Florida Seashore Adventure (Revised)

 Florida's Seashore Adventure begins with a sunset...

I like to plan my adventures.  This trip was planned at a minimum to allow for spontaneity.  The initial choice for Florida in January was sparked by several things.  

First was an invitation from my cousin's daughter to stay with her and her young family who recently moved to Orlando from Slovakia; my parent's homeland.  It was between January 10-31 that her parents were coming for a visit from Slovakia and it would be a great time to meet them in person for the first time.  I have wrote about that wonderful 4-5 day visit in the previous blog.

Second was that I have never been to Florida.  I had extensive family history with the state as that is where my paternal grandmother bought property in the early 1920's and where my father spent the first several years after arriving in America from Vienna in the 1930's.  I am currently halfway through writing a novel about that unique history which I began last year.  Watch for it!

Third was the above average cold weather in Missouri this season.  It typically snows and gets below freezing for 3-4 days at a time but warms up into the 50-60's during the days in between to make winter quite tolerable.  This year has been brutal!  Long stretches of below zero at night staying below freezing during the days.  The idea of being in Florida's warmer climate didn't take a second thought combined with the other reasons to go now.  Retirement allows spontaneity!

In preparation for the trip, which was planned in less than three weeks, I began reading about what Florida was like when it was first settled.  I had done much research for my novel about what it was like when my grandmother first bought residential land in what is now the center of commercial Miami.  I wanted to know what it was like before.  A Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith, a multiple award-winning author, was just the right book!   It is historical fiction set in pioneer Florida.  The story covers over a century of Florida history from 1858 to 1968.  It focuses on the the fictional story of the Maclveys who migrated from Georgia into Florida in the mid-19th century and battled the hardships of the frontier to rise from dirt-poor Cracker life to the wealth and standing of real estate tycoons.  It's about the struggle to survive in the harsh environment for three generations by learning to round up wild cattle and drive them to the Gulf Cost to sell to Cuba.  They amass more holdings and money and moved from their connections with nature.  The vivid descriptions of the land complete with swamps, marshes, hammocks, and prairie ecosystems completes the setting of what what could be changed by man and what could not.  A Land Remembered was winner of the Florida Historical Society's Tebeau prize as the Most Outstanding Florida Historical Novel.  It was fun to explore the natural areas of Canaveral National Seashore and Blue Springs State Park which included the St. Johns River on my adventure especially with a background of the land in its historical, untamed nature.  The book features a memorable cast of crusty, indomitable Crackers battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes.  The most formidable adversary turned out to be greed.  Love and tenderness were included with the hopes and passions of each generation, friendships with the persecuted blacks and Indians, and respect for the land and its wildlife.  As a Missouri Master Naturalist, I am fascinated by natural environments and human impact and awareness.

My whole adventure was 12 days and 11 nights and about 2700 miles total; 2400 miles was the roundtrip from Missouri.  The Seashore Adventure portion began before noon on a Wednesday after spending four nights and five days with my cousin's daughter and her family in Orlando.  A vrbo rental beach townhouse was chosen because it was northeast of Orlando and close to Canaveral National Seashore which was the most important part of the seashore experience for me.  The rental beach townhouse was located at New Smyrna Beach.  

The beach townhouse was very large and had all the amenities for a complete beach experience including bicycles, beach chairs, electric (golf cart-type) beach buggy, surf boards, garage with private parking in back and fully furnished.  The beach access was directly across the street which had a crosswalk.  The location was walking distance to the best restaurants and shopping.   I highly recommend two restaurants:  The Sea Shack (click on the link to see a really cool video!) and          Boston's Fish House.   

The rental beach townhouse felt safe but caution was taken by coming and going through the back garage entrance in a private parking lot for all the tenants.  The only problem was that the dishwasher didn't work and the owner wanted to send someone over to repair it.  It is in the rental contract that no one would enter the rental while the renter was gone and we couldn't get together on a time that wouldn't disrupt activities.  So the owner generously comp this by giving an extra night at no cost.  That sounded great! It still fit in the basic schedule as I was going to take three days going home paying for two motels.  Now this extended the beach time for another good weather day and saved the cost of the third motel of the trip!

My only regular routine included a short walk to the beach about a half hour before sunrise and at sunset.  It was a perfect packed sand surface for riding a bicycle and I did everyday!  The forecast showed Saturday to be the best beach day as it was still cool enough for a jacket upon arrival earlier in the week.  The first two days were spent away from the beach townhouse at Canaveral National Seashore (Thursday) and the next day at Blue Springs State Park (Friday).  Saturday's all beach day was cut short a few hours to travel to Daytona Beach for an indoor flea market.  I bought citrus there.

There were several Interpretive Programs available in January at Canaveral National Seashore; some requiring a small fee, all about two hours each.  I could have easily spend another day or two here but decided to do a self-tour of the six-mile seashore including the Castle Windy Trail; a Timucuan midden or a mound of native Indian discarded shells and other objects dating back to around A.D. 1000.  

I've included the programs of interest to me:  

~ Canoe Mosquito Lagoon - in organized groups or in your own kayak or canoe.

~Plants of the Park - walks to learn how plants in the park were used by Native Americans and early settlers and see their unique botanical characteristics and areas of adaptation.  This would include the Eldora House, Plants of the Dunes, Turtle Mound Plants, and the loop trail.

~Birders Pontoon Boat Tour - a leisurely cruise to see many birds with a park guide. ($20)

~Pontoon Boat Cruise: the Backwaters of Mosquito Lagoon - leisurely cruise to places that lend character to this vital estuary. ($20)

On my self-touring hike along the Castle Windy Trail and beyond, I came upon many interesting sites and got some much needed exercise for several hours!  Loaded with information brochures, I had my resources at hand.  There were 14 marked Stops along the shore of Mosquito Lagoon.  Some of the plants I saw were:

~ Live Oaks and Scrub Live Oaks - coastal hammock forming most of the overhead canopy. 

~Redbay - used to flavor food.

~Nakedwood - a tropical species. 

~Saw Palmetto - a hardy thicket that dominates the habitat and has berries that are marketable for medicinal use.

~Sable or Cabbage Palm is Florida's state tree.  The central growing stem is edible.  It typically has an airplant, the golden serpent fern, towards the top.

~Eastern Red Cedar - One of the few conifers to do well on a barrier island; aromatic wood that repels insects.

~Air Plants - An unusual group of plants unlike parasites that sap energy, air plants use their hosts only for support.

~Yaupon - Related to American holly used by native Indians to brew a ceremonial tea called "Black Drink" with medicinal and religious significance.

~Wild Coffee - Closely related to cultivated varieties with small red berries.

~Citrus - Very recognizable!  Native to SE Asia introduced into Florida by the Spanish.  Although the fruit is very sour (I picked and ate one!), the hardy root stock is used for grafting our many varieties of citrus.

~Wild Pines - Bromeliads are another air plant; this one is related to the pineapple.  They can retain water in its urn shaped base and is an oasis for tiny tree frogs, insects, and other aquatic life.  All species except Spanish moss are protected throughout Florida.

~Exotics - Plants that didn't originally occur in the area that often gain a foothold and disturb the natural ecosystem.  Some are noxious weeds crowding out native species.  The most aggressive is the Brazilian pepper and it has done much damage.  Several less aggressive exotic plants include agave and kalanchoe, familiar house plants.

Canaveral National Seashore serves as an important nesting area for sea turtles.  Three species are known to nest in the park:  the loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtle during the months of May through August.

Over 310 species of birds have been observed at Canaveral National Seashore.  The most commonly seen are: 

Wading Birds - Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egret, White Ibis.

Shore Birds - Willet, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Royal Tern,, Laughing Gull, Ring-Billed Gull, Brown Pelican (endangered in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, California and is cousin to the White Pelican), Cormorant.

Soaring Birds - Osprey and turkey Vulture.

Duck-like Birds - Common Moorhen, American Coot, Pied-Billed Grebe.

A couple of historic sites on my hike included Turtle Mound and Eldora.  Living in the vicinity of Turtle Mound were the Timucuan people who occupied the area for 2,000 years.  An estimated 40,000 were there at the coming of the Spanish and Ponce de Leon in 1513.  Only a few survivors remained when Spain withdrew from Florida in 1763. Turtle Mound is the group of burial grounds and shell middens remaining from these natives and is protected.  From 800 to 1400 A.D. generation after generation left evidence behind to tell of their lifestyle.  There has never been a complete archaeological excavation of Turtle Mound.  Other mounds have been leveled to provide roadfill material. Some mounds were so disturbed that their archaeological record was destroyed and artifacts lost forever.  Turtle Mound is the last remaining vestige of the Timucuan people.

Relaxing on the porch at Eldora

Saw Palmetto is a hardy low-growing plant that has highly marketable berries for medicinal purposes.

The trails run parallel to the seashore so it was fun to go back and forth!

Eldora is another place in time.  It is a place to relax as I rocked on the porch letting my imagination take me back to what is must have been like from this view years ago.   There were many interesting displays about the settlement.  The settlement dates back to 1876 and was home to Native Americans and a few woodsmen who lived off the land.  It grew as an agricultural community and a steamboat stop before the arrival of the railroads.  At the turn of the century, is was known for leisure pursuits including "gentleman farming" sport hunting and fishing.  It went into decline as Florida's tourism interests changed between 1938-1975.  In 1975 it was rehabilitated and preserved with the formation of the Canaveral National Seashore.  Much of this land was purchased by the Federal government for the Space Center and the excess land preserved for the people.  It would have been interesting to see more of the Space Center since it was so close; maybe on another trip.

I tentatively made reservations to come back on Sunday for the Pontoon Boat Cruise on the Backwaters of Mosquito Lagoon guided tour.  I decided to spend the extra day on the beach close to the beach townhouse instead as the weather forecasted possible rain by the end of the day.  But I know if I come back again, I will definitely keep Canaveral National Seashore on the top of my list of things to do and give it at least a couple full days to take full advantage of all the programs that interest me!

Friday was an erratic day to start.  A quick change of plans turned some negative planning into a very positive experience!  Blue Spring State Park was only 30 minutes away and had everything one could want to know the real Florida in a more off-coastal location than the Canaveral National Seashore.  This Florida State Park is a National Gold Medal Winner and America's First Three-Time Winner.  It is Florida's premiere manatee refuge.  It is the winter home to more than 200 West Indian manatees says the brochure but posted in the gift shop was a sign that showed the day's count at over 350!  The salesclerk said that it numbered well over 400 the week before!

Manatee Family - Big Papa, Baby, and Momma Manatee!

There are 15 natural communities tucked within 2,643 acres including a lagoon, a north-flowing river, and a first-magnitude spring; all literally overflowing with diversity.  The 72 degree spring discharges 104 million gallons of water daily into the St. Johns River.  It is the habitat for at least 15 threatened or endangered plants and animals.  It is the home to the Florida scrub jay, gopher tortoise, black bear, and one of only two known locations for the Okeechobee gourd.  There are many herons and wading birds.  The clear spring shows gar, sunfish, variety of turtles, frogs, alligators and elusive migratory birds.

There's a colorful history here of a 3-story house built atop a large Indian midden in 1872 by an orange grower.  Blue Spring landing was a hotbed of steamboat activity shipping tourists and goods to Jacksonville and beyond.  In 1971, Jacques Cousteau filmed "The Forgotten Mermaids" episode here.  The documentary brought attention to the manatee and the importance of Blue Springs as a winter refuge greatly influencing the state's decision to purchase the land.  I enjoyed walking along the one third mile boardwalk that follows the flowing Blue Spring run through a shady hammock.  I wanted more and then signed up for the 2-hour St. Johns River Cruise.  There was kayak/canoe rentals but it was closed due to high winds on that day.  I didn't want to kayak anyway in unfamiliar areas unless it was part of a tour.  There are alligators everywhere!

The two hour tour included the same pristine beauty enjoyed by Florida's earliest residents.  The average cruising speed was 6 mph with frequent stops for photographs and intimate encounters in this most fragile ecosystem.  The cruise captain provided interactive narration of local and river history along with illustrated accounts of the numerous bird species, alligators and other wild critters that call this place home.  This is Natural Florida!  

Please click below for an updated 7-minute slideshow I hope you will enjoy!

It was a great adventure for me and I have many wonderful memories in photos from my Florida trip.  My initial reasons and expectations for going were met and I will cherish these memories while brushing off any negativity.  That negativity gave me a good life lesson to take away from this adventure...that some friends may carry more baggage than I can accommodate especially on a road trip!  On this trip, I was 10 years older and about 40 years more mature than my companion.  Her energy and exuberance was different than mine and I now realize that our friendship may have survived if we had spent only about three days together instead of eight.  We are both naturalists so how could I have known?  I gained much more than I lost in the overall experience!  Live and learn.  The last day at the beach and townhouse was very relaxing as my companion chose to abruptly abandon me for her own adventure; bags packed and ready for a pick-up at 9 AM Sunday morning not telling me where she was going or with whom!  My Sunday was a very pleasant and restful day full of uninterrupted beach time!  The two days traveling back to Missouri alone was also very pleasant with great music and driving the route I had wanted through states I had not seen before.

It was a Great Florida Seashore Adventure!  It's all about going with the flow...

Bobi Kitty checking out all the citrus I brought home

Nature gifted me with a Super Blue Blood Moon Rising off my back deck early first morning home...my photo didn't come out like I saw it...so I improvised! 😃