A blog for adventure travelers
Sometimes I find a place I can only call meditative. It’s where I just want to sit down and ponder life or journal in one of my (too) many notebooks. This photo, taken near Wekiwa Springs, Florida, shows one of those places. When I look at it I just want to see what is around the bend.
Peaceful paddle near Wekiwa Springs, Fla.
Tarpon Springs, Florida, has the highest concentration of Greek immigrants in the United States. St. Nicholas Cathedral is beautifully decorated with illustrations of the Greek Orthodox faith. My camera didn’t do it justice.To learn more about the area, read my Examiner.com article: Tarpon Springs, Florida: On and off the beaten track.
This ornate cathedral in Tarpon Springs, Florida, is awe-inspiring.
A Florida manatee near the Three Sisters Spring in Crystal River. Photo by Keith Ramos.
As I slipped into the water, the cold took my breath away, but soon the wetsuit did its job and I felt better. At first, I couldn’t see anything due to disturbed silt, but then a large form materialized in front of me and there I was, just feet from an adult manatee. I stopped a few feet away and watched as it swam away. Our guide gestured for me to swim toward him where a female baby (still huge) manatee was loitering. Again, I stopped short and waited, but this time she swam over to me. I reached out with one hand and rubbed the skin of her back. It felt lumpy and rough and had a light growth of algae. I guess she enjoyed it because next she showed be her pale belly to rub. Repeatedly she came up to me wanting attention. By far, it was the most intimate wild animal encounter I have ever had.
Each winter Florida’s manatees congregate around springs and power plant discharges to stay warm. This provides a great opportunity to view them in large numbers and this January several of us visited Crystal River to snorkel with the large aquatic mammals. [Read more...]
These steamed crabs may have defeated me this trip, but not next time!
I travel to eat. At least it seems that way sometimes because I’m completely obsessed with trying local cuisine. My recent trip to Charlotte County, Florida, indulged my closet foodie.
This is a region of Florida is known for its seafood. However, like most places, you need to know where to go. My trip was hosted by the local visitor’s bureau and they made sure we tried some true “down home” favorites.
Peace River Seafood – All I can say in O.M.G! Located on a lonely stretch of Duncan Road in Punta Gorda, this un-assuming establishment has tables full of diners even mid-afternoon. We started with a bowl seafood chowder packed with every kind of seafood they sell: clams, fish, shrimp, crab and I don’t know what else. What I do know is it was thick, creamy goodness.
Then the platters started coming on faster than we could eat: baked fish, steamed shrimp, crab cakes, fish spreads and chips. One of their specialties is whole, steamed blue crab, something I had never had before. After a quick demonstration, I tried to make my way into the whole crustacean. Perhaps a few beers would have helped. I just couldn’t get the hang of dismembering the crab to get to the yummies inside. What I did get was best sweet-salty melt-in-your-mouth crab I’ve ever tried. I didn’t get much, but that was okay because there was plenty of other seafood to fill my belly. [Read more...]
I’m exploring Charlotte County, Florida, this week thanks to the Charlotte Harbor Visitors and Convention Bureau. The reason I am so interested in this area is that it offers abundant adventure travel options. Our focus during this trip is birding and eco-tourism. Today we visited the 90,000-acre Babcock Wilderness Preserve via a converted school bus run by Babcock Wilderness Adventures.
I’ll admit to being skeptical about it at first because I usually don’t care for tours, but I left up impressed. We saw more wildlife than any other Florida outing I’ve been on, and the school-bus-turned-swamp-buggy allowed me to see terrain I normally wouldn’t cross on foot. All of the wildlife is free to come and go as it pleases, but the Babcock Wilderness Preserve provides such a happy home that they naturally tend to hang out there. Parts of the route had us literally driving through swamp and at one point we had to stop until an alligator moved off of the road.
Here are a few pictures of the tour:
This was our ride today.
I met this little guy in Wekiwa State Park last weekend. Now I just wish I had a longer lens…
Wakiwa Wood Warbler
Shoebill Stork Family
“We only exhibit animals that thrive in Florida’s climate,” explained Jason Davis, the Lowry Park Zoo’s marketing manager. “We also try to display only animals that need our protection, rather than just pleasing the public.” This zoo excels at serving the needs of animals, and in the process, it delights spectators as well. In 2009, Parents Magazine named Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo the best zoo for children in the U.S. In spite of its child-friendly credentials, what really sets it apart is an exceptional commitment to animal and habitat conservation. [Read more...]
Rainbow Springs State Park
Flowing under much of Florida is a subterranean river. It is our water supply and the source of over 700 springs dotting the landscape. Some of the springs feed large rivers such as the Rainbow River and the Wakulla. Others are little more than small pools. Occasionally springs connect to the underground aquifer via passages large enough to dive through. Recently I toured three springs in one day, just to explore some of these variations.
Rainbow Springs is a former tourist attraction, open from the late 1930s to the mid 1970s. It included a zoo, nature trails, four man-made waterfalls, and a rodeo arena in addition to the springs. [Read more...]
Myakka offers great bird watching!
Two hours from Orlando is a park that will make you feel like you stepped back in time, the Myakka State Park. But it’s not just a pretty view, this park has plenty of activities to keep the whole family busy for days.
The park is located east of Sarasota and surrounds the Myakka River, which winds through 58 square miles of prairie, wetlands, pineland and oak hammock. The diversity of habitat attracts a broad variety of wildlife.
The park road meanders along the lake and river often shaded by large oaks with filtered sunlight dappling the road. Watch in the shadows for wildlife – pull offs along the road allow for picture taking. [Read more...]
Fruit and Cheese Plate at Maggie's Attic
A Sunday afternoon spent with friends, wine and dogs is never wasted. A point proved once again this weekend when the Central Florida TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) Chapter held their monthly meeting in Mount Dora, beginning with lunch at One Flight Up, followed by a wine tasting at Maggie’s Attic. [Read more...]
Erika with a carbon fiber model airplane.
This weekend I was blown away by the amazing extent of the technology produced right here in Orlando. Some, I was aware of: EA Sports, Cubic, Lockheed Martin, and Florida Hospital. However, Otronicon brought it all into one place and let the public get hands on with it all!
When I visited on the first day, the Orlando Science Center was full of school age kids exploring the Otronicon exhibits. As a mom, I was elated to see their imaginations running wild, not only in play, but in the possibility of future careers building the next generation of simulators, games and robots. These kids were completely engaged.
On each of the floors, I found things interesting to all ages. [Read more...]
At some point in my life, I got the crazy notion that science museums were just for kids. In fact, I used my kids as an excuse to visit the Orlando Science Center dozens of times, initially driving from Daytona Beach before I moved to the Orlando area. It’s one of the few places to explore indoors when summer heats up, or when rain washes out my active plans. [Read more...]
The walkways of Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando wind through fifty acres of southern styled gardens including the largest formal rose garden in Florida. A worthwhile side trip from the attractions. The gardens are open daily from 9:00a.m to 5:00p.m. except for Christmas day. The last garden admission is 4:00p.m.
Artist and Sculpture
The summer heat in Orlando is physically draining especially if you have been dealing with the crowds while visiting local theme parks. For a cool indoor break without retreating to the couch, try one of these activities.
4) Sunday Brunch at Villa de Flora (Located in the Gaylord Palms Atrium)
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Entrance to TAG
NO BOMBS!
The morning after...
There are no words....
Juggle fire
Firestarter
Burn, baby, burn!
Lighting the Bonfire - Ignition!
Lighting the Bonfire
Me in Limrock Cave
Limrock Cave Pool
TAG Bonfire
Well Dressed TAG Campsite
Tumbling Rock Cave`s Gatekeeper
Tumbling Rock Cave Entrance
Formations in Tumbling Rock Cave
Shower in Limrock Blowing Cave
Little Brown Bat in Limrock Cave
Mom outside Limrock Blowing Cave
Exiting Limrock Blowing Cave
Sometimes I find a place I can only call meditative. It’s where I just want to sit down and ponder life or journal in one of my (too) many notebooks. This photo, taken near Wekiwa Springs, Florida, shows one of those places. When I look at it I just want to see what is around [...]
Tarpon Springs, Florida, has the highest concentration of Greek immigrants in the United States. St. Nicholas Cathedral is beautifully decorated with illustrations of the Greek Orthodox faith. My camera didn’t do it justice.To learn more about the area, read my Examiner.com article: Tarpon Springs, Florida: On and off the beaten track.
The drop-off behind this surveyor on the Going-to-the-Sun Road is at least several hundred feet. I’m not sure I could turn my back on it and work! Needless to say, he has the best view EVER!
One of my favorite events each year is the TAG Fall Cave-In held each October. It’s a unique (not used lightly) event and therefore requires a few signs that would seem out of place anywhere else. To view a full set of photos from the event visit my Flickr album.
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