travel – Page 11

Flagler Beach, Florida

The last stop was Flagler Beach. We received a historical tour of the John Anderson Highway and Tomoka State Park area. And had a wonderful chance to check out the local wild life. My aunt and uncle live right next to a state park and encounter tons of wild life right in their own back yard.

I would love this to be my view every morning.

Apparently my uncle gets pretty excited about the wild life and the remains he finds lying about. He was very proud to show me the wild boar skull he found.

I was not so excited by the enormous banana spiders.

The town of Flagler Beach has grown quite a lot since I was young, but it has maintained the small beach town feel. The shops are all still thriving, everyone still congregates at the pier.

Most importantly, the beach is still beautiful. My uncle gave us some surfing lessons in the afternoon.

After the beach we went and got cleaned up and went to dinner at the Flagler Fish Company. Every bite was absolutely divine. We tried the Steamed Muscles, the Shrimp Cocktail, Blackened Grouper, Tuna Salad, Seared Tuna Steak, and Crab legs. We had the Asiago Potatoes and Green beans, the and the sauteed spinach as our sides.

After dinner it was time for a midnight swim under the full moon. My uncle took us back to the beach for a short excursion. The water was still warm and the weather perfect for a little dip to end an awesome adventure.

A few months after we left, my uncle sent this picture of the highway near the beach. The hurricane wasn’t feeling too friendly after I left.

Wiggin’s Pass State Park, Florida

I spent two days at Wiggins Pass State Park. I was very impressed. The beaches there were very well maintained, there was ample parking, and the vendors were kept off the beach and in the large parking areas. The bathrooms were clean and easily accessible. The water was clear and smooth as glass. It was not secluded but neither was it too busy. Of course there was perfect white sand and plenty of shells for the kids to play with. There were sea grapes, and other vegetation along the dune line instead of hotels and concrete. I would definitely visit this park again.

On day 2 I rented paddle boards and spent several hours paddling around. I sat on my board watching the storms surrounding me on every side. The rain was coming down in every direction but I was in a perfectly sunny spot. I eventually realized the current was pulling me out quickly enough to leave a wake behind the board. I had paddled out too far, gotten swept into the current, and was moving out toward sea much faster than intended. It took nearly an hour to paddle back to shore… I did not end up getting rained on, but my friends on shore did!

By the time I made it back in, my friends had already left due to the storm. So I played in the sand and found dozens of starfish.

All returned safely to the water. I feel bad for having played with them, but I was so amazed, I have never seen anything like it before or since.

Bonita Springs, Florida

We tried Bonita Springs but the water was strange and green from the draining of Lake Okeechobee. On the plus side the sand and water were teeming with life. A handful of sand could yield several dozen living mussels. Sand dollars coated the gulf floor.

Unfortunately our trip was cut short by a storm. We really didn’t want to go, so we hung on til the absolute last minute.

It rolled in pretty quickly with high winds, and heavy rain. It was absolutely beautiful to watch.

Florida Road Trip

The ride South was spent in good company. Crocheted and listened to some fun music. We of course had to keep occupied with terrible humor and fun conversation.

My thunderbird:This guy has been following me since Arizona

This totally made me think of the people in the movie Wall-E.

Took my Tiny Grown Up to her first waffle house experience. The food was delicious and service was amazing.

We knew we had arrived when…

We found the official Florida state welcome sign.

Woldumar Nature Center, Lansing, Michigan

Sometimes I just need some rest in the quiet. There is a nice walking trail just outside the city of Lansing where you can escape the noise and cars. The colors never disappoint, and the park rarely has too many people.