the ravines into a terraced garden. A year later the Works Progress Administration took over and planted thousands of azaleas on the steep slopes.

In its heyday, the blooms would start in late February and continue through early May. It must’ve been just stunning (see copy of historic postcard above). Sadly, the gardens have fallen victim to the massive funding backlog of the Florida State Park system. The park put up a sign stating they are letting nature take its course, which I can see making sense along most of the steep slopes (though leaving large, downed trees across trails is a bit of stretch – that’s not nature, that’s a safety hazard). However, in the formal garden and picnic area there is no reason not to restore the lush, historic landscaping (especially since there’s plenty of fresh water onsite).

While I was disappointed in the overall state of the place, one item in particular piqued my interest, a sign about William Bartram. His spot in history was earned as the first naturalist to document Florida. In 1763 Great Britain acquired the land from Spain and in 1774 Bartram was hired to provide a detailed report on their purchase.

Since waterways were the easiest way to traverse the land’s dense vegetation, much of Spanish development centered on the St. Johns River and its tributaries. One of Bartram’s stops along the St. Johns was Palatka.

Wanting to learn more about Bartram’s adventures I headed to the town’s waterfront. Though the location was already occupied by a thriving Seminole village, the current town’s name derives from its import as a Spanish cattle ranching hub. Palatka was mangled from the original Seminole, meaning cow’s crossing.

When Bartram arrived in April 1775 he was impressed by the Seminole village’s acres of cultivated crops (including oranges, corn, beans, melons, and tobacco). He established a good relationship with the villagers, enlisting their help in finding new and interesting flora and fauna for his report. His odd requests earned him the Seminole name, Puc-Puggy (Flower Hunter).

From his nearby home base, Bartram ventured upriver to Blue Spring. It’s odd to call a southern location upriver but the St. Johns is distinctive in that it flows from south to north. Though the term flow is generous, over its entire 310 miles the river drops less than 30’. Battling the current is not the issue but wayfinding is, especially in the Upper Basin where the river fans out to include 13 lakes. One of the lakes, Lake Hell ‘n Blazes* the headwater of the river, earned its colorful name because it was so notoriously difficult to navigate.

Bartram wrote about his Blue Spring trip in his Book “Travels”, relating that a wolf stole fish from his campsite and large alligators almost capsized his little boat (the last is not surprising since his trip was during alligator mating season). He also ventured west, out to the Alachua Savannah, which funnily enough was where I was headed next…

*A popular curse from the early 1800s.

2 weeks ago 2

Blue, Orange, Flash

After spending the morning admiring Tiffany’s inspired-by-nature glass art, I was eager to get out into nature myself. Less than an hour later, I was exploring Blue Spring State Park.

There were several reasons that I was drawn to that location: it’s the largest spring along the St. Johns River (over 100 million gallons of fresh water bubble up every day), it hosts the largest winter population of manatees in the state (on February 2 this year there were a record 834 manatees crammed into the spring run), and for a few weeks every Spring the park sparkles after dark from the mating dance of the Florida Single Snappy (Photuris congener).

The past month of warm weather increased the water temperature in the St. Johns River, so there weren’t any manatees hanging around. Since I knew that they just take advantage of the 72° water during cold spells, I wasn’t disappointed (though other visitors were). Manatees, despite their considerable girth, are unlike seals and whales in that they do not have blubber so they rely on warmer water during the winter.

There was still plenty of wildlife to admire as I wandered the trails. And more interesting history than I anticipated. Long before the Spanish landed in Florida (and all the way up until roads and railroads), the St. Johns River was a watery thoroughfare. A large shell mound near the river is evidence that Native Americans used the site for generations.

In 1856, Louis P. Thursby bought the land at the confluence and opened Blue Spring Landing, one of the first steamboat landings on the river. He and his family also planted one of the area’s first orange groves. I caught a whiff of orange blossoms while walking the boardwalk. Since it is my absolute favorite smell, I circled around looking for the tree. I finally spotted the scraggly tree, fighting through the shade of a massive oak. Amazing when one considers it’s a feral descendant of the Thursby’s orchard that was planted 170 years earlier!

After getting my bearings I left the park to check into my room in nearby Orange City. When founded, the town’s name rang true as it was located in Florida’s vast orange growing region. During the 1870s and 80s citrus and other commerce traveled along 400 miles of waterways, primarily the St. Johns. In its heyday, 1894, Florida exported 5 million boxes of oranges. Sadly, a brutal cold snap, known as the Great Freeze, killed roughly 99% of the orange trees in that area. As a result, Florida’s orange production shifted further south to milder climes.

After a brief refresh, I returned to the Park for the feature event, Firefly Night. The park’s Friends group hosts these special evenings which celebrate fireflies and raise awareness of their dwindling populations. I listened to the ranger talk while sitting in a rocking chair on the wraparound porch of the historic Thursby House. The family home, which was built in 1872 atop the shell mound certainly has a commanding view of the river.

As for the fireflies, the Florida Single Snappy is one of the state’s 56 known species. As the name implies, this species uses one quick bright flash to attract a mate. I also learned that fireflies undergo complete metamorphosis (like butterflies) and have the ability to flash during any life stage. Each of the 4 stages last 1-3 weeks except the larval stage, which can last 1-2 years!

By then it was dark, and the first few bright flashes elicited excited murmurs from the crowd scattered along the boardwalk. It was a definitely magical way to spend the evening!

My Amateur Attempt to Capture Florida Single Snappies

3 weeks ago 3

Washed Up

Last week I took advantage of a slightly overcast morning to wander the beach at nearby Fort De Soto Park. I hit the sand shortly after the park opened, so it was just me and the literal early birds out there.

My avian friends mainly consisted of Willets (Tringa semipalmata) and Red Knots (Calidris canutus rufa). The former hang out here year-round while the latter are just stopping over on their migration from the circumpolar region to the southern tip of South America. That’s an epic 9,000 mile journey for a bird that’s only slightly larger than a robin with just a 22″ wingspan!

The scattered clouds put on quite a show up in the sky while the gulf left random treasures on the beach for me. In order of appearance: non-edible Sea Liver (Eudistoma hepaticum), edible Sea Lettuce (Ulva lactuca), coconut, sand dollar, piece of broken plastic hosting Stalked Sea Squirts (Styela clava) invasive stowaways, and a Tootsie Roll-shaped chunk of manatee scat (definitely not edible).

The scat looked fairly fresh so I scanned the water and was fortunate to spot a chubby mermaid just offshore. Unless they are part of a mating mob, manatees typically aren’t that active, preferring to just bob along feeding and farting (that’s how they control their buoyancy).

After they surface for a breather the natural oils on their skin leave behind just enough of residue to change the surface tension of the water which creates a tell-tale circular “footprint”. I may not get a good visual of the manatee but I know where it is. No matter what its always a treat to see them.

What a great way to start the day!

August 14, 2025 0

Firsts

After the dismal rainy weather the day before I was greeted with a cloudy and mild morning, perfect for wandering the remains of the first permanent English settlement in North America. Speaking of firsts, I was the first visitor at the Jamestown National Historic Site that day.

In December 1606 three ships loaded with 144 men, boys, and provisions left London headed for the New World. The goal was to establish a colony to give England a foothold in between the Spanish and French land claims.

On May 14, 1607, after exploring the Chesapeake Bay a suitable location was finally selected, roughly 40 miles up a river (which they named after their king, James). As the three ships and their sailors returned to England, construction of a fort commenced.

The main prerequisites were that the land be defensible and unoccupied. The fort’s location on a bend in the river provided good sightlines. However, the land was in use by native people, though only seasonally. The Powhatan tribe did not have a permanent village there because, as the newcomers soon discovered, the swampy land wasn’t arable, there was a dearth of fresh drinking water, and the surrounding slack water bred hordes of mosquitoes.

Despite those hazards, and mainly through the largesse of the Powhatans, the colonists survived (unlike the earlier settlers at Roanoke which all mysteriously disappeared in the late 1580s). But survival wasn’t the only goal, the colony needed to find and cultivate materials for export.

Timber and forest products were in high demand in England, though cumbersome to transport. The settlers planted grapes for wine and mulberry trees for silkworms. They even tried glassblowing, mining, and shipbuilding. Of all their attempts, tobacco quickly became their most valuable commodity.

The downside of that cash crop? It was labor intensive. The economic woes in England provided a handy solution. Indentured servants were sent over by the boatload to work off their debts (or crimes, such as murder or even merely stealing a loaf of bread). Sadly, over 55% of them did not survive the harsh working conditions.

While ultimately a success story, I appreciated that the exhibits in the museum and on the grounds attempted to provide a balanced view. This first permanent colony produced a lot of firsts, not all of them good, such as the first plantations and the first slaves (with the arrival of stolen and enslaved Africans in 1619).

We are all fortunate that places such as this have been preserved and are still being studied. As Winston Churchill said in a 1948 speech to the British House of Commons, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

July 2, 2025 0

Dismal, Indeed!

When mapping out my route from Raleigh to Chesapeake, Virginia I noticed the Great Dismal Swamp on the map. I didn’t know much about it but with a name like that who could resist checking it out?

Midafternoon I pulled into the Dismal Swamp State Park in northern North Carolina. A relatively small park, it provides access to a narrow swath of land alongside the historic Dismal Swamp Canal. My first stop was the visitor center where I was pleasantly surprised by both the history and nature exhibits.

Less than half of the original million acres of swampland remain, much of it drained for settlement and logging. The majority of the bald cypress trees that once towered over the murky water were cut down for building materials for the early colonists. As you might imagine, transporting the logs out of that morass was incredibly difficult.

During a visit in 1763, a 31-year-old gentleman farmer by the name of George Washington proposed building a canal in the landlocked area. Twenty years later work commenced. When it finally opened in 1805, the 22-mile long watery highway was a boon to commerce between North Carolina and Virginia.

Taking a hint from the name, I used up the last of my can of bug repellant before hitting the trails. Unfortunately, I was the only person on the boardwalk which meant I was the best food source around. The constant whine of mosquitoes I expected, but the fierce chomps of biting flies caught me off guard. Either I’m delicious or they were starving because they were relentless.

My curiosity wouldn’t be thwarted so I continued on to the path along the canal. In between swatting insects I pondered the struggle of the slaves who dug out the waterway over 12 long years. A testament to their hard work, it remains the oldest operating canal in the country, though these days it mostly just carries recreational boat traffic.

A fast-moving thunderstorm abruptly ended my explorations. A bit of a mixed blessing, I ended up soaking wet but at least the rain chased the insects away. The term dismal was given by early settlers to any swampy area, but its easy to see how this place earned the moniker Great Dismal Swamp. Dismal, indeed!

I ended my day with a brief trip to Virginia Beach, which I didn’t have much time to enjoy it as another big storm chased me off the sand. Some days are just like that…

June 28, 2025 2

Feeling Fortunate

I took advantage of an overcast sky and paddled out to Shell Key this morning. While I was unloading my gear I started chatting with a couple that had driven all the way from Orlando to kayak here today. A good reminder of how fortunate I am to live so close to this treasure – it’s only a 20 minute drive from my house!

I took a slightly different route to the island, exploring several mangrove tunnels before landing in a new little bay just south of Irma’s Pass. Last year’s back-to-back hurricanes moved around an awful lot of trees and sand, creating a landing area just big enough for a few kayaks. I was out early so I had the place to myself.

I wandered the shore, looking for treasures and picking up trash. Thankfully, there wasn’t much of the latter. I didn’t linger too long once the breeze started to pick (as that can make for a less than enjoyable return trip).

Weaving between mangrove islands I came across a trio of dolphins fishing in the shallows. They were so intent on their prey that they allowed me to follow. I filmed them as I bobbed along and caught a snippet of “fish kicking”. It is a rather unusual technique where a dolphin circles a fish and spins quickly, whacking the fish out of the water with its tail. When the fish smacks down it is stunned which makes it an easy meal for the dolphin.

Researchers have only seen dolphins using this technique in two places, here in Tampa Bay as well as in the waters off New Zealand. A fun way to wrap up my morning on the water.

Dolphins, Fish Kicking (note the fish flying at the 7 second mark)

June 1, 2025 2

Dynamic Duo

While I was down south a few weeks ago I spent an edifying morning touring the historic Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers. Intent on beating the heat (and the crowds), I visited on a weekday and arrived just before it opened. Other than staff dusting furniture and tending gardens, I was the only person on the grounds for the first hour.

It was so peaceful that it was easy to understand how the spot quickly captivated Edison. In March of 1885, when Thomas Alva Edison was 38 years old, he visited tiny Fort Myers. A quick thinking man, within 24 hours he had purchased thirteen acres of waterfront along the Caloosahatchee River with the intent of building a home as a respite from the frigid New Jersey winters.

As the railway had not yet reached Fort Myers, all the materials for the three main buildings (Edison’s house, one for his friend and business partner Ezra T. Gilliland, and Edison’s laboratory) had to be brought in by boat. Unlike many of his peers with their ostentatious, massive winter “cottages”, Edison’s plans were modest enough that construction was completed the following year.

1886 was quite a year for Edison as he also married his second wife, 20 year old Mina (his first wife had passed in 1884). Though she was young, Mina could hold her own with him (Mina’s father was a fellow inventor who also founded the Chautauqua Association). Choosing the term “home executive” instead of housewife to describe her role, Mina handily managed both households (New Jersey and Florida) and led several charities while raising Edison’s three children from his prior marriage as well as bearing three of her own.

While the Edisons took full advantage of their time in Florida, fishing in the Gulf and admiring the local wildlife (even amassing quite a menagerie on the grounds, including an alligator), these were not vacations as Edison worked constantly. Apparently, he often worked through the night – during the day he was known to stop and take a catnap wherever he was, sometimes even just sleeping on the ground.

Edison was endlessly curious. To that end, he was a voracious reader that surrounded himself with fellow innovators. When Gilliland decided to sell his portion of the property after the two men had a business dispute, Edison was pleased that Henry Ford eventually bought the house. Even though Ford was almost 40 years his junior, the men were acquainted since Ford had worked at the Edison Illuminating Company as a young man.

One winter, the men decided to explore the Everglades so they invited naturalist John Burroughs to join them on a camping trip. Though the terrain was rough and the swamps were buggy, the men enjoyed their strenuous adventure. They continued their “roughing it” trips for over a decade, in differing locations with a slew of guests over the years (including notables such as Harvey Firestone, Luther Burbank as well as Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge).

I knew of Edison as a prolific inventor (with 1,093 patents) but I was pleasantly surprised to learn of his reverence for nature. In 1930, about a year before his death, Edison wrote, “Florida is about as near to Heaven as any man can get.” I’m not going to argue with that! Fort Myers is quite fortunate that Mina had the foresight to deed the property to the city in 1947.

May 13, 2025 0

St. Pete’s First Historic Neighborhood

This past Saturday afternoon, I was drawn to Creek Fest, an afternoon of live music in the Roser Park neighborhood. Since I arrived early, I went for a stroll along the narrow, shady streets of the historic district.

This area south of downtown was transformed by Charles M. Roser, who fell in love with the jungle-like gully of Booker Creek shortly after moving to St Pete in 1911. The vision for his development was quite impressive; each house was required to be unique and of high quality, lush tropical foliage was enhanced by planned plantings with a focus on colorful blooms, brick paved streets followed the natural, winding path of Booker Creek, and finally, for the good of the community, he set aside land for a park, a school, and a hospital (all of which still exist in some form).

Mr. Roser was not alone in his appreciation of the location, the Tocobago people had lived along the fertile banks of Booker Creek for hundreds of years, as evidenced by the artifacts and large shell mounds they left behind.

My favorite stop of my informal tour was the Bradshaw House, a large classic, colonial revival home named for one of St. Pete’s early mayors. Not only has it been lovingly restored but it has a fun history. It was once known as the Zilch House. The name bestowed by a group of bachelors who rented the house starting in 1925. They creatively called it that, so they could say they were the last listing in the phone book (remember those huge tomes?).

While the area’s history and lush foliage were charming, I most enjoyed watching the trickling of the creek. I was not alone in my appreciation of the water, I noticed several turtles, ducks, and even a young alligator. The rest of my afternoon I spent relaxing on the lawn, listening to live music while the delicate, tropical scent of plumeria wafted in the air. Over a century later, I think Mr. Roser would be pleased with how things turned out.

April 21, 2025 0

Adventuring Home

I decided to do a bit more exploring before leaving the Panhandle last weekend. I was lured to Ochlockonee River State Park by the possibility of sighting an endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, or their piebald squirrels, or even river otters.

No luck with any of those but I still had a great time in this section of the Apalachicola National Forest. The park’s main waterway (and namesake) is a unique blackwater river, the water isn’t murky but it is a dark, burnt orange from all the tannins. No surprise that Ochlockonee in native Hitchiti means yellow river.

The park protects a small remnant of a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) forest. Pre-European settlement there was an estimated 90,000,000 acres of these trees in the South. Longleaf Pines were prized by early settlers not only for their wood but for their resin. Collected by hatching the bark, resin was processed into turpentine used to waterproof boats, an important part of the naval stores industry.

Much of the state park land was purchased from the Phillips Turpentine Company in the early 1930s, as demand for turpentine waned. Sadly, because of deforestation and overharvesting only about 3% of the original Longleaf Pine forest remains in the US.

A short drive later I entered St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. For me, the main draw of the refuge’s 83,000 acres was the St. Marks Lighthouse, the second-oldest one in the state. First lit in 1831, the tower weathered many hurricanes and even withstood a Confederate attack in 1865 before finally being deactivated in 2016.

The refuge is best accessed from the water but I enjoyed wandering the few trails, pleasantly surprised by the Spring flowers I encountered. All the leg-stretching came in handy on my long drive home that evening.

It was a quick visit but I’m glad I made the trip up to the Panhandle, it’s been on my list of places to see for a few years now. There’s always so much to see and discover!

April 17, 2025 0

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