Florida, Part I

Here we are!!!This is Diane writing now! You’ll be hearing from me from now on. Drew has realized she is not a blogger…

It has been an amazing journey. We have found love in the lives of others, secret places that only the locals know of, faced uncomfortable situations, worked through emotional highs and lows and have found joy and wonder around each corner. It’s everything that this trip is supposed to be.

Life schooling.

It’s now April 5 and we’ve been in Florida since March 12. We were so excited to find warm weather and we have been happily basking in it everywhere we go. I grew up in central Florida and have not felt a strong pull to return until now. Camping in Kansas with the heater and electric blanket will lead you south…

Growing up we vacationed mainly in Colorado and North Carolina. Other than local beaches and Orlando amusement parks I didn’t explore most of the state. Either that or I was too self absorbed to look outside the car window! Currently we are in DeLand, my hometown. It seems to come full circle that we have found 90 degree weather, mosquitoes and memories that bring you home as well as push you out of the nest.

So far, we’ve focused on the gulf coast and I have been amazed. Florida has an amazing system of State Parks that are we maintained and in beautiful areas.

Our first unexpected wonder was the Florida Caverns. The tour of the caverns was exceptional, leading you through narrow areas and making you picture in your mind what it must have been like to discover these caves. Our main goal was to avoid the panhandle beaches as Spring Break had taken over the state. What a fortunate detour to go inland and find such a natural surprise.

Rain kept us on the road heading South for the next day. Luckily we have friends to see in Naples! Paula and John Tabor hold some responsibility for the sarcastic humor that I have embraced. What a gift to have friendships that you can slide back into as if no time has passed. They gave us a tour of John’s Harley Davidson store and we settled into their lives further inland. They live on a lake that is a protected bird rookery. They found the perfect location, just minutes away, to escape the noise and high energy of Naples.

They took us in for two nights and spoiled us with home-cooked meals and laughter.

We toured the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary seeing a wide variety of birds, vegetation and animals. Our favorite bird was the Roseate Spoonbill. The park has raised walkways and information on the various kinds of wetlands and wildlife.

Paula and John live on a lake that has a self-guided trail where we found similar birds as well as an alligator!

Drew enjoyed the lakeside pool, Annie the dog, as well as a private fishing lesson from the Tabar family.

Next…Marco Island to see Mike and Karen! I was amazed at this quaint community. Most houses have canal access that lead to the ocean. After fighting the Spring Break crowds in Florida it was refreshing to find a peaceful spot. We really fit in to their lifestyle of 9:00 pm being ‘Marco Midnight’! They spoiled us with a locals’ fish joint and tour around the island to see their famous Burrowing Owls and Gopher Tortoise. Also….Marco Mailboxes!!!

Karen made an amazing meal and we enjoyed catching up around the table. Once again, Drew enjoyed their pool as well as their cats, Max and Sam.

Drew and I headed into the Everglades to learn more about the area. We went to Smallwood’s Store on Chokoloskee Island, a remote Trading Post established in 1906 that retains many original items and offered a glimpse of life in the area.

We took a boat trip to explore the area called 10,000 Islands.

We also had a guided canoe tour through the mangroves. It was fascinating to learn about the local vegetation and wildlife.

We stepped on the beach at Key Largo among many other Spring Breakers.

After searching the area we finally found a campground that would take us in. Although they only had space in their storage area we settled in for the night.