Day 81 - Ft. Pierce, FL

It was 47 degrees at 6am. Some Southern dogs seem to feel the cold. Our neighbors had their hound dressed in a long sleeved T with the cuffs rolled up so as not to trip him. He might have been a little embarrassed.

I told Brett this morning that I waned to see somebody I know today. As luck would have it we were scheduled to visit my lovely cousin Beth. We had a wonderful visit with her, her husband John, her son John and his wife Darla.

There was a nice lunch at the club and then a nice afternoon of talking and laughing. I feel much refreshed.

Beth passed a Flat Stanley into our care. We are to take photos of him along the rest of our travels and send those to a school along with information about the place where he was photographed. Too bad we didn't get him sooner; we've covered a lot of territory.

We are relaxing this evening watching the movie Broken Arrow which was filmed in Sedona, AZ. We bought it while we were visiting there.

We have to leave here in the morning. I am sorry that there wasn't more time to explore but we will return.

Day 80 - Naples, FL to Melbourne Beach, FL

We headed from the west to the east coast of Florida today.  After a bit of congestion and traffic up through Ft. Myers, we settled into some pretty, agricultural areas.  Some observations:

First prize for the most original use of something other than concrete for a sound barrier along an interstate goes to this formation seen on I75 near Naples, FL.  The barricade is terraced and has plantings all over it; hedges, trees and flowers.


Even if you drive the speed limit on a non-interstate, you will attract a following.  This morning as we were toodling down some road or other we encountered a pickup truck pulling a trailer full of vegetables.  He was doing 50 in a 65 zone.  Since we are 53 feet long, we didn't really have an opportunity for a passing maneuver so we remained just behind him.  At intervals, our followers passed us, pulled ahead and saw that it really wasn't the geezer in the 5th wheel who was slowing things up.  Ha!  These vegetable towing pickup trucks park alongside the road, set up a tent and sell produce.  I know because we stopped at one of the stands.

These fellows were parked next to a huge citrus grove (whose oranges are not yet completely ripe).  I never know if I'm getting a good deal or getting ripped off when I buy from these vendors but I choose to think it is good.  We got 6 oranges, 6 ears of corn and a bag of green beans.

I needed to ride through central Florida again to be reminded that there are agricultural lands a plenty.  But I still don't understand sod farms.  Horses and cattle are all over the place.

Just east of the little town of Okeechobee (which is also very near the lake of the same name), we came upon this little restaurant.  There was a huge parking lot full of cars and air boats and a big sign announcing "Land Owner Not Responsible for Theft, Loss, Damage.  Park At Your Own Risk".  It was past lunch time so we decided to do just that and risk it.  The place was busy with a lot of old people (like us) and road workers.  A waitress told us to sit where we liked and that we wanted the special.  Who were we to argue?  We got the special which was a buffet that included salad, biscuits, corn bread, fried turkey (which is just as good as southern fried chicken), mashed potatoes, green beans (cooked the southern way - over), corn on the cob and gravy.  We did indeed want the special.  The waitress chatted with us for a bit.  She said that the area is "country".  There are cattle and cowboys and Indians.  She said there are a lot of ranches around the area but that you won't see the ranch houses from the road.  These ranches are often 20 miles off the main road.  People, she said, like to live away from the crowds.  I felt better for being amongst the cows and horses and pastures.

Our destination today was Sebastian Inlet State Park.  This is located in Melbourne Beach, FL and is not too far from Vero Beach.  The word "beach" features in many of the place names we drove through.  Except for a glimpse of water from a couple of the higher bridges, it would be impossible to tell.  Route A1A took us where we needed to go. The ocean side is lined with vegetative barriers (so as not to see the mansions), gate houses (so as not to approach the mansions) and the beautiful luxury homes that completely obscure access and sight of the ocean.  The sea only became visible once we approached a nature preserve and the state park. 

There was a very nice volunteer at the park gate (from Boston) who directed us to the proper place for campground registration.  A very grumpy ranger gave us our paperwork and directions to the site.  The campground is full.  We were lucky to get this site for two nights.  The reservation information said our site would hold a 40 foot rig and it does (just).  It took maybe three tries to get situated in a manner that would allow the slides to open and keep the bedroom out of the road.  Now there must be some manly, camper creed that says "you must park in one pass or you are a failure".  Poor Brett fussed over this until I told him to quit it.  If anybody is at fault for the parking predicament it would be the person directing the driver (i.e., me). 

After we got through taking and assigning blame for parking and having a bit of a nap, we took a walk to explore the park.  This is a very heavily used park (at least this afternoon).  Although the picture doesn't show the crowds, it does show fishermen and the bridge and fishing pier in the distance.  A fish doesn't stand a chance here.  Between the fisher folk (on land, on the piers and in boats) and the pelicans, if you've got fins and scales you are probably somebody's dinner.  This is the Indian River lagoon.  The bridge goes over the inlet and the Atlantic Ocean is on the other side.  We walked down to the bridge and out on to all the piers.  Along the way we saw a manatee!  Somebody pointed it out.  I've never seen a manatee in the wild until today.  Then I got to watch the pelicans dive bombing for fish.  On the ocean side pier, we saw an osprey quietly sitting (almost next to a fisherman) on a cement wall with a fish in his mouth.  He let us stand and watch him for quite some time.  Further past the bridge there is a pier that goes out into the ocean.  Brett walked the whole way out but it was windy and wavy and the waves were breaking over the pier so I stopped midway.   This did not save me from the wet and I got sprayed just the same when a big wave broke closer to shore.

This little girl was watching the manatee too.  We chose just the right time for our first exploration.  The sun was setting so the light has that beautiful pink tinge.  The sunset happened while we were out on the pier under the bridge and then we walked back to the campground in the twilight.  Magical.

Day 79 - Thanksgiving

For our feast today we will be having turkey breast cooked in the crock pot. It is crocking away while I am fortunate enough to be sitting outside in the warmth reading.

The campground got rather full last night. It looks like there will be a lot of turkey day revelers about. This includes a tribe across the way who have brought along a gas powered remote controlled car that sounds a bit like a soprano tank. I hope the crash it soon or a couple dozen margaritas may be in order. Coffee And was in order - that's what we call coffee with Ryan's Irish Creme. I didn't think that 11:15am was too early to get started with it.

Should I be feeling nervous about the increase in the number of vultures circling overhead? We also saw a stork flying by. That's something I don't get to say every day.

Sitting outside has many advantages. It enables Brett's inner super hero for one. He just dashed off to tell a departing motorhome that they left their antenna up. They will be thankful, he will feel useful.

This is Fox. He is 26 years old and was given to Lowell by my sister as his very first Christmas gift. Lowell saw a pic from that first day and says he doesn't remember Fox ever looking that good. Except for the year that he went missing under a mattress, Fox is always there. He has been a stowaway on several trips with his boy, he has been to Lowell's high school graduation and delivered Lowell to graduate school. Now (poor substitute that I am) he travels with me. I am thankful for Fox. He is a good listener.

Somebody told me today that if someone does something nice for you it is better if they thought it up by themselves. So you lose points with this person if you invite them to do something and they later discover that it was at somebody else's suggestion. Let's see - if i give this person a scarf and then tell them that Joe Doe mentioned that you needed one, not only do I become the loser but so does Joe Doe because he ruined my chance to think it up in the first place. This way of looking at the world, of keeping score, frightens me. I am thankful that I do not have the same attitude.

Dinner was a success. I feel duly stuffed. But we went for two walks today so that should count for something.

I talked to my friend Kate today too. We hoped to see them on our way north but our paths will not be crossing on this trip. Darn!

We leave here in the morning headed for Florida's east coast. This has been a nice place to stay.

Day 78 - Collier Seminole State Park, FL

So if somebody told you they were going to clip their toenails and feed the worms, wouldn't you assume that worms eat toenails? Apparently those tasks were mutually exclusive. He has no idea whether worms like toenails or not.

It will be a Thanksgiving spent in a tropical place. Oh yeah. Our new friends have reservations for the holiday do at the Ritz Carlton. We have opted to cook a small feast here. So that meant a trip to the market. I set my alarm for 7:30am thinking to beat the food shopping mobs. Then I thought better of it. It's not like I have a pressing engagement elsewhere! So I let my driver sleep in. Even though the store was a bit crowded we got what we needed without much trouble.

A nice way to spend some time the day before thanksgiving is to sit in your lounge chair outside and read. Then take a bike ride.















Then walk on the tropical palm hammock trail out into the Florida wilderness. No venomous or man eating creatures were spotted by us. But our neighbors had to be rescued by a ranger when the bike path got filled up with a sun bathing mama gator and her baby. Yikes!

The trail we took had lots of interpretive signs. Thank you Florida state parks. Without the signs I never would have recognized wild coffee or known that it can be brewed into a beverage that can be recognized as coffee (albeit not mountain grown). We have walked along quite a few jungle boardwalks on this trip. I might cringe a little at the beginning of each as deepest, darkest Florida doesn't say "safe and welcoming" to me. But each walk has been very interesting.


The day use area of the park is pretty. There are tables, a restroom and a nice spot for fishing. Those royal palms make it seem so inviting. We saw a few people canoeing today - you can rent boats at the park.

Time to relax some more.

Day 77 - Naples, FL

It was cloudy and cool for most of the day. Brett did a little more work on the bike and the brakes don't sound like a dying goose anymore. So we took a pedal around the campground. There is a very nice day use area with picnic tables, fishing and boating. Pity we don't have the kayaks along. We have been to a lot of places in Florida where there seems to be good boating.

The nice people we met at site #116 over the weekend invited us to their home for dinner tonight. Pat and Larry are a wonderful couple. They are our age so we seemed to have a lot in common to talk about. We had wine, cheese and crackers, salad, burgers, baked beans, cheesecake and coffee. It was a treat to be in a real house after so many weeks and to enjoy the company of new friends.

I'm sure it was incredibly rude of me but while everybody else was out by the pool I took a few pictures inside the house. The entry room features a Steinway grand piano into which the Steinway folks built a player piano roll.
















There was so much beautiful art work but my favorite by far is the original Toulouse-Lautrec Divan Japonais poster. This was owned by Pat's aunt and given to them as a wedding present.

Pat insisted that Brett try out their massage chair. Brett said it gave a great massage but possibly punctured a lung. He's such a drama queen!















Larry plays Flamenco guitar and treated us to a concert. After some more traditional pieces he played House of the Rising Sun and then a couple of Simon and Garfunkel. I never sing out loud in front of people but I did tonight. It was great fun. And the dogs didn't even howl at me!

They are planning to come to Maine in their motorhome and I hope that we will be able to return their hospitality. They are lovely people.

Day 76 - Everglades National Park, FL

When we drove through Naples on our way to the campground I saw several yellow "panther crossing" signs. I thought these must be a joke, like having a flamingo crossing sign on your driveway. Nope, the Florida panther is critically endangered. The population is about 100 (up from only 30 in the 1990's). Their favorite habitat is slash pine with saw palmetto understory. Much of this habitat has been destroyed in favor of housing. The only place most people have seen a panther is dead on the highway. The cats try to cross the road to seek out habitat and get hypnotized by car lights. We drove on a stretch of US41 today that had wildlife sensor detection. Big signs flash lights when the presence of an animal is detected.

Birds! There are a ton of birds here already and it isn't even prime migrating season yet. We saw an enormous flock of swallows - hundreds of them. The huge wading birds are all over the place - egrets, herons, storks also kingfishers and vultures. Some great egrets were flying too low across the road this morning. We narrowly missed a messy bird/truck collision.

We had reservations for the 9am tram tour at the Shark Valley Visitors Center. We got there in plenty of time even allowing time for Brett to rescue a neighboring camper with a dead battery. Maybe the early hour was to blame but there were a lot of grumpy people in the world this morning. The convenience store clerk, the park ranger at the entrance gate, the gift shop clerk, the hostess at the lunch restaurant were all surly. But it didn't spoil my day.

The early tour was a good one to take. There were only 9 passengers. Tons of wildlife to see. Most impressive were the gators. Several were very large and right next to the tram. The tram travels a 15 mile loop through the saw grass prairie. You can also bike the loop. The guide calls cyclists "meals on wheels". I don't know why there aren't gator incidents every day! Only once has a person been attacked. A nine year old Brazilian boy fell off his bike onto a gator which then bit him and took him into a death roll. The boy's mother beat the gator with her binoculars and somehow freed her son.

Burmese Pythons are a problem. They've eaten all the bunnies. The big ones can eat birds, deer and gators. There seems to be no good way to get rid of them. The tour guide had photos he took yesterday of a gator eating a 13 foot python. The vultures had it all cleaned up today.

The Shark River Valley really is a valley. At 17 feet it is lower in elevation than Miami or Ft Myers. But it looked pretty flat to me.

There are 43 different kinds of mosquitoes here. I think I've been bitten by every one of them. I'll be lucky if I don't have Yellow Fever by the time we leave here.

We were able to climb a 65 foot observation tower and could see 15 miles in all directions. Wonderful view of the Everglades from there.

We stopped for lunch at the Miccosukee Restaurant. The tribe has several businesses in the area. The restaurant offered gator and frog but the native food we sampled was bread - pan bread and fry bread. I think it was the same dough but one was baked in a pan and the other deep fried. And then there was spam! Yup, I got the spam too.

We also drove over to the Gulf Coast Visitors Center in Everglades City. They have boat rides into the Ten Thousand and we are considering doing that. Maybe tomorrow.

Home again, laundry done and relaxing has commenced.

Day 75 - Collier Seminole State Park, FL

Sunday is a big coming and going day at a campground. We have new neighbors on both sides. A big shiny Pace Arrow motorhome from Massachusetts on one side.

  Some tenters with enough electrical cord to light up the entire state on the other side. The Pace Arrow is a nice motorhome but I wish it wasn't my view for the rest of the visit. Fortunately we plan on a few outings.




Our old neighbors were out this morning doing yoga and playing the flute. We just HAD to go talk to them. They own a home in Naples and invited us over for dinner on Tuesday. It should be an interesting evening.

For 75 days I managed to avoid going to a WalMart. That streak ended this morning. But we got what we needed fairly quickly and got out before I had to scream. I do not like those huge stores, I do not like the crowds and the noise. The Naples area is full of people who are "haves". I was surprised to learn that there are three WalMarts here.

One of the things we needed to get was new brake pads for the bike. So Brett got to do some puttering this afternoon getting them installed.

Our peaceful afternoon was broken by incredibly loud rock music. What camper in his right mind would do this? The bass is shaking the whale. Turns out it wasn't another camper. The music was coming from a biker bar a couple of miles down the road.

We were up way too late last night watching The Wire per Lowell's recommendation. It is a good show. We must retire earlier though as we have booked a 9am tram tour at Everglades National Park. Don't want to miss that.