04 Pine Island 2
Trip Start
Nov 06, 2008
1
4
6
Trip End
Apr 30, 2009
Pine Island,
Florida,
United States
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Obama is definitely making an impact down here; people seem to have regained some hope again. It is interesting, viewed historically from my teenaged years, seeing Martin Luther King Jr's "dream" come true.
Bought a cheap (US$30) dehydrator so I can start making my own trail mix and jerky meat (for stews and snacks). So far I've dried strawberries (self picked since they are in season), oranges, pineapples, grapefruit, mushrooms, peppers, jalapenos and onions. Soon I'll attempt carrots, potatoes, chicken and beef. The electricity is included in the rent at the Glade Hut which makes this endeavour extremely worthwhile.
Biked out to Chekika, which was previously a State Park, to see how the rebuilding of this new Everglades area is coming along. The boardwalk is still impressive but it will take many additional years to get the campground opened (maybe even longer during a recession). However, the bird life is spectacular.
Dropped in on the Redland Festival to view some of the local artisans' creations. Found a neat display of the different types of Florida wood - all done as polished cross-sections. The poster for the festival was also extremely well done (see web link below).
Moyra and Dave arrived to view the Everglades; saw my first Yellow Rat Snake on the Anhinga Trail. A couple of days later we showed them the Loop Road in the Big Cypress along with a couple nights of primitive camping at Pinecrest. Witnessed a couple of Zebra conventions, likely caused by the cool days. The campfires at night removed the evening chill.
The new campfire ring and charcoal BBQ at the Glades Hut are working well. Also, the water levels are starting to drop quickly and are now approaching last year's levels; at least it makes the Anhinga Trail more exciting for the tourists as the animals and birds converge towards the water..
I joined in on an historic Nike missile base tour; this secret Homestead 69 Base was operational from May 1965 until 1979 and was created due to the Cuban Missile crisis and the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. These defensive ground-to-air Nike Hercules missiles utilized solid fuel which were thirty-eight feet long and had a range of one-hundred and seventy-five miles at Mach 3.5 (these Nikes were eventually supplanted by Patriots). It is currently unknown whether nuclear warheads were part of the equation.
Did a slough (pronounced "slu") slog to a Cypress dome when the temperature was hitting 85+F - a great way to stay cool with water up to your knees while studying a neat environment; no alligators encountered although they would likely swim away :). I will do this again to a different dome on future scorching day.
I am currently hunting for a touring kayak for camping in the Everglades and up north during the summer; this is a slow process using Miami's Craigslist and Ebay in order to get a good deal. Hopefully it will payoff soon since I now have the van equipped with a Thule roof rack. Trolling, I have even added my own Kayak wanted advertisement.
Currently, I am just finishing my bike preparations for a camping trip to Bear Island... More news soon...
Happy Valentine's day to all...
Tidbit:
- Festival poster created by Terry Arroyo Mulrooney; see www.terrymulrooneystudios.com
- The different varieties of flowers are currently increasing at an astounding rate but there is still a long wait before orchids appear.
- The best time to take close-up butterfly pictures is in the early morning while they are warming up their wings on the sunshine.
- Stumbled across Jeffrey on TV at the recent Amway Global Skate for the Heart - this was an impressive programme with loads of world champions.
Comments
Sounds like a lovely winter
Hey TOm I hopeyou are well and happy Writing via the blog to touch base Do not have another email address What adventures!