I know we just  posted yestrerday, but I just found where I’d been downloading Alices pictures to, so I thought I”d put them on before I forgot. 

In the ’80’s today and we got a campground right on the gulf.  About time…

Still Waiting for . . . Florida Weather

As we enter the third month of this trip we are still waiting the arrival of some honest to gosh Florida weather.  Yep, we are still sleeping under a down comforter.   Talking to folks down here you hear about the coldest winter they have experienced in 10,15, or 20 years.   We have really enjoyed the West coast of FL.  And the further north we drive the less crazy the traffic seems.  After we left Ft. Myers we headed over to Myakka River State Park.  This was the only reservation we made before leaving MT.  We had to bump it up a couple of weeks and in the process somehow one day was not transferred so our 2 days there turned into one.  So we went to a  KOA, our first of this trip.  Fortunately, it was within range of the Venice rookery.  The next morning we got up at 4:45 to drive to Ft. De Soto Park so we would be first in line for the walk-in camp sites.  It was worth the pre-dawn drive.  This is a county run park and it is like camping in paradise (only I always imagine Paradise a tad warmer.)  There was lots for Pete to photograph and great bike paths for Alice.   And since its a reliable stopover point for migrant birds, this campground will definitely be on the list for The Grand Adventure Part II.  From there we went to Largo and Indian Rocks Beach, which is where Pete’s mom retired to.  We spend a couple of days visiting with her last living friend.  Virginia is 90 years old and amazing: still active and full of life.  Alice ask her secret and she said “I’m just really happy.  I think happiness is the key that keeps you young!”  That and maybe because she drinks a beer with a friend every Friday night!  Now we are heading up the coast and through the panhandle, a totally unexplored area for both of us.    Alice has a cousin who live in Crawfordsville.  From there a drive to New Iberia, Louisiana to meet Barry and Linda Hicks, Montana friends who are Louisiana natives.  Looking forward to a personal introduction to Cajun Cuisine!   After all Avery Island is home to Tabasco!  Pass the Crawfish!

Famous Photographer sighting II

First, a big Thank You to the Sandy Nykerk Helpline for talking me through my photoshop issue. I highly recommend this service to anyone.

We ran itno Don Jones (from Troy, Montana) down here last week. (Unlike Milo, Don Jones still needs two names to be recognized). We shot together at Anhinga Trail and Shark Valley for a few days, and went out to dinner one night. If I meet any more photograpic royalty on this trip I don’t know what I’m going to do.

We’re at Ft. Meyers now after spending a couple days at Corkscrew Swamp. Corkscrew is an Audobon preserve that protects the largest remaining stand of old growth cypress. It wasn’t too productive photowise, but it was neat to walk their 2.5 mile boardwalk and see the old trees.

There’s lots to do at Ft. Meyers (Ding Darling, Harns Marsh, Bunche Beach, Six-Mile Slough, Estero Lagoon) so that I’m plenty busy in the mornings and afternoon. Alice has been biking and hitting balls at the driving range. No rat stories here as we’ve got a very good campground. Besides, with Barry questioning my resolve in the face of the rodent, I probably won’t reeport any more incidents. All I’ve got to worry about here are giant spoonbills.

It was 40 degrees when I was out photographing snail kites yeaterday morning’ and its raining today. But I’m tough…

I’m happy (relieved is more like it) that Alice got to watch the Olympic figure skating at the rec center at the CG. Tonight we have to watch the hockey finals with a bunch of French-Canadians.

Monday we head to Myakka River SP and begin heading north along the west coast of Florida. We’re a little behind, but are still planning on making it over to Lousiana.

Homestead in the Rear View Mirror

It’s been awhile since we’ve been in wifi range, so there’s lots to tell.

Got the camera back today. They sent it to Montana instead of here, and the two-day express has turned into ten, but I’ve finally got two cameras again. The camera we bought to replace it is newer than my version of PS, so I’ve been able to download but not process my images from the Everglades and Dry Tortugas. The next time we get access to the internet I’ll have to get that squared away.
We left the Everglades after eight days. The exotic Burmese Pythons have done quite a number on the local fauna here. Bobcats, deer, raccoons, skunks are all noticeably down and even a number of Florida panthers have disappeared down the gullet of the python. I wonder how come ranchers aren’t complaining about them.

One day after shooting at the Anhinga Trail I came back to the car finding it buried under a pile of vultures. It looked like a carcass. They stripped the wiper blades and most of the other available rubber. It’s a learning experience.  When I get things squared away with the computer, I”ll post a picture of them enjoying their late afternoon snack.  Evidence for the insurance company?

The Dry Tortugas were the highlight of the trip so far. We camped out there and got a chance to see frigate birds, sooty terns, skimmers and a variety other seabirds. The tern colony had about 10,000 birds with more coming in every day. The sun rises directly behind he colony so there were good images.  Ft. Jefferson was interesting as well. The 2nd largest masonry structure in the world, it was built prior to the Civil War. and was occupied by the Union as part of the successful blockade of the South.

We came back a day early because they were predicting gale force winds and the boats wouldn’t be running. We had a rough trip back (big waves) and were glad we came the decision to leave the (not so) Dry Tortugas  with 45 degree temps, heavy rain and high winds.  But is some place definitely worth a return trip.

Not so the rest of the Keys. That was pretty much of a hassle. It didn’t help that it was a holiday weekend and there were no campsites. We didn”t have a place to park the trailer while we were camping so we took a condo on Big Pine Key.   The owner said we could leave the camper there so we decided to stay there again upon our return. We were watching the Olympics last night when a rat walked out from under the couch. Alice went ballistic and screamed all the time I was trying to set up the tripod. I could barely concentrate on focusing. Needless to say we spent the night in the camper and got a refund this morning.

So tomorrow we gladly leave the Homestead area behind and had for Shark Valley and the west coast. We’ve been here about two weeks and a lot of it has been a hassle so  . . . good riddance. 

The Glades

Well, we’ve spent a week in the Everglades – three nights in Homestead, two in Flamingo and three in Long Pine. It’s been fun, but the photographe has been pretty marginal. Just not many birds around. We’ve done a couple hikes, and some bike rides. The mosquitoes in Flamingo were pretty fierce, but they’re not bad in other places. Anhinga rail hasn’t been too bad – lots of gators and a few birds. We’ll go back to Homestead and try to find a CG with a TV for the game. Heading down the Keys on Monday.

A Month on the Road

The "Cramper" Home Sweet Home!

The Shooter

Alice tested the kayak for "tippyness" Verdict . . . it is!

Well, we have survived a month and after the last two days that is saying something!!!!!  We just stayed in the campground from hell.  Driving in I told Pete I am just not sure about this place.  It almost looked like a refugee camp.  While I went to the restroom and realized my intuitions were correct … Pete signed his up for two days!  Yikes!  We were told by a fellow camper that the handicapped restroom was the cleanest and when we checked it out wondered what standard they were using.  We spent the entire day  Sundain Everglades National Park and at a movie to avoid going back.  This morning  I went online to see who I could report this to and was shocked this campground is run by Florida City!!!!!  Get me into a national park and quick!!!!  We will spend the rest of the week (until the Super Bowl) camping in the park.  This is good because I am finding Homestead/Florida City depressing. 

A Typical Day

Ah, life on the road. Just returned from a morning of photography. Light lasted till 9:30. Now it’s just sit around camp bonding with my brother RV’ers – dry weights, tank capacity, tire pressure. The jargon of the homeless. God, I love it.

We,ve stayed in West Palm Beach for fivew days. The photo opportunities have been outstanding. The county (and even some subdivisions) have created quite a few artificial wetlands as part of mitigation/water treatment for Everglades restoration. They can’t release any water that hasn’t undergone tertiary treatment and all these “wetlands” are stocked with native vegetation. It’s the final step in the treatment process, and the water either recharges the groundwater or evaporates. It’s not the old Glades, the waters still managed with a system of dikes, but at least its not suger cane runoff. Anyway they’ve made elevated boardwalks and the areas are heavily used by both walkers and birds. The walkers are kind of wrinkly, like a storks head, but the birds are neat and very used to people.

We’re at a county park, so Alice has made uae of the driving range, practice golf course, bike paths, etc. But tomorrow we head for the Evefglades, if we can get through Miami.

Well, almost time for thew evenbing shoot….

The Kayaks Hit the Water

After hauling the kayaks on top on the trailer from Montana . . . they finally got to hit the water.  Yippee!!!  Having kayaks to just paddle around has been on 
Alice’s bucket list.  It’s been killing her to drive past all of this water when it was so cold.  So now that it is sandal and shorts weather . . .  we did a six-mile paddle on the Loxahatchee River in Florida.  This is a tidal river so having a tide schedule helps you plan when to leave, we didn’t have that so coming back we were paddling against the current  fortunately it wasn’t a big deal.  We did see an alligator ambling along in the water and a turtle taking a nap.   We will post pictures from the maiden voyage.  A big thanks to Marty Cypher and her gift to Alice of a point and shoot camera so she could document the trip, too.  She has as many megapixels as Pete’s old camera.  Our next job is do figure out how to down load the pictures!!!!!  Oh boy another manual to read!!!!!!

We went back to Vierra Wetlands for two days before coming down here.  It was pretty productive – l0ts of birds and lots of opportunities.  That masked duck is causing quite a stir among birders there.  We got in a masked duck jam that made me wish for a ranger to come by and get things moving.  It’s down to Palm Beach county tomorrow for a couple of days.

But first, it’s time to find a sports bar…..

A New Place and A Chance Encounter

T-shirt weather, finally.

First photo crisis: my new camera went belly up and I had to send it it to get fixed. Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t have a lending service, so I’ll have to go with the old 100 alpha for ten days. As I told the Sony rep, “I guess thats why everybody buys Canon.”

We’ve been out of WYFI for a couple days over by Kissimee, but now we’re back on the coast at Cocoa Beach. Spent three days at Meritt Island NWR. It’s always had a good reputation and well deserved. Lots of birds. But the real reason we came back over here is a place called Viera Wetlands. It’s a totally artificial wetland constructed by the county as part of their water-treatment facility, and has the best concentrations of birds I’ve seen in Florida. It’s like the constructed it for photographers – lots of different habitats, and you drive around on the dikes. They keep the grass mowed to the waters edge. The opportunities are exceptional. So we came back over there for a couple days.

But the most amazing thing was when we were driving around Viera, I ran into the legendary Alaskan photographer, Milo (Like Madonna and Pele, Milo neeeds only one name.) True to form, he blatantly lied to me, saying he was waiting for coots to come closer, hoping I wouldn’t see the American Bittern in the nearby cattails. Being wise to the wily Milo from previous encounters, I noticed the bittern two hours later. I knew Milo was down here, (he and Paula come down to visit her folks every couple years) but I thought he was farther south and dind’t think there was much chance of running into him. We had a good visit and went out to dinner with he and Paula. He flew back to Cordova on Sunday.

Got a Limkin catching a snail. It’s a lot like a wolf catching an elk. Only slower.

Alice is setting up her first golf game now, so the next installment will chronicle that. Carl Hiassen beware….

Now, off to Viera.  Clear all cards….

Better and Warmer

Alice is ruining this whole trip. She’s making me shower every day. This may be a vacation – but it certainly isn’t a Ben-G Tour.

I think we’ve finally out-southed the cold. We’re in Titusville, Fla., near Meritt Island NWR. We spent the last three days at Anastaisa State Park in St. Agustine which was pretty good. It would have been better if they had windows on the shower house instead of screens, but I guess they’re more concerned with insects than icicles. We had to poach WYFI next to the dumpster at Starbucks, so didn”t have a lot of time for posting.

At St. Augustine I went to the legendary (at least by Artie Morris’s standards) Alligator Farm. Id have to say that Arties’s right. It’s kind of hokey and touristy (they make you wear a pith helmet and safari jacket), but the photo ops are phenominal. I’ll bet between 4:30 and 5:30 last night 300-400 egrets, herons, and ibis flew into the rookery. Pretty neat. It’ll be better during nesting season, ane we’ll stop back in April on our swing north. Anastasia also had lots of beach birds (gulls, terns, sandpipers). Photographing these beaches is pretty challenging. They’re not exactly the Tetons, but I’m figuring is out. Meritt Island looks like its reputation is deserved, so I’m looking forward to the next couple days.

Well, time to scrub up…..