tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29342648032191699162024-03-13T16:37:24.438-04:00RV and Outdoor Adventures of Julie & TomJulie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.comBlogger83125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-24732625770864741732015-05-25T17:40:00.000-04:002015-05-25T17:46:55.662-04:00A walk around Sweetwater Wetlands Park<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/XBqJH" target="_blank"><font size="3">Gainesville, Fl</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Date: 5/25/2015</font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">It was the last day of the long holiday weekend and we wanted to do something outdoors, but nothing too strenuous. The city of Gainesville just recently opened a new park called <a href="http://www.sweetwaterwetlands.org/" target="_blank">Sweetwater Wetlands park</a> just north of Paynes Prairie State park. This new park was created as a way to create a buffer for the water flowing down Sweetwater creek and cleanse it before it enter the prairie. An article describing the restoration project can be found <a href="http://www.gainesvillepublicworks.org/projects-2/paynes-prairie-sheetflow-restoration/" target="_blank">at this link</a>. We decided to visit this new park and see what it had to offer. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PLX_GySL5-Q/VWOYN3CfFMI/AAAAAAAAE0s/7om_MkrLlKY/s1600-h/DSC_0750%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0750" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0750" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IKQynwI7Gpc/VWOYOYnUyxI/AAAAAAAAE0w/_5XstgtC-6Q/DSC_0750_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Some of the boardwalks built along the wetlands</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yXNt8GFeE1I/VWOYPGTc5NI/AAAAAAAAE08/xMp40Ey24Y4/s1600-h/DSC_0728%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0728" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0728" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B4zT2M169F4/VWOYPpfyyLI/AAAAAAAAE1A/cFJRNucqWfg/DSC_0728_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Some of the flowering plants</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lJmt93_ts_w/VWOYQH082-I/AAAAAAAAE1I/n5KY76I9jsQ/s1600-h/DSC_0738%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0738" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0738" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Rc4vatNU59A/VWOYQyP_HZI/AAAAAAAAE1U/-NEi7NTwNpU/DSC_0738_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a><br><strong>The water lilies in full bloom</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j04dy88riis/VWOYRdODPQI/AAAAAAAAE1Y/q3kxVCsiHsI/s1600-h/DSC_0746%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0746" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0746" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E3JZBrOmZxg/VWOYRwrVdHI/AAAAAAAAE1g/l450XOGTnkI/DSC_0746_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-emdhr1QtuuY/VWOYSdL2QMI/AAAAAAAAE1s/MjoNhinHR1U/s1600-h/DSC_0754%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0754" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0754" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3t7fTbCL0Ek/VWOYTamWkxI/AAAAAAAAE1w/Wsu0Wf-tR7Q/DSC_0754_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><iframe style="height: 486px; width: 686px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=9782358&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-36831158579306594452015-05-10T21:08:00.000-04:002015-05-15T18:57:36.665-04:00Camping at Anastasia State park and attending the TPC Golf Tournament<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 5/8/15 – 5/10/15</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/@29.885783,-81.276556,15z" target="_blank"><font size="3">Anastasia State Park</font></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">For the past several years we’ve bought tickets to the PGA tour stop in Ponte Vedra, Florida. The Players Championship is a fun tournament to attend since it has one of the strongest fields for a golf tournament during the year. It’s not one of the golf’s majors, but they sure are trying to push it in that direction. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We’ve been combining our trip to the tournament with a camping stop at Anastasia State Park, which is about 20 miles south of the tournament location. We usually make a reservation for a camping spot about 10 months before the tournament so we are sure to get a site. Anastasia is a very popular campground and fills quickly on most weekends.</font> </p> <p><font size="3">We snagged site 111, which turned out to be a great site, very large with a good amount of spacing from the neighbors. This would have been a good site to share with family who often joins us on our trips, but this time around it was just Julie and myself with this huge spot.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qtpfIbCKszU/VVZ5zjWYs8I/AAAAAAAAEzU/gzgP55347gk/s1600-h/2015-05-10-08.04.284.jpg"><img title="2015-05-10 08.04.28" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-05-10 08.04.28" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1ykMVWpf8mw/VVZ50cRAeCI/AAAAAAAAEzc/HELBeXoElFs/2015-05-10-08.04.28_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="233"></a><br><strong>Site 111 at Anastasia State Park. Plenty of room to spread out!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">One Saturday we went to the Tournament Players Championship, getting there at about 10 in the mourning. It was a perfect weather day for a tournament and the crowds were large. We did have tickets to the Michelob Blue Room, so we had a place retreat to for some relaxing, food and drink.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GBjcnYEYiO8/VVZ50_13LnI/AAAAAAAAEzk/qX5iRCwa_6E/s1600-h/2015-05-09-10.16.284.jpg"><img title="2015-05-09 10.16.28" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-05-09 10.16.28" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XgAIFALjqUk/VVZ51nOIaDI/AAAAAAAAEzs/iIYnagpH_7I/2015-05-09-10.16.28_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="398"></a><br><strong>The famous 17th island green at TPC Sawgrass before any players came through.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LFMS02mqAns/VVZ52LX2PCI/AAAAAAAAEz0/kTgsS_dSI00/s1600-h/2015-05-09-17.55.555.jpg"><img title="2015-05-09 17.55.55" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-05-09 17.55.55" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AEmFBUlL_L0/VVZ52rWFqdI/AAAAAAAAEz8/9HQFWNymZV4/2015-05-09-17.55.55_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="394"></a><br><strong>And here is it much later with the crowds watching the leaders play through.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Besides attending the PGA tournament, we also did some bike rides and walking on the beach. The weekend went by too quickly, but it’s always great to get away for a weekend of camping.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_A3vne1udqI/VVZ53MS0DYI/AAAAAAAAE0A/FjHRqFhmJx8/s1600-h/2015-05-08%25252020.05.17%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><strong><img title="2015-05-08 20.05.17" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-05-08 20.05.17" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ryaNPdpqTtk/VVZ53qZoKZI/AAAAAAAAE0I/oIX-J_SfEmw/2015-05-08%25252020.05.17_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="226"></strong></a><br><strong>A little clouds and rain during our evening walk on the beach.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3">On Sunday morning (Mothers Day) we packed up and headed home. With the weather in Florida warming up for the summer, this may be the last camping trip we make until the fall. We do have a few reservations already set up for later this year and need to make some more plans before things fill up.</font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-37014205526641780522015-04-24T09:52:00.000-04:002015-05-12T20:44:00.111-04:00Winding up our trip west as we travel from the Grand Canyon to Boulder City<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/24/2015</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/index.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Grand Canyon Nation Park</font></a><font size="3">, </font><a href="http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Hoover Dam</font></a><font size="3"> and </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulder_City,_Nevada" target="_blank"><font size="3">Boulder City</font></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Our week of vacation sure went by fast and our last day would be the drive from the Grand Canyon to the Hoover Dam and Boulder City where we’d be spending the night. </font></p> <p><font size="3">There’s not much between the Grand Canyon and Boulder City. We thought that we’d get breakfast at one of the “towns” just south of the park entrance, but there were only a few places and none of them were open. We had to push on to the big city of <a href="http://experiencewilliams.com/" target="_blank">Williams Arizona</a> before we could find a place to eat. We found an old diner right on an original section on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66" target="_blank">RT-66</a>, so that was kind of interesting.</font> </p> <p><font size="3">After breakfast we continued on to the Hoover Dam where we wanted to take one of their tours of the dam.</font> <font size="3">This place was complete opposite than the Glen Canyon Dam in that it was packed with tourists and a mad house. There were hundreds of people in line for the tour, along with several large school groups <img class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-sadsmile" style="border-top-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none" alt="Sad smile" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xW55YDgo4hQ/VVKeMJeabiI/AAAAAAAAExg/HbUibzCUqyE/wlEmoticon-sadsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800"> We toughed it out and got our tickets to the tour and made it down into the dam without waiting too long. I’d done the tour before, but this was a first for Allison and Julie. So, even though it was crowded, I’m glad we did it </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="365" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="361"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4RHG4babC7o/VVKeMp1JnKI/AAAAAAAAExo/eRTqQJQR_nU/s1600-h/DSC_0705%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0705" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0705" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SPjuSyijlpM/VVKeNV153oI/AAAAAAAAExs/y6FKP2V4U5o/DSC_0705_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="350" height="522"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">One last thing that I wanted to do was walk across the Memorial Bridge that was recently built to route traffic away from the Hoover dam. This would give us a great view of the dam as well as the Lake Mead. There is a parking area next to the bridge and a wide walkway next to the road. We started to walk out onto the bridge, but the wind was blowing extremely hard and at a few areas we were getting blown backwards. I’d say it was blowing at least 50 mph, with gusts even stronger. Allison and Julie decided to turn around because of the wind, but I made my way out to the center of the span to grab a few quick pictures. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QhoFzUurC-4/VVKeN-2da4I/AAAAAAAAEx4/dx0jl9Gj3U4/s1600-h/DSC_0718.jpg"><img title="DSC_0718" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0718" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p6gStJ_eRh8/VVKeObVC5bI/AAAAAAAAEx8/dKju7Mo6sOU/DSC_0718_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C9XVy77NGek/VVKePMPQ39I/AAAAAAAAEyE/FYdiRA2ZXpU/s1600-h/DSC_0710%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0710" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0710" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jlu4-HSEJLg/VVKePvmC8wI/AAAAAAAAEyQ/MTqZ5hEhgL0/DSC_0710_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a><br><strong>The bridge as seen from Hoover Dam</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DSevCdHWlnM/VVKeQUMKU5I/AAAAAAAAEyY/laTTBHZrZpg/s1600-h/DSC_0716%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0716" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0716" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m4Hsa02pJ58/VVKeRAFpaPI/AAAAAAAAEyc/V-d0mUL1QPc/DSC_0716_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>The Hoover Dam as seen from the bridge.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After touring the Hoover Dam and walking the bridge, we headed off to Boulder City where we’d be spending the night before flying out way too early the next day. This was only a few miles from the Hoover Dam and a short 30 minute ride to the airport. So, it was a good location to spend a night.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0LRwggevm0U/VVKeRmQ9AhI/AAAAAAAAEyo/VZg5hn9Hxng/s1600-h/2015-04-24%25252013.52.23.jpg"><img title="2015-04-24 13.52.23" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-04-24 13.52.23" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iY8-JhTjXro/VVKeSXzjM5I/AAAAAAAAEys/PcAaJjxYrfc/2015-04-24%25252013.52.23_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="398"></a><br><strong>We stopped for lunch at the Boulder Brewing company. The food was ok, but their flight of locally brewed beer was tasty!!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We had reservation at the <a href="http://www.boulderdamhotel.com/" target="_blank">Boulder Dam Hotel</a>, which was an old historical hotel in the town. It was beautiful restored and a very comfortable place to stay. Plus it was very reasonably priced and also had a free (for guests) museum. We’d definitely recommend this place for anyone staying in the area. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EytGp8uy40s/VVKeS_8qwUI/AAAAAAAAEy0/HXNaRrRCcN4/s1600-h/2015-04-24%25252018.38.46%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="2015-04-24 18.38.46" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-04-24 18.38.46" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YIP-IPyU6uE/VVKeTnV7YZI/AAAAAAAAEzA/GbJOzB7fcAA/2015-04-24%25252018.38.46_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="394"></a><br><strong>Boulder Dam Hotel</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Before dinner we walked around the quirky little downtown of Boulder City,. There’s many interesting places to eat and hang out. We stopped at a wine bar and had a drink before heading out to dinner. </font></p> <p><font size="3">For dinner we went to the new restaurant that just opened across the street from the Boulder Dam Hotel. It was a little fancy which is not usually our cup of tea, but it was an amazing meal. Everything we tasted was done perfectly. We just had to mention it here since we had such a great meal!!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="723" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="719"> <p align="center"><img src="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/scratchhouse/pages/1/features/original/restaurant_exterior_1170x700.jpg?1424461517" width="700" height="419"><br><strong>Picture borrowed from the Scratch House website. </strong><a title="http://www.scratchhouse.com/" href="http://www.scratchhouse.com/"><strong>http://www.scratchhouse.com/</strong></a></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">One Saturday it was up at 3:30am for out early flight out of Las Vegas and head back home. Luckily all of our flights were mostly on-time and we all made it home and back to reality!</font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-80813002590801728302015-04-23T19:19:00.000-04:002015-05-12T19:26:04.451-04:00Our last day at the Grand Canyon National Park<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/23/2015</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/PQoCr" target="_blank"><font size="3">Grand Canyon National Park</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Our last full day at the Grand Canyon was here and we had one last adventure arranged. Doing some searches of activities to do at the canyon led us to bike tours by </font><a href="http://bikegrandcanyon.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Bright Angel Bicycles</font></a><font size="3"> which has a shop right in the middle of the village. This company gets consistent positive reviews on every web site that reviewed them, with many pointing out the friendly guides that lead the trips. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We selected the Hermit Road Tour, which was an easy 6 mile ride on the road that hugs the rim of the Grand Canyon.</font> <font size="3">During most of the year this road is closed to the public, so you have a nice quiet bike ride without having to worry about dodging cars. There are a few shuttle buses that pass every once in awhile, but that’s about it for traffic. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="696"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n-SDRjPy6lI/VVKLsqtyF9I/AAAAAAAAEtw/yjmxoTfh_b4/s1600-h/DSC_0660%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0660" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0660" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nWBC4KZT9KU/VVFIHw21MkI/AAAAAAAAEt4/knLJXlUL8Zg/DSC_0660_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Our starting point was Hopi Point, just west of the main Canyon Village area</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Our guides loaded our bikes onto a van and drove us to Hopi Point, where the ride would begin. This way we would not have to ride up the steep road leading to this area. I’d say about 98% of the ride was on flat roads or downhill. It was really an easy ride!!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-78dxnVFpZno/VVFIIdHOrLI/AAAAAAAAEuA/MbT5nU9SyaE/s1600-h/DSC_0659%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0659" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0659" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3s9ggzOTR6M/VVFIJGeA1HI/AAAAAAAAEuI/n9fzruBepOY/DSC_0659_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>The views along the rim road were beautiful.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">So, we’d ride for about 5 – 10 minutes and then we’d stop for a little talk by our guides. They covered many different topics, from the local wildlife, to the geology of the canyon and much more. At one stop we did see several </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_condor" target="_blank"><font size="3">California Condors</font></a><font size="3">, which was one of the things on Julie’s list. Check!!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="696"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dodQb5mucsU/VVFIJhdiTAI/AAAAAAAAEuQ/iXORyfpZ_rY/s1600-h/DSC_0662%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0662" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0662" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vDcIuK8YAHM/VVFIKjLmM8I/AAAAAAAAEuY/ocuBM8hgU3A/DSC_0662_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>A family pic at one of the many overlooks along the rim road.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">There were probably 12 – 15 riders on this group, which our guide said was one of their larger groups for a ride. One guide led the way and another stayed at the back of the pack to pick up any that strayed from the group.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IesCDhdciCM/VVFILGLHCyI/AAAAAAAAEug/un6VBx2dQMw/s1600-h/DSC_0665%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0665" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0665" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2LnIK4RPO0g/VVFIL5rJuAI/AAAAAAAAEuo/5IkXMXFc6Ck/DSC_0665_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-brVgygy53mo/VVFIMc_1SKI/AAAAAAAAEuw/TBu770m-_hQ/s1600-h/DSC_0668%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0668" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0668" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1th91eSpx0g/VVFINN9iSlI/AAAAAAAAEu4/C5OfVDHxPjo/DSC_0668_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Yet another stopping point along the ride. We didn’t wear ourselves out on this ride.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="461" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="457"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_s2qIpSsbWg/VVFIONSWyQI/AAAAAAAAEvA/4Y_NIvtMdpA/s1600-h/DSC_0669%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><strong><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_s2qIpSsbWg/VVFIONSWyQI/AAAAAAAAEvI/Yk6FzBz3fQQ/s1600-h/DSC_0669%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0669" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0669" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gFgfG45avDg/VVFIOqNxn2I/AAAAAAAAEvQ/-F1E0LUxHDQ/DSC_0669_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="450" height="671"></a></strong></a><br><strong>At one stop Allison was trying to fall over the edge of the canyon. I guess I had to save her. (ignore the smiles)</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lX84oO9eONA/VVFIPR6SYBI/AAAAAAAAEvY/zCpHYBLjYf4/s1600-h/DSC_0674%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0674" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0674" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0fOpnjKlFIM/VVFIPzWEs3I/AAAAAAAAEvg/7GZ7CVSZLXQ/DSC_0674_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>The Colorado River (small green area) still carving away at the canyon.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oCoMIl6aaVI/VVFIQgKSTxI/AAAAAAAAEvo/F5_jEJQpPUo/s1600-h/DSC_0676%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0676" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0676" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VHnIC1z_p-Y/VVFIRVjjPTI/AAAAAAAAEvw/lfBM4mN5Wyg/DSC_0676_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Our ride ended at the </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermit%27s_Rest" target="_blank"><font size="3">Hermits Rest</font></a><font size="3"> which is at the end of the rim road. This was a stone building built back in the 1920’s. Here they loaded up our bikes onto the trailer. After about 15 minutes of exploring the Hermits Rest area, they loaded us up in the van for the short ride back to the start.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QysADmGhpTM/VVFIRzi0tqI/AAAAAAAAEv4/5kERpqsd66U/s1600-h/DSC_0679%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0679" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0679" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DpqYGtRInMM/VVFISvurgNI/AAAAAAAAEwA/pV5-FDpDcks/DSC_0679_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DdLKJSQXBgc/VVFITEQj01I/AAAAAAAAEwI/eyIUPJNmPsA/s1600-h/DSC_0681.jpg"><img title="DSC_0681" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0681" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oBvY2P-0FnI/VVFIT-H4S8I/AAAAAAAAEwQ/ABRqfBxwtQA/DSC_0681_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nx7dmh9SEgE/VVFIUVM4_9I/AAAAAAAAEwY/nzUmurhxnsE/s1600-h/DSC_0687.jpg"><img title="DSC_0687" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0687" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AaEqvRGBBwY/VVFIUxoaiXI/AAAAAAAAEwg/YJwIA3lVBBQ/DSC_0687_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Here is the GPS track from our ride.</font> </p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131489">Grand Canyon - Canyon Rim Bike Ride at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 448px; width: 754px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131489&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We did one last drive around the park looking for wildlife and found some!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nkrvzg3ZjB4/VVKL_wOu7qI/AAAAAAAAEwo/9NASNxXK00I/s1600-h/DSC_0618%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0618" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0618" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4Cj-ofHkYAs/VVKMAXj95jI/AAAAAAAAEws/_NHYbndA0WU/DSC_0618_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We also did one last walk along the rim of the Grand Canyon. Tomorrow we were heading and and heading to Boulder City and the Hoover Dam.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kP9xjY8yDbI/VVKMA4Ma7-I/AAAAAAAAEw4/htKpk53OYOY/s1600-h/DSC_0622%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0622" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0622" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iTasA78ALmo/VVKMBctf_oI/AAAAAAAAEw8/81CD0gtkHtk/DSC_0622_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Taking in one last view of the canyon.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZZ4WR1NR1ok/VVKMBzk1uyI/AAAAAAAAExE/UOtFrSxy0PA/s1600-h/DSC_0641%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0641" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0641" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lwEai79p4G8/VVKMCqJw2WI/AAAAAAAAExM/HeHLbxtxmH4/DSC_0641_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>And a sunset pic from our last day at the canyon.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p> </p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131484">Grand Canyon - Canyon Rim Hike at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 448px; width: 702px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131484&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-18656079240195721002015-04-22T20:24:00.000-04:002015-05-11T19:14:27.674-04:00We start our time at the Grand Canyon with a grand hike<p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/22/2015</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/PQoCr" target="_blank"><font size="3">Grand Canyon National Park</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We found the Grand Canyon to be much more crowded than Zion. It’s really like a small town, with its’ own post office, grocery store and the other amenities you’d find in community. It also has many more places to stay with a wide variety of lodges and hotels, as well as several large campgrounds. All of this means crowds of people and it wasn’t even the busy time of year yet. We’ve heard (and read) that the vast majority of people never hike anywhere below the rim and also, to really experience the canyon, you need to hike down into the canyon. It doesn’t take very far down the trail to find yourself in much more peaceful surroundings. </font></p> <p><font size="3">After much investigation and reading different web sites, I picked out the South Kaibab trail as the one we’d attempt to hike. We had to take several of the Grand Canyon shuttles to get to the trail head and arrived at the starting point at around 9:00am. Not the earliest start, but the weather was cool which would make for good hiking conditions. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="611" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="607"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OqTHhIW-4bE/VVE0LoMu4CI/AAAAAAAAEjo/LEJU7i2hsCo/s1600-h/DSC_06535.jpg"><img title="DSC_0653" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0653" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RlWFvmQaTGE/VVE0MbSC4fI/AAAAAAAAEjs/xZL6DErUsKU/DSC_0653_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="600" height="425"></a><br><strong>The Trail profile of where we were headed.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">I didn’t know how difficult hiking into the Grand Canyon would be, so I had picked out two points along the trail as potential destinations. I wanted to at least get to Ooh Aah Point (1.8 miles round trip) or push on to Cedar Ridge (3 mile round trip). </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A2Fg1A66-Fo/VVE0M0qbabI/AAAAAAAAEj4/3TmWRJ7cO28/s1600-h/DSC_0510.jpg"><img title="DSC_0510" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0510" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IhQBwfiGaq0/VVE0N1blj9I/AAAAAAAAEkA/KjADLggmFDw/DSC_0510_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Allison and Julie heading down into the canyon.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y4zkh_jVfwY/VVE0OsVS6_I/AAAAAAAAEkI/U_VlaapPIxA/s1600-h/DSC_0464.jpg"><img title="DSC_0464" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0464" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Pbs4vsRCcpo/VVE0PdQSG6I/AAAAAAAAEkM/ztdeN1P9WnM/DSC_0464_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>There were a lot of switchbacks to work our way down the steep walls of the canyon.</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c7gNQzalzwg/VVE0Q0oWf2I/AAAAAAAAEkY/KUQuSyaDwbw/s1600-h/DSC_0466.jpg"><img title="DSC_0466" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0466" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SjVTgjAf9Xk/VVE0RjjqJgI/AAAAAAAAEkg/rSaYeT5XWHQ/DSC_0466_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Every turn held a beautiful view.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-858PVV0fl_s/VVE0SafSV7I/AAAAAAAAEko/LRqqqrr0jGg/s1600-h/DSC_0482.jpg"><img title="DSC_0482" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0482" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yMopV_s-GNo/VVE0lQI4sEI/AAAAAAAAEkw/wsgtfx44q_4/DSC_0482_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>With the morning sun still low in the sky, most of the trail on the way down was in the shade. This would change later in the day!!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After a short time we had made it to Ooh-Aah Point where we stopped, had a snack and drank some water. We were still feeling good, so we decided to continue on to Cedar Ridge.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Smtmu4mkg7Y/VVE0l0z1xZI/AAAAAAAAEk4/DYvPFFNRWps/s1600-h/DSC_0488%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0488" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0488" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qVdrEGA6Q5A/VVE0mtByDDI/AAAAAAAAEk8/vS3tt9L3YJ8/DSC_0488_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8VMFrTBomuc/VVE0nGArw6I/AAAAAAAAElI/7qV4UTzmq_Y/s1600-h/DSC_0493.jpg"><img title="DSC_0493" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0493" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UlmBRbG4Rjw/VVE0oKWB1JI/AAAAAAAAElM/yQWk_sMC2zo/DSC_0493_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>No loosing Allison with her bright yellow hiking gear!!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c2c9BujwAKE/VVE0pAkbRMI/AAAAAAAAElY/DRLLaWTxC0M/s1600-h/DSC_0505.jpg"><img title="DSC_0505" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0505" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UUFa4cJpw2Y/VVE0p5A-C_I/AAAAAAAAElc/MUhimfjbi7U/DSC_0505_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Mother and daughter picture. Still looking good and ready to hike some more!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3">After about a little over an hour we arrived at Cedar Point which was a popular resting area for many of the other hikers. But it wasn’t too crowded. We hung out for awhile, relaxed and took many pictures!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EmmxuRqDlK8/VVE0qpOf1dI/AAAAAAAAElo/fgQuunKm_o0/s1600-h/DSC_0513.jpg"><img title="DSC_0513" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0513" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-adl5nZfu-rE/VVE0rstl_vI/AAAAAAAAElw/HJc_c6RC8gI/DSC_0513_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Well, Cedar Point was my chosen turn around point since I didn’t want to over do on this hike, but we took a group vote and decided to continue on further down into the canyon. The next point along the trail was Skeleton Point which would be the last turning point before the trail makes a rapid decent down to the Colorado River.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mWJ3YouDjsA/VVE0svIIAZI/AAAAAAAAEl4/kXDpGyD2Uog/s1600-h/DSC_0522.jpg"><img title="DSC_0522" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0522" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ngpvs1-qsRY/VVE0teiOYmI/AAAAAAAAEl8/6Am0p7nUuaM/DSC_0522_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>The trail to Skeleton Point would take us around this butte and about 900 feet of elevation drop.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G9cGBdrCgzc/VVE0t5S9_cI/AAAAAAAAEmI/fY2jBD0qCBI/s1600-h/DSC_0526.jpg"><img title="DSC_0526" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0526" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TLixsM8Ogs0/VVE1Oj_o1nI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/V2GPXDibOmo/DSC_0526_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Some of the workers coming back from doing some trail maintenance.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OIHqj6Iqf4w/VVE1ULZ46QI/AAAAAAAAEm4/DGquP34u8uY/s1600-h/DSC_0544.jpg"><img title="DSC_0544" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0544" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kxib2rq6asQ/VVE1U-vxEKI/AAAAAAAAEm8/yyBxdv6LHCU/DSC_0544_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HAP-Wz5y8Qo/VVE1VreNS4I/AAAAAAAAEnE/2muAvYqy1VE/s1600-h/DSC_0552.jpg"><img title="DSC_0552" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0552" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-66Hxp-55NJo/VVE1WKER34I/AAAAAAAAEnM/vJ3x2iwgyJA/DSC_0552_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>The South Kaibab Trail crossing the plateau heading out to Skeleton Point.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-G_MlZy_dL50/VVE1W_Lfd0I/AAAAAAAAEnU/PDYsLNYXGmo/s1600-h/DSC_0559.jpg"><img title="DSC_0559" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0559" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TYjs03aKcMM/VVE1XbAA97I/AAAAAAAAEnc/-AO98TrFL80/DSC_0559_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We made it to Skeleton Point and still had smiles on our faces!! It was another place that we hung out for awhile, rested and fueled up before heading back up the trail. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rLPutFXfWJI/VVE1Z9OYNAI/AAAAAAAAEno/hcORMX02Nm0/s1600-h/DSC_0570.jpg"><img title="DSC_0570" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0570" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FqnXG4yfr0Y/VVE1atCrujI/AAAAAAAAEns/aMoqdS-w_Qk/DSC_0570_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><font size="3"><strong>We made it!!!</strong></font></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0x6cpFbUZgg/VVE1bftd-II/AAAAAAAAEn4/CbUB36xJ1co/s1600-h/DSC_0579.jpg"><img title="DSC_0579" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0579" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h6WjfzlTDdw/VVE1cNTXKYI/AAAAAAAAEoA/Y-aBDIASYuA/DSC_0579_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>What’s over the edge??</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TfyN_Nwz_mQ/VVE3aYJ0x4I/AAAAAAAAEoM/dxHUup6Z1lM/s1600-h/DSC_0582.jpg"><img title="DSC_0582" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0582" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-frB8IUzr_7w/VVE3hGBNXoI/AAAAAAAAEoU/JSQD5FBWw30/DSC_0582_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Allison taking the some of the amazing scenery of the Grand Canyon.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OMuIkIDsuIM/VVE3iIaK4DI/AAAAAAAAEoc/566lV1ld0KQ/s1600-h/DSC_0588.jpg"><img title="DSC_0588" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0588" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Kgo_R9NrQFU/VVE3jFluVrI/AAAAAAAAEog/Frz-zSlIVFc/DSC_0588_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>A family pic on the South Kaibab Trail.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q26HIor2hHk/VVE3kOOuwdI/AAAAAAAAEoo/AJdoP1ok7GU/s1600-h/DSC_0592.jpg"><img title="DSC_0592" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0592" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QYj0XhW7-PU/VVE3k7luzeI/AAAAAAAAEow/clyIZva2NqU/DSC_0592_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">One thing that we all found amazing were all of the flowering plants we came across as we hiked. The canyon is mostly dry, sandy and rocky. But amazingly, flowers find places to grow and thrive in this challenging location.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YlDdFKHC2jI/VVE3loQ6DbI/AAAAAAAAEo8/IqSxhmk8sNs/s1600-h/DSC_0520.jpg"><img title="DSC_0520" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0520" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KkhXdcKBS1M/VVE3mvnkM1I/AAAAAAAAEpA/CjSi1v9nP3I/DSC_0520_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZnnbQB1wJKk/VVE3ncejFRI/AAAAAAAAEpM/u0YEqMuIJOQ/s1600-h/DSC_0539.jpg"><img title="DSC_0539" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0539" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0WnDd60Vir0/VVE3sQi9kAI/AAAAAAAAEpU/_Bgzih22wYM/DSC_0539_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6QE8ZXOnwQM/VVE3tCYwhcI/AAAAAAAAEpc/fi_veLyuuSY/s1600-h/DSC_0553.jpg"><img title="DSC_0553" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0553" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jmt6OA1kj5E/VVE3t4WC1DI/AAAAAAAAEpg/jrvE0jP2tBs/DSC_0553_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="464"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="361" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="357"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z553F05S48A/VVE3uvsPSSI/AAAAAAAAEpo/KeyN54Qhh-k/s1600-h/DSC_05646.jpg"><img title="DSC_0564" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0564" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GjZtELaPVak/VVE3vfgeMcI/AAAAAAAAEp0/tAGCFwjDRmU/DSC_0564_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="350" height="522"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="361" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="357"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hhr2Kvgwjjk/VVE3wKKPXGI/AAAAAAAAEp8/bN9vzEMrtcI/s1600-h/DSC_05676.jpg"><img title="DSC_0567" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0567" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1SDaQapz71E/VVE3w1e0eXI/AAAAAAAAEqA/vOGHmyndYYY/DSC_0567_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="350" height="522"></a><br><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="386" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="382"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fduKPSV2s-E/VVE3xtSoMFI/AAAAAAAAEqI/aN9NDvKJmH4/s1600-h/DSC_05685.jpg"><img title="DSC_0568" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0568" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M2SzYE99woo/VVE3yAak5gI/AAAAAAAAEqQ/ZyEf7kQNTYQ/DSC_0568_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="375" height="559"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-H5iBo73d398/VVE3zEcQ0kI/AAAAAAAAEqc/1HdkAJHBRb8/s1600-h/DSC_0591.jpg"><img title="DSC_0591" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0591" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mc750bkW1R0/VVE30RhItKI/AAAAAAAAEqg/S1luZSZDaDs/DSC_0591_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">The hike back up to the rim was extremely challenging. The sun was now higher in the sky and there was very little shade for our frequent rests. And the trail was very steep in places. In many sections, we’d hike for a hundred yards and then rest for a short time and then do it over again. Remember, we are from Florida, the land of no elevation! At times thoughts that maybe we had hiked too far crossed my mind. But we were not alone, all of the hikers heading back up were sucking air and struggling. We slowly made our way up and made it to back to the rim. It was yet another amazing hikes, and even though we struggled some, I’d want to do it again some time in the future.</font> </p> <p> </p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131480">Grand Canyon - West Kaibab Trail to Skeleton Point at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 454px; width: 706px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131480&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-75150162024447049892015-04-21T20:45:00.000-04:002015-05-05T20:29:27.975-04:00One last morning hike in Zion and then off to the Grand Canyon<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/21/2015</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/9746q" target="_blank"><font size="3">Zion NP</font></a><font size="3">, </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/YZHtb" target="_blank"><font size="3">Page Arizona</font></a><font size="3"> & </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/jys7r" target="_blank"><font size="3">Grand Canyon NP</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Well, Tuesday arrived and it was time to leave Zion National Park and head south to the Grand Canyon (south rim). One thing that we wanted to do before we left Zion was to ride the shuttle as far as we could up into Zion Valley and do one last short hike on the River Walk Trail. This is the trail that leads to the famous Narrows hike. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to hike the narrows. Yet another hike we'll need to add to our list for the next visit!!</font></p> <p><font size="3">On the shuttle ride from the lodge to the River Walk trail we saw several climbers high up on the rock walls. We also had a climber, with all of his gear, on the shuttle with us. I guess this section of Zion is famous for its' rock climbing walls.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8ODDkYF34BA/VUlfDMgajFI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/SG8OX_JHsH8/s1600-h/DSC_0371.jpg"><img title="DSC_0371" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0371" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QJsJijrKBEo/VUlfD3HpIqI/AAAAAAAAEfY/bvmMSxIp0jM/DSC_0371_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Mother and daughter doing an early morning hike before our long drive to the Grand Canyon.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SVRkVZLUefk/VUlfEsexwJI/AAAAAAAAEfg/NUVNr29BCLI/s1600-h/DSC_0383.jpg"><img title="DSC_0383" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0383" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-briDiE-Xf38/VUlfFAwbjhI/AAAAAAAAEfo/Yw8thfz7xXA/DSC_0383_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>The end of the River Walk Trail is where the trail to the Narrows begins.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3">The Narrows is a hike up the Virgin River accessible when the flow of water is low enough. In the cooler weather you have to rent booties and wet suits since the water is so cold. Below is Allison taking a picture for some of the hikers starting their trek up to the Narrows.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o23EvnURkdM/VUlfF-dCEmI/AAAAAAAAEfw/WsoUa1ksPeI/s1600-h/DSC_0392.jpg"><strong><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0392" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0392" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8koWxB17kYY/VUlfGjWJyUI/AAAAAAAAEf4/NQpsUxyAfec/DSC_0392_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></font></strong></a><br><strong><font size="3">Allison the photographer.</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-32-K0YgqOIE/VUlfHe0Uk1I/AAAAAAAAEgA/aGRw6mwx2tQ/s1600-h/DSC_0396.jpg"><img title="DSC_0396" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0396" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jT0Ef_oO1SQ/VUlfIJ7rpTI/AAAAAAAAEgI/_VoEDa4q_cs/DSC_0396_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="1043"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Allison doing her best to keep the trail free from boulders</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OhAms_PsWFg/VUlfI4MQ3EI/AAAAAAAAEgQ/XUanYzq2VtU/s1600-h/DSC_0397.jpg"><img title="DSC_0397" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0397" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QLqcq6KLLVw/VUlfJ8OMA8I/AAAAAAAAEgY/sS1xQatPfc8/DSC_0397_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><strong>Our River Walk was right next to the Virgin River that flows through Zion Canyon.</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rmUmwypHPzs/VUlfKhAnd5I/AAAAAAAAEgg/S_KohpNRUh0/s1600-h/DSC_0401.jpg"><img title="DSC_0401" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0401" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bTuEqouts0o/VUlfLGRB8_I/AAAAAAAAEgk/8wXY9avO2fE/DSC_0401_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Making our way back to the start of the trail.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p align="left"><font size="3">Out time in Zion was finally up and we packed ourselves into the car and headed out. In planning the trip I noticed that about 1/2 way to the Grand Canyon was Page Arizona and the </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Canyon_Dam" target="_blank"><font size="3">Glenn Canyon Dam</font></a><font size="3">. This was a must stop as you just can't pass up a good dam! It would also get us there about noon time which would make a good place to stop for lunch.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2ZTmIes9jcw/VUlfLqtR9EI/AAAAAAAAEgw/rD-IhMK2iwc/s1600-h/DSC_0408.jpg"><img title="DSC_0408" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0408" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pMuriZKFj0A/VUlfMRm_3qI/AAAAAAAAEg4/6Zj3XDsx53w/DSC_0408_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Glen Canyon Dam</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We stopped at the visitors center at the dam for a bathroom break and to take a few picture of the dam and bridge over the river. This visitor center at this dam was much quieter than the one at Hoover Dam. We decided that we'd do the tour of the dam an Hoover and skipped the tour at this one.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0opBXnfMOdE/VUlfNLplo3I/AAAAAAAAEhA/jEX-4iRSjjM/s1600-h/DSC_0413.jpg"><img title="DSC_0413" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0413" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tF60NPDrQjg/VUlfNziDwdI/AAAAAAAAEhI/zS_vm1mj0BM/DSC_0413_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Julie really wanted to find some dinosaur tracks somewhere on our travels. Well, she finally found some right outside the Glen Canyon Dam visitors center.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1MIp3RvuBac/VUlfOtJxYRI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/2T0AJXLLFps/s1600-h/DSC_04175.jpg"><img title="DSC_0417" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0417" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uSNvDe_pGLk/VUlfPZA29rI/AAAAAAAAEhY/ILq6atF3N2s/DSC_0417_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br><font size="3"><strong>How bout them tracks!!</strong></font></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After spending about 45 minutes at the visitors center and lunch in the small town of Page Arizona, we were off again. One more stop that I had planned was a short hike/walk to the somewhat famous </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_Bend_%28Arizona%29" target="_blank"><font size="3">Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River</font></a><font size="3">. This was a very short 1 mile round trip stroll to an overlook into the canyon.</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_-0Jmm_0Q2M/VUlfQGXMOPI/AAAAAAAAEhc/EZwQh-yAXa8/s1600-h/DSC_0420.jpg"><img title="DSC_0420" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0420" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Jrs5hImEOfk/VUlfQmPEIUI/AAAAAAAAEhk/RpGWSyDmeS0/DSC_0420_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong><font size="3">We're going where?</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f3LYvfU0pjo/VUlfROTFHuI/AAAAAAAAEhw/j1DMs0dEFzU/s1600-h/DSC_0426.jpg"><img title="DSC_0426" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0426" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FV2O8S9g2oU/VUlfRjOH91I/AAAAAAAAEh0/U-uNgxkiiaA/DSC_0426_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">I really wanted to get a good picture of the bend (horseshoe) of the Colorado River, but didn't want to get close enough to the edge to get the shot. So, Allison volunteered to lay on the rock, stretch over the edge and try to get the perfect shot.</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7ffQMbaEx1w/VUlfSPi_V7I/AAAAAAAAEiA/WJFlAoqcRR8/s1600-h/DSC_04425.jpg"><img title="DSC_0442" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0442" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uRGGtkXO9gI/VUlfSyTGPyI/AAAAAAAAEiI/H5PZdMtdjVg/DSC_0442_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Anything for a good picture.</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XSDIiWRLpcg/VUlfTlyNFQI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/ct7tMJgCwCs/s1600-h/DSC_0446.jpg"><img title="DSC_0446" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0446" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oaFSxkw8wDc/VUlfUb9Rb6I/AAAAAAAAEiY/xmpQRl7gqQk/DSC_0446_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Just hanging on the edge!!</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Allison took a few pictures with her phone and my camera, being extra careful not to drop either over the edge of the thousand foot drop.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NvpRGq8cRf8/VUlfVHO32oI/AAAAAAAAEic/xK5AP8qu_cs/s1600-h/DSC_0450.jpg"><img title="DSC_0450" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0450" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OzS61JCO4BE/VUlfV44qCKI/AAAAAAAAEik/ByevdPuGghE/DSC_0450_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>All the extra effort paid off. We got a pretty good picture of Horse Shoe Bend.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Here's the GPS track of the short hike we did down to the overlook.</font> </p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131477">Colorado River - Horseshoe Bend Walk at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 416px; width: 714px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131477&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After leaving Page Arizona, it was off to the Grand Canyon. The drive from Page to the Grand Canyon is through mostly desert and Indian reservations. We got to the park in the early evening and had to get our picture taken by the East entrance sign. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_WLa3pAX-C8/VUlfWZRGM1I/AAAAAAAAEiw/50ZN7O3OLwo/s1600-h/DSC_0460.jpg"><img title="DSC_0460" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0460" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mAguLvC_hX4/VUlfXcfYmSI/AAAAAAAAEi4/2XqEtDvzxQI/DSC_0460_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong><font size="3">A father daughter picture for a change!!</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ifs6mE9d3qs/VUlfYEd29xI/AAAAAAAAEi8/sYbCj08kNi8/s1600-h/DSC_0462.jpg"><img title="DSC_0462" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0462" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S6LY4yvvB0Q/VUlfY4nM1KI/AAAAAAAAEjI/OQYS9Y09zFE/DSC_0462_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Our first view of the canyon was from Desert View Overlook.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We arrived at the Grand Canyon and got checked into our room at the Yavapai Lodge. The "Lodge" was really just a hotel like room, but it was plenty big enough for the three of us and had two queen beds. Plus it was clean, so we were all set. After getting settled we headed out to dinner and waited for about 45 minutes for a table at Arizona Room Restaurant. We waited out on their porch area and had a drink and enjoyed the views (even though it was windy and cold!!!) We had a great dinner here and later made our way back to our room as we were ready for bed after a long travel day. Plus, we had a big hike planned for the next day, so we needed all the rest we could get!</font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-30574688224990884912015-04-21T20:40:00.000-04:002015-05-05T18:59:54.307-04:00Our stay at Zion Lodge<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/18/15 – 4/21/15</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/9746q" target="_blank"><font size="3">Zion National Park</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">On Tuesday, after a little over two days at Zion, it was time to move on. For the first two nights that we stayed in the park, we were able to score reservations at the Zion Lodge Cabins. The rooms in the cabins were rustic, but very comfortable with two twin beds, fireplace and private bath. The third night we moved into one of the hotel rooms right next to the main lodge. These rooms were a little more modern and very comfortable. We were lucky and got a room with a great view of the surrounding mountains. We had happy hour on the balcony, taking in the view and sunset. All was great until our neighbor was chased out of her room by an invading bat. The maintenance crew were finally able to evict it from her room, but it then dive bombed us as we sat on our balcony. So, me made a quick retreat into our room.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="696"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qxUk1JgdFvQ/VUlLPaWFPBI/AAAAAAAAEdI/AQuwNMCTXHA/s1600-h/DSC_01175.jpg"><img title="DSC_0117" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0117" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IOWnujsePAY/VUlLQHhlxHI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/h9xW78f252I/DSC_0117_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Here’s the cabin we stayed in for the first two nights at Zion National Park</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Both of the places we stayed at in the park were a very short walk from the main lodge with its’ amazing surrounding scenery.</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XbsSqACbCLo/VUlLRA0zv9I/AAAAAAAAEdY/g6QmkXQDZ50/s1600-h/DSC_01204.jpg"><img title="DSC_0120" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0120" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h8G1ZLq3_ZI/VUlLR_ZEY6I/AAAAAAAAEdc/qkZnPZUkSko/DSC_0120_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a><br><strong>The main lodge at Zion National Park</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UHqwQJ9j840/VUlLSgbNHuI/AAAAAAAAEdo/trtsjP_VhYw/s1600-h/DSC_01214.jpg"><img title="DSC_0121" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0121" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LEs0QvkvIQo/VUlLTXShV0I/AAAAAAAAEds/JDJCc1Ax5gg/DSC_0121_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a><br><strong>Looking back down Zion Canyon where the lodge and cabins are located</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pHD-4EW5OhM/VUlLTxK0yjI/AAAAAAAAEd4/XMlnDM1DCQ0/s1600-h/DSC_01455.jpg"><img title="DSC_0145" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0145" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Quvx0TgCwrk/VUlLUmU97yI/AAAAAAAAEd8/UFFeXDLtPhY/DSC_0145_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Another view of the cabins at Zion NP</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lhQvadUaF5w/VUlLVcLMwuI/AAAAAAAAEeI/YQAqfvXsNz4/s1600-h/DSC_0152%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0152" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0152" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0gLgPlATxj4/VUlLVyd5iTI/AAAAAAAAEeM/jck3AP0lp6s/DSC_0152_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a><br><strong>The main lodge had a nice outdoor beer garden. A relaxing place after a long day of hiking.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lEikNqOdyeI/VUlLWgfV3KI/AAAAAAAAEeY/v3AhFgL9dNQ/s1600-h/DSC_03615.jpg"><img title="DSC_0361" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0361" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hfqlyP1icYE/VUlLXAadCBI/AAAAAAAAEec/iR6csLmaYPA/DSC_0361_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>This is the hotel section of Zion Lodge. Our room was overlooking the grassy area.</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"> <p align="center"><br><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TTz3g7jwlak/VUlLX3cTNqI/AAAAAAAAEeo/PvcpVC7CRyE/s1600-h/DSC_0362%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0362" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0362" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rmHSdwG9swg/VUlLYYXgRHI/AAAAAAAAEes/_Jz9kV6XZas/DSC_0362_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Allison and Julie heading back to our room.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="700"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B543KO4d0C4/VUlLZNIYxkI/AAAAAAAAEe4/02gSCCE-JkY/s1600-h/DSC_03665.jpg"> <p align="center"><img title="DSC_0366" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0366" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yvbw5lyZAH8/VUlLZ2c6KMI/AAAAAAAAEfA/WvU_Sja745Q/DSC_0366_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Such an amazing location for a park lodge.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-77109419209193033182015-04-20T20:44:00.000-04:002015-05-04T20:34:13.986-04:00A day of hiking at Zion National Park<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/20/2015</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/FOPqq" target="_blank"><font size="3">Zion National Park</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Monday was our second full day at Zion National Park and we wanted to do one of their longer and more challenging hikes. The three of us were intrigued to view the famous </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_Landing" target="_blank"><font size="3">Angels Landing</font></a><font size="3"> section of the </font><a href="http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/westrimtrail.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">West Rim Trail</font></a><font size="3"> hike, but we all knew that with its’ exposed sections of trail, with thousand foot drop offs, it just wasn’t for us. But we’d go as far as we could and without taking any risks. Also, we really wanted to hike Walter’s Wiggles which winds it’s way up to the west rim high above the Zion valley floor. </font></p> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="363" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="359"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-abCODVPFTeg/VUgPYyzh_eI/AAAAAAAAEV0/Ggd79bxgSL8/s1600-h/DSC_01605.jpg"><img title="DSC_0160" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0160" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A6uegR6OYuw/VUgPZkvV_PI/AAAAAAAAEV4/9ZmRVtjEZeo/DSC_0160_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="524"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Starting our on the West Rim Trail. Lots of elevation gain ahead.</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We started the hike somewhat early in the morning when it was still cool. We had several layers of clothes on, but soon warmed up as we climbed the very steep trail. Luckily the trail was not too busy with other hikers. We did leap frog a few groups as we’d hike ahead and then have to rest to catch our breath. Then others would pass us, but then rest, so we’d pass them again. This is how it went most of the way up to the section before Angels Landing.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bMFkk0efqWI/VUgPaa2aPTI/AAAAAAAAEWE/PLS9WRvwXu0/s1600-h/DSC_0165.jpg"><img title="DSC_0165" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0165" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JbcGm2Qx4E4/VUgPbOlb6EI/AAAAAAAAEWI/k5dCAWwdijg/DSC_0165_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>A view from the lower section of the West Rim Trail looking back down Zion Valley towards the lodge</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tw6YVsUxZ0I/VUgPbsmq1eI/AAAAAAAAEWU/9VLcHWKf-I8/s1600-h/DSC_0159.jpg"><img title="DSC_0159" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0159" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Rdkp4tPzrE/VUgPcA-1jlI/AAAAAAAAEWY/zbfgURe4QbA/DSC_0159_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>A little hard to see, but there is a series of switchbacks leading up the wall just ahead of us.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After a little over a mile and a half in we finally got to Walters Wiggles. This is a series of 21 steep switchbacks built by the first park superintendent, Walter Ruesh, back in the 1920’s. Before Walter designed and built these switchbacks, the west rim and Angel’s Landing was not accessible.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Izqi4RZpE04/VUgPc-r3c1I/AAAAAAAAEWk/-tjBdE8q3cs/s1600-h/DSC_0187.jpg"><img title="DSC_0187" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0187" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sguKPvbyFAA/VUgPdmx7P0I/AAAAAAAAEWs/VT5zJN5NwJk/DSC_0187_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Allison making her way up Walter’s Wiggles</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">At the 2 mile mark we hit the saddle right before the accent up Angels Landing. The is where some people, who didn’t want to continue the hike, waited for others who were continuing on to the top. It was also a great place to rest, have a snack and take in the view.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z4Iu6VFg224/VUgPeTf2j2I/AAAAAAAAEW0/SQw5JkJB8pI/s1600-h/DSC_0192.jpg"><img title="DSC_0192" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0192" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-osuhK8YX3xI/VUgPfDdotUI/AAAAAAAAEW4/ShrLMYueDRw/DSC_0192_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><font size="3"><strong>Mother and Daughter high above the valley below.</strong></font></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SdQu6CSR0tk/VUgPflg9oeI/AAAAAAAAEXE/unSOc3eQmiw/s1600-h/DSC_0202.jpg"><img title="DSC_0202" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0202" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N9nXS3QnVnI/VUgPgqcGOqI/AAAAAAAAEXI/UuvHm4QP_mg/DSC_0202_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>To climb Angel’s Landing, you must hold onto chains secured to the side of the trail.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hvQDUZZCcG8/VUgPhH9BKlI/AAAAAAAAEXU/P3UnhfQ6mFQ/s1600-h/DSC_0204.jpg"><img title="DSC_0204" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0204" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PIAi-q_Ia0I/VUgPh3-5FqI/AAAAAAAAEXY/GO-4Pudc7bk/DSC_0204_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>Some crazy hikers climbing their way up the beginning section of Angels Landing</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="463" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="459"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mm1amkAiu7Y/VUgPicx4SvI/AAAAAAAAEXg/Iz7esL6H6DQ/s1600-h/DSC_02166.jpg"><strong><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mm1amkAiu7Y/VUgPicx4SvI/AAAAAAAAEXs/bExKMWWPi5A/s1600-h/DSC_0216.jpg"><img title="DSC_0216" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0216" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QAc1o-MqxDA/VUgPj2prU9I/AAAAAAAAEX0/B4YJWGIwun0/DSC_0216_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="452" height="673"></a></strong></a><br><strong>This is as far as Julie got on Angels Landing. About 30 feet!!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3cYM_G_fD8o/VUgPkfCTElI/AAAAAAAAEX8/VvrwPngm83Y/s1600-h/DSC_0219.jpg"><img title="DSC_0219" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0219" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2YDMqQ2C6OQ/VUgPlPlXxDI/AAAAAAAAEYE/-X244WzKlPo/DSC_0219_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>Allison thinking about heading up, but didn’t get far. <br></p></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3">There have been several death of hikers falling from the Angels Landing Trail over the past several years. But that doesn’t stop hordes of people from attempting this climb. At times it gets very busy on this hike and traffic jams develop during peak times. This isn’t the type of hiking we are into, so we’re glad we passed.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-94HJNhlNJ4s/VUgPlxc885I/AAAAAAAAEYM/_gIBdmHTM2A/s1600-h/DSC_0226.jpg"><img title="DSC_0226" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0226" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J5T_VIU0BYY/VUgPmnmFsZI/AAAAAAAAEYU/IYWhAIJKqGE/DSC_0226_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3">After resting for about 30 minutes we decided we still had enough energy to continue on the West Rim trail. It continues to climb away from Angels Landing and onto some more open areas with amazing views.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sbxqumQ5vZg/VUgPnckyVMI/AAAAAAAAEYc/FJ8I_Kwrph0/s1600-h/DSC_02649.jpg"><img title="DSC_0264" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0264" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vzsvK_8o_pk/VUgPosvHZ-I/AAAAAAAAEYk/MSzu-32cwm4/DSC_0264_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kzHBuGkANiA/VUgPpBB_TcI/AAAAAAAAEYs/3feMIrITNEw/s1600-h/DSC_02285.jpg"><img title="DSC_0228" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0228" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N-e9WgFHapo/VUgPqFoiWvI/AAAAAAAAEY0/bYdyVvwZRIU/DSC_0228_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ZhU30t5I80k/VUgPrMga4EI/AAAAAAAAEY8/xRQ1mPzVDDI/s1600-h/DSC_02465.jpg"><img title="DSC_0246" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0246" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-I1ZOoz9yhY4/VUgPr9lMUOI/AAAAAAAAEZE/QefV4hTnW8w/DSC_0246_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--h2Unzvau5Q/VUgPsiMu54I/AAAAAAAAEZM/sp2QiL6Xw_w/s1600-h/DSC_02385.jpg"><img title="x`" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="x`" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LPflEsd6Thg/VUgPtQwfcSI/AAAAAAAAEZU/w4EMThIY0XY/DSC_0238_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YEHtbWEOHHA/VUgPuPqp_FI/AAAAAAAAEZc/foDE2CfEpGg/s1600-h/DSC_02675.jpg"><img title="DSC_0267" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0267" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VFCKUYFuQiQ/VUgPu2z45RI/AAAAAAAAEZg/WnIehMbP8X8/DSC_0267_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br><strong>We are now high above Angels Landing and even higher above the floor of Zion Canyon</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XGr55g2_hLs/VUgPvaDx_aI/AAAAAAAAEZs/uk99qWYmbz8/s1600-h/DSC_0264.jpg"><img title="DSC_0264" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0264" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8ELh1oKC2gw/VUgPwB7IZ3I/AAAAAAAAEZw/3k40tdzamfE/DSC_0264_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>There was some amazing scenery high up on the West Rim Trail</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LGqOkkcLWbQ/VUgPwpYRBkI/AAAAAAAAEZ8/8sAxx5ZtnoQ/s1600-h/DSC_0271.jpg"><img title="DSC_0271" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0271" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BTx9ZDT1ci8/VUgPxXF3RbI/AAAAAAAAEaA/fZ5q6z8GOI4/DSC_0271_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pkSShJloO5Y/VUgPx3DCSRI/AAAAAAAAEaM/Wqff_5i-D_c/s1600-h/DSC_02775.jpg"><img title="DSC_0277" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0277" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--626y5Dst9M/VUgPy0qIXcI/AAAAAAAAEaU/htLgokGM0xw/DSC_0277_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br><strong>Snack time on the West Rim Trail of Zion NP</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DK9SZLZfSeE/VUgPzh00m9I/AAAAAAAAEaY/WJiWAzd61Hs/s1600-h/DSC_0283.jpg"><img title="DSC_0283" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0283" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cgq_5dZQU40/VUgP0HBp9nI/AAAAAAAAEag/AUCQs1N-ApA/DSC_0283_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Allison hugging the “safe” side of the trail as there were long drop off on the outside.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FWUBD-FUHB4/VUgP00bRTwI/AAAAAAAAEas/zrvXpHDyhoU/s1600-h/DSC_0285.jpg"><img title="DSC_0285" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0285" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P5IuMz499H8/VUgP1qBpQsI/AAAAAAAAEaw/0LXl0mEe684/DSC_0285_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="402"></a><br><strong>Yet another mother / daughter shot.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We hiked for a half mile past the Angels Landing turn off and found this part of the West Rim trail to be the best. Except for a few other hikers, we had this section of the trail almost to ourselves. It was also the most picturesque part of the trail with many different rock formations and one amazing view after another. </font></p> <p><font size="3">It was at this section of the trail that we decided we had gone far enough. We still had a long hike back down, so we decided to take a few pictures then turn around and head back to the lodge.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5vu7oHgU_lo/VUgP2BVOGCI/AAAAAAAAEa8/MDyZ2obT9sg/s1600-h/DSC_0293.jpg"><img title="DSC_0293" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0293" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HHdwYhThSTI/VUgP2-hmL8I/AAAAAAAAEbE/5LJqjwyiors/DSC_0293_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="736" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="732"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y4KC7iBtWUs/VUgP3uG1orI/AAAAAAAAEbM/ODi8IlO-q3k/s1600-h/DSC_0300%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="DSC_0300" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0300" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_jLFCtrXvvM/VUgP4BUklRI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/tLhxQ85MSSM/DSC_0300_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="725" height="486"></a><br><strong>A trail marker high on the West Rim Trail. Just don’t go too far to the right as there’s as 1200 foot sheer cliff.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cPhfAEy18LY/VUgP4ycT5vI/AAAAAAAAEbc/j3j06uqtMZo/s1600-h/DSC_0309.jpg"><img title="DSC_0309" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0309" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5t3dWZQo5qk/VUgP5ZblxVI/AAAAAAAAEbk/Ji-BDB0ghtw/DSC_0309_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Heading back the way we came.</strong> <br></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Y7J0aOjLHjA/VUgP6PGKiXI/AAAAAAAAEbs/7kg6kg-Ev7k/s1600-h/DSC_0314.jpg"><img title="DSC_0314" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0314" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-wxWNZkUQwyI/VUgP7J4Kv3I/AAAAAAAAEbw/SdkF0XrmUrQ/DSC_0314_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><strong>Flowers clinging to the red rock walls.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yCwkCdni_AY/VUgP7unbqcI/AAAAAAAAEb8/XGrwraCcmT0/s1600-h/DSC_0327.jpg"><img title="DSC_0327" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0327" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HXamL7chPKQ/VUgP8dDZ3bI/AAAAAAAAEcA/_yTBtYEfYPA/DSC_0327_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Back down Walters Wiggles</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c28B9rI1f0E/VUgP9BfCUuI/AAAAAAAAEcM/abgGHCo1-v4/s1600-h/DSC_0338.jpg"><img title="DSC_0338" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0338" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IkQXIb4IEWw/VUgP90pYc9I/AAAAAAAAEcQ/w9uCRSZGDEM/DSC_0338_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></a><br><strong>Still a ways to go as the trail weaves it way down towards the Virgin River.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="711" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="707"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C2qdP8uAt28/VUgP-jjYYpI/AAAAAAAAEcc/Vmr3aTi4Ao4/s1600-h/DSC_0344.jpg"><strong><img title="DSC_0344" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0344" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cNSUHvQQR0Y/VUgP_TfDcKI/AAAAAAAAEck/O62MWCPsUW4/DSC_0344_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="470"></strong></a><br><strong>Not Walters Wiggles, but still wiggly!</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We finally made it back down to the bottom and the starting point of the West Rim Trail. We had tired tootsies, so took our hiking boots off and rested out feet in the cold water.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="800" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="800"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yov3L99j0sI/VUgQAGSHgzI/AAAAAAAAEcs/cJ-u3rLe6dQ/s1600-h/DSC_03575.jpg"><img title="DSC_0357" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0357" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O5Qbo3w0vMw/VUgQAwkNSkI/AAAAAAAAEc0/psDwmLecIgQ/DSC_0357_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="800" height="537"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Up to this point our favorite hike was </font><a href="http://www.hikinginglacier.com/grinnell-glacier.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Grinnell Glacier Hike</font></a><font size="3"> at Glacier National Park. But Julie and I both agree this hike is now our new favorite. It was challenging and the views and scenery were outstanding. We’d gladly do this hike again and maybe continue on a little further on the West Rim Trail. Just another reason to make a return visit to Zion.</font> </p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131474">Zion National Park - West Rim Hike at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 478px; width: 716px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131474&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-14646767787675501412015-04-19T20:00:00.000-04:002015-05-03T21:10:41.935-04:00Our first full day exploring Zion National Park<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/20/2015 </font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/U5kTh" target="_blank"><font size="3">Zion National Park</font></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We arrived at Zion National Park at about 8:30pm after a looong day of airline travel and car driving. We got there a half an hour before the only restaurant available in the park closed. So, Allison and I headed up to grab a table (before it closed) while Julie got us checked into the cabin we had rented for two of the three nights. </font></p> <p><font size="3">I had done a lot of research and blog reading about hiking in Zion and had a few picked out for Sunday, which would be our first full day in the park. The first one that I wanted to do was not an “official” Zion NP hike, but one I found at this </font><a href="http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-separation-canyon.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">web site</font></a><font size="3"> and also </font><a href="http://www.citrusmilo.com/zionguide/separationcanyon.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">this site</font></a><font size="3">. </font></p> <p><font size="3">One of the reasons I picked the hike at Separation Canyon was because it was not well known and it would get us away from the crowds that are guaranteed to be at the other better known hikes. I loaded several of the waypoints from the hike into my gps so we’d have a better chance of finding this unmarked trail. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The start of the trail was just west of the </font><a href="http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-checkerboard-mesa.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Checkerboard Mesa</font></a><font size="3"> (pictured below).</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GGxCA49oGq4/VUbE8J2m-6I/AAAAAAAAEPw/eRQ6MlAWm7k/s1600-h/DSC_0037.jpg"><img title="DSC_0037" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0037" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b88jSr6ZaeY/VUbE85x8h9I/AAAAAAAAEP4/EJoFiwwGN0Q/DSC_0037_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Julie and Allison in front of the Checkerboard Mesa at Zion National Park</p></font></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We were able to find the first two or three waypoints I had stored in my gps, which followed a wash just off the main park road. Unfortunately, after that we could not figure out how to get out of the wash and make our way up onto the slick rock and up through the canyon. We hiked for about 30 minutes with no luck, we couldn’t find a good (safe) way out of the wash.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xpEGiEYK1Qk/VUbE9pESOUI/AAAAAAAAEQA/rgHrlkzHzu4/s1600-h/DSC_0041.jpg"><img title="DSC_0041" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0041" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EyKWM17uykI/VUbE-ClSTaI/AAAAAAAAEQI/dBSH3NBzyxQ/DSC_0041_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Julie and Allison taking a break and beginning to wonder where the heck I was taking them.</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">It was soon after this that we decided to abandon our first planned hike at Zion. All my planning and gps tracks were for not, we could not find our way up into Separation Canyon. Maybe not the best way to start our time at Zion, but at least now Julie and Allison has something to tease me about!!</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J0hBlKRF6G8/VUbE-5LcyfI/AAAAAAAAEQQ/O85mKZPOa20/s1600-h/DSC_0042.jpg"><img title="DSC_0042" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0042" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LqcH3AO3wcM/VUbE_kK-BcI/AAAAAAAAEQY/jQAeCXidLGM/DSC_0042_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>The peak to the right center is where we were trying to head, just couldn't get there. Maybe next time.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3">The GPS track of our shortened first hike at Zion.</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131455">Zion National Park - Seperation Canyon Hike at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 400px; width: 624px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131455&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">So, next up was another hike on the east side of the park, but this one was a know and well marked Zion hike. The Canyon Overlooks Hike was a relatively short 1 mile round trip, but encountered some elevation gain and interesting vistas.</font> </p> <p><font size="3">One short section of the hike was on an elevated boardwalk next to a deep canyon. Allison was questioning the engineering of the platform and hoping that it was built well enough to handle the load!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="363" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="359"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BvAwuDMyVPw/VUbFATOiDZI/AAAAAAAAEMI/8KKn9oVKCA8/s1600-h/DSC_00535.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0053" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0053" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ng-k6gdUbiI/VUbFAysDbBI/AAAAAAAAEMQ/ZTqK7iUsEH4/DSC_0053_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="524"></font></a><br><font size="3">Allison testing out the beginning section of the elevated boardwalk. <br></p></font></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IUi76pt_Tx4/VUbFBfwnOcI/AAAAAAAAEQg/OCZteI9rDRg/s1600-h/DSC_0054.jpg"><img title="DSC_0054" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0054" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Oyk2T1uqJw0/VUbFCVtpFyI/AAAAAAAAEQo/t9uKgra7jmo/DSC_0054_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><font size="3"><strong>A cave section of the trail. A picture of all three of us by another hiker. <br></p></strong></font></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W7-VpuladFI/VUbFDImZ6CI/AAAAAAAAEQw/8kR3oAQppjA/s1600-h/DSC_0059.jpg"><img title="DSC_0059" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0059" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tIS0dwZga1M/VUbFD_Qwu4I/AAAAAAAAEQ4/w8pfEmajeeY/DSC_0059_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Getting close to the end of the trail and the overlook into Zion Valley</font></strong><br></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We hung around the overlook for about a half an hour, just taking in the view and trying to get some pictures that actually captured the beautiful scenery. Unfortunately, no pictures even come close to how amazing this place looks.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c38LH4R3c3E/VUbFEm9lrKI/AAAAAAAAERA/QtRRq9CEzmk/s1600-h/DSC_0074.jpg"><img title="DSC_0074" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0074" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ut21YwtH7gg/VUbFFbu98oI/AAAAAAAAERI/mHhJpCCYtYc/DSC_0074_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">The three of us in front of the 900 foot (or so) drop into the canyon below.</font></strong> <br></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-msa8UefTI4c/VUbFGHxps_I/AAAAAAAAERQ/vHO7ChNaGMw/s1600-h/DSC_0077.jpg"><img title="DSC_0077" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0077" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g7pc6v6YUO4/VUbFGwfmreI/AAAAAAAAERY/zCNmvt82Icg/DSC_0077_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Julie just taking it all in.</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-STO7jWVkY34/VUbFHWIVtkI/AAAAAAAAERg/nfXw6QP_Q5g/s1600-h/DSC_0092.jpg"><img title="DSC_0092" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0092" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qb-JjqUVgf8/VUbFIKiotLI/AAAAAAAAERo/PKqBbx-ps5Q/DSC_0092_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">This is as close to the edge as I would let Allison get, but also as close as she wanted to be!</font></strong><br></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1Pg63fGP-r4/VUbFI92MC9I/AAAAAAAAERw/joasZKFztzU/s1600-h/DSC_0096.jpg"><img title="DSC_0096" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0096" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-HKxMoGW4S-I/VUbFJf7tz6I/AAAAAAAAER4/BGgv40vMLnI/DSC_0096_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong>You can see the road weaving it’s way up the valley to the higher sections of the east side of the park.</strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131470">Zion National Park - Canyon Overlook Hike at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 446px; width: 602px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131470&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3">After our day of hiking (one good one and one not so good), we ventured into the town just south of Zion for dinner Springdale is a somewhat typical tourist town outside of a national park, with the chain hotels, etc. But it also has a nice selection of restaurants, art studios and stores. We decided upon the </font><a href="http://www.bitandspur.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Bit and Spur Saloon</font></a><font size="3"> for dinner which was about a mile south of the parks entrance. We sat outside on their porch, right next to their gardens and humming bird feeders. All through our dinner humming birds would fly in, drink some from the feeder and then race off. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Some of us sampled their home made sangria and also their tasty margaritas. The food and drink were awesome and was just what we needed after a long, tiring day. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Actually, we liked this place so much, that we returned on Monday evening for another meal We really wanted to try some other place in town, but we were drawn back to this place since we had such a great experience the night before. So much for trying different places. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FmnqtuPH6mk/VUbFKCaXOaI/AAAAAAAAESA/Aop-wVrcmLk/s1600-h/2015-04-19%25252018.16.22.jpg"><img title="2015-04-19 18.16.22" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-04-19 18.16.22" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LFHlZmuyO3I/VUbFKwBzAzI/AAAAAAAAESI/sDLN0DwfvNs/2015-04-19%25252018.16.22_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">That evening, after we returned back to the park, we decided to do one more hike for the day. The Emerald Pools trail starts right across the street from the Zion Lodge. There are several sections to this trail leading up from the Virgin River into one of the side canyons.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JWw2RQE75NQ/VUbFLcw14NI/AAAAAAAAESQ/cDzAimroP5Q/s1600-h/DSC_0121.jpg"><img title="DSC_0121" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0121" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QhP7dghHiAY/VUbFMJNF9cI/AAAAAAAAESY/7JUdawGBdLs/DSC_0121_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Looking down on the Virgin River. This is the river that carved Zion Canyon over the years.</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">This is one of the pools looking back towards the Zion Lodge</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cdz4V17M3dE/VUbFM-HN5pI/AAAAAAAAESg/r_l8TbZ00ns/s1600-h/DSC_0130.jpg"><img title="DSC_0130" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0130" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e1L-nhQ5md8/VUbFNcCl4xI/AAAAAAAAESo/c2gqahqZYUk/DSC_0130_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Emerald Pools Trail</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Z8v6rrN4TY/VUbFOP5Hd8I/AAAAAAAAESw/rIa-kqap18g/s1600-h/DSC_0132.jpg"><img title="DSC_0132" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0132" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kZ1m__V9PSY/VUbFOoxnkDI/AAAAAAAAES4/o4hoyr2WeRU/DSC_0132_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We were hoping for a nice quiet hike to end our day. But instead found the trail to be packed with people. In some places we had to wait for groups to pass as we made our way up the trail. It really wasn’t one of our favorite hikes.</font> </p> <p align="left"><font size="3">It’s amazing that I got this picture below, of the upper pool, without anyone in the frame. There must have been 50 – 75 people at this point in the trail and many of them yelling and being loud. We didn’t stay long!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dAI3co4IRm8/VUbFPXabG2I/AAAAAAAAEO8/WmtDZU7g9Rc/s1600-h/DSC_01334.jpg"><strong><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dAI3co4IRm8/VUbFPXabG2I/AAAAAAAAETA/99JwcDQlaiA/s1600-h/DSC_0133.jpg"><img title="DSC_0133" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0133" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3nR9jje5mYc/VUbFP6JJQmI/AAAAAAAAETI/ZPq8s0Kw5hI/DSC_0133_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a></strong></a><br><strong>Upper pool of the Emerald Pools Trail</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="715" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="711"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vFNvaMoZE_s/VUbFQiQ4GdI/AAAAAAAAETQ/WTrxcY5Hlow/s1600-h/DSC_0134.jpg"><img title="DSC_0134" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0134" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-76oXQTHVi70/VUbFRNsbrHI/AAAAAAAAETY/LP2SN7JnrsM/DSC_0134_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></a><br><strong><font size="3">A view from the upper section of the trail</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="365" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="361"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3qyofjEOB-U/VUbFR1huvoI/AAAAAAAAEPY/RedxF-dbWsw/s1600-h/DSC_01364.jpg"><img title="DSC_0136" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0136" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-U2TptzhHIe4/VUbFSowE8UI/AAAAAAAAEPg/pZUsblYd8w4/DSC_0136_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="526"></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Here is our GPS track from this hike.</font></p> <p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131471">Zion National Park - Emerald Pool Hike at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 394px; width: 648px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131471&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-48192533290838856172015-04-18T19:21:00.000-04:002015-05-03T21:18:34.432-04:00We head west for our trip to a few national parks<p> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 4/18/2015</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/eQblu" target="_blank"><font size="3">Valley of Fire State Park</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Well, after several months of planning and waiting, our trip to a few western national parks has arrived. We were going to do a big loop, Las Vegas –> </font><a href="http://parks.nv.gov/parks/valley-of-fire-state-park/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Valley of Fire</font></a><font size="3"> –> </font><a href="http://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Zion National Park</font></a><font size="3"> –> </font><a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Grand Canyon (south rim)</font></a><font size="3"> –> </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulder_City,_Nevada" target="_blank"><font size="3">Boulder City</font></a><font size="3"> –> Las Vegas. All in one weeks time. </font></p> <p><font size="3">our daughter Allison, who also lives in Florida, decided to join us since she was interested in experiencing some of the national parks out west. We planned our flights to (hopefully) arrive in Las Vegas about the same time, grab a rental car and get the heck out of Vegas as fast as we could. Or at least as fast as the Las Vegas traffic would allow! </font></p> <p><font size="3">Our flights as well as Allison’s both experienced some delays, but none too bad and we all eventually made it to Las Vegas. Julie and I arrived a little before her, spent an hour in the rental car line and then picked her up in front of the terminal. We then made a bee line north on I-15 towards Valley of Fire State Park. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We knew we didn’t have a lot of time to fully experience Valley of Fire, but we at least wanted to do a quick drive through on our way to Zion where we had reservations for three nights. we arrived an hour before the visitors center closed, so we did a quick tour of the visitors center and then picked out one short hike. </font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709" align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--agu_ENpsbY/VUbH3tXaU5I/AAAAAAAAETg/TW3L9dUhxrI/s1600-h/2015-04-18%25252016.16.12.jpg"><img title="2015-04-18 16.16.12" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-04-18 16.16.12" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FjPIYBW5Gac/VUbH4B2X6eI/AAAAAAAAETo/PQkxpAqAF4s/2015-04-18%25252016.16.12_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></a><br><strong><font size="3">The Visitors Center at Valley of Fire State Park</font></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709" align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5r2vawBMiV0/VUbH42AISOI/AAAAAAAAETw/tpZqHyKPvyw/s1600-h/DSC_0007.jpg"><img title="DSC_0007" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0007" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nup2GhP2lV8/VUbH50-AecI/AAAAAAAAET4/PiSdQZh6-bk/DSC_0007_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Some of the Red Rock formations at Valley of Fire State park</font></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Right outside of the visitors center were some amazing rock formations, with small “caves”. It almost looked like something from the Flintstones. Here’s is Allison getting her picture taken in one of them. She commented that all of this didn’t look real and wondered if it was man made, On of the rangers was walking by and reassured her that all of the rock formations in the park were “really real”!! . We don’t get to see this type of thing in Florida.</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="363" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="359" align="center"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0XdT4ntzS2Y/VUbH6SdGmQI/AAAAAAAAEUA/CvumlekaFxg/s1600-h/DSC_001119.jpg"><img title="DSC_0011" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0011" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-PeWvWPfYa2M/VUbH7Iyo6iI/AAAAAAAAEUE/q8M2rVr8HB4/DSC_0011_thumb13.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="524"></a><br><strong><font size="2">Allison checking out some of the odd rock formations</font></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">The one trail we picked was at the Mouse’s Tank Trail which was just up the road from the visitors center. This trail promised a view of several petroglyphs which Julie found very exciting. This was a very easy and level trail, with just some loose sand to hike over. We ended up filling up our shoes with red dirt!</font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709" align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hL18VnTwja4/VUbH7hglImI/AAAAAAAAEUQ/yZ556wsJts0/s1600-h/DSC_0012.jpg"><img title="DSC_0012" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0012" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ex1_YWDiNm4/VUbH8TFgkII/AAAAAAAAEUU/hV4TOiUf7rQ/DSC_0012_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Our short hike at Valley of Fire was on the Petroglyph Canyon Trail</font></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After about a quarter mile we came across our first set of petroglyphs. Julie and Allison had to pose and get their picture taken in front of the them.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uCS4-FkO2Pw/VUbH8-O7LDI/AAAAAAAAEUg/CEMF4HzfYzA/s1600-h/DSC_0016.jpg"><img title="DSC_0016" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0016" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i_BCyxrOhIY/VUbH9vZvhpI/AAAAAAAAEUk/n9CteiX9HA4/DSC_0016_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">After a short walk we came across some of the petroglyphs</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">As with all our hikes over this next week, there were many flowers blooming along the trails. I guess we picked a good time to make this venture.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Tt-oZtjchPA/VUbH-cegYNI/AAAAAAAAEUw/17K7IWtMFqU/s1600-h/DSC_0025.jpg"><img title="DSC_0025" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0025" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-N3e74zjRgsc/VUbH_P8NmeI/AAAAAAAAEU4/0gdn8yzsbqg/DSC_0025_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></a><br><strong><font size="3">Some of the many flowers we came across on our hike.</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">After about 30 minutes of walking/hiking we decided to turn around and head back to the car. It was getting later in the afternoon and we still had a two hour drive to get to Zion National park. There was still much more to this park to explore and it was difficult not continuing on down the main park scenic road, but we had to move on.</font> </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="713" border="2"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="709"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jSn09meKI1Q/VUbH_3tyPUI/AAAAAAAAEVY/0PuTjZgCNsk/s1600-h/DSC_002613.jpg"> <p align="center"><br><strong><font size="3"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jSn09meKI1Q/VUbH_3tyPUI/AAAAAAAAEVg/PQ3WHqgQBeY/s1600-h/DSC_0026.jpg"><img title="DSC_0026" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0026" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Dc7FuuXou7Q/VUbIBNdCHlI/AAAAAAAAEVQ/RA6NDBYamkE/DSC_0026_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="445"></a></font></strong></a><br><br><strong><font size="3">Here's Julie peering around the bend in the trail. Deciding if we should continue on.</font></strong> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We’ve added Valley of Fire State Park to our list of places to return and explore some more. It has a few amazing campgrounds we’d like to stay at…some day! </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s the GPS track of the short hike we did at Valley of Fire. </font></p> <p> </p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3131501">Valley of Fire State Park at EveryTrail</a><br><iframe style="height: 442px; width: 650px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3131501&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-405572053100474972015-03-20T21:04:00.000-04:002015-04-07T19:01:27.148-04:00Camping at Tomoka State Park<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 3/20/15 – 3/22/15</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/sdFqD" target="_blank"><font size="3">Ormond Beach, Florida</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Somehow we were able to snag a camping site at Tomoka State Park when just about every state park in Florida are packed full. Someone must have cancelled and Julie just happened to check Reserve America at the right time and jumped on it. As always, we were hoping that Jim and Jo would be able to join us. The site was small and it would be tough getting us and all of our stuff squeezed into this site. It was listed as accommodating only RV’s up to 20 feet. Our is 22 and we’d also had a tent to fit in. It was a bit of a challenge, but we got all set up with room to spare!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xTFdH3wekkE/VSRfj1wVrTI/AAAAAAAAEHc/JFUFNzMWMno/s1600-h/IMG_43015.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="IMG_4301" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4301" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Y1oolrU4K8g/VSRfkisPzlI/AAAAAAAAEHg/YTaJxcdYzEI/IMG_4301_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="527"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> Our nice cozy site #87 at Tomoka SP</strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We all arrived early afternoon on Friday and had time for some activities after setting up and before dinner. From our </font><a href="http://jdttravelblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-weekend-camping-trip-to-tomoka-state.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">previous camping trip to this park</font></a><font size="3">, I knew of a nice paved trail going through the woods and heading south. So, Jim and I jumped on our bikes and had a nice ride through the park and continuing on through some of the neighborhoods that front the Halifax River (Intercostal Waterway). </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><iframe style="height: 538px; width: 678px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=9148195&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe><font size="3"></font></p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="700" border="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top" width="698"> <p align="left"><sup></sup><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong> Our GPS for the Friday afternoon bike ride</strong></font> </font></font></font></p></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Tomoka State Park is sandwiched between the Halifax and Tomoka river. When we come this way again we’ll need to bring our kayaks as it looks like a great area to paddle. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lFOX4vnw9Tg/VSRflMKnxnI/AAAAAAAAEHs/jCAaVrPs-8g/s1600-h/2015-03-21-12.05.135.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 12.05.13" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 12.05.13" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_tVjSToEhZY/VSRfl5sNFJI/AAAAAAAAEH0/Vr100L97mIQ/2015-03-21-12.05.13_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p align="left"><sup></sup><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong>The Tomoka River </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">One the way into the park, we noticed a sign that said there was live music at the fish camp/store within the park that evening. This would mainly be a woman singing and playing a ukulele. Now that’s not something that you get to hear every day and we were all up for checking it out. So, after dinner we hopped out our bikes and rode down to the store. We purchased an adult beverage and settled in for some entertainment. We didn’t hold out much hope that we’d enjoy this music, but we found that she we was actually very good. She played one mean ukulele and had a great voice. To end the evening she was joined on stage by her husband and they both jammed out and gave us a god show.</font></p> <p><font size="3">Not the best picture, but here is the lady who sang for most of the evening. Here she is playing guitar, but the ukulele was her main instrument of choice. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ADsdvXqUNUs/VSRfmXiWi2I/AAAAAAAAEH8/3L02I5Ub2lM/s1600-h/20150320_1940084.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20150320_194008" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20150320_194008" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7FqAlOEN3t0/VSRfnALsStI/AAAAAAAAEIE/ffwc674DVVI/20150320_194008_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="624"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast (we always seem to eat well when we camp), we planned a group bike ride at a nearby park. </font><a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Bulow-Creek" target="_blank"><font size="3">Bulow Creek State Park</font></a><font size="3"> is about 10 miles north of Tomoka and has a series of hiking and biking trails. The biking trails are not paved and are a little rough in areas, but we decided we were up for the challenge and went on the ride. We had hoped to ride the entire 7 miles to the <a href="https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Bulow-Plantation" target="_blank">Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park</a>, but the trail got too rough for biking and we didn’t make it that far. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-x-Ka-Gk-W9g/VSRfnxEIVLI/AAAAAAAAEIM/By38TcomfEQ/s1600-h/2015-03-21-11.11.334.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 11.11.33" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 11.11.33" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pMJvTJKAh0s/VSRfohz_StI/AAAAAAAAEIQ/GHmBIU0XwIM/2015-03-21-11.11.33_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="396" height="702"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong>This park is well know for its’ stand of live oaks </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Usually we don’t take our dog camping with us, but decided to take her along this time. She is generally pretty well behaved on our trips. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GsuRavsqzQE/VSRfpG1T5YI/AAAAAAAAEIc/1Nw-t2tSaxI/s1600-h/2015-03-21-11.32.135.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 11.32.13" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 11.32.13" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jBOBKzIXWts/VSRfp1M_CwI/AAAAAAAAEIg/GEuB1T4u9mk/2015-03-21-11.32.13_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong>The little mutt ready for some off road biking </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Several areas along the bike route open up to the rivers that wind their way around this area. Several overlooks with benches made for good stopping points. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YmcE2MRbt7s/VSRfqiH63bI/AAAAAAAAEIs/3hAuSI95J6Q/s1600-h/20150321_1241544.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20150321_124154" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20150321_124154" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hAK02U_tkfw/VSRfrLihavI/AAAAAAAAEIw/N_bAd43ZUnI/20150321_124154_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong>I guess I need to get my picture in the blog every now and again! </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000" size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PrHpJdh5u6c/VSRfr5kLDyI/AAAAAAAAEI8/935JBL6ezLQ/s1600-h/2015-03-21-11.32.245.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 11.32.24" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 11.32.24" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Mh1WDTBfwEI/VSRfshLHNSI/AAAAAAAAEJA/Ql7eQVuBaIQ/2015-03-21-11.32.24_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> There were lots of swamps and wetlands along the route</strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000" size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hoIl6cSM8ps/VSRftPS9PbI/AAAAAAAAEJM/U7MIAPdvQ1M/s1600-h/2015-03-21-12.34.395.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 12.34.39" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 12.34.39" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-j8v2TxdZ2bk/VSRft12hgOI/AAAAAAAAEJU/eJlsUfPe5NQ/2015-03-21-12.34.39_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Sx5uON4zm1M/VSRfuj4rm9I/AAAAAAAAEJc/oM0pHlEZAuc/s1600-h/2015-03-21-11.33.185.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 11.33.18" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 11.33.18" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pdSQgEE8FOc/VSRfvX_EXGI/AAAAAAAAEJk/qxHuMHvX5uE/2015-03-21-11.33.18_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> Stopping for a break and a few pictures </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000" size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AS51qLSlA3s/VSRfv51zbiI/AAAAAAAAEJo/9P8VhGY4Re4/s1600-h/20150321_1237334.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20150321_123733" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20150321_123733" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NPFe7VNwvbA/VSRfwpkfq9I/AAAAAAAAEJ0/2MJQvNeHyK0/20150321_123733_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> My brother trying to shimmy up the tree for a better view. He didn’t get too far!!</strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><iframe style="height: 574px; width: 678px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=9148259&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong>The GPS track of our bike adventure at Bulow Creek SP </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"></font><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">After our ride was complete at Bulow Creek, we saw a few bikers at the park with their decked out motorcycles and sidecars. They were a little over the top in their decorations!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uPcGDKTwsVo/VSRfxTYCrzI/AAAAAAAAEJ8/URPMkhgO88c/s1600-h/2015-03-21-13.26.423.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 13.26.42" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 13.26.42" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6ow-nywEbP8/VSRfyNsk3eI/AAAAAAAAEKE/-DWkh-s6W94/2015-03-21-13.26.42_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="398"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--i6mOCN_JaI/VSRfy0QzkmI/AAAAAAAAEKI/h3NVwJJlKGc/s1600-h/2015-03-21-13.26.235.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 13.26.23" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 13.26.23" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kJwCi45JetI/VSRfzZLR99I/AAAAAAAAEKU/ruHGCXGa69U/2015-03-21-13.26.23_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TgqbD_4W4JI/VSRf0OPdfqI/AAAAAAAAEKY/jexPOmXKi3k/s1600-h/2015-03-21-16.31.21.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-03-21 16.31.21" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-03-21 16.31.21" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8Rir-MUTUwc/VSRf0hdMQfI/AAAAAAAAEKg/fQAGdqOU6Ao/2015-03-21-16.31.21_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> A little box turtle on the side of the road at Tomoka SP</strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On Sunday, after one more bike ride through the park, it was time to pack up and head back home. Another fun and relaxing camping trip in the books!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zJfLkmKficM/VSRf1HT58VI/AAAAAAAAEKs/cKdKxHUfrbw/s1600-h/IMG_43025.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="IMG_4302" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4302" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DEOZ5617jrQ/VSRf1wuPn3I/AAAAAAAAEKw/i3Q1G1-XQq4/IMG_4302_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="527"></font></a><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong></strong></font></font></p> <p><font style="background-color: #ffff00" color="#000000"><font size="3"><font style="background-color: #cccccc" color="#000000"><strong> </strong></font><font style="background-color: #cccccc"><font color="#000000"><strong>One more picture of our spot before packing up and heading home </strong></font> </font></font></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-25632462750782896052015-02-27T17:23:00.000-05:002015-04-05T20:26:49.515-04:00Weekend camping trip at Wimauma Florida<p> </p> <p>Date: 2/27/15 – 3/1/15</p> <p>Location: <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/8bYa5" target="_blank">Canoe Outpost Little Manatee River</a></p> <p>Some of our northern family members from Vermont were trying to escape their cold winter and rented a house for a week just south of Disney. Early on in their planning they messaged us about wanting to have a family gathering with the Florida family members. So, we planned a Saturday get together at our daughters house near Lithia, Fl. This would be a short driver for for the crew from staying in Orlando and centrally located for us as well as my brother and sister-in-law (Jim & Jo) from south Florida. </p> <p>Over the past year+, we’ve started camping again with Jim and Jo and figured this would be a great opportunity to get in a camping weekend together. A Hillsborough County campground, <a href="http://hillsboroughcounty.org/Facilities/Facility/Details/7938" target="_blank">Lithia Springs</a>, is just a half mile from our daughters house and I gave them a call to check on availability. The person I spoke with in the front office assured me that they “always” have openings and we’d have no problem getting a campsite for the weekend. They don’t take reservations, so I was a little concerned about getting a site during the busy winter season. </p> <p>We had <a href="http://jdttravelblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/camping-weekend-at-lithia-springs.html" target="_blank">camped at Lithia Springs back in August of 2012</a> and enjoyed the campground, although it was a little warm at that time since it was summer in Florida. We had no problem finding a place to camp back then, </p> <p>On the weekend of our family get together Jim and Jo were a little ahead of us and arrived at Lithia Springs before we got there and were informed by the person working the gate that the park was 100% full and no way we were going to get a site. They started to drive back down the road leading into the park and we passed them. Seeing that they were leaving we knew what the deal was. So much for calling ahead and checking on availability!!</p> <p>We both parked on the shoulder of the road and started calling around to other parks to see if any had any openings. Of course with it being winter in Florida everything we tried was full. One person on the phone recommended that we try the Canoe Outpost on the Little Manatee river since they have a campground along with their canoe rental business. Luckily they did have a few sites open, with two of them being side by side. So, we took them, sight unseen. </p> <p>Unfortunately, the Canoe Outpost was about 20 miles south of where we wanted to be, so it took us a while to make our way there through the Friday traffic. When we arrived we found that the sites were small and the campground was just so-so. There was not much privacy between the sites and many of them were taken by long term renters. But we made the best of it and had a good time. </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EYdEwvZ5k18/VSHSwGpxeQI/AAAAAAAAEGw/Dpv2le2b0xQ/s1600-h/2015-02-22%25252008.48.01%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="2015-02-22 08.48.01" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-02-22 08.48.01" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LD0UsUOhHVA/VSHSwrZi0DI/AAAAAAAAEG0/35fJrR68a94/2015-02-22%25252008.48.01_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></a></p> <p align="center"><strong>Our campsite at The Canoe Outpost campground</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>On Saturday we had the get together with all the Florida family and the visitors from up north. We were lucky and had a great weather day and a few actually got in the pool (brrrrrrrrr!). We played a few “friendly” games of corn hole and enjoyed our time together. </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6kAfPBMrhMk/VSHSxIk263I/AAAAAAAAEG8/-hAhZAkRWoA/s1600-h/FB_IMG_1424557675972%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="FB_IMG_1424557675972" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="FB_IMG_1424557675972" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3_gfyORCeug/VSHSxznztXI/AAAAAAAAEHI/CmySPjUdt3Y/FB_IMG_1424557675972_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="527"></a></p> <p align="center"><strong>A group shot of the family!</strong></p> <p align="center"><strong></strong> </p> <p align="left">On Sunday we made a good camp breakfasts and then broke camp and headed back home. Although we were glad to be able to find a campsite for the weekend, the Canoe Outpost campground probably isn’t a place we’d want to visit again. Maybe we’d want to kayak the Little Manatee River, but we’ll pass on using their campground!</p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-15702951404759016292015-01-25T19:43:00.000-05:002015-01-25T19:47:11.739-05:00Paynes Prairie State Preserve - La Chua Trail<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 1/25/15</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/TfZhR" target="_blank"><font size="3">Gainesville, Fl</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">It’s the weekend, the weather was nice, sunny and cool. So, we had to get outside and do something. We decided to do an old stand-by hike that we’ve done many times before. The La Chua Trail is in Southeast Gainesville and is part of the </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/paynesprairie/Activities.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Paynes Prairie State Preserve</font></a><font size="3">. A few years ago the prairie and Alachua Sink was almost dry as the area had gone through a long dry spell. Many of the gators, which this hike is famous for, were gone. Their numbers greatly reduced because of the lack of water. Well, that’s no longer the case. We’ve had a wet fall and winter and the water is up. At a level that we’ve never seen before. And with the return of the water, is the return of the gators. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Being sunny, all the gators were out onto the banks trying to soak up some of the sun. But it was still fairly cool, so if they were moving, they were moving very slow. </font></p> <p><font size="3">These three were sleeping on the bank of the pond fairly near the hiking trail. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Ev1eQjmQNZc/VMWIoQJziYI/AAAAAAAAEEg/kAGg4uFXinM/s1600-h/DSC_02125.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0212" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0212" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QUBwKDsZnd8/VMWIpKafL9I/AAAAAAAAEEo/kSzzKB9rABg/DSC_0212_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Every gator we saw was large and we didn’t see any younger ones. I guess they’ve all been eating well. This picture shows some gators on the near and far back on the stream. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SzXcER-zdkk/VMWIp-8lfPI/AAAAAAAAEEw/kNAKgf1JKp8/s1600-h/DSC_02165.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0216" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0216" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kpUdg5vA5CI/VMWIqqOQB0I/AAAAAAAAEE0/Rd2wx_J0niQ/DSC_0216_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Most of the prairie is usually dry with pockets of water here and there. But not today, now there are vast bodies of water teaming with al sorts of birds. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5gGVts8BoZU/VMWIrEScGcI/AAAAAAAAEE8/vgz-SKlXPgQ/s1600-h/DSC_01835.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0183" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0183" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i9PGCjbtPN8/VMWIr9Lo3PI/AAAAAAAAEFE/dE-hSNb6FoE/DSC_0183_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="402" height="638"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">A large number of sandhill cranes, which migrate down south for the winter, spend their time on the prairie. We could hear their calls off in the distance, but didn’t get a good look at the large group. There were a few flying here and there and causing a racket with their loud calls. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-i54plKf16Lk/VMWIsXzSozI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/wgX_wwJmL-E/s1600-h/DSC_01925.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0192" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0192" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-t0TYYOy0YGk/VMWIs66zj5I/AAAAAAAAEFY/S2A-cbAp0m0/DSC_0192_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="407"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HE_VbeGJIrg/VMWItmoYegI/AAAAAAAAEFg/ocANE0qJlnw/s1600-h/DSC_02035.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0203" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0203" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7xwT00hQTQ4/VMWIuIt5pII/AAAAAAAAEFo/68U0826MpQo/DSC_0203_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">The hike to the observation deck is about a mile and a half out onto the prairie, With the water being high, the trails is narrower than usual. This guy (or gal) was laying on the trail, without much space for us to pass. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fS62A21VwdQ/VMWIu61p0dI/AAAAAAAAEFw/_w_DBCm6wLA/s1600-h/DSC_01954.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0195" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0195" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SaGKVtZbPwU/VMWIvoMpoCI/AAAAAAAAEF0/3qfkxxqUiO8/DSC_0195_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">A few photoshere pictures from today’s hike can be found </font><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/113779994242825472241/gphoto/6108371404952408690?gl=us&heading=46&pitch=90&fovy=75" target="_blank"><font size="3">at this link</font></a><font size="3"> and another </font><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/113779994242825472241/gphoto/6108371401813367074?gl=us&heading=308&pitch=78&fovy=75" target="_blank"><font size="3">at this link</font></a><font size="3">. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">This is the GPS track our today’s hike.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><iframe style="height: 612px; width: 704px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8739508&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-45332325329075863092015-01-20T19:31:00.000-05:002015-01-20T19:35:09.862-05:00Camping, kayaking and boating in the Okefenokee Swamp<p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Date: 1/17/15 – 1/19/15</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/T8W4D" target="_blank"><font size="3">Stephen Foster State Park, Fargo Georgia</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Camping Site # 49 </font></p> <p><font size="3">For a long time now, Julie has had camping in the Okefenokee Swamp on her “bucket” list. Since we can’t seem to find any campsites in Florida with openings this time of year, we decided to make a reservation at </font><a href="http://gastateparks.org/StephenCFoster" target="_blank"><font size="3">Stephen Foster State Park</font></a><font size="3"> in south Georgia. This state park is actually totally within the </font><a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge</font></a><font size="3">, which make it a little different than many of the other state parks. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dOAxqx09F1Q/VL7z5qsvv_I/AAAAAAAAD_U/kcDG87fyCso/s1600-h/DSC_01635.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0163" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0163" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tMCSNvjDYyc/VL7z6R6DhlI/AAAAAAAAD_c/jiyjY1McDkE/DSC_0163_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We arrived at the state park on Saturday morning after a very easy two hour drive from our home. In Georgia State parks you reserve a campsite that is suitable for the type of camping you do (tent, trailer, large rig, etc), but not for a specific site, Being that we were coming in on a Saturday we were a little concerned that we wouldn’t find a nice site. But we had nothing to worry about as there were a good number of sites to choose from that would accommodate our trailer. Most sites in this park are well spaced, so you are not right on top of your neighbor. </font></p> <p><font size="3">After we got set up, we ate a quick lunch and then decided to do some kayaking. Near the park store and check-in is a large boat basin and a canal that leads out to Billy’s Lake. The canal has large grassy banks on one side, which makes launching your kayak or canoe very easy. The far bank is swampy, boggy area where he many gators hang out and watch as your get into your boat!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-V8PC4AOsQ6U/VL7z7KheE6I/AAAAAAAAD_k/nTnFFIa6mr0/s1600-h/DSC_01625.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0162" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0162" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zVo2IrBFKVU/VL7z78Bb7KI/AAAAAAAAD_s/bPheFu_WpuY/DSC_0162_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Coming out of the canal you enter into Billy’s Lake with is a long, narrow lake of about 3 miles in length. For today’s paddle we decided to take a left and head over to Billy’s Island to take the nature walk around that island. It was an easy 2 mile paddle to get there. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rqWzR51Kqn0/VL7z8o8ojLI/AAAAAAAAD_w/Nxzq5LftrGA/s1600-h/DSC_01485.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0148" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0148" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4BRz5kFiCtM/VL7z9I2nOdI/AAAAAAAAD_4/5wOQ1fCCflM/DSC_0148_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">It was an overcast and somewhat grey day, but the wind was down and the temperatures were perfect in the low 60’s. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iGTzQH9WacI/VL7z9rKXZeI/AAAAAAAAEAE/tSBvdVp47J0/s1600-h/DSC_01395.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0139" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0139" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yZVAo9VKROA/VL7z-ZtG8_I/AAAAAAAAEAI/KBmIq2G3IUE/DSC_0139_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">This the GPS track of the track we took to get to Billy’s Island.</font></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 508px; width: 686px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697854&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3">There’s a dock and boardwalk at the landing, but it was a little crowded with other canoes and motor boats. So, we decided to just pull up on land. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--QUuTXomhu0/VL7z-8BxYTI/AAAAAAAAEAU/omY-ekyFu1Q/s1600-h/DSC_01175.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0117" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0117" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZNyU5HEyuH0/VL7z_mhsDxI/AAAAAAAAEAY/Omzi9pHhsMk/DSC_0117_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/115739659366972649243/gphoto/6106123781714073378?gl=us&heading=31&pitch=90&fovy=75" target="_blank"><font size="3">Here is a photo sphere picture of the docking area at Billy’s Island.</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Billy’s island was originally inhabited by local Native American's, but later became a small town where many working the lumber industry lived. Back in the early 1900’s there were attempts to build canals and drain the swamp to make timber harvest easier. They finally abandoned that idea and the town on Billy’s Island ceased to exist. But before they gave up, a lot of the swamps cypress trees were cut and hauled out by train on tracks built to cross the swamps. </font></p> <p><font size="3">There’s not much left of the town on Billy’s Island, but theirs is some old pieces of equipment scattered here and there. Also, there is a small cemetery located near the boat docking area. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cJUhByH1e4s/VL70AADL4WI/AAAAAAAAEAk/H19vmbyONGA/s1600-h/DSC_01235.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0123" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0123" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vG6wRxKoacE/VL70BBWY_qI/AAAAAAAAEAs/l2YcAH4OpLg/DSC_0123_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The hiking trail on the island is relatively short at three quarters of a mile. Below is the GPS track of this hike. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 494px; width: 692px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697864&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">On our paddle back to the state park, we took a few side trips in the small creeks that lead deep into the swamp. These creeks are not marked and after your go a short distance you realize how easy it would be to get turned around and loose your way. When hiking or paddling we always carry a GPS and track where we’ve come from. Hopefully making it unlikely we’d get turnaround and lost. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aXd4_NmCROc/VL70BytrQLI/AAAAAAAAEAw/PmkUjkunSdg/s1600-h/DSC_01325.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0132" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0132" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Jddo6xaZ2mw/VL70CVZFGKI/AAAAAAAAEA8/Q6fQyHF2ZQE/DSC_0132_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">While paddling around these back areas, we encountered many flocks of birds and had a few owls screeching back and forth to each other. Besides the birds, there really is no other outside noise. Really a pretty cool experience. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VcvLrMk60jM/VL70DIewj2I/AAAAAAAAEBE/lSEzQAQLyq8/s1600-h/DSC_01365.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0136" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0136" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DW7cw8qSzn0/VL70DytTywI/AAAAAAAAEBI/edZu144vNd8/DSC_0136_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">And our GPS track from Billy’s Island back to Stephen Foster State Park</font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 510px; width: 696px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697868&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">On Sunday morning we found the boardwalk that begins behind the visitors center and heads off into the swamp. After about a quarter mile the boardwalk ends, although you can see old sections leading off into the distance. Probably a victim of the fires that ravages these swamps a few years ago. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7BEyH-ntpvE/VL70EhuSx3I/AAAAAAAAEBQ/4mPQD3TIMj8/s1600-h/DSC_01567.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0156" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0156" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-n4FcvvbPQGQ/VL70FIeIDzI/AAAAAAAAEBc/zdzjb7lh67w/DSC_0156_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="452" height="673"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">The Okefenokee Swap is huge, taking up about 440,000 acres straddling the Florida/Georgia boarder. Back in 2007 a lightening strike started a wild file that consumed over 600,000 acres in the area, including vast areas within the Okefenokee swamp. Another large wildfire in 2011 burned other sections of the swamp. As a result, much of the area around Billy’s Lake looks like the picture below. A good article about the fires can be </font><a href="http://www.okefenokee.com/info/" target="_blank"><font size="3">found at this link.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dAYxWGYJWgo/VL70GL_QDzI/AAAAAAAAEBg/3UgWOjuFLOY/s1600-h/DSC_01545.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0154" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0154" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-yYTO51-mDzg/VL70Gr0NtCI/AAAAAAAAEBo/goVgGmTB7ak/DSC_0154_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/115739659366972649243/gphoto/6106123722240545602?gl=us&heading=272&pitch=90&fovy=75" target="_blank"><font size="3">Here is a photo sphere picture of the end of the board walk looking off into the swamp.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here is GPS track of our swamp boardwalk hike. </font></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 516px; width: 692px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697884&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3">Sunday afternoon we wanted to go further into the swamp than our paddling arms wanted to take us. The park offers john boats with small gas motors for rent. We decided to get one of these boats for four hours. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wglC8y0V1N0/VL70HTjF2VI/AAAAAAAAEBw/qdMrHeKQJJY/s1600-h/DSC_01598.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0159" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0159" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-GE1SHgBFj1Q/VL70H8pdEEI/AAAAAAAAEB4/VH3wVl2U-mc/DSC_0159_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We first headed west on Billy’s Lake as far as we could go. We motored about a mile and a half to Mixon’s Hammock where we turned around and then headed east back towards Billy’s Island. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The Okefenokee Swamp is called the land of the trembling earth, for all of the floating islands of vegetation. But it should also be called the land of many gators. They were everywhere and we passed one after another as we boated by. And those are just the ones we saw. I’m sure there were an equal number of gators that we didn’t happen to notice. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gPxte4mUOas/VL70IrKijbI/AAAAAAAAECA/7QYg0cnPi9Q/s1600-h/DSC_01685.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0168" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0168" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Dun9SgI9bCo/VL70JSdyfwI/AAAAAAAAECM/0H_wNybIAV4/DSC_0168_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">A picture showing the areas of burned out trees from the wild fires that consumed this area. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gOuntI97Dt0/VL70KG3gt5I/AAAAAAAAECQ/cwbslP_3mYQ/s1600-h/DSC_01705.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0170" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0170" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-bQUKCsZwBbE/VL70K8nNy7I/AAAAAAAAECY/uUxJTmct42k/DSC_0170_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The Okefenokee is the headwaters for the Suwannee River, with about 90% of the water flowing out of the swamp feeding that river. We passed this sign pointing out the Suwanee Sill where the river originates. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ncY9s3WS4YE/VL70LZFUykI/AAAAAAAAECg/pq1Y1qXTQGo/s1600-h/DSC_01664.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0166" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0166" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-MseDY-pSccc/VL70LzG0LwI/AAAAAAAAECo/ejDYX24H7xA/DSC_0166_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Heading north out of Billy’s Lake we followed a river (or a at times a narrow stream!) that is part of one of the many canoe/kayak trails that wind through the swamp. We had hoped to get as far as Big Water Lake which is the northern most boundary for “day use” activity. But the boating was slow with many twists and turn along the way. And we encountered a somewhat large group of boy scouts canoeing in the opposite direction. It was obvious that they were not ever given any paddling lessons as they were bouncing from shore to shore, with almost none of them heading in a straight line. So, we puller over many times to let them pass and found their antics amusing. Although we did feel sorry for the one group with the canoe that had tipped and they were attempting to tow the submerged canoe the three miles back the dock. A few of the adults in the group looked a little grumpy!!</font></p> <p><font size="3">We did make it to the Minnie’s Lake Rest Shelter. This is a structure above the water built on stilts. It was a good place to get out and stretch your legs and have a little lunch. There were a few other groups there and it was interesting talking with them and hearing about their day. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-AXF-yjKFpQo/VL70Ma95NzI/AAAAAAAAEC0/oyAJ0u8tdy0/s1600-h/2015-01-18-13.59.305.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-01-18 13.59.30" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-18 13.59.30" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-PT7wVWX_a-U/VL70NG8dQYI/AAAAAAAAEC4/oL4y6UpFVqM/2015-01-18-13.59.30_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here is the track of our day on the water in the john boat. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 506px; width: 696px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697895&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3">Sunday afternoon, after our time on the water, we found a few of the other short hiking trails they have within the park. The Upland trail winds its’ way from the park road, out into an old old pine forest, which is now mostly gone with some young pines now starting to fill in. The only problem is that about three-quarters of the trail is under water. We had out water shoes on, so we decided to forge on and completed our hike. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sxQ9AjCOUA4/VL70N-JD_oI/AAAAAAAAEDE/HEd7RXtB-xE/s1600-h/2015-01-18-16.29.555.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2015-01-18 16.29.55" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-18 16.29.55" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YeqOJmMeuec/VL70OyFDj9I/AAAAAAAAEDI/DiNF17XriN0/2015-01-18-16.29.55_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/115739659366972649243/gphoto/6106553948608678978?gl=us&heading=334&pitch=76&fovy=75" target="_blank"><font size="3">And one last photo sphere picture at the half way point of the Upland Trail hike.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 506px; width: 694px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697915&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">And our last hike was the Fitness Trail which boarders the camping loops. Along the way they have some exercises for you to do. Julie did some of them and I watched!!</font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 496px; width: 628px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8697929&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On Monday morning it was time to pack up and head back home. Julie and I have added this park as one to make a return trip to and do some more exploring sometime in the near future. </font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-38434869343357663472015-01-11T18:48:00.000-05:002015-01-12T19:32:36.009-05:00Hiking around Watermelon Pond – Goethe State Forest<p><font size="4"></font> </p> <p><font size="4">Date: 1/11/2015</font></p> <p><font size="4">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/RJlGS" target="_blank"><font size="4">Newberry, Fl</font></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">Did a Sunday morning hike at Watermelon Pond which is part of the Goethe State Forest west of Gainesville. </font></p> <p><font size="4"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mODzjdRHPlI/VLMMF5dkgVI/AAAAAAAAD94/lA0Y0Ry6MdI/s1600-h/2015-01-11%25252013.17.32%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img title="2015-01-11 13.17.32" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-11 13.17.32" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-XmrZVbrgGPk/VLMMGWsFlxI/AAAAAAAAD98/mjknaCnDKQ8/2015-01-11%25252013.17.32_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-iRDSZH3Ovhc/VLMMG1HA3uI/AAAAAAAAD-E/sr144mR_AdQ/s1600-h/2015-01-11%25252010.55.23%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img title="2015-01-11 10.55.23" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-11 10.55.23" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ytxj9oO7p_I/VLMMHg646XI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/liTWubd5MkY/2015-01-11%25252010.55.23_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="124"></font></a></p> <p><font size="4"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-h67Cxm537ts/VLMMIPlQUbI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/ttA1tBScI6k/s1600-h/2015-01-11%25252013.13.16%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img title="2015-01-11 13.13.16" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-11 13.13.16" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rPLHtO_C-Pk/VLMMI9UX5oI/AAAAAAAAD-c/Zm4UgOAusGo/2015-01-11%25252013.13.16_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-VMLOPaIsM2M/VLMMJiB_AjI/AAAAAAAAD-o/eLrhpxMLeHs/s1600-h/2015-01-11%25252013.12.41%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img title="2015-01-11 13.12.41" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-11 13.12.41" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-z2I3Ejpmvic/VLMMKOcEpjI/AAAAAAAAD-s/77DAH60xdzY/2015-01-11%25252013.12.41_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="700" height="394"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-u-exh3F6oHY/VLMMK00AvFI/AAAAAAAAD-4/VRg9V0GloPE/s1600-h/2015-01-11%25252013.08.49%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="4"><img title="2015-01-11 13.08.49" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2015-01-11 13.08.49" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-eeZrDPsn6_I/VLMMLQ-VqqI/AAAAAAAAD_A/Ttv6i567kD4/2015-01-11%25252013.08.49_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="4"></font> </p> <p><iframe style="height: 510px; width: 692px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8639424&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> <p> </p> <p>I just started playing around with Google PhotoSphere. Here are a few from today’s hike: </p> <p> </p><iframe height="315" marginheight="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?layer=c&panoid=0DODiM7vQzQAAAQZL7FKsQ&ie=UTF8&source=embed&output=svembed&cbp=13%2C214.518%2C%2C0%2C0" frameborder="0" width="560" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div><small><a style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left" href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/">Views</a>: <a style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left" href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/115739659366972649243/gphoto/6103161636596866098">Hiking Watermelon Pond</a> by <a style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left" href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/profile/115739659366972649243">Julie Whitney</a></small></div> <div><small></small> </div> <div><small></small> </div> <p>Watermelon Pond Hike #2 </p> <p><font size="4"></font> </p><iframe height="315" marginheight="0" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?layer=c&panoid=AJk9gq9waFYAAAQZL7FKtA&ie=UTF8&source=embed&output=svembed&cbp=13%2C158.90479999999997%2C%2C0%2C0" frameborder="0" width="560" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div><small><a style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left" href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/">Views</a>: <a style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left" href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/115739659366972649243/gphoto/6103161716196770706">Watermelon Pond, Florida</a> by <a style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left" href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/profile/115739659366972649243">Julie Whitney</a></small></div> <p><font size="4"></font> </p> <p><font size="4"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-81481861940477542632014-12-08T20:46:00.000-05:002014-12-08T21:22:08.867-05:00Camping with family at Fort De Soto County Park<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 12/4/14 – 12/7/14</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/zKUkv" target="_blank"><font size="3">Fort De Soto, St. Petersburg, Fl</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Back in August we were surfing around the campground reservation sites trying to find a location for a December camping trip. For some odd reason we were able to secure two adjoining sites at </font><a href="http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_DeSoto.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Fort Desoto Campground</font></a><font size="3"> in St. Petersburg, Florida. Fort De Soto is a very popular park and difficult to get a spot during the busy season. So, we were surprised to find we could actually get a reservation here. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We’ve camped here once before several years ago and it was right after we bought our trailer. Julie also used to camp here when she was a kid. Her parents and 5 sisters would stay here for a week or so during the summer in the family's’ pop up trailer. I can’t imagine camping with six daughters, but I guess they all survived and actually had a fun time and now fond memories. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Julie and I were hoping we could entice some of our Florida family members to join us for the weekend. We put out the word to family and actually got a few takers. My brother and his wife (Jim and JoAnne) from south Florida along with our two daughters (Allison and Michelle) and a son-in-law (Dave) decided to join us. How lucky were we!! We love having company during our camping trips.</font></p> <p><font size="3">Our sites, # 207 & #208, were right on the water. They were good sized with adequate privacy between the sites, but we didn’t have a great view of the water as there were some mangroves preventing us from getting a good view. Luckily we were able to launch the kayaks from our site. On Saturday the site next to us was open and had a prime water view, so we kind of took it over for a time and hung out there and enjoyed the scenery. </font></p> <p><font size="3">This is site #207 with the matching tents. We really like the tent that Jim and JoAnne have, so when the kids decided to join us, we purchased similar tent from Amazon. When we set them up we realized that they were exactly the same. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-13g4FKm-kaM/VIZUhxqXRnI/AAAAAAAAD6M/HpCzkxhoGQA/s1600-h/2014-12-05%25252016.35.59%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-12-05 16.35.59" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-12-05 16.35.59" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ZuprH4O4Guw/VIZUipB2ffI/AAAAAAAAD6Q/RTT0KUAibhU/2014-12-05%25252016.35.59_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">This is our site, #208, right next door. Allison stayed in the tent right behind our trailer, but she felt a little cheated after she saw that her sisters tent had a screen porch. It’s always tough being the younger sibling!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-zNhNMx_UZoQ/VIZUjI7kpDI/AAAAAAAAD6c/wR6FSCfgI3U/s1600-h/DSC_0089%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0089" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0089" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jDJe62dSf24/VIZUj6L8hAI/AAAAAAAAD6g/hYo5nh0pvB8/DSC_0089_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Our family enjoys playing corn hole (aka “bags” for those more refined southern family members). Sometimes these games get a little competitive and the trash talking flows freely. I brought our “corn hole” set up and found a somewhat level area in front of our sites. We got in a few good games over the weekend, but no champions were crowned. That will have to wait for the next ‘Curtis Cup Challenge” held every summer at Maine lake place. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vxO-kECf50w/VIZUkrtzk2I/AAAAAAAAD6o/87aud4EJoyM/s1600-h/DSC_0088%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0088" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0088" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-AnyTVsnNew0/VIZUlTOLjhI/AAAAAAAAD6w/ClVlX8Z6aq0/DSC_0088_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">This guy (or gal?) spent a lot of time in the trees near our site. A very good looking bird, but…</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-npjqyM4Knmo/VIZUl3YCfYI/AAAAAAAAD64/SxL663MOj18/s1600-h/DSC_0087%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0087" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0087" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-64FcowR2Ow4/VIZUmbWRU6I/AAAAAAAAD7A/6-IdpqQ9u8o/DSC_0087_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">he would make periodic trips through our campsites looking for handouts. And he didn’t want to take “no” for an answer. The first day we were there, we ate lunch at the picnic table at our site. This bird walked up to us, stood about 2 feet away from our table and just stared at us. We didn’t give in and he finally walked away, but made many more appearances throughout the weekend. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Dvp9FqfH_f0/VIZUnLpTfKI/AAAAAAAAD7M/lNHneg_aEMI/s1600-h/2014-12-04%25252016.44.23%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-12-04 16.44.23" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-12-04 16.44.23" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7-jkVpwtB-A/VIZUn0v9BgI/AAAAAAAAD7U/9yZ1FdPK0ps/2014-12-04%25252016.44.23_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">One of the great things about Fort De Soto is the number of activities available. It’s really a well designed and run campground. There’s miles and miles of bike trails. One Friday Julie and I took a ride around the park. Here we came across a few white pelicans. It was entertaining watching them chase the fish around this small bay. It was almost too easy for them to catch their lunch. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-eADgOHJ5Q2E/VIZUosRPz7I/AAAAAAAAD7c/5oUvukvc_Lc/s1600-h/2014-12-05%25252010.41.13%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-12-05 10.41.13" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-12-05 10.41.13" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--rOp9ULWZpk/VIZUpYGAsXI/AAAAAAAAD7g/0QUtihyznh8/2014-12-05%25252010.41.13_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="425"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The younger generation arrived on Friday night for the weekend camping trip. We were sure lucky with the weather this weekend and Saturday was actually a little warm with the temperatures reaching into the low 80’s. Here’s they are enjoying the water in front of our site. You know it had to be warm for our two daughters to actually be in the water. One (not saying who) is a cold water wimp and won’t go near the water unless it is VERY warm. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Z2GMHhodq8A/VIZUpxgRxOI/AAAAAAAAD7o/XzCn6dQTGtQ/s1600-h/2014-12-06%25252012.43.34%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-12-06 12.43.34" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-12-06 12.43.34" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-205QeAFjYTY/VIZUqaq5IgI/AAAAAAAAD7w/T0ZG12_HDrE/2014-12-06%25252012.43.34_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">A nice little family pic at sunset of Jim, JoAnne, moi and daughter Allison. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-o4abn7inNdo/VIZUrEreh4I/AAAAAAAAD78/VVTOwvvRsvA/s1600-h/DSC_0097%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0097" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0097" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kZ8cjUT5B10/VIZUrzNYr3I/AAAAAAAAD8A/HgCuM6G7vJQ/DSC_0097_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="489"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">One one of our bike rides I came across this “RV” as they were checking into the campground. I’m thinking this may be next our list of RV purchases. This thing was a beast and its’ tires came up to my chest. It really was way cool. It had a web site address on it, </font><a title="http://www.monster-worldtour.de/" href="http://www.monster-worldtour.de/"><font size="3">http://www.monster-worldtour.de/</font></a><font size="3">, which I tried to look up. But it was totally in German, so didn’t mean much to me. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-be0D5DZwK1g/VIZUsuHDZeI/AAAAAAAAD8I/wE2JVFyPOkc/s1600-h/2014-12-05%25252010.25.58%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-12-05 10.25.58" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-12-05 10.25.58" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-M-GqGGEvft0/VIZUtK7jUtI/AAAAAAAAD8U/30C-1JDG0rQ/2014-12-05%25252010.25.58_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Whenever Julie and I camp with Jim and Jo we split the cooking duties. Here they are preparing another fine breakfast for us. We always eat well when we camp!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LG_XzbEcqTw/VIZUt6BtCgI/AAAAAAAAD8c/vmKcrQMyl9k/s1600-h/2014-12-07%25252008.55.31%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-12-07 08.55.31" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-12-07 08.55.31" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gU4Jrc_zhfo/VIZUxOGXI3I/AAAAAAAAD8k/IFZbibNIQ-Q/2014-12-07%25252008.55.31_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="442"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Jim and I did an early morning bike ride on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s ride took us by the fort and over to the west beach area. The picture below is of the lagoons just off the Gulf of Mexico. They have a large area roped off as a bird sanctuary and nesting area. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LoPdu7Rnbb8/VIZUyFhCfDI/AAAAAAAAD8o/o8s0PZc0vfA/s1600-h/DSC_0068%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0068" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0068" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-C_qdVNuHCwU/VIZUyvuQ3DI/AAAAAAAAD8w/MOopOYWJZto/DSC_0068_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s the GPS track of our Saturday ride. </font></p> <p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3052403"><font size="3">Fort Desoto Campground Bike Ride at EveryTrail</font></a><br><iframe style="height: 400px; width: 600px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3052403&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Our Sunday bike ride took us to the east beach area: </font></p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3052413"><font size="3">Fort Desoto Campground Bike Ride at EveryTrail</font></a><br><iframe style="height: 374px; width: 556px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=3052413&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">The water was calm for most of our weekend trip. Julie spent some time paddling around the bay and enjoying some time on the water. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IORcvA16qL0/VIZUzEbdvKI/AAAAAAAAD84/A7CY9IhzY74/s1600-h/DSC_0071%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0071" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0071" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-M6WSkSArxYs/VIZUz2VJk-I/AAAAAAAAD9A/ob8kmbyakhw/DSC_0071_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Here’s Jim also taking a little paddle around the area. The last night we were there, the weather started to change, the wind picked up some and the fog rolled in. So glad we had good weather earlier so we could enjoy our outdoor activities. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9tVJ3lxv8c0/VIZU0S6xsAI/AAAAAAAAD9M/_lUbKTNxQTg/s1600-h/DSC_0103%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0103" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0103" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oZmz6i9p40U/VIZU1OBjyRI/AAAAAAAAD9Q/Jf4NtwiwfWY/DSC_0103_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On Saturday we had some visitors join us. Joanne’s sister Janice and her husband Bill came over from Dunedin and hung out for awhile out by the water. We tried to talk them into staying for dinner, but unfortunately they had to leave. Later that same afternoon a long lost friend of Julie and I stopped by. Garrett was a co-worker of ours when we worked at Chief Charlies way back in the late 1970’s (wow, that’s a long time ago!!). He’s lived in the area since that time and we re-united with him just recently when we spent a weekend in Dunedin. He now has a beautiful family, his wife Terry and two sons. We hope to see them again sometime soon. </font></p> <p><font size="3">And one final picture of a sunset from Fort De Soto and the now famous tree. Looking back at the pictures that I’ve included, I think this tree is in about half of them. Guess I really thought it was interesting enough to photograph..over…and…over!!</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mc9qVpyjNHg/VIZU1p0VSWI/AAAAAAAAD9c/qGi4jvr5ys4/s1600-h/DSC_0095%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0095" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0095" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IimRvNFr-tI/VIZU2dDCa7I/AAAAAAAAD9k/BAdtSiUW1Ik/DSC_0095_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">A <a href="http://youtu.be/93fx6yL6h0c" target="_blank">youtube vidoe showing our two campsites.</a> </font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-76168019372224081522014-11-13T20:23:00.000-05:002014-11-13T20:32:49.573-05:00Camping at Cloudland Canyon State Park<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 11/8/14 – 11/11/14</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/bs7D3" target="_blank"><font size="3">Rising Fawn, Georgia</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On our list of places to camp was somewhere north of us and during the fall where maybe we could catch some fall color. Many years ago we had visited areas around the north Georgia mountains, such as Unicoi and Vogel state parks. Both well known camping locations in the mountains of north Georgia. Just recently I’ve started reading about a campground and park in the very northwest corner of Georgia called Cloudland Canyon. This location is about a 7 – 8 hour drive from our home and about the max we would do for a long weekend. And unfortunately, the only direct way to get there is to drive right through the center of Atlanta which is not always a fun adventure while pulling an RV. But we decided that the long day of travel was worth visiting a park that we’ve never seen before and one that gets great reviews. </font></p> <p><font size="3">With Tuesday being Veterans Day, we decided to take a vacation day on Monday to make it a nice 4 day long weekend. This would allow us a couple days of long driving, but also a few days to relax and explore the park. It turns out we couldn’t have picked a better time weather wise to visit. The nighttime lows were about 40 degrees, with the daytime highs in the upper 60’s to low 70’s. With clear skies and perfect temps, we definitely hit it just right! </font></p> <p><font size="3">We were a little concerned since the online reservation system showed the park was completely full over the weekend and we were scheduled to arrive Saturday afternoon. We were expecting to get one of the leftover, non-prime spots. But we figured if the site was too bad, we would just move on Sunday afternoon when the majority of the campers were leaving. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We arrived at Cloudland Canyon at around 2:00pm on Saturday, checked in and them drove directly to the West Side campground. We heard this camping loop was a little nicer and more spread out than the one on the east side of the park. Within minutes we drove by an open site, only the second open site we saw and it was a beautiful location. No other campsite on the right and plenty of room between this site and the next on the left. We discussed continuing to drive around looking at spots, but decided to not take our chances, so we snagged it! </font></p> <p><font size="3">As you can see from the pictures below, this camping site is very nice and with the bonus of some trees with fall color. Also, on Sunday about half the campground checked out and almost all of the rest left on Monday. So, by that time we had this section of the west loop campground all to ourselves. Very nice!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-V5aw8vnRJSc/VGVZmaEfTpI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/Y392Rt_v8_8/s1600-h/DSC_02295.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0229" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0229" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xmGLynoGJe8/VGVZnEOS7lI/AAAAAAAAD2Y/gkhxS8rie4g/DSC_0229_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lbJjtQUo7nY/VGVZnjzFrnI/AAAAAAAAD2g/5Tkqgp0l8R0/s1600-h/DSC_02345.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0234" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0234" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ugjBP0KA0ao/VGVZof_FSBI/AAAAAAAAD2o/dCXidnjox7k/DSC_0234_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">After we got checked in on Saturday, we rested for a short bit and then decided to check out the day use area and some of the many hiking trails. We heard that this park was unique and offered some amazing views, but we really didn’t realize how awesome it would turn out to be. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s a few pictures looking out over one of the canyons the park is named after. A beautiful view showing some of the fall colors down in the valley. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0_LNTW214FI/VGVZo4HuEiI/AAAAAAAAD2w/Oz63wpw-V0E/s1600-h/DSC_01646.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0164" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9EBHx4V4guc/VGVZphDWc6I/AAAAAAAAD20/gvO0RQORjRc/DSC_0164_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_TqKP5aoKtE/VGVZqKpDMXI/AAAAAAAAD3A/wfdnZgb134o/s1600-h/DSC_01685.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0168" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0168" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-_cTUtsP0J2A/VGVZq-g7GYI/AAAAAAAAD3E/NXXVlBdH6q4/DSC_0168_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rO0h0q9qL94/VGVZrVuqUOI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/dqmFV_bdK7Q/s1600-h/DSC_01735.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0173" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0173" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sp8oRy9DXGw/VGVZsF98UaI/AAAAAAAAD3U/PiCJrs-Q-9o/DSC_0173_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">One of the benefits of camping here, that we appreciated more as the weekend progressed, was the amount of hiking trails they had built all over this park. And also the fact that all were easily accessible from the campgrounds and cabins. They also put in a ton of effort making some of the scenic overlooks accessible and also safe. Like this overlook below with the fence to prevent anyone from falling. Theses type of overlooks were common on many of the trails. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Vk7jT3P-r94/VGVZsuSC9lI/AAAAAAAAD3g/0ltcif_Kr6Q/s1600-h/DSC_01815.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0181" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0181" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZTahtDlO-wE/VGVZtY0hoAI/AAAAAAAAD3k/xv2CbjxYSSo/DSC_0181_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Of course there were also many spots where you could get close to the edge with nothing preventing you from falling. Here’s Julie doing her best to increase the excitement level some. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ziZn1Kp1nk4/VGVZt0V_dTI/AAAAAAAAD3s/NY40Du2fWz4/s1600-h/DSC_02365.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0236" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0236" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-v0QUV3lDwuE/VGVZuq3Gr4I/AAAAAAAAD34/nNWpJ-FMtfI/DSC_0236_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="452" height="673"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Probably one of the best hikes in the park is the West Rim Loop Trail. This trail winds around the section of the park where we were camped and is an amazing hike. Both Julie and I would rate this as one of the best and most exciting hikes we have ever done. I’d give it the number two spot on my list, right below Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park. Julie thinks it rates ahead of that hike, so you can tell we really enjoyed it!</font></p> <p><font size="3">This overlook, looking north out of the park towards Chattanooga, was an example of how much effort they put into giving you places to view the surrounding mountains and canyons. But this one was very slanted and wanted to move you close to the edge where the drop was hundreds of feet. Here’s Julie holding on to the railing while staying away from the drop off. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wMxYDA_Q704/VGVZvEooK4I/AAAAAAAAD4A/mwnwB6_UaI8/s1600-h/DSC_02505.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0250" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0250" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-NxJRDXNsFqM/VGVZv2b-GqI/AAAAAAAAD4E/WU-iWRrkxps/DSC_0250_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Over the years I’ve always snickered at campers who carry their little dog around in a sling or push it in a stroller. Every year we go to the Tampa RV Super Show and I just have to laugh at all the people (mainly men!!!) carrying their little fluffy. Well, this is what I get for laughing at them…..it’s now us!! We have a little grand-doggy who usually stays home with a dog sitter when we go camping, but we decided to try and save a little money and started bringing her along. Julie ordered an over the shoulder sling/pouch so we can take her hiking with us. From the picture below, it doesn’t look like she is too stressed. I actually think she enjoyed it and she sure did get a lot of attention from the fellow hikers we passed along the way. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-h4gAvA2rWvA/VGVZwEs0h1I/AAAAAAAAD4M/9oAD4YG2aOI/s1600-h/DSC_02656.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0265" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0265" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NAuW0Es_abY/VGVZwsyeQCI/AAAAAAAAD4U/ktXgEQ333yw/DSC_0265_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="452" height="673"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Almost all of the hiking trails in the park have a lot of elevation changes, with many of them descending all the way to the bottom of the ravines. We surely didn’t have to worry about getting our exercise during this weekend. On many of the hikes to the bottom there were interesting rock formations and some caves. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8BifL5fRDeo/VGVZxEkjkYI/AAAAAAAAD4c/RwWR1z9buGg/s1600-h/DSC_03045.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0304" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0304" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZFwOkkOqoyM/VGVZx2wTsSI/AAAAAAAAD4k/pkMmw2A2Te8/DSC_0304_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">And along the way we passed several high waterfalls. However, Zelda (the dog) didn’t like the waterfalls. Guess all the water noise reminded her of bath time!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-XMcTMv3cZGI/VGVZyR0OoBI/AAAAAAAAD4w/qiVdIa7ZNIM/s1600-h/DSC_03605.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0360" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0360" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FlqTUWEiKck/VGVZzON736I/AAAAAAAAD40/jlgYfbM8Rc4/DSC_0360_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-k_Aj9TgH_ec/VGVZzhp46SI/AAAAAAAAD5A/r4KlKgaf3Mg/s1600-h/DSC_03725.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0372" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0372" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7RGkOULT8mA/VGVZ0LFJpYI/AAAAAAAAD5E/FDiFwBLvXB4/DSC_0372_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="448"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">I probably took a hundred pictures of the view looking out over the canyon. It was just too good to pass up. It did make it a little challenging whittling down the pics to the ones I’d use in this blog entry. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9He07IllwMo/VGVZ0_SZnmI/AAAAAAAAD5Q/OMz86JC9jCE/s1600-h/DSC_03965.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0396" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0396" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zFloIsjiI8k/VGVZ1fpCd3I/AAAAAAAAD5Y/4jOU4DxEDkg/DSC_0396_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CRXhia5Z_qU/VGVZ2CRvjtI/AAAAAAAAD5g/w1nkPlAJuFg/s1600-h/DSC_04045.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0404" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0404" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-2T7oLcVSgmw/VGVZ2-FC3xI/AAAAAAAAD5k/3-yVxasKdI8/DSC_0404_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">At one point Julie took the camera away from me. I think it was after I’d taken the hundredth picture of her and the surrounding fall colors. This is one she snapped of me. I figured I’d add it as it’s one of the few you will see of me here. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aJrWgG60Hoc/VGVZ3Sx33NI/AAAAAAAAD5s/YWBPLOmtdJ0/s1600-h/DSC_04215.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0421" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0421" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-v3ormS22EWg/VGVZ3yyDf0I/AAAAAAAAD50/2DloMnhjAnY/DSC_0421_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="402" height="598"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Over the long weekend, we just about hiked ourselves to death. We are flatlanders from Florida. So, all these hikes and the elevation changes were a great workout. If we had stayed another day, it would have had to be a day of rest. We both had tired legs at the end. I figured we did between 20 – 25 miles of hiking over those few days. That’s a lot for two old farts!</font></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s a link to a short </font><a href="http://youtu.be/RGBsMiOd6T4" target="_blank"><font size="3">YouTube video from this camping trip</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">And some GPS tracks from some of the hikes we took</font></p> <p><font size="3">Cloudland Canyon’s Overlook Trail Hike on </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=8238590" target="_blank"><font size="3">Wikiloc</font></a><font size="3"> and </font><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3033671&code=d9b781434a3451813717fea4817cedd7" target="_blank"><font size="3">EveryTrail</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Cloudland Canyon’s West Rim Loop Trail on </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=8238594" target="_blank"><font size="3">Wikiloc</font></a><font size="3"> and </font><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3033673&code=95e1d0012e290752b4c91dcc04cb796f" target="_blank"><font size="3">Everytrail</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Cloudland Canyon’s Waterfall Trail on </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=8238595" target="_blank"><font size="3">Wikiloc</font></a><font size="3"> and </font><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3033674&code=45dd7ecbf8b5519e4de3385090d229c9" target="_blank"><font size="3">Everytrail</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Cloudland Canyon’s Sitton Gulch Trail on </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=8238593" target="_blank"><font size="3">Wikiloc</font></a><font size="3"> and </font><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=3033672&code=a65c11e338d6aa09c13539a561017f20" target="_blank"><font size="3">EveryTrail</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-25850936745754122202014-10-27T20:43:00.000-04:002014-10-27T20:58:04.978-04:00Camping at Kissimmee Prairie State Preserve Park<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 10/24/2014 – 10/26/2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/7BPAq" target="_blank"><font size="3">Okeechobee, Fl</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We knew after we had camped at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve back in </font><a href="http://jdttravelblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-weekend-camping-trip-to-kissimmee.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">March of this year</font></a><font size="3">, that this park is one we’d want to came back to one day. So, several months ago we figured out a weekend in the fall and nearest a new moon to ensure skies good for star gazing. Being one of the darkest sky locations in the state of Florida, this park is a favorite of the astronomy lovers and they were out in force this weekend. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We made note of the best sites when we were here before and lucked out by getting a large site with a nice view. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TWQRws5rJbU/VE7m2zHyWcI/AAAAAAAADw0/w9ruYNsrsuY/s1600-h/DSC_00056.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0005" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0005" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gBO6byoo5zg/VE7m3Zig1bI/AAAAAAAADw8/G2GyFar8Ewk/DSC_0005_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">After we had made our reservations, my brother and sister-in-law decided to join us. Luckily the site right next to us opened up and they were able to grab it. They looked to the east over the prairie. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xqpW-1LXiCg/VE7m4HuTRNI/AAAAAAAADxA/g7lVXfvArUQ/s1600-h/DSC_00165.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0016" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0016" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MRLblztZYB0/VE7m42Mq2iI/AAAAAAAADxM/7jOkiqegc1c/DSC_0016_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RpzfBsDcaCI/VE7m5W68C9I/AAAAAAAADxU/mdF8R5zUnqE/s1600-h/DSC_0008.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0008" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0008" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9Wlp_yzOMcE/VE7m6FGrwzI/AAAAAAAADxY/9Uv4rgvFCz4/DSC_0008_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-D40rQfJhGcY/VE7m6rs5rjI/AAAAAAAADxk/g4u0z3zgVsk/s1600-h/DSC_0012.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0012" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0012" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0pN6Hra1A_Q/VE7m7J96nPI/AAAAAAAADxo/zG7PfYeZLZA/DSC_0012_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Kissimmee Prairie is currently around 54,000 acres in size with plans to increase this as they buy up more of the cattle farms to the north. This park is way out in the boonies and the land is flat with expansive views in most directions. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hljHipVQkhU/VE7m7gEJvhI/AAAAAAAADx0/WmPmr3gH81g/s1600-h/DSC_00565.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0056" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0056" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-T48VccB_4_c/VE7m9U05v1I/AAAAAAAADx4/aX71h4M1lr4/DSC_0056_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We had fantastic weather during the weekends camping trip. Highs during the day in the low 80’s and nice and cool at night in the upper 50’s. This weather was just right to do some hiking and we took one of the trails that started at the visitors center. The trail maps do warn you that since this is an area with a lot of wetlands, some of the trails may be blocked by water. And just like the hike we took back in the spring, we did hit several areas that required us to wade our way through. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s Julie trying to find a dry way around, but she was only got so far before she accepted defeat and ended up taking off her hiking boots and sloshing her way ahead. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UqlSeAZ_dtQ/VE7m9yEVJcI/AAAAAAAADyA/e774zQOQ4jA/s1600-h/DSC_006511.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0065" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0065" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RGEqh26ho6U/VE7m-vUdZoI/AAAAAAAADyM/Ec2uwH0hD3s/DSC_0065_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="320"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-fHKBXd7PsWs/VE7m_Lcq0xI/AAAAAAAADyU/DB8U9UBaxsk/s1600-h/DSC_00679.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0067" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0067" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JvLDlri1-qw/VE7m_5LL6LI/AAAAAAAADyY/mYp6BBjX-kw/DSC_0067_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We eventually made our way around the loop trail and found a picnic table in the shade to relax and have a few snacks. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here is the GPS track of the hike we took on Saturday morning. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 476px; width: 636px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8117563&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On our two visits to this park, Julie has been on a quest to hike or bike to the Kissimmee River which forms the very west boundary of the park. She spoke with the ranger in the visitor center about biking the Military Trail that makes a relatively straight shot to the river. The ranger encouraged her to take this trail and that we’d surely enjoy it. My brother’s wife had broken her wrist a few weeks ago, so she couldn’t join us on this adventure. Julie, my brother and myself took our bikes on what we thought would be an easy ride through the prairie. It started out on a very nice limestone road, but quickly disintegrated into a road best traveled with a four wheel drive truck or one of the park’s swamp buggies. It was ether soft sand, thick grass or rutted muddy sections. We rode as much as we could, usually trailing Julie by about a quarter mile as we tried our best to get to that darned river. After about 5+ miles we took another look at the GPS and trail maps and realized that we still had several miles to go. As much as we didn’t want to do it, we declared defeat and retreated back to camp. We were a bunch of tired campers when we got back several hours after we started. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">The views of the prairie were awesome as we rode along, just too bad that they didn’t have a better surface for biking. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-GzaameRo2rU/VE7nAV7qlRI/AAAAAAAADyk/RoUB3dDyNLw/s1600-h/DSC_00745.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0074" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0074" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bM_Oso203gs/VE7nBDv9JQI/AAAAAAAADys/YpOIDgxqAMU/DSC_0074_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">In some of the wetter areas of the prairie there were many fall wild flowers in bloom. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-vLCm4dMGzwY/VE7nBiFW1dI/AAAAAAAADy0/dWgcYN97hsA/s1600-h/DSC_00639.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0063" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0063" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WxvwEWSNztA/VE7nCduDYvI/AAAAAAAADy4/Onbu9QdZtWg/DSC_0063_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Here’s the GPS track of our torturous bike ride</font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 572px; width: 688px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8117591&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We did have some clouds and breeze during the days, which kept things cools and very pleasant. Luckily for the astronomy groups who were camped here, it did clear in the evening which made for some great star gazing. </font></p> <p><font size="3">This shot below shows part of the start filled sky looking north. That streak above the tree line in the picture is actually the </font><a href="http://jdttravelblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-weekend-camping-trip-to-kissimmee.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">International Space Station</font></a><font size="3"> as it sped its’ way across the sky. We each also saw several shooting stars during the night, although Julie struggled (and whined) at times trying to find one!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8_0eEjhoURY/VE7nCzqsvOI/AAAAAAAADzE/4cyzWSyqpTg/s1600-h/DSC_00845.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0084" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0084" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5_SOaaikIUo/VE7nDkh0sVI/AAAAAAAADzI/n_X_ObRViSo/DSC_0084_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">With no visible moon and the clear skies, the milky way was easy to see as it arched its’ way across the heavens from the south-east horizon toward the north-west. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-WI3LALK73EM/VE7nEOD2mQI/AAAAAAAADzQ/2jrF0I1I55c/s1600-h/DSC_00925.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0092" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0092" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Vzt_5hydINo/VE7nE4pCtEI/AAAAAAAADzY/fQlzG_LS1iI/DSC_0092_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We were also able to find some of the constellations like the big dipper pointing to the north star and a few planets, such as Mars and Jupiter made an appearance. </font></p> <p><font size="3">With this being one of the darkest areas of Florida, it’s still not totally free from man made light. This picture below shows some of the light pollution coming from the cities on the east coast of the state. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rF1UBgZh_T4/VE7nFeFiIsI/AAAAAAAADzk/VxP_gGkPVsY/s1600-h/DSC_00405.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0040" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0040" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J0b0KgIUJwQ/VE7nF-l7DqI/AAAAAAAADzo/qsIVhzYl-g8/DSC_0040_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">This state park has a separate camping area for the astronomy buffs who use this as a location for their (expensive!!!) hobby. Here’s a picture of their sites just beyond the visitors center where’s there is room for their rv’s and space for them to set up their large telescopes (the covered objects to the right). It’s quiet during the day, with most them probably sleeping, but comes to life at night. Many of them stay awake all night photographing far off solar systems, star cluster and other hard to comprehend stellar objects. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ODpY0roE3qI/VE7nGbiIzTI/AAAAAAAADzw/v2XOC3KPs2A/s1600-h/DSC_00015.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0001" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0001" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FK9h_ATx09Y/VE7nG_l3u5I/AAAAAAAADz8/dKJQvh_oW0s/DSC_0001_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On Sunday, before we had to pack up and head back home, we all made our way to an area with some ponds to watch the birds take flight as the sun rises. It’s also an area with a good collection of gators. It was a cool morning, so they were slow to get going. But as the sun got a little higher and the air warmed, you could start to hear them. At first is sounded like someone snoring out in the weeds. As we were walking back to our bikes, one large male gator really started to bellow and thrash about and just about scared the @#!% out of us. After we got a safe distance away we watched him for awhile and he would bellow and then get quiet. Then from another area another gator would do the same. It was actually very interesting to watch this behavior which none of us had witnessed before.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IBvVm_ii_Ms/VE7nHlgFHGI/AAAAAAAAD0A/ondfnQKegzA/s1600-h/DSC_00975.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0097" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0097" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ftiMWD2vOng/VE7nIFfxX3I/AAAAAAAAD0M/LUm6_PQSNuA/DSC_0097_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="407"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fGmumbkDpms/VE7nJyWYvHI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/H-0Z8oCfGDE/s1600-h/DSC_01245.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0124" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0124" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-p6oMduxcHnI/VE7nKbNQ8PI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/1ctpBnuZjvs/DSC_0124_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WXs3ihRMYzU/VE7nKzu9f1I/AAAAAAAAD0k/f4kI3tJI7KU/s1600-h/DSC_01355.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0135" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0135" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GooXB2riEXQ/VE7nLtqwJBI/AAAAAAAAD0o/AHQNECTu-KA/DSC_0135_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yViQYiV-c9A/VE7nMNEE6SI/AAAAAAAAD00/H-8lnMchZVs/s1600-h/DSC_01335.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0133" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0133" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gLx_x0i3-0s/VE7nM7SUKoI/AAAAAAAAD04/XyzjnzFmtqs/DSC_0133_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Kissimmee Prairie is a noted location on the </font><a href="http://floridabirdingtrail.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Florida Birding Trail</font></a><font size="3">. There is constant bird activity around the area and much can be seen right from our campsite. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s a hawk that was perched high in an oak tree by our site and looking around for its’ breakfast. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qQIvYJtp8QY/VE7nNVMfmuI/AAAAAAAAD1A/KVEHKExLD_0/s1600-h/DSC_6086%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_6086" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_6086" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-JZ7scIf1tdY/VE7nOF88AzI/AAAAAAAAD1M/g5nvwCzySUI/DSC_6086_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="404" height="517"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">This Barred Owl cruised through our campsite and landed in a tree not too far from us. It we hadn’t seen it fly by, we would never have seen it as it blends in so well with the tree it landed on.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-LwkQZnDUGaA/VE7nOqtToUI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/deUmzzdG-1k/s1600-h/DSC_60655.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_6065" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_6065" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1xsmkYZr_-g/VE7nPOIe8mI/AAAAAAAAD1c/yxlasyVheew/DSC_6065_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="502" height="708"></font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">And my last bird picture is of a Crested Caracara which nest in the park and surrounding areas. This guy (or gal) was one of three that landed in a ditch nearby and was looking for something tasty to eat.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-s2WtzR717G4/VE7nP-BQ8bI/AAAAAAAAD1k/NDU7LZl042Y/s1600-h/DSC_60715.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_6071" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_6071" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-X6_qxZLYdko/VE7nQnnY1aI/AAAAAAAAD1s/i7REtmf3D-Y/DSC_6071_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="507"></font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">After our morning walk we spent a short time relaxing before packing up and heading back to reality. We had an awesome weekend of camping and truly enjoyed spending it with Jim and Jo. We hope to plan many more camping trips with them in the future. We do have one more on the books as we will be doing another trip with them in early December for a weekend at </font><a href="http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/camping.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Fort de Soto in St. Pete.</font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-hnWoeX1tdng/VE7nRVamg-I/AAAAAAAAD10/JrqrKNfKrGY/s1600-h/DSC_01555.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0155" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0155" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eo4e5i0xwIk/VE7nSnMykKI/AAAAAAAAD14/7PnH6T83SA4/DSC_0155_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="460"></font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Here’s a link to a short </font><a href="http://youtu.be/sCeGoV85RzY" target="_blank"><font size="3">YouTube video from this camping trip.</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-44461644518174931932014-10-12T19:54:00.000-04:002014-10-12T19:58:58.925-04:00Biking the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 10/12 2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/Dvbip" target="_blank"><font size="3">Dixie Mainline Trail, Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">With the cooling Florida fall weather, we decided to get out on Sunday morning and do another bike ride in the </font><a href="http://www.fws.gov/lowersuwannee/trails.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Suwannee National Wildlife Area.</font></a><font size="3"> This is a continuation of the ride we did back in March which covered the more southern section of this bike trail. The blog post of that trip can be </font><a href="http://jdttravelblog.blogspot.com/2014/03/biking-lower-suwannee-national-wildlife.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">found at this link</font></a><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3">The Dixie Mainline trail is a road that was the former route of a small gauge railway that was built back in the early 1920’s to haul lumber out of the area. It has since been converted to a lime rock road that follows the gulf coast. This trail is also open to motorized vehicles, but in the 3+ hours that we road, we only say two trucks. And there were no others that we saw biking this trail today, so we pretty much has this ride to ourselves. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7BzQbz3VSn4/VDsVnOKQbbI/AAAAAAAADu8/C17bS0gNpNc/s1600-h/DSC_0155.NEF%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0155.NEF" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0155.NEF" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wBKk0FpAPx8/VDsVn-n6SqI/AAAAAAAADvE/FXlwvq8Z7ew/DSC_0155.NEF_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The road is dirt or crushed lime rock and most areas were very smooth which made for some good biking. Being early fall in Florida, the sides of the roads were covered with wildflowers. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-j-L9Ptsbfxg/VDsVosyX1WI/AAAAAAAADvM/tzdbd_Ni_dc/s1600-h/DSC_0168%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0168" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0168" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xIt2yhbCYeE/VDsVpVOQwyI/AAAAAAAADvQ/KQR1jrMAkTI/DSC_0168_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The majority of the trail winds its’ way through wetlands and swamps. In many places the road is just a few inches higher than the water level. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The Dixie Mainline trail eventually crosses over County Road 151. So, we took a several mile detour and rode down to the town of Horseshoe Beach on the gulf of Mexico. This was a fairly nice small town right on the Gulf of Mexico. We also found a county park right on the water that has several campsites. We may just come back here someday and bring our camper to stay here for a few days.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-3TZaxSeUxpc/VDsVqM2tARI/AAAAAAAADvY/6FmtdpHcoWs/s1600-h/DSC_0161%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0161" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0161" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8jAwEES6aXQ/VDsVqiLsSZI/AAAAAAAADvk/R6RkXEdrSjA/DSC_0161_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RD8dwVIVbpM/VDsVrXnB2zI/AAAAAAAADvo/nQLsriKyyfk/s1600-h/DSC_0165%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0165" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0165" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Jsl1upv-2MQ/VDsVsCvmlAI/AAAAAAAADv0/gSIovO_ZOfM/DSC_0165_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Here is the GPS track of out 22+ mile ride. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 492px; width: 652px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8002699&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3">After our ride, we loaded up the bikes on the truck and drover down to Shired Island county park to eat our lunch overlooking the gulf. This county park also has a few campsites, but it doesn’t look like a place we’d camp at. The sites are not well defined and it looks a little rough around the edges, </font></p> <p><font size="3">The park has a short hike from the boat dock area out to an area that had an old Indian shell mound. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yeInNJ1wA0A/VDsVs9Lc3XI/AAAAAAAADv8/j6A8N2PkuCc/s1600-h/DSC_0171%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0171" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0171" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jc3Ebx8dmEk/VDsVtoCF56I/AAAAAAAADwA/CP7VfkhWzBE/DSC_0171_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rwy7ERIZsOE/VDsVuC8_HFI/AAAAAAAADwI/Vo8rsdSsqVA/s1600-h/DSC_0174%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0174" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0174" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Jev5dy92PLE/VDsVu03yguI/AAAAAAAADwQ/mNDkUTvi3Js/DSC_0174_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6gdCkZ61gPQ/VDsVvjbRzVI/AAAAAAAADwY/YwO2BMfxqpg/s1600-h/DSC_0178%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0178" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0178" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-jplYkkpJ7x4/VDsVwJBalII/AAAAAAAADwg/VgLqLNg0j-I/DSC_0178_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">And here’s the GPS track of the short hike we did at Shired Island County Park. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 484px; width: 668px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=8002724&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-58216224789273481852014-09-21T17:45:00.000-04:002014-09-21T18:47:53.413-04:00A weekend camping trip to Osceola National Forest<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/pMGQt" target="_blank"><font size="3">Ocean Pond Campground, Osceola National Forest</font></a><font size="3"> Site #17</font></p> <p><font size="3">Dates: 9/19/2014 – 9/21/2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">The weather down here in Florida started to make a turn to more more reasonable levels where camping could be somewhat pleasant. So, Julie and I decided to get away for the weekend and head to the woods. We choose a place we camped at about 30 years ago and recently started going back to when we purchased our camper in 2011. </font><a href="http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/southern/osccmp.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Ocean Pond Campground</font></a><font size="3"> in located in the Osceola National Forest just east of Lake City Florida. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oRqyCxCUCZU/VB9IcEIF1TI/AAAAAAAADtA/LVD1UuYCXK8/s1600-h/2014-09-20%25252010.59.47%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-20 10.59.47" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-20 10.59.47" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uumPO3egAW4/VB9Ic9zJvjI/AAAAAAAADtI/ZCjHPEtpBPc/2014-09-20%25252010.59.47_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We left after work on Friday and drove the hour and a half north to the campground. Ocean Pond doesn’t take reservations, but there’s always some sites available. The only problem is only a third of the sites have electricity and we were hoping to snag one of those sites and preferably one of the lake front sites.</font></p> <p><font size="3">This area has had a very rainy summer and the lake level was way up from the last time we were here. So, there was a handful of electric sites available when we got there, but they were all a little soggy. But we eventually picked site 17 and got set up. It was a little wet and muddy, but we made due! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zE39xMLUg3I/VB9IdoovLaI/AAAAAAAADtQ/tCCJXAYne7U/s1600-h/2014-09-20%25252019.17.02%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-20 19.17.02" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-20 19.17.02" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EhEu_pSyY5w/VB9IeWe4sSI/AAAAAAAADtU/47qNOEo4An8/2014-09-20%25252019.17.02_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">As you can see from the picture above, the sites at this campground are huge when compared to other campgrounds we’ve stayed at. Just about all the sites are this way. Except for the primitive (tent) loop, all are paved and very level. We only wish that they had more sites with electricity.</font></p> <p><font size="3">There’s a nice beach, where we hung out at for awhile on Saturday afternoon. They also have built a day use pavilion since the last time we’ve been here,</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SCYgOIAke9k/VB9IezUZ32I/AAAAAAAADtc/nwU9FiLflKg/s1600-h/2014-09-20%25252019.02.31%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-20 19.02.31" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-20 19.02.31" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6QEyGx1hPrk/VB9IfVZtM1I/AAAAAAAADto/DIPNyG3KWoM/2014-09-20%25252019.02.31_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Saturday was overcast and rain moved into the area in the early afternoon. We spent some time inside the camper watching the Gator football game. Around halftime the rain had stopped and it began to clear, so we moved outside and enjoyed the cooling temperatures. Unfortunately, the Gators couldn’t match up with Alabama and got stomped. We decided to turn the game off in the middle of the fourth quarter as it was getting too depressing!!!</font></p> <p><font size="3">One good thing is the skies started to clear and we got to enjoy a nice sunset. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-v6QM7qjf72E/VB9IgLLQv7I/AAAAAAAADts/ocSxAY3GE-k/s1600-h/2014-09-20%25252019.04.41%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-20 19.04.41" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-20 19.04.41" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mQVwoOOd4z4/VB9IghrWmuI/AAAAAAAADt0/xLentwy_ygY/2014-09-20%25252019.04.41_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-n1Kty226PlI/VB9IhEGEqfI/AAAAAAAADt8/8aDaRM9IikU/s1600-h/2014-09-20%25252019.34.42%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-20 19.34.42" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-20 19.34.42" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-NnHIgOlfPnk/VB9IhhxQDyI/AAAAAAAADuE/F0Zz-H8ljwI/2014-09-20%25252019.34.42_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We don’t usually camp with our pooch, but decided to bring her along on this trip. If we are going to do a lot of hiking our kayaking, we don’t like to leave her in the camper (probably barking), so we tend to leave her behind on our camping trips. But this time were were just biking and we can bring her along in the bike basket. She seems to really enjoy the camping experience and the outdoors, but it really wore her out. Here she is, fallen asleep on the step into the camper, </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-8khSVaFBXKQ/VB9IiJpkhkI/AAAAAAAADuM/1FFoNPoEQek/s1600-h/2014-09-20%25252013.44.00%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-20 13.44.00" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-20 13.44.00" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-CShAsgaq920/VB9Iivh1mpI/AAAAAAAADuU/IQgVv72zBbM/2014-09-20%25252013.44.00_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Sunday was heading home day. We woke up to nice 66 degrees weather and decided to do one last bike ride before we packed up and headed south. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-shZbE28s98E/VB9IjAEfl3I/AAAAAAAADug/-1qeCyM7aTY/s1600-h/2014-09-21%25252008.19.10%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="2014-09-21 08.19.10" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="2014-09-21 08.19.10" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6fkNlZZ1UIs/VB9IjjNochI/AAAAAAAADuo/H4GKUseIWIY/2014-09-21%25252008.19.10_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">One previous camping trips to Ocean Pond we had brought our kayaks and did some paddling on the nice lake next to the campground. But this time around, we wanted to keep things simple and decided to just bring our bikes and leave the kayaks at home. Both Saturday and Sunday we did bike rides on the country roads (paved) and some back limerock roads. It’s a nice area for riding as there’s just about no traffic and you can ride in the roads without worrying about traffic. Below are the gps tracks of our rides on Saturday and Sunday morning. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><iframe style="height: 474px; width: 690px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=7846659&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><iframe style="height: 486px; width: 636px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=7846678&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-63076439205490122952014-09-07T15:09:00.000-04:002014-09-07T15:34:26.718-04:00Camping at Curry Hammock State Park in the Florida Keys<p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/0Uuh7" target="_blank"><font size="3">Curry Hammock State Park</font></a><font size="3">, Little Crawl Key</font></p> <p><font size="3">Dates: 8/30/2014 – 9/5/2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">A late summer camping trip to the Florida keys had us questioning our sanity. Really, who chooses to camp in Florida during the hottest time of the year. We should be heading north to the mountains where it is cooler, instead of heading south where the heat and bugs could be a problem and make things uncomfortable. But getting a reservation for a Florida State park in the Florida keys during the cooler time of the year can be next to impossible. People actually plan and schedule their Keys camping trips a year in advance and scoop up all the sites as soon as they become available. So, we decided to take the chance and grabbed at spot at </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/curryhammock/default.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Curry Hammock State Park</font></a><font size="3">, making our reservations about 9 months ago. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Also, Curry Hammock doesn’t get the notoriety of the more well known parks such as John Pennekamp and Bahia Honda which have been around for a lot longer. The key that Curry Hammock is on, Little Crawl Key, was slated to be developed and parts had already been cleared for building. Luckily the state of Florida was able to purchase the land back in the early 1990’s and the campground was not built until much later, opening in November 2004. Curry Hammock Campground is also a lot smaller than the other campgrounds in the Keys, with only 28 sites. The history of this campground with some interesting pictures can be found </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/history/parkhistory.cfm?parkid=179" target="_blank"><font size="3">at this link</font></a><font size="3">. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Our site was # 17 which was a good sized back in site. Most of the sites are good size, but none of them were huge. But they did a good job of planting trees and shrubs between the sites, so the privacy was great and we didn’t see any of our neighboring campers. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZdvVxqznrWI/VAyyW0VdaVI/AAAAAAAADkY/peBqeVUI98Y/s1600-h/100_03608.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZdvVxqznrWI/VAyyW0VdaVI/AAAAAAAADkg/R6lsZogjQnU/s1600-h/100_036011.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="test 2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="test 1" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-axKBX5MyViw/VAxpwPmjzfI/AAAAAAAADS4/KLttl0BwaV8/100_0360_thumb8.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Our site was ocean front and we were probably only 30 feet from the beach. This allowed us to get a constant nice breeze off of the ocean, helping to keep us cool and keeping any bugs at bay. The only time we noticed any bug problem was early in the morning or late at night when the breeze died down. Then we had a few no-see-ums, but not many. We were kind of surprised at the lack of bugs in the middle of the summer in Florida. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6m3IC_C-AOw/VAxpwlXUR4I/AAAAAAAADko/jbRgdDGKtdc/s1600-h/DSC_01453.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-6m3IC_C-AOw/VAxpwlXUR4I/AAAAAAAADkw/zLP-3mR25tw/s1600-h/DSC_01455.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0145" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0145" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nai_wWUwRqE/VAxpxqJso3I/AAAAAAAADTI/eY5TaPJK4yA/DSC_0145_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">All of the sites had a layer of small limestone pebbles, which did a great job of draining any rain we had and keeping the sites from becoming muddy. We had rain about every night during our stay, but never had any water problems. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vM1bs0lDfZM/VAxpzt6LPuI/AAAAAAAADk4/-XxwTRNJSko/s1600-h/DSC_01473.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vM1bs0lDfZM/VAxpzt6LPuI/AAAAAAAADlA/9u1u6jQxUkw/s1600-h/DSC_01475.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0147" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0147" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EibQbLm_H8c/VAxp0b4q1GI/AAAAAAAADTY/Tz4cltQ5YSw/DSC_0147_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">The campground consists of one paved loop with all sites being angled back in for easy access. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xyMtYANrgeY/VAxp1PifgAI/AAAAAAAADlI/B0jQYvaDf34/s1600-h/DSC_01503.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xyMtYANrgeY/VAxp1PifgAI/AAAAAAAADlQ/DK9LYqvBJFg/s1600-h/DSC_01506.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0150" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0150" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-TjLf31TqP5o/VAxp14Za13I/AAAAAAAADTo/JFBhxJuuaos/DSC_0150_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a><font size="3"> </a></font></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">There is a beach in front of the campground and also a separate beach area with parking for day use. Kayak rentals are available. </font></p> <p><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P88r3JOGDWU/VAxpyRxOFPI/AAAAAAAADlY/O7T_oaFZk2k/s1600-h/100_04063.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-P88r3JOGDWU/VAxpyRxOFPI/AAAAAAAADlg/JxB9Mhfs-oY/s1600-h/100_04066.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0406" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0406" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0MlHjwn3pmo/VAxpy4_eMII/AAAAAAAADT4/8c3yyzDMWv4/100_0406_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="347" height="237"></font></a><font size="3"> </a> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ekMLnW9KT_Q/VAxp2v4AS-I/AAAAAAAADlo/ydenJ5STTPM/s1600-h/_DSC00113.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ekMLnW9KT_Q/VAxp2v4AS-I/AAAAAAAADlw/YIOilOmjviY/s1600-h/_DSC00115.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0011" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0011" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-hOpgidiDA8s/VAxp3QfOplI/AAAAAAAADUI/lj6bbJZAj88/_DSC0011_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="237"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">We brought our kayaks with us and several times did the kayak trail that starts from the boat ramp at the park and circles the key. A section of the trails leads through the mangroves. Below is a picture of Julie bumping her way through all the mangrove roots and hoping to find some open water. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Y1mLBq3c_M8/VAxp4JpwSiI/AAAAAAAADl4/6FKSE1hp1XI/s1600-h/100_03643.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Y1mLBq3c_M8/VAxp4JpwSiI/AAAAAAAADmA/iHkQVfWSjq0/s1600-h/100_03645.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0364" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0364" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EzAcrxrrWug/VAxp4747osI/AAAAAAAADUY/Fu8Z-g2dOmQ/100_0364_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">Our GPS track of this paddle trip can be </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725884" target="_blank"><font size="3">found at this link.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">And a short you-tube video </font><a href="http://youtu.be/Y4CFhmO06ro" target="_blank"><font size="3">can be found here.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">We think our site (#17) was one of the best in the campground. The only problem is there was a small sand dune between us and the beach. So, sitting and watching the water was difficult. In true red-neck fashion we either put our chairs up on the picnic table or the back of our truck to allow us to see the water. We got a few odd stares from passing campers, but they were probably just jealous of our quick thinking. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rn3hpsSOGyo/VAxp5_TjIVI/AAAAAAAADmI/q4qwMEAvXPQ/s1600-h/100_03703.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-rn3hpsSOGyo/VAxp5_TjIVI/AAAAAAAADmQ/MICg9oWs4MM/s1600-h/100_03704.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0370" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0370" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-YNhynqhvMuI/VAxp6glqPPI/AAAAAAAADUo/V9s3YVdLbeI/100_0370_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="398"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Curry Hammock also has a nature walk across US-1 on the Gulf of Mexico side. We did the walk one evening and was able to view a nice sunset. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The GPS track of this trail </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725885" target="_blank"><font size="3">can be found here.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j4yLO-tUEW4/VAxp7HjJXcI/AAAAAAAADmY/AN_OkURu7mY/s1600-h/_DSC00353.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-j4yLO-tUEW4/VAxp7HjJXcI/AAAAAAAADmg/Pmexro9oJsw/s1600-h/_DSC00355.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0035" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0035" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ej7vXVIQjd4/VAxp8A8LaVI/AAAAAAAADU4/D10tQ2FfvOY/_DSC0035_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="237"></font></a><font size="3"> </a> </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aXOUhdXZpUg/VAxp8zpybbI/AAAAAAAADmo/ZbQ-tPhXF5c/s1600-h/_DSC00413.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-aXOUhdXZpUg/VAxp8zpybbI/AAAAAAAADmw/Pxpgc3xutoQ/s1600-h/_DSC00415.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="s" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="s" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FUZ4ejpL_88/VAxp90FpJ7I/AAAAAAAADVI/WX6vOnsa89U/_DSC0041_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="237"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Earlier in the week the moon wasn’t too bright, so the star gazing was good, even getting to see a few shooting stars. Here’s a few (not so good !) pictures of the stars over the campground and the milky way over the palm trees. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MFrJy_TlS5I/VAxp-XbK-MI/AAAAAAAADm4/QGljCipNOjo/s1600-h/_DSC00623.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MFrJy_TlS5I/VAxp-XbK-MI/AAAAAAAADnA/vKEdNN-mhgQ/s1600-h/_DSC00627.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0062" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0062" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-T5E0Ai5e0-8/VAxp_CrfhJI/AAAAAAAADVY/CghRhV7t-ys/_DSC0062_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="479"></font></a><font size="3"> </a> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-K-Ce3Kmz6HY/VAyVAX_li2I/AAAAAAAADVg/sQAb8JAxBx4/s1600-h/_DSC005915.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0059" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0059" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-gCIQrmXiAnE/VAyVA5E78aI/AAAAAAAADVk/IhVBHsimzaM/_DSC0059_thumb12.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="479"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">We didn’t have much rain during the day, but one passing storm produced a nice colorful rainbow. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4Yu5zRIUTY8/VAxqBiETKdI/AAAAAAAADnI/DCEbE23QhTc/s1600-h/DSC_00773.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4Yu5zRIUTY8/VAxqBiETKdI/AAAAAAAADnQ/2-eZa6IaGzA/s1600-h/DSC_00775.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0077" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0077" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZZnfG2yz-eM/VAxqCtKJABI/AAAAAAAADV4/FuUgovD_I4k/DSC_0077_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">While investigating some kayaking possibilities several weeks before the trip, I found some write-ups about </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/indiankey/default.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Indian Key State Park</font></a><font size="3">. This is an island about 1/2 mile off shore from US-1 and is an easy kayak paddle to get there and hike around the old village that used to be located there back in the early to mid 1800’s. So, one day trip we took was to drive up towards Islamorada and launch our kayaks from the shallow areas next to the road. We paddled out to the state park, did some walking around and some snorkeling in the shallows. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1tK7ezPIoEw/VAxqDXyU3MI/AAAAAAAADnY/p4784eP2lKY/s1600-h/100_03733.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-f1DQG3f2RT0/VAxqFQzMgfI/AAAAAAAADng/RtrvSyEbaKo/s1600-h/100_03763.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-f1DQG3f2RT0/VAxqFQzMgfI/AAAAAAAADno/uDTj3v3DuJ0/s1600-h/100_037610.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0376" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0376" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-SXdCe2zxShs/VAxqGMisAMI/AAAAAAAADWI/4P3FZ3hnn9A/100_0376_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1tK7ezPIoEw/VAxqDXyU3MI/AAAAAAAADnw/iQKLtHLhEhs/s1600-h/100_03735.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0373" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0373" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-xVh8WM_iAtg/VAxqEV9LHRI/AAAAAAAADWY/sSzS014shjA/100_0373_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">The far side of the island where we did some snorkeling. It wasn’t the best for snorkeling, but we saw a few fish, sponges, etc. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HR5kDuP__j4/VAxqG1xcIDI/AAAAAAAADn4/h-ThMbunPfE/s1600-h/100_03793.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HR5kDuP__j4/VAxqG1xcIDI/AAAAAAAADoA/V65egbrIVpc/s1600-h/100_03795.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0379" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0379" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q5mc7s54jGU/VAxqH9Rmw6I/AAAAAAAADWo/TwyEtgWGeMk/100_0379_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">The GPS track of this paddle can be </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725869" target="_blank"><font size="3">found at this link.</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">And the GPS track our our hike around the state park </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725876" target="_blank"><font size="3">can be found here.</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">The beach area at our campground is nice, but they don’t rake the seaweed and there’s only a few sandy areas for swimming. Plus during the weekends (at least when we were there) it was kite boarding heaven, with a large number speeding back and forth near the beach. They were supposed to stay at least 100 yds off shore, but many didn’t follow this rule. </font></p> <p><font size="3">But, Julie and I discovered a great place to swim and hang out. There were several large sand bars about 1/3 mile offshore, one being just east of the campground and another larger one off shore from Crawl Key which was the next keys east of us. Both of these sandbars were an easy kayak paddle from the campground. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We made many trips out to the sandbar, packing our cooler with some “beverages” and would enjoy happy-hour while floating in the clear, warm water.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5BZGTNZhyFI/VAyumwrsYsI/AAAAAAAADoI/7MpJQZAUY0o/s1600-h/100_03903.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-5BZGTNZhyFI/VAyumwrsYsI/AAAAAAAADoQ/9srQI-kh8B4/s1600-h/100_03905.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0390" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0390" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oE-SHaEJG80/VAxqJXF0W4I/AAAAAAAADW4/E5IBw0GUeew/100_0390_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Julie also did a lot of snorkeling around the sandbar area. There were some creatures to be found, like the star fish and sea urchin pictured below. She also said she saw “Dory” from the movie </font><a href="http://pixar.wikia.com/Dory" target="_blank"><font size="3">Finding Nemo</font></a><font size="3">. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any pictures of Dory!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wRAKaVECRmM/VAxqJ8dPoAI/AAAAAAAADoY/gQf7ceGaPjg/s1600-h/100_03943.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-wRAKaVECRmM/VAxqJ8dPoAI/AAAAAAAADog/5oBZ9-mhrWY/s1600-h/100_03946.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0394" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0394" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-1iCp85vb_PE/VAxqKxaB-0I/AAAAAAAADXI/tXjhmwL9QFM/100_0394_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="277" height="491"></font></a><font size="3"> </a> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-z_bE7ZXT8Vg/VAxqLv8AS8I/AAAAAAAADoo/1WhsXcrhHzM/s1600-h/100_04023.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-z_bE7ZXT8Vg/VAxqLv8AS8I/AAAAAAAADow/NXBFqdUqS9I/s1600-h/100_04027.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0402" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0402" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-G_qL-L-qs0A/VAxqMTBRX_I/AAAAAAAADXY/sNEtM51SaHs/100_0402_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="402" height="227"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s our GPS track for the kayak paddle to the </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725889" target="_blank"><font size="3">little sandbar</font></a><font size="3"> and the </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725900" target="_blank"><font size="3">larger sandbar further east</font></a><font size="3">.</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We also brought our bikes along on this trip, so on Tuesday we decided to bike the National Wildlife area of Big Torch Key. This key, as well as many of the surrounding keys, are well know for their population of </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_deer" target="_blank"><font size="3">Key Deer</font></a><font size="3">. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-utlsKsdUslM/VAxqWa5afdI/AAAAAAAADo4/oMrnBJrz3gk/s1600-h/DSC_01253.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-utlsKsdUslM/VAxqWa5afdI/AAAAAAAADpA/y0gzPhSs6Dw/s1600-h/DSC_01255.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0125" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0125" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9D6cu4iqhWw/VAxqXG5hr3I/AAAAAAAADXo/mrEJOQ0Dvq0/DSC_0125_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">We were lucky to spot several of these deer on our bike ride, getting a few pictures and a short video of them. </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kIgZhUl-Jpc/VAxqNWTgPlI/AAAAAAAADpI/kbqNPmB7h9g/s1600-h/DSC_01093.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kIgZhUl-Jpc/VAxqNWTgPlI/AAAAAAAADpQ/8quOx0oxB6Q/s1600-h/DSC_01097.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0109" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0109" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-EBWZtKZ4-SI/VAxqOBeOgYI/AAAAAAAADX4/3RD1wiD3b0s/DSC_0109_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="332" height="251"></font></a><font size="3"> </a> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eWPsie3Mk-8/VAxqO6I3zzI/AAAAAAAADpY/OZbSSzpG68c/s1600-h/DSC_01183.jpg"><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eWPsie3Mk-8/VAxqO6I3zzI/AAAAAAAADpg/5a2MzHq1Opg/s1600-h/DSC_01186.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0118" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0118" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Ws7gjQR1KTk/VAxqPr8CAvI/AAAAAAAADYI/T0J0JV2ZYmU/DSC_0118_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="237"></font></a></a></p> <p><iframe height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7DXfcAFWigo?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">The GPS track of our bike ride through the Wildlife Area of Torch Key can be </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725891" target="_blank"><font size="3">found at this link.</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We did this bike ride in the late morning and it got pretty darn warm near the end of the ride. So, on a suggestion from someone we spoke to earlier in the day, we located the “No Name Pub” on No Name Key for lunch and a picture of beer to quench our thirst. This place is very quirky and has actually been featured on Diners, Drive-in and Dives on the Food Channel. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nY09zKF9GdA/VAxqR4puexI/AAAAAAAADpo/2XWuWipQLas/s1600-h/20140902_1229373.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-nY09zKF9GdA/VAxqR4puexI/AAAAAAAADpw/4tQB59Q7azM/s1600-h/20140902_1229375.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140902_122937" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140902_122937" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-B7MDYPbAG7A/VAxqSkIQaCI/AAAAAAAADYY/aXvgQMyW8yA/20140902_122937_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">The entire interior of the restaurant and bar area are completely covered with dollar bills. The walls have so many layers of bills that it is like a thick spongy blanket. Each bill is signed by whomever left it there and there are some very comical ones to read as you are sitting there waiting for your food. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here is Julie reading a few or maybe pocketing a few bills….I’m not sure which!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-D1JsbCNQhD0/VAxqUQQ32ZI/AAAAAAAADp4/97Chsu0pq_0/s1600-h/20140902_1309383.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-D1JsbCNQhD0/VAxqUQQ32ZI/AAAAAAAADqA/dyW97S2UMY4/s1600-h/20140902_1309385.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140902_130938" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140902_130938" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2cQW5k4vNeQ/VAxqVR58dAI/AAAAAAAADYo/nGXTCYtjwfc/20140902_130938_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FFOs24Ks8O8/VAxqX3jCWjI/AAAAAAAADqI/WXiVZRnwP-E/s1600-h/20140902_1356123.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FFOs24Ks8O8/VAxqX3jCWjI/AAAAAAAADqQ/60HFGv1dJmY/s1600-h/20140902_1356125.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140902_135612" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140902_135612" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8Ih30dVurz8/VAxqYskOpeI/AAAAAAAADY4/A83AzNJQako/20140902_135612_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We had a good time eating lunch here and our waitress was very nice. She had just returned from a trip to Alaska, so we spent a lot of time talking about our trip to Alaska last year. She even came over and sat with us for awhile and brought her photo album from her trip for us to view. Sometimes you meet some of the nicest people in some of the oddest places!!</font></p> <p><font size="3">Yes, we had to add to the dollar bill collection at the No Name Pub. They bring a collection of markers and a staple gun and let you have at it. We decorated a bill with all of our names (kids, dogs, etc) and Julie stapled it to the ceiling. Julie’s pink glow in the picture below is from the neon beer sign on the wall near our table. Yep a true classy place!!</font></p> <p><font size="3">We did take note of where se stapled the bill so we can try to locate it if we ever get back this way, </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mSgNhhR2su0/VAyVYUg92bI/AAAAAAAADZA/X7gWfu11Sts/s1600-h/20140902_1304295.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140902_130429" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140902_130429" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Axsc46QqOv4/VAyVZeKmw5I/AAAAAAAADZE/P2nRSY_o5WQ/20140902_130429_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On the way back to our campground we decided to stop at Bahia Honda State Park. We wanted to see if this was a place we would want to camp in the future. </font></p> <p><font size="3">We did a little swimming at their beach, walked the nature trail and up onto the old Keys Highway and also biked all the roads in the park. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6ZCwRjrhJ3I/VAxqZdaL16I/AAAAAAAADqY/TeWrtOHzgvo/s1600-h/DSC_01283.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6ZCwRjrhJ3I/VAxqZdaL16I/AAAAAAAADqg/8HDIZv-2uOg/s1600-h/DSC_01281.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0128" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0128" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-mpps7IGlmB0/VAxqaI3POdI/AAAAAAAADZY/shu_0qkiv4c/DSC_0128_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fPZiM1co1Xs/VAxqa56iF8I/AAAAAAAADqo/7F8GljWR8jg/s1600-h/DSC_01293.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fPZiM1co1Xs/VAxqa56iF8I/AAAAAAAADqw/FBtU6tYCr4U/s1600-h/DSC_01291.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0129" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0129" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VXFvbebNhVI/VAxqcQGWlCI/AAAAAAAADZo/v1Hq4itwh6k/DSC_0129_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PYneqjRxnkE/VAxqc9WJwjI/AAAAAAAADq4/DP5MLDw-LZI/s1600-h/DSC_01333.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PYneqjRxnkE/VAxqc9WJwjI/AAAAAAAADrA/vd4Xs9_uRVs/s1600-h/DSC_01331.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0133" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0133" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YNl49w-7mtI/VAxqd0PS7MI/AAAAAAAADZ4/REBYoog8L0o/DSC_0133_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9YtEWlXvG6w/VAxqeXw_IjI/AAAAAAAADrI/ClwCw-nJhLQ/s1600-h/DSC_01363.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9YtEWlXvG6w/VAxqeXw_IjI/AAAAAAAADrQ/HPmxQcLDdeA/s1600-h/DSC_01361%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0136" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0136" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WTMHc64wWRg/VAxqfBpNaYI/AAAAAAAADaI/TzzUoZCrWT4/DSC_0136_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">The Florida Keys also has many sections of the old railroad bridges and roadway still standing and now used as walking or biking paths. One morning we decided to drink our morning coffee while walking a section of the old historic bridge near Pigeon Key. The walk started off nice and sunny, but clouds built as we walked. Shortly we saw some rain moving in and we decided to turn around before he made it to Pigeon Key. But the rain caught up to us before we made it back to the truck and we got drenched. At least it wasn’t cold and we didn’t melt. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aCrP5j7jls4/VAxqf8_k__I/AAAAAAAADrY/ysjd2u8RKPU/s1600-h/DSC_01413.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aCrP5j7jls4/VAxqf8_k__I/AAAAAAAADrg/kQCSF7Sjmpc/s1600-h/DSC_01411.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0141" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0141" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iR2m_4JYmEc/VAxqg2V-F-I/AAAAAAAADaY/7GGnIlVPG_w/DSC_0141_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-c1rTQYsNvLo/VAxqhcM-6TI/AAAAAAAADro/bkvxjOuwfeM/s1600-h/DSC_01423.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-c1rTQYsNvLo/VAxqhcM-6TI/AAAAAAAADrw/tg0i3cTSS3c/s1600-h/DSC_01421.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0142" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0142" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-TfZWGlXe9oQ/VAxqiK_T2ZI/AAAAAAAADao/61-znnf9Vdc/DSC_0142_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here is our GPS track of our </font><a href="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=7725907" target="_blank"><font size="3">walk on the old bridge towards Pigeon Key.</font></a><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">That afternoon we made another happy hour run out to the sandbar to watch the sun set. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YEfzDiBQ9k4/VAxqi44fv_I/AAAAAAAADr4/Tl2O98THUMM/s1600-h/100_04113.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-YEfzDiBQ9k4/VAxqi44fv_I/AAAAAAAADsA/maUWYLf7cos/s1600-h/100_04111.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0411" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0411" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-ngrp3daJAG8/VAxqjhAfurI/AAAAAAAADa4/GdrSrpUSzBI/100_0411_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EMyd9h0v5CA/VAxqkST_SWI/AAAAAAAADsI/iO7vvDQHeWo/s1600-h/100_04163.jpg"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EMyd9h0v5CA/VAxqkST_SWI/AAAAAAAADsQ/1iRZJYAjuyk/s1600-h/100_04161%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0416" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0416" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-KadlZ3GSTSU/VAxqlHVbFtI/AAAAAAAADbI/onoWev3cPa4/100_0416_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Our last adventure before we headed home was to ride a section of the </font><a href="http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/state/keystrail/_default.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Overseas Heritage Bike Trail</font></a><font size="3">. This 22 mile ride took us from our campsite at Curry Hammock back up US-1 to </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Long Key State Park</font></a><font size="3">. Most of the way is paved bike trails, many on the old bridge sections or wide shoulders on the sides of the road. Only a few times did we feel like we were going to get smushed by speeding traffic. Most of the way was a pleasant ride with nice views of the Atlantic or the Gulf. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-deTzddG6rmQ/VAxqlpsXR-I/AAAAAAAADsY/bd7ykHTHizo/s1600-h/20140904_1144253.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-deTzddG6rmQ/VAxqlpsXR-I/AAAAAAAADsg/YszHuc7VhDI/s1600-h/20140904_1144251%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140904_114425" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140904_114425" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WQhf0uExATg/VAxqmYH08vI/AAAAAAAADbY/MQJu0mDR4Sg/20140904_114425_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3dSHbBaXszc/VAxqnC5xloI/AAAAAAAADso/OO5wbaAVL1k/s1600-h/20140904_1227353.jpg"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3dSHbBaXszc/VAxqnC5xloI/AAAAAAAADsw/J_aYI_ZKyBw/s1600-h/20140904_1227351.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140904_122735" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140904_122735" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RaEZIn9tdYM/VAxqoN2pwVI/AAAAAAAADbo/GuC2pDOu-GU/20140904_122735_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Well, there you have the “short” post about our camping trip to the keys. We found that camping in the keys during the summer months is doable and actually enjoyable. We were rarely dying from the heat and insect/bugs were mostly non-existent. It’s been about 30 years since Julie and I have been to the keys and we may actually plan some other trips down that way before the next 30 years pass!</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><iframe height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LnGyZBG8HaI?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-31555190425485182052014-08-03T19:57:00.000-04:002014-08-03T20:29:21.318-04:00A weekend trip to explore the Dunedin and Clearwater area of Florida<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/n8Cwj" target="_blank"><font size="3">Dunedin, Fl</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Date: 8/1/2014 – 8/3/2014</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Julie and I decided that we need to start doing more weekend getaways. With work and all the other activities, time flies and before we know it it’s been months since we’ve done anything out of the ordinary. Being summer in Florida, it’s way too hot for any camping trips, although we do have a week of reservations in the keys for next month at </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/curryhammock/default.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Curry Hammock State Park</font></a><font size="3">. We are really looking forward to getting down there and doing some camping, exploring and kayaking</font></p> <p><font size="3">So, we made a deal. We would take turns planning short getaways and the one doing the planning would get to make all the choices of location and activities and the other would have to just go along (no complaining!!). Also, you don’t have to share any details of the getaway beforehand. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Both of us took Friday off from work and we headed out in the early morning. I had the idea that we were headed to the Sarasota Beach area for the weekend, but that was not the case. Julie decided that we needed a “walk down memory lane”. Julie grew up in </font><a href="http://visitclearwaterflorida.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Clearwater</font></a><font size="3"> and I spent my high school years in </font><a href="http://www.dunedingov.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Dunedin</font></a><font size="3"> which was a town just north and we met and started dating when we worked at a steak restaurant in Dunedin called Chief Charley’s. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Taking US-19 south, we checked out many areas of interest to us, like the church where we got married, the place where we had our wedding reception as well as the areas where both of our parents lived for many years. In the case of my parents, there were quit a few!!</font></p> <p><font size="3">We eventually made it to the place Julie reserved for us to spend the weekend, called </font><a href="http://besodelsolresort.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Beso Del Sol</font></a><font size="3">. This was a nice “resort” on the intercostal in Dunedin. Below is a picture taken from our balcony showing the pool deck and the boat docks leading out to the water. Way off in the distance is </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/CaladesiIsland/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Caladesi Island</font></a><font size="3"> which is now a Florida State park. The next day we would be doing some kayaking in that area. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7Umrk3alBQc/U97HNJiFxdI/AAAAAAAAC_k/AZgRPhSrx5M/s1600-h/20140802_123453%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140802_123453" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140802_123453" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3Q-ZtInQgyc/U97HNi0RRNI/AAAAAAAAC_s/KyPrkL7tFSc/20140802_123453_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">And another shot from a park just south of our location during the sunset. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-b_w730SSuko/U97HOb-ETvI/AAAAAAAAC_0/-sqn_Rh75TU/s1600-h/20140802_201904%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140802_201904" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140802_201904" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JU7LWYdxC4k/U97HPIkiaQI/AAAAAAAAC_8/6e1T7p7-X0Q/20140802_201904_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On Saturday morning morning we got going fairly early to get some breakfast and then headed to the causeway leading out to </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/honeymoonisland/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Honeymoon Island</font></a><font size="3"> where we would rent a double kayak for four hours to do some exploring. The Caladesi Island State Park is a short 6/10’s of a mile paddle from the causeway. It was a fairly easy trip over, but being extreme low tide, some of the areas were very shallow around the island. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SmqbJQ3xQ14/U97HP8-QO9I/AAAAAAAADAE/2V7xK-ORGrI/s1600-h/100_0335%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0335" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0335" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IRYeO0CKIJk/U97HQgSCMbI/AAAAAAAADAM/QSvwoSjpzYk/100_0335_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Caladesi Island has a </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/caladesiisland/doc/additionalinformation/CDI-KayakTrailMap.pdf" target="_blank"><font size="3">kayak trail</font></a><font size="3"> which winds through the mangroves surrounding the east side of the island. As you can see below, this was like paddling through a mangrove tunnel. It did get very narrow in parts and we had some people ahead of us there were going verrrrrry slow. But we eventually made it back to open water. We were thinking that we had done the whole trail, but later finding a </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/caladesiisland/doc/additionalinformation/CDI-KayakTrailMap.pdf" target="_blank"><font size="3">map</font></a><font size="3"> on-line we realized that we only did a short section of the trail. I guess we’ll have to make another trip here to do the entire length of the trail. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_GMfcDgsZJM/U97HRe7X-MI/AAAAAAAADAU/Rv3jSnY3QJc/s1600-h/100_0344%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0344" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0344" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UtVR0TkeClI/U97HR-vckkI/AAAAAAAADAY/qS_3H12Qqic/100_0344_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We then started heading back north towards where we started. On the north side of the island there are some nice sand beaches. We got out here and walked around some to stretch our legs. We were getting a little stiff after sitting in the kayak for 2 to 3 hours. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZIjcAwNt7Ok/U97HStJzw6I/AAAAAAAADAk/h2ZgjPwoZ6I/s1600-h/100_0347%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0347" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0347" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Lf1EPEkZEYo/U97HTevG2eI/AAAAAAAADAs/2-8Q_883WM4/100_0347_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">A lot of boaters park there boats in the shallow areas and enjoy the sandy beaches.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9uhnJzDV6No/U97HUJEohTI/AAAAAAAADA0/Gflp7lx4E-U/s1600-h/100_0349%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="100_0349" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="100_0349" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fNWlvqPPM6w/U97HVwmx12I/AAAAAAAADA8/3X7l4_wvc5c/100_0349_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s the GPS track of where we paddled. </font></p><iframe style="height: 464px; width: 692px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=7441972&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe><br> <p><font size="3">Later that evening we met up with a friend and his wife whom we hadn’t seen in 32+ years. Julie and I both worked with him at the Chief Charley’s restaurant I had mentioned earlier. The last time we had seen him was at our wedding. I had found his business e-mail on-line and sent him a message. He got back to us and we made plans for a dinner in downtown Dunedin. </font></p> <p><font size="3">When I was in high school, downtown Dunedin was your typical downtown area which had seen better days. Much of the businesses had moved to the malls, leaving empty storefronts. Well Dunedin has done a great job of revitalizing its downtown area and there is now a great combination of restaurants and other businesses to lure you down that way. We met our long lost friend and his wife at one of theses restaurants and had a great time catching up after all these years. It was kind of interesting to find out that we had a lot in common in our interests, such as camping, our kids sports, etc. </font></p> <p><font size="3">The next night we walked the half mile to the </font><a href="http://www.dunedinbrewery.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Dunedin Brewery</font></a><font size="3"> which is the oldest microbrewery in Florida. We had a flight of beer to get a good idea of what they had to offer and then made our selection from the good list of brews. They also serve food, so we ordered some appetizers as well as some fish tacos. All were great, but the highlight was their chicken wings. They were awesome and went well with the flavorful beer that we ordered. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--K_pThwXY9w/U97HWQuwkAI/AAAAAAAADBE/-Dvz0sdLGPM/s1600-h/20140802_175934%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140802_175934" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140802_175934" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ejgQimJ2idk/U97HXQm4IBI/AAAAAAAADBM/Ptu2av9eoJQ/20140802_175934_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Sunday morning was check out day, but we wanted to do one last activity before we headed back home and back to “reality”. Pinellas County has a well developed collection of <a href="http://www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd/" target="_blank">bike trails</a> following many of the old railway tracks that had long been abandoned. The place that we stayed offered free bikes for use, so we took a bike ride on the trail south to downtown Clearwater and then back north along the roads that follow the intercostal waterway. The Pinellas Trail is very popular and there were many biking, walking and jogging along the way. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s out GPS trail of our bike ride throughout the Dunedin and Clearwater areas. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 436px; width: 604px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=7441984&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-85844738293853518442014-06-28T20:27:00.000-04:002014-08-04T19:38:57.490-04:00A trip to New England for some family gatherings<p><font size="3"> </font></p> <p><font size="3">Date: 6/28/2014 – 7/6/2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/HaPGC" target="_blank"><font size="3">Parsonsfield, Maine</font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">In late June Julie and I headed up to New England, flying into Boston. We spent a few days in Marlborough which is the town that I grew up in. My father had moved back there several years ago and the family was giving him party for his 90 birthday. Here’s a picture of my dad and his sister Alice. They are both doing great for their age. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-l02_9xP7Q5w/U-AYnxJSF-I/AAAAAAAADB8/m50MjYaA6F8/s1600-h/20140629_1125344.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140629_112534" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="20140629_112534" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-oIYqc3OhCNc/U-AYo26DYVI/AAAAAAAADCE/dbSo2G7_H9A/20140629_112534_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">After the party had concluded and everything was cleaned up, then five of us made the 2 hour drive up to Maine where two of my brothers and wives own a large home on a very peaceful lake. This is a great place for family gatherings. But this was the calm before the storm. The five of us enjoyed our quiet days before the 23 (give or take a few) other family members joined us for Fourth of July festivities, </font></p> <p><font size="3">Here are s few pictures of the lake taken from their dock. A beautiful place!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-mvCAhM_wFqo/U-AYpUS_RzI/AAAAAAAADCM/g8c6pdFWbkg/s1600-h/DSC_00195.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0019" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0019" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-aqUgJg_RLLs/U-AYrwg16GI/AAAAAAAADCQ/Lchapi_tzCU/DSC_0019_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-A7KwkxD7v_Q/U-AYsgZixfI/AAAAAAAADCU/l30d62w8h3I/s1600-h/DSC_00145.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0014" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0014" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-CnnOaG_iYH0/U-AYtOj7_TI/AAAAAAAADCk/jz6ZKE5K8gw/DSC_0014_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">My brother and I got in some early morning fishing on the lake. I caught a few, but couldn't keep up with my him. Plus, I didn’t want to show him up!!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LGyUBfmeoDo/U-AYt8ZSVKI/AAAAAAAADCs/upHVhLkZWeQ/s1600-h/DSC_0013.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0013" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0013" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-liAiLVq7F5Y/U-AYv4v-_NI/AAAAAAAADCw/vCjTOcMf-XU/DSC_0013_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="217"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ULuTJxX1lrc/U-AYwcXfgGI/AAAAAAAADC0/uSQ31xDpgIU/s1600-h/DSC_0044.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0044" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0044" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IdzRxkeWW98/U-AYxcT_-iI/AAAAAAAADDA/tQKT7kEWcHk/DSC_0044_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="217"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The days before the large group of family arrived was also a good time to relax and do some reading. Here’s my niece and Julie during some quiet time. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5jJ4Jr3klJA/U-AYx5fj82I/AAAAAAAADDI/LPJjZaCUW9U/s1600-h/DSC_00294.jpg"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5jJ4Jr3klJA/U-AYx5fj82I/AAAAAAAADDU/mKofvaXLpJo/s1600-h/DSC_0029.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0029" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0029" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9q_TBPmz-oY/U-AYzB0YYEI/AAAAAAAADDc/8kV8yNUuzAc/DSC_0029_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="324" height="219"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-U3nsgK2sYW0/U-AYzxjUfMI/AAAAAAAADDk/Scpju_sekcU/s1600-h/_DSC00995.jpg"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-U3nsgK2sYW0/U-AYzxjUfMI/AAAAAAAADDo/zMFSclmY2DM/s1600-h/_DSC0099.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0099" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0099" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Obl7AEc3w1E/U-AY1buOk0I/AAAAAAAADDw/WwOZq7Xj_YA/_DSC0099_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="217"></font></a></a></a></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3">We also did a short day trip to one of the dams on a nearby river. We explored the rocks and areas below the dam, even though there were signs warning us of the dangers. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SEiDMtD0ADg/U-AY1yVSHWI/AAAAAAAADD4/PEa2q-hwdWM/s1600-h/_DSC00855.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0085" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0085" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PmDmPDMLdLQ/U-AY5VkMMTI/AAAAAAAADEA/ls5rm2yVCmQ/_DSC0085_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-IrPLWZU52Fg/U-AY6H-H6qI/AAAAAAAADEI/lpuAgeW5eV4/s1600-h/_DSC00865.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0086" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0086" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-sy8x1J0jjkA/U-AY6ziQxMI/AAAAAAAADEM/jAclhmF1djU/_DSC0086_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4Xz4lIgauOs/U-AY7ZDknKI/AAAAAAAADEQ/QZ5x2dCDOaE/s1600-h/_DSC00925.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0092" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0092" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2T2c-1msZ5M/U-AY73Uy2TI/AAAAAAAADEY/eNlF7QQmdJk/_DSC0092_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="524"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">This lake is also great for canoeing and kayaking as there’s usually very little boat traffic. Here’s Julie and my sister-in-law during a late evening paddle. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tL5HePwDZu0/U-AY8oKNXGI/AAAAAAAADEg/q-Rg3Ltfo70/s1600-h/DSC_00535.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0053" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0053" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Tws0lmmVeFk/U-AY9ILrP_I/AAAAAAAADEk/v8qzMabEx2E/DSC_0053_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Julie and I did a few paddles around the lake. Here’s the GPS track of one of those trips. </font><iframe style="height: 500px; width: 696px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=7246479&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">As the fourth of July rolled around, the amount of family at the lake place grew exponentially! At one point there were family members from Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Vermont. We had a great time celebrating the holiday. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1RIpHFJuLp0/U-AY97rH9bI/AAAAAAAADE0/98ZY5RWHusY/s1600-h/_DSC01005.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0100" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0100" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FTBnevCxOjY/U-AY-nTTM0I/AAAAAAAADE8/Rwf1dIl13jY/_DSC0100_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s the youngest member of the Whitney gang. Just joining this world several weeks earlier. He was dressed for the occasion. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2CRc8TYQ8Ks/U-AZAO63aSI/AAAAAAAADFA/wSLed7jOoMQ/s1600-h/_DSC01195.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0119" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0119" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GLAUPv8tBaU/U-AZBtESD5I/AAAAAAAADFQ/KqviOU5NJx0/_DSC0119_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="362" height="567"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">And the tradition continues. Last year we had the first Curtis Cup Corn Hole Challenge. This was a full day of corn hole competition and finishing with the championship match. So, this year we continued on with the 2nd Annual Curtis Cup Challenge. Curtis is my father who donated some $$ last year to the winners pot. So, we decided to name it after him. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-3PXEgBlok9g/U-AZCnrkoeI/AAAAAAAADFY/S31fNwWtTf8/s1600-h/_DSC01344.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0134" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0134" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lzln0ZFqxbo/U-AZDVJiidI/AAAAAAAADFc/HMqcesQ1Ygc/_DSC0134_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="474"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We have to use a chalk board to keep track of the score, since none of us can remember as the game progresses. Not sure if it is old age or the beer, but our memory sure is lacking during the tournament. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-RAly_NnUnDE/U-AZEKtn6zI/AAAAAAAADFk/xBU8gUTXp88/s1600-h/_DSC02275.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0227" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0227" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-_ZzgsZOd0Ac/U-AZEo4Xt6I/AAAAAAAADFw/_51Ph5yWXyo/_DSC0227_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here are some young fans cheering on the competition. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RkMheknq6-M/U-AZFbk4kRI/AAAAAAAADF4/wu6ElNRkeh4/s1600-h/_DSC01435.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0143" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0143" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-aDc_EhVqtIk/U-AZGKx7BtI/AAAAAAAADGA/X48biYEJCV8/_DSC0143_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="512"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here’s some not so young fans, also watching the corn hole matches. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Q2Gxtp3c8hg/U-AZG1S3dcI/AAAAAAAADGI/FL0Ya0ILiLM/s1600-h/_DSC01505.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0150" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0150" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-rlwyPdVHC90/U-AZHwWWHyI/AAAAAAAADGQ/jq3Vi9p26BY/_DSC0150_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="407"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">My daughter and her husband even came dressed in their corn hole competition uniforms. They came to play and were determined to win and take home the money. Guess they’ll have to wait until next year. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--1yBwLO4ZGU/U-AZI6VkB-I/AAAAAAAADGU/0rG3pBZIGfo/s1600-h/_DSC01545.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0154" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0154" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UO5nBdPsMdg/U-AZJtc8bXI/AAAAAAAADGc/39KqLBjCt84/_DSC0154_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">After a long series of matches, the eventually winners were my brother and his wife. This cements the Florida hold on the corn hole tournament winners. Last year their son and his wife were the winners. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QP_osZabeWY/U-AZKI9hn-I/AAAAAAAADGk/nQ7Say5QVjo/s1600-h/_DSC02225.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0222" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0222" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-a6J0IjfxSOQ/U-AZLdcjO5I/AAAAAAAADGw/1_YV5xbnMW0/_DSC0222_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="437"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Another highlight of the weekend is the clam and lobster boil. Things get very quiet for awhile and everyone gets serious about digging into their dinner. Here’s a few pics of everyone chowing down. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-WZDv7AooOSk/U-AZOrigvCI/AAAAAAAADG4/LqxTPWt_ZGA/s1600-h/_DSC01705.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0170" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0170" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-p3mPoFVUONc/U-AZQzbIb3I/AAAAAAAADHA/PDOpH_XiqLs/_DSC0170_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a><font size="3"></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-lcAFGpP9Seg/U-AZRWaI-lI/AAAAAAAADHI/e8O2taQKyZY/s1600-h/_DSC01715.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0171" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0171" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zxR5C6txMFY/U-AZSP5pffI/AAAAAAAADHQ/qH3Xk7cMz4A/_DSC0171_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-MP5zMGy49tI/U-AZS6h_ZfI/AAAAAAAADHU/YdlBCnU7DqU/s1600-h/_DSC0169%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0169" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0169" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1pgx2pYDpaE/U-AZTmsZvgI/AAAAAAAADHg/ZXaYd4K5rhI/_DSC0169_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Here’s a few pictures of the gang that had gathered for the family celebration. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-u6_C35WgPgA/U-AZU-XASII/AAAAAAAADHk/FXyEBlnP1NY/s1600-h/_DSC01775.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0177" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0177" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-KzSai9rfMSM/U-AZVrS0BkI/AAAAAAAADHw/HlFXNZOBGU8/_DSC0177_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="474"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uRz_d-nK79M/U-AZXiJwJ2I/AAAAAAAADH0/u5DnY75L-V0/s1600-h/_DSC01795.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0179" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0179" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-cdO1dEnMOjc/U-AZbAqlfQI/AAAAAAAADIA/0mrnukW0nPg/_DSC0179_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QP_osZabeWY/U-AZKI9hn-I/AAAAAAAADGk/nQ7Say5QVjo/s1600-h/_DSC02225.jpg"><font size="3"></font></a> </p> <p><font size="3">We also did a few rounds of Thunderstruck, which is now becoming a family tradition. I’m just saying it involves way too much beer and can lead to some wild times. But this year we seemed to somewhat behave ourselves. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8j_4O2K4TbA/U-AZdRrAfkI/AAAAAAAADII/jTsQKuem0rY/s1600-h/_DSC02395.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0239" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0239" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Wyodl-Q7GcQ/U-AZeHA8BlI/AAAAAAAADIQ/dqbBbFWIqqE/_DSC0239_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">A few remaining random pictures. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QQjlfhwvF-g/U-AZe0Bl3LI/AAAAAAAADIY/UbzX3dSuZys/s1600-h/_DSC0129%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0129" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0129" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FVReSvZyBdM/U-AZf8-WxfI/AAAAAAAADIc/pb_S2ppc7dk/_DSC0129_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rpJjVyAU32Y/U-AZguzJhUI/AAAAAAAADIo/NqqrvEa_izc/s1600-h/20140704_183745%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140704_183745" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20140704_183745" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-FR8H5HsrZjY/U-AZhXNNIfI/AAAAAAAADIs/rdq_DLlxY78/20140704_183745_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="312" height="553"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0j1-rMDrWCo/U-AZhwh-IoI/AAAAAAAADI4/v2SNhixmFJk/s1600-h/_DSC0142%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="_DSC0142" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="_DSC0142" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lAl1GmFpf3w/U-AZinsR2WI/AAAAAAAADJA/51560qGPFgo/_DSC0142_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="524"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Before we had to head back home we did one more short hike with my cousin from Vermont. We wanted to see if we could make it all the way around the lake. Luckily we were able to make it all the way since I wouldn’t have wanted to turn around. Here’s the GPS track of that hike. </font></p> <p><iframe style="height: 468px; width: 684px" height="400" src="http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=view&id=7246481&measures=off&title=off&near=off&images=off&maptype=S" frameborder="0" width="500"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-14177676690218442002014-05-18T20:30:00.000-04:002014-05-18T20:40:50.305-04:00Exploring two Florida State parks near White Springs Florida<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/MwbnB" target="_blank"><font size="3">White Springs, Florida</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Date: May 18, 2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">The weather was perfect for some outside activity, so Julie and I decided to take an hour drive north on I-75 to the town of White Springs where that are two </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Florida State Parks</font></a><font size="3">. The Stephen Foster state park has camping so we wanted to take a look as we are always interested in finding new locations for short weekend camping adventures. </font></p> <p><font size="3">As the name implies Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is dedicated to the American composer Stephen Foster who lived from 1826 – 1864. He wrote more than 200 songs and many remained popular long after his death. The building below looks like and old southern mansion and contains a museum covering the life and songs of Mr. Foster. This museum included many old pianos from his time as wells a a number of diorama's showing scenes from many of the more popular songs. </font></p> <blockquote><font size="3"></font></blockquote> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-t4ZjzvY_-NU/U3lS3qNVXvI/AAAAAAAAC80/F4KS8u57eM8/s1600-h/DSC_0207%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="Stephen Foster Museum" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="Stephen Foster Museum" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-73gysdRtJGE/U3lS4Sp7XkI/AAAAAAAAC88/NqkjRHcB6Uw/DSC_0207_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">The Carillon Tower tolls through out the day and on the top of each hour plays many of Foster’s tunes. The base of the tower also houses a small museum with many historical pieces. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wdwLuKEtVrA/U3lS5NbYdlI/AAAAAAAAC9E/SMny-LwJoZA/s1600-h/DSC_0211%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0211" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0211" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-CQjyOOol18s/U3lS5nn9ZAI/AAAAAAAAC9M/dgZ1nvnzpRc/DSC_0211_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">A section of the </font><a href="http://www.floridatrail.org/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Florida Trail</font></a><font size="3"> runs through the park. We attempted to hike a short part of it as it follows the Suwannee River. Unfortunately, the water level of the river is high at this time and we had to turn around. Below is the track of a short hikes we took around the park and the camping area, We did find a good number of nice campsites here, so we marked them down and plan on returning sometime to do some camping. </font></p> <p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2785233"><font size="3">Stephen Foster Culture Center State Park at EveryTrail</font></a><br><iframe style="height: 366px; width: 702px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=2785233&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Just outside of the State Park entrance is the remains of a hotel and spa that was built around a larger spring on the river. This area was very popular back in the 1800’s as it was believed that soaking in the spring was good for your health. The hotel offered all kinds of “packages” that guaranteed to solve whatever ailed you. Here is all the remains of the old hotel and spa. The water doesn’t look so enticing now as it flooded by the tannic water of the Suwannee river. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WyiDE7Du6zk/U3lS6Z8XGqI/AAAAAAAAC9U/QG6jB2latKk/s1600-h/DSC_0214%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0214" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0214" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LbLOzoHeOAo/U3lS7KdAbfI/AAAAAAAAC9c/2Cmjp64jqio/DSC_0214_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">As you can see below, downtown White Springs is a bustling area!! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-DbqbAZtEsJQ/U3lS7jN5xyI/AAAAAAAAC9k/2vedeTekR8I/s1600-h/DSC_0219%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0219" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0219" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-PMZw0hqb1k4/U3lS8WOEjSI/AAAAAAAAC9s/eLvUBNZdLtY/DSC_0219_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-srL4byfe5wU/U3lS8_tzw_I/AAAAAAAAC90/Wc3GfTD9HX4/s1600-h/DSC_0225%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0225" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0225" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FQ1w7JSP4Ac/U3lS9uPEHrI/AAAAAAAAC94/xWX0pyUhYG4/DSC_0225_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9nrNebYXJ3U/U3lS-buY3nI/AAAAAAAAC98/jTgnnip0MBs/s1600-h/DSC_0226%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0226" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0226" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JygRRq32u4s/U3lS-5rhGFI/AAAAAAAAC-I/2MhIp5LKWNM/DSC_0226_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-krWAHd_jAag/U3lS_g5dyrI/AAAAAAAAC-Q/LNNSDgG-knM/s1600-h/DSC_0227%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0227" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0227" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-IgtSWtoqKr8/U3lTACV_MHI/AAAAAAAAC-c/J6MbKfo-NvA/DSC_0227_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">About five miles north of White Springs is the other park we wanted to check out today. This was </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/bigshoals/default.cfm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Big Shoals State park</font></a><font size="3"> and is also on the Suwannee River. This is the location of the only white water in Florida. There’s two sections of the river, Big Shoals and Little Shoals, where if the water is just right you will be able to canoe or kayak some class III rapids. The parks kayak launch area was closed today because of the high water. We saw a few sections of rapids, but for the most part the water was too high and totally covered the rocks and shoals. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-pFYwedE1dyM/U3lTA5tgdfI/AAAAAAAAC-k/_n5iRY-nAcs/s1600-h/DSC_0234%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0234" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0234" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0W57Xnm0r28/U3lTBW_e1EI/AAAAAAAAC-s/rIooHHf5wcQ/DSC_0234_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="704" height="473"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">We did do a hike along the river which had some nice overlooks to check out the shoals. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_eOAp5fdqMk/U3lTCLBBFDI/AAAAAAAAC-0/VYphu9r8fA0/s1600-h/DSC_0235%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0235" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0235" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-sAu_Am7AiyM/U3lTCnDNE4I/AAAAAAAAC-8/orvO5oKaj_4/DSC_0235_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Here is the GPS track or our hike. </font></p><a href="http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=2785237"><font size="3">Big Shoals State Park at EveryTrail</font></a><br><iframe style="height: 378px; width: 680px" height="300" marginheight="0" src="http://www.everytrail.com/iframe2.php?trip_id=2785237&width=400&height=300" frameborder="0" width="400" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">This gopher tortoise was blocking the road as we were trying to leave the park. It was a stare down, and we finally had to relocate him to a safer location on the side of the road, </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-FYvnhcULCRY/U3lTDUl9R3I/AAAAAAAAC_E/e5sJRZ7rHrw/s1600-h/DSC_0238%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0238" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0238" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--C4VmD-_WBw/U3lTDxr9n6I/AAAAAAAAC_M/4cY9YM7rL8g/DSC_0238_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="471"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2934264803219169916.post-91214480657146560752014-05-12T19:25:00.001-04:002014-05-12T19:29:28.115-04:00Camping at Anastasia State Park<p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Date: 5/9 – 5/12/2014</font></p> <p><font size="3">Location: </font><a href="https://goo.gl/maps/DnEae" target="_blank"><font size="3">St. Augustine, Fl</font></a></p> <p><font size="3">Campground: Anastasia State Park, Site 108</font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Back in July of last year we made a reservation for a campsite at </font><a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/anastasia/" target="_blank"><font size="3">Anastasia State Park</font></a><font size="3"> just south of St. Augustine for a four day stay. Sometime we actually do plan ahead which we are finding is required to secure a spot at any of the popular campgrounds in the state. </font></p> <p><font size="3">A year ago we attended the </font><a href="http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/the-players-championship.html" target="_blank"><font size="3">Players Championship</font></a><font size="3"> golf tournament in Ponte Vedra, which is a 30 minute ride north on A1A. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to do it again this year. Even though we are camping in the area for four days, we’ve decided to only attend on Sunday which is the last day of the tournament. </font></p> <p><font size="3">This year Julie’s sister Lucy and her husband Gery decided to join us for the weekend. They are from Iowa and are trying to thaw out from a long hard winter up in those parts. So, our stay at Anastasia being right on the beach was a perfect location. Gery is also a big golf fan, so he was more than ready to attend the Players Championship. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Gery and Lucy on the boardwalk leading to the beach at Anastasia.</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_BJNW6BVans/U3FYAk6PF8I/AAAAAAAAC5s/-a44dGnXSTk/s1600-h/DSC_0143%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0143" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0143" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HgUPqBstotw/U3FYBtqwQNI/AAAAAAAAC50/YS4ge63ReKA/DSC_0143_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">A few evenings we did a little walking on the beach. It was a little overcast and breezy, but still nice. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1dEh4PP_O0I/U3FYCUZMwQI/AAAAAAAAC58/_EMQC-7xqB4/s1600-h/DSC_0154%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0154" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0154" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-i9CGm9Hva18/U3FYDDrpMVI/AAAAAAAAC6E/9KVMxtvyukM/DSC_0154_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On Saturday we did some of the touristy things in downtime </font><a href="http://augustine.com/" target="_blank"><font size="3">St. Augustine</font></a><font size="3">. Our first stop was the old fort </font><a href="http://www.nps.gov/casa/index.htm" target="_blank"><font size="3">Castillo De San Marcos</font></a><font size="3"> which is right on the water and close the the Bridge Of Lions. This is a national monument managed by the National park Service. If you are into history, then this is a good stop to make. Gery, who enjoys history, was always way behind Julie, Lucy and myself. He was reading every display throughout the fort as we walked around both levels. The three of us didn’t have the same attention span, we kind of skimmed over things! I think Gery finally gave up and bypassed several of the areas of the fort. </font></p> <p><font size="3">Several time per day they have a reenactment of a firing of the cannon. The fort has a large selection of old cannons and I believe they said they used the 6 pound cannon for the demonstration. I’m not sure where the name “6 pound” comes from, maybe the size of the cannon ball, but the cannon itself must weigh in the thousand of pounds. The soldiers start their march from down in the grassy common area and then climb the stairs to the second level. They go through the lengthy routine of loading, firing and cleaning the cannon. For obvious reasons they don’t really fire a cannon ball, but instead use a gun powder charge mixed with bread crumbs. The volunteer ranger says many of the birds get used to the demonstration and then swoop in as soon as the cannon goes off to feed on the crumbs. That didn’t happen the time we watched, the birds must we getting lazy. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-vt9LqYroY2I/U3FYD9enYwI/AAAAAAAAC6M/5wX-zxeyEbo/s1600-h/DSC_0166%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0166" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0166" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-25u_WkVfY-0/U3FYEnv0fmI/AAAAAAAAC6U/ltJxQSsUBZQ/DSC_0166_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IGG3jXJXFnw/U3FYFaiDe-I/AAAAAAAAC6c/dg6p2c7R6D4/s1600-h/DSC_0194%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0194" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0194" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-R0__Szo-_UA/U3FYGAqmX-I/AAAAAAAAC6k/vY-pTJJIwuk/DSC_0194_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-tGHgEwGPsmc/U3FYGzI37mI/AAAAAAAAC6s/zj4iAsQGEp4/s1600-h/DSC_0179%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0179" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0179" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-eJ1eJmFWiws/U3FYHVwYUKI/AAAAAAAAC60/Y72zU8t3KfM/DSC_0179_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">Here’s a picture of Julie and her sister Lucy taken from the fort with the historic downtime St. Augustine in the background. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9KgtUa2k2Tk/U3FYIIt9a4I/AAAAAAAAC64/b4CI-IX6ogY/s1600-h/DSC_0183%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0183" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0183" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HP5l9Fbd_zQ/U3FYI6tz7bI/AAAAAAAAC7A/mF3A3D0EplU/DSC_0183_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="472"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">On our way into town we noticed several large old sailing ships at the marina on the south side of the </font><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_Lions" target="_blank"><font size="3">Bridge of Lions</font></a><font size="3">. After our tour of the fort, we walked along the water front and headed in that direction. We found that they were offering tours of the boats for a reasonable price (actually free for us since Gery and Lucy paid!!), so we decided to view both ships. These two boats are replicas built by the Spain government and sail the world crewed by mostly young volunteers. The smaller ship was a replica of the Nao Victoria which was the first boat to sail around the world. This ship has also done an around the world voyage from 2004 – 2006. The larger of the two boats was the El Galeon which is a replica of a ship that traveled the coasts of Florida between the 16 and 18 century. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-EB35dtv5XK0/U3FYJ-B5quI/AAAAAAAAC7M/_POjZfm4Fcc/s1600-h/DSC_0199%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0199" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="DSC_0199" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-H8R6LQ6t0oo/U3FYKv5N3LI/AAAAAAAAC7U/Leugf3J4vMs/DSC_0199_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="352" height="524"></font></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xFjd-4-N4eE/U3FYLUK5DsI/AAAAAAAAC7c/ZCampQZhh3o/s1600-h/DSC_0200%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0200" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0200" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zwYg9qugTX0/U3FYMRIywkI/AAAAAAAAC7k/Rjz1iSe-jXc/DSC_0200_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a><font size="3"> </font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-hmi-iRm8K2Y/U3FYNM_J_BI/AAAAAAAAC7s/RQeV2Z6EIi8/s1600-h/DSC_0203%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="DSC_0203" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="DSC_0203" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-A3PcIpjRVsk/U3FYNuTDFmI/AAAAAAAAC70/nMqz9x3DFlM/DSC_0203_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="342" height="230"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">And of course, whenever Lucy comes to Florida she must have some seafood and in this case a few “small” orders of oysters. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-lmweXoPMoBE/U3FYOhNcgpI/AAAAAAAAC78/x0kVDGEArr0/s1600-h/20140510_174928%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140510_174928" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20140510_174928" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-H-uewiGMSko/U3FYPnkVnyI/AAAAAAAAC8E/QVaEgAp8PBE/20140510_174928_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">One Sunday was the TPC golf tournament and main reason for our trip to the area. We arrived somewhat early and planned on spending the day until the very end. We did spend a good amount of time walking the front nine and trying to view a few of the popular twosomes that were playing the course. All four of us had also bought tickets to the Blue Room which was an area with lots of seating areas, both outdoors and an air conditioned inside area. It also included food from several local restaurants as well as all your care to drink beer and wine. Later in the day it was beginning to get a little rowdy as the crowd was partaking in quit a few of the included drinks, At times it seems like to many the TPC tournament is just a good reason to party and just happens to have some golf going on. My guess is many spent the entire day in the Blue Room and never ventured out onto the course. The Blue Room was fun and made for some really good people watching!! </font></p> <p><font size="3">Later in the day Julie and I walked most of the back nine which included many golf holes we had never seen. On two occasions (consecutive twosomes) drove their golf balls way outside the fairway and almost hit Julie. We were beginning to think she was a ball magnet. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-7nLZ2FadQRI/U3FYQR7sZhI/AAAAAAAAC8I/tHgOtS4ych4/s1600-h/20140511_101714%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140511_101714" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20140511_101714" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iPSLft1F5bY/U3FYQzq8T2I/AAAAAAAAC8U/qcTGcUFEs98/20140511_101714_thumb%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="157"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font> </p> <p><font size="3">We had planned on staying to the very end and found some good seats in the bleachers overlooking the 16 and famous 17th hole. Usually near the end of the tournament this gets to be a wild location as all the fans congregate around the finish holes and it can get a little loud. Unfortunately, storms were building in the west as you can see with the dark skies in the picture below. After several strikes of lightening off in the distance, they finally blew the horn and halted the tournament. We decided to hit the road instead of sticking around for the weather to clear. They did restart the tournament about an hour later and were able to finish the tournament. Martin Kaymer, a 29 year old golfer from Germany, was the winner and took home a nice $1,800,000 check. Not a bad payday for four days of playing golf!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dfLd5_7BTxI/U3FYRkKsQiI/AAAAAAAAC8c/DGN56Wm-FSE/s1600-h/20140511_171342%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><font size="3"><img title="20140511_171342" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="20140511_171342" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-e1nVK1HBceI/U3FYSYddJ7I/AAAAAAAAC8k/8em7apHlIBk/20140511_171342_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="702" height="396"></font></a></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <p><font size="3"></font></p> Julie and Tomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578474726508750989noreply@blogger.com1