Everglades/Big Cypress National Preserve

Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park - February 26 - 29

OK, OK.... I haven't been very faithful to keeping up with my blog have I.... I think I've had writer's block because I've tried working on this several times and just can't quite figure out what to say.  Part of it is because Big Cypress and the Everglades have been a most enjoyable place to visit.  I haven't been able to come up with the right words to describe how beautiful it is.  We've seen the same birds and the alligators in other places on our journey, but there's just something about this place that intrigues me. 

We've had some excellent opportunities to see alot of the same species of birds that we've been seeing all along, but this time we were able to get real close to them.  The seemed to ignore us - even tho we were only 5 - 10 feet away!  We watched a Great White Heron catch a snake - kind of neat to see but too bad for the snake!  There's another tab at the top of the blog that has alot of photos of the birds - I guess Mom got a little crazy with clicking the camera....  And we also got to see some very young alligators.  One of the momma alligators hissed at Jay for standing just a little to close for comfort!  So he moved on and let them be!

There's a loop road that we drove along that takes you through a variety of habitats and settings.  Again - we saw the same birds and alligators, but each turn of the road and each slough that crossed (you pronounce that SLOO) had birds roosting in trees or wading in the water, waiting for a fish to come by.  We drove down the same road in the evening and discovered an ibis rookery.  Talk about a racket!  There were a couple of hundred birds, all yacking and carrying on.  I guess they were squabbling over who should perch on which branch for the nite.  (hmmmm is that where the term pecking order comes from?)  What was really neat was to see it during the daytime.... and then again at dusk....  check it out!

Big slough at nite



Big slough during the day....

The cypress bogs are really neat.  The cypress knees look like an army of gnomes, on guard....  Seeing them with the reflections in the clear, still water is very eerie.  Especially as the sun is setting, when you're down the end of a long dirt road! 

We stayed at a campground that is midway between Naples and Miama.  No cell coverage, very few lights and some crystal clear evenings to look at the stars and the planets.  I don't think I've ever been in the dark when it is quite that dark!  Very neat... 

We also got to visit the southern portion of the Everglades.  We spent a couple of nights in Florida City and spent the day driving to the southern extent of the National Park.  We were able to see some crocodiles and manatees at the marina (crocs are just plain ugly - no other way to describe them!)   The real treat for the day, though, was taking a walk to see some mahogany trees and stumbling upon two baby barred owls.  They were only 2 or three weeks old - but were still a sizable bundle of fluff!!!!

And as much as we enjoyed the Everglades, we were anxious to get to our next stop...  Key West and a visit with Allison!  Yippee!!!!!

Fort Myers/Sanibel Island - February 25th

Today was best day ever- I'd call it a four paws up kind of day!!! (I know, I said that once before, but somehow, the days on this trip just keep getting better and better!)  And I also have to let the dog world know  Sanibel Island is the place to go.  After all of the ‘NO DOGS ALLOWED’ signs, we finally found a place that is welcoming to those of us with 4 paws!  I was allowed on the beaches and was even allowed to walk around on the trails at the US Fish and Wildlife Service refuge – the DN Ding Darling Refuge.  What a place! 



Fidder crab waiting to grab my nose!

 We took a walk thru a mangrove swamp.  Those are some strange looking trees!  And the critters that hide in and among them are pretty neat too.  Saw some alligators (I’m becoming used to seeing them altho I still don’t trust them!)  and a lot of birds...  and these Fiddler crabs.

No trip to Sanibel Island is complete without a walk on the beach and a search for shells.  I’m not really into that, but I guess it was an OK way to spend part of the afternoon!  I tried to act interested in all of that….   and we did find some pretty shells, thanks to my careful watching!

Back at the RV park, that evening, we were treated to some neighbors who had a campfire, a few guitars and some really really old songs.  Mom and Jay were singing along, but I didn’t know the words, so I slept quietly at their feet.  Guess that’s what you do when you get old!

Tampa - Feb 19th

This was truly a 'goose-bump Sunday'!  Our stay in Tampa was blessed by yet another unexpected musical service at the 'closest Methodist Church to wherever we are staying'!  On the way to our RV site, Mom noticed the Palma Ceia Methodist Church - a very quaint looking church in an older section of town.  Jay looked it up on-line and found that the Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale was singing the service.  He found a link and they got a preview of what the music was gonna be like, and they both immediately decided it was someplace they needed to be on Sunday morning. 

The choir consists of about 50 students, accompianied by 2 guitars, keyboard and percussion.  The sound generated by the choir filled the church in perfect harmony, balance and composition.  Their repertoire ranged from classical to spirituals to contemporary Christian music.  The choir had the place rocking!!!  And the congregation rocked right along with them!  Mom and Jay said they both had goose bumps on their arms as they listened to the beautiful voices. 


If you are interested in getting an idea of what the music was like, try clicking on the link and see what you think! 

http://www.myspace.com/bcuconcertchoralealumni/music/songs/god-is-able-58697687

And as for me... it was same old, same old....  Had to stay at home.  They stopped at a fishing pier, hoping I would be able to accompany them on the next trip out there to go fishing - and as you can see - dogs are NOT welcome.  So they went fishing along the bank just outside the RV park.  And as usual, Mom caught the fish; and as usual, they were thrown back - hardhead catfish just don't make good eating!  

But all in all, they still had a great afternoon - sitting in the sun, watching roseate spoon-bills fly overhead, remembering the music they heard in the morning...  not a bad Sunday at all! 

And I was treated to some time at the dog-run in the RV park.  Even tho I'm almost 12, I can still catch a frisbee!  Altho I do get a bit more tired than I used to!!!

Dunnellon  Feb 12 - 15 - Rainbow Springs State Park

From the sounds of it, Mom and Jay had just the best day ever on Wednesday.  They went swimming with manatees on the Homosassa River!  After donning wet suits and taking a short boat ride, they entered the water and swam with the gentle giants for a couple of hours.  I guess its just as well that I wasn't able to go along - I'm not sure I'd look as good as Mom and Jay did in the wet suit and I sure can't swim all that well!

Being able to swim with the manatees is an awe-inspiring experience.  You enter the water with your wet suit, goggles, snorkel and swim noodle, and wait for the manatees to greet you.  The water is extremely clear, so you can see them as they approach.  Sometimes, they'll swim close and linger for a few minutes, perhaps surfacing for air.  Other times, they'll invite you to rub their back or belly - they seem to enjoy being touched and seek the interaction with people as much as people want to interact with them.  The extent of the encounter is totally dependent on the manatee.  You're a visitor in their domain and need to respect the manatee's comfort with you.  When it was time to return to the dock, a small group of about 6 manatees approached the boat as if to say farewell!

I was able to go along on alot of walks, most of which have resulted in new bird sightings.  Jay has identified about 100 different kinds of birds so far, and the number increases almost every day.  Mom is trying to learn them, but has a long ways to go till she remembers them all! 

Rainbow Springs is another beautiful Florida state park.  If there is a return trip to Florida, they'll need to be sure to get some reservations made in advance so they can take advantage of stayhing at more of the the facilities! 

I enjoy being out in the upland settings with moss draped trees and along the bayous and sloughs where we often find alligators and turtles.  I keep my distance from the alligators, though.   I just don't like the looks of them - they pretend to be sleeping but I'll bet they can be pretty darn quick!

Apalachicola/Carrabelle - Feb 9 - 12

I keep hoping that we slow down one of these days - I'm having a dog-gone good time but I'm dog tired at the end of the day!  We seem to have lots to do, no matter what the day brings!

We spent one night on St George Island at the state park.  Wish we had been able to get more than a night's reservation but one night was better than none!  (Florida state parks are beautiful!!!)  It's located on one of the barrier islands that form Apalachicola Bay and St George Sound.  It's relatively undeveloped (kinda reminds me of the way the Outer Banks looked before the commercial development got out there) with some homes and a very small town to provide some necessities for residents.  The sand dunes are beautiful!

I wasn't allowed to go fishing (again!) but I did get to taste a little bit of the whiting that Mom caught.  By the way, have you noticed that Mom is catching all the fish?  (that could be because Jay is having to keep the hook baited, and take the fish off the line as she catches them!!!!

We spent the next two nights near Carrabelle.  We got to go walking on the beach and enjoy the morning sun as Mom and Jay had a cup of coffee.  We did enjoy seeing the Bald Eagles soaring along the shore and even got to get up close and personal with one as it perched in a tree right above our walk path. 

 

The campground in Carabelle had a nice fishing pier that I was allowed to go out on. I got to watch Mom catch a fish (again!) Well... it was a small shark that had to be thrown back (again).   Sure would be nice if they would catch and KEEP and EAT more of what got caught!!!

 The seafood in the area is really good. Apalachicola oysters are great on the half shell with cocktail sauce, broiled with cajun seasoning and cheese, or made into stew... Yum. And the blue crabs were pretty tasty, too - altho I wasn't too sure about getting too close to them before they hit the stock pot to simmer!!!

I like the crabs better after they've boiled for a few minutes!

Panama City, Florida - February 1 - 9

We've been staying at Tyndall Air Force Base for the past week - just a little ways down the beach from Destin, FL.  The weather has been sunny and warm every day we've been here so there have been lots of walks (yay!), lots of golf, and visits to friends.  I'm not allowed on the beach here so I haven't gotten to lie on the sand and work on my tan, but Mom has.  She keeps saying she doesn't like her tan lines.... 

They've had some nice visits with friends - Jay has several friends who live in the area and was able to spend some time on the golf course, have dinner, and attend a Super Bowl party with them.  I was left home.... of course....  but it seems as tho a very nice time was had by all. 

 

The golf courses down here are beautiful - lined with palm trees, and live oak adorned with Spanish moss. There has been alot of wildlife to look at on the fairways - racoons, deer, turkey.... But the courses do present an unusual set of challenges.

There are warning signs near every water hazard - Beware! Be wary of alligators and rattlesnakes. And sure enough, on the 7th hole, they ran into an alligator each time they went out there. The first time, the ball was far enough away for Jay to take a swing and get it out of there. The second time.... well, look for yourself and decide what you would do! 

Do you take a one stroke or two stroke penalty for moving the ball!

 Fishing in the area has been great.... catching fish, on the other hand, has not been quite as good. They did some more surf fishing on a nite with a beautiful sunset and moonrise. Mom caught a really nice red fish - 30" long. Just one problem - they have to be UNDER 27" to keep them! 

One afternoon, they went fishing with Ernie and Sherry Rozelle. Again no fish - but it was a nice afternoon with friends!

Jan 30 - Three weeks and the trip continues to grow in enjoyment and experiences!  The weather in Fort Walton Beach has been outstanding.  One day with a line of pretty severe thunderstorms and a tornado warning, but other than that - its been sunny day after sunny day.

The week started with another thought provoking sermon and wonderful music at the Fort Walton UMC.  Sunday ended with an outstanding choir concert - eight local churches who have been singing together for almost 30 years for a  'Great Night of Methodist Singing'.  They listened to 150 voices and a 25 piece orchestra in  an amazing service that exemplifies how the Wesleyan tradition is alive and well in our lives today.  They were truly blessed to have heard the voices sing praise.

 Monday began with our normal walk around the campground.  I sure wish there were other dogs for me to have fun with - I keep running into these 2 very large chocolate labs who are not friendly!  After breakfast, Mom and Jay took off for yet another day of  golf (there was NO trip to the beach for fishing and NO trip to the golf course for me!  DARN!)

And the stories of yet another wonderful (?) day on the links continue.  They played a course at Eglin Airforce Base that is known one of the top ten military courses in the US. The course layout (live oaks decorated with Spanish moss) and interesting greens made for a challenging afternoon. The game couldn't have been too bad tho -  with the handicap figured in, Mom managed to tie Jay for the game.  She seemed pretty pumped about that!!!

The evening meal of oyster stew was a fine end to an otherwise perfect day (I even got a small spoonful of the stew!  Delish!)

Start of the journey

Hi!  My name is Jazzy.  I'm an almost 12 year old Australian shepherd who lives in Russell, PA.  My mom (Lois) and her friend Jay are travelling along the Gulf of Mexico for the winter and I get to go along!  Sure beats the cold of a NW Pennsylvania winter!  And I get to try out a new life experience by travelling in an RV.  Such adventures that lie ahead.... 
Here’s my story….. 

January 3rd - I thought we were gonna get outta here before the snow got here. But nooooo.... that didn't happen. I woke up to about 5 inches of snow and zero degrees - sure does wake a pooch up on that first trip out in the morning! It was fun to play in it - run after a few snow balls and roll around like a puppy. But I was glad that Saturday morning and departure day was only a few days away.

Januray 6th - Hmmmm I''m not too sure about all of this. Lots of packing activity is going on, the cat has been taken out of the house (good heavens - am I next?) and I haven't seen any dog biscuits loaded up yet. Maybe I can camp out on the front seat of the car and secure a ride in the car as it heads south to warmer weather. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it!

January 7th - Hurray!!! I'm in the car and we are well past the kennel so I guess that means I'm along for the ride. I wonder when we'll get there, better yet, I wonder where we're going!

January 8th - Hurray again!!!!! The ride that has no end seems to be over – we’re near Birmingham, AL at Tannehill State Park. I like the RV - and I have a new bed to sleep on, and new food and water bowls. The weather is warm and there's no snow. And there are lots of squirrels! Life is good!!

January 9 – 12 - Tannehill State Park is on the site of an old iron furnace that played an important role in providing iron needed by the Confederate forces during the Civil War.  The iron furnaces have been restored, and many log cabins and other old buildings have been relocated to the area.  And there is an incredible museum that describes the iron industry once found in the area.  It is one of nicest state parks I’ve visited in a long time.

The iron furnaces are a really neat place to spend some time - altho in times gone by, I bet they were a pretty hot place to be!  Guess I'll just spend time sitting on the cabin porch and take a short nap....

Last summer, Mom was spendingalot of time at something called  a golf course. I never got to go so I had no idea what that meant. Today was my first golf outing. I can't quite figure out what the point of the game is - hitting a ball, and then riding all over the place in a cart to fetch it. I could have helped out but wasn't allowed to retrieve! I wasn't even allowed to drive the cart – I was just was the lookout for stray golf balls (and stray dogs) from the other fairways!

Jan 13^th – We’re on the road again – heading south towards the Gulf of Mexico.  Mom put her car in storage for a week – so we’re all travelling together in the RV.  Gotta tell you – riding in an RV is really different.  The windshield is huge and if I could manage to stand up on something I would be able to see a lot more!  Better yet – just standing on the dashboard works – I have a great view from here! 

Jan 14 – 20  We’re staying at Gulf Islands National Seashore in Ocean Springs, MS.  It’s an unusual National Seashore – most of the area is actually submerged lands near the barrier islands!  Fortunately, the campground is high and dry!  This is a great area for birding – and Jay knows his birds, that’s for sure.  We take a walk each morning to a little slough to see if the alligator is out yet or not.  I keep my distance from him though  - bet I’d make a tasty  snack if I got too close!

Jan 17^th – This was the best day yet!  We rented a small boat and took a ride up the Pascagoula River.  We started in the salt marshes and wound our way through the different channels (good thing Jay knows these waters like the back of his hand!) .  There were all sorts of shore birds to see – herons, egrets, coots, grebes, ducks, red tailed-hawks and even a harrier.    

And of course, there was more golf being played but I was not allowed to go along.  I suppose that’s just as well – while it was fun to ride in the cart, it is nice to stay back in the RV and nap.

They stopped at the Pascagoula First United Methodist Church on Sunday.  Great service and very friendly people…    

The food has been pretty darn good so far.  We’ve had stuffed flounder (yum!), shrimp stuffed Portobello mushrooms, and grilled shrimp and they’ve been going out to some pretty good places to eat.  There’s this neat BBQ and blues place called The Shed that has great ribs and chicken AND really good music!   And they went to another place right on the river called Hucks and were talking about a grouper salad and fried oysters that sounded pretty tasty  (why is it I just hear about all this good food and get to taste very little of it??!!!)

Jan 21 – 29 – We left Mississippi and headed towards Fort Walton Beach, FL today.  We’re staying at an RV area on Hulburt Field Air Force Base so there’s lots of activity going on here.  We hear Reveille every morning at 6 am, the Colors and the Star Spangled Banner at 5 pm, and Taps at 10 pm. 

The days are filled with fishing, golf, hiking and eating...   The fishing has been great and the catching has been less than great but the guy at the bait shop says catching one pompano was a good accomplishment.  It was even a better meal!!!  The golfing has been outstanding.  And the weather is just unbelievable.  They keep asking and testing the hypothesis... is it possible to have too much fun!    Of course I don’t get to do all those things but I get to hear all about it! 

And more seafood!  Steamed shrimp, oysters on the half shell, and seared tuna salad so far this week!  There was a shift away from seafood one night tho – a delicious eggplant lasagna! 

So let me tell you about the fishing.  We’ve been going to a beach area near Destin.  They throw a few fishing lines in the water and wait for something to take a bite.  So far, they’ve caught one pompano and a few catfish.  The other day, they didn’t catch anything and they took the bait home and ate it!!!!  (the bait was fresh shrimp!!!)  Talk about a perfect way to start the day – laying on a beach, watching the waves and dolphins, barking at a few people now and then and waiting for them to catch a fish!  What a dog’s life!!!

Mom let me try my hand at fishing one morning and as you can see – I brought the fish in.  Mom, on the other hand, decided to give her catch to the Great blue heron that wandered by!

Oh, and of course, more golf……   Doesn’t sound like Mom has quite figured her game out yet tho.  Think that means there is need for more practice!