Florida

I left Florida yesterday, ironically by driving through the town I spent my first few nights some 7 weeks ago.  I have spent more time in Floria than any other state, other than California, and unfortunately(?) I need to come back one more time to complete my list of "want to see."  Rather than continue my "master plan" and work my way West,  I have decided to return to Florida next year for a month, rather than go back to Cali and then make another trip East.  I will be spending some downtime in Texas at the end of this year for medical reasons (yes, the ol' knee replacement) and it just makes sense to swing back and finish what I started. I can easily see the other states with shorter trips from California.

I left quite a bit unfinished in Virginia and that area, and I had to cut my trip to Nova Scotia short because of the unexpected stay in Quebec, so I'll be heading north from Florida, hopefully going all the way to Newfoundland and then turning West and home.  I'll be making shorter trips, five or six months only, from then on I think.

Somethings I saw while I was in Florida other than the Keys ....

Everglades National Park, the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States, and one of the few places the manatee and the American crocodile are assured a permanent sanctuary.

I took a boat tour through a portion of the Ten Thousand Islands area.  We had a pod of dolphins wanting to play with us a good portion of the way.


(I know - don't give up my day job to become a nature photographer!) 😁

I saw the Suwannee River, of the famed song of the same name, twice (coming and going from the state).

The De Soto National Monument - commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto and the first extensive organized exploration by Europeans of what is now the southern United States.

 
  
Siesta Key beach - Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes from the The Appalachian Mountains.  For this reason, it is listed as the number one beach in the US.

Apparently, the word is out 😊 because I drove around for a really long time and was unable to find a place to park to take a picture.  It did look really nice from the parking lot, however.

Among the odd signs I've seen, especially in Florida, I was surprised by the "panther crossing" signs along the highway at Big Cypress National Preserve.

Two major highways, Alligator Alley (I-75) and Tamiami Trail (US 41) cross the preserve and make it accessible from both coasts.  Big Cypress National Preserve is part of Big Cypress Swamp, which encompasses more than 2,400 square miles of south Florida.  The Preserve provides a sanctuary for varied wildlife including the endangered Florida panther.

 The Gulf Islands National Seashore is beautiful and definitely worth a day ... or two.  The beaches are supposed to be wonderful.