On the Go with Momma Jo & Steve

Living life, one mile at a time!

Category: Places We’ve Been

Places we’ve been

Fresh Florida Citrus!

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On 11th February 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

On the advice of Laurie Hiel, we stopped in at the Naples Citrus Grove enroute to our next campground. We purchased some freshly picked Honey Bell oranges, some Red Indian Pink Grapefruit (4/$1.00) and a gallon of the most amazing freshly squeezed Honey Bell Orange juice!

We were advised no to venture too far into the groves for our pictures due to the fire ants, snakes and potentially the dreaded Pythons. (Steve’s SideNote : Florida Python infestation). The lady didn’t have to tell Jo twice!

Our final stop was in Fort De Soto where we’ll spend the next 4 nights. In between laundry loads, we squeezed in a bike ride to East Beach and capped the day with a beautiful sunset view over the bay.

Big Cypress National Preserve

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On 8th February 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Boondocking at Monument Lake Campground gave us a chance to explore Big Cypress. We attempted a back-country bike ride but we should’ve had the Swamp Buggies that the Park Ranger referred to.

It pays to stop at the Visitor Centres along the way and this one was no exception. We not only learned about trail options, we observed alligators (again) but this time eating and also in abundance were may more birds and all just outside the Visitor Centre itself. The pink Roseate Spoonbill was right at the vending machines!

Shark Valley

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On 7th February 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Wilderness nurtures the human sole.

Shark Valley Signpost

This area is part of the Everglades National Park and offers spectacular viewings of the wildlife that make their home in the park. A 15 mile (24 km) loop trail can be explored via tram or, our favorite, by bike. The guidelines suggest 2 to 3 hours for the loop on bike, but for us it took an hour to complete the first mile!

It took us just over 5 hours, as we were in awe with the alligators and various birds in their natural habitat. We were very fortunate to see a few rarer sights such as the clutch of baby alligators and thankfully Mom was nowhere to be found!

Check out our video here!

Key West – 48 Hours in 8!

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On 5th February 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Today’s destination brings us to the southernmost location in the USA and Steve’s ultimate goal for this trip. Buckle up, here we go!

Key West offered great memories, as we ate local cuisine, dipped our toes in the Caribbean, saw the “Key” highlights, put over 14 kms on our weary feet and, of course, had a few drinks at many local spots!

In order we hit;

  • Moose Lodge (for parking),
  • Tourist Info (location closing due to Google),
  • Veterans Memorial Gardens (not initially on the list but Steve had to take that call & Momma Jo walked wrong direction),
  • Back on planned route (did you know there’s free range chickens everywhere?),
  • Ernest Hemingway house (we didn’t pay the US$28 to enter),
  • Photo op at Key West Lighthouse museum (Jo wondered why the Lighthouse was in the middle of town!),
  • Southernmost Point, Buoy, House, Pier & Beach,
  • El Sibnoey Restaurant (we would highly recommend the excellent Cuban food! – #33 of 200 on Trip Advisor),
  • Duval Street (nice during the day and expect it gets wild at night!),
  • Oldest House in Key West museum (free to enter),
  • Mile Zero of Hwy US 1,
  • First Flight Brewery (southernmost microbrewery in USA),
  • Mallory Square (seems to made for the cruise ships),
  • Sloppy Joe’s (just had to try Sloppy Joe Ale & (hard) Lemonade),
  • Hemingway Rum Distillery (Pillar Rum tastings),
  • Key West First Legal Rum Distillery (more rum tasting!),
  • Key West Winery (I know, mixing our liquor isn’t good),
  • Historic Harbour Walk (accidentally due to wrong turn) ,
  • Finally Key Lime Pie! – Kermit’s Key West Pie Shoppe (confirmed with a few locals we met as the best in Key West),
  • But one more stop was the hidden gem of the Waterfront Brewing Co (thank goodness we had to leave before Happy Hour or we would’ve spent the night!).

Everglades – Days 3 & 4

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On 1st February 2019

In Campgrounds, Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Flamingo Campground – Bug Country!

Today we headed deeper into the Everglades to the home of the crocodiles and mosquitoes! The drive was only 38 miles but it took us over 4 hours, as we stopped to hear the whispers of the park at almost every trail along the way.

Flamingo was quite different from Long Pine. Much more commercialized and a heavy focus on water-based activities such as fishing, kayaking & boating in general. The campground too was a total contrast with simply open fields and pull-thru sites and not a pine tree to be found!

We arrived at check-in only to be advised our site wasn’t quite ready due to an incident requiring the removal of our neighbour by helicopter. So, off to the Marina we went which was located next to the temporary visitor center. This area was hit really hard by Hurricane Irma in 2017 and it’s just now beginning to recover. Many trails were not yet open or passable, especially on bike.

The days here were spent once again with a lot of biking and a little walking, with the Snake Bight trail as our bike highlight. Although Momma Jo wouldn’t use the word “highlight” (see the video here). Here we saw more birds but also the endangered manatees and of course the dreaded crocodile. On the first sighting of the crocs, all hopes were gone for the kayak/canoe rental that Steve was pushing for.

The nights were a different story, as the Gnats or “no-see-ums” were definitely seen by us, as we had an invasion into Winniefred on that first night. We’re still not quite sure how these little flying pests got into the RV but for a while there it seemed like a scene from “Invasion of the Ants!”. A couple across from us from Windsor had mentioned the bugs came out pretty bad at dusk and only afterwards did we put 2 and 2 together with the fact that our new friends closed things up pretty tight just before dusk. In hindsight it must have been hilarious watching us chase and swat this horde of pests that never seemed to end! Lesson learned : Close the sunlight… Not the easiest sleep as we dreamt of bugs, not sheep or lollipops.

Click to see map for Day 17

Everglades – Day 2

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On 31st January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Nike Missile Site HM-69

Today’s first bike ride was to Hidden Lake followed by a return visit to Royal Palm for more Kodak moments. BTW, for those of the digital generation, Kodak was once the world’s leading film & photographic company.

In the afternoon we took the guided tour of the Nike Missile Site HM-69. This walk through history guided by Park Ranger Leon was right up Steve’s alley and really painted a picture of life in the US leading up to and during the Cuban Missile crisis time period. The insight from Leon and the words of John F Kennedy really brought to life how those in the US lived during the Cold War and how close the world came to Nuclear War!

It is insane that two men, sitting on opposite sides of the world, should be able to decide to bring an end to civilization.

John F kennedy – 27 October 1962

This day was capped off by another campfire with Susan & Ed where we met new campers, Levi & Elisa, from Saskatchewan. Once again the stargazing through the tall pine tress was simply amazing and another great ending to a perfect day.

Florida is for the birds!

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On 29th January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Conveniently, less than a mile from Bedner’s was the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. This was our first stop of the day. A lovely place for a good walk with the birds. We first meandered the Cypress boardwalk and then over to the Cypress Swamp where the wildlife was in full action! This allowed Momma Jo to be in her element with camera in hand and plenty of birds in sight. This stop was well worth the $5 donation. We also met a couple who volunteered at the refuge for the season. Perhaps a concept for us in the future…

Bedner’s : Restocking Supplies

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On 28th January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Well, today we are transitioning from the east coast of Florida, as we head to the Everglades National Park. First, we need to restock our supplies.

We chose to stop at another Harvest Host location at Bedner’s Fruit Market overnight and on the way visited Harland & Kim at their Motorcoach Resort in Port St. Lucie. On their recommendation we headed to Costco for the basics and of course, cheap booze!

Bedner’s was all that Jo had hoped for, as she finally got to do some real market shopping. All the colours, great smells, excellent variety and we also had great service once again from our Harvest Hosts, as Alissa & Julie were fantastic! As it turned out the wine was cheaper here than at Costco, so Steve of course had to buy some more :). We’d definitely stop here again for their fresh produce, even if not staying overnight.

Click to see map for Day 13

Sebastien Inlet

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On 26th January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Today’s challenge was to once again beat the weather. This time not the Arctic cold but the Florida rain!

We were up and on our bikes before 8 am and headed to the Sebsatien Inlet State Park. This pier was simply too rough for us, as we were getting wet from the crashing waves. We biked through the mangrove forest trails as it wound its’ way back to our campground in Long Point.

As you can see in the picture, some birds just dare to be different.

Cocoa Beach

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On 25th January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

On today’s drive we decided to check out Cape Canaveral with a stop at Cocoa Beach and a visit to its’ well-known pier. Unfortunately, we arrived at the pier without our wallets, so no Tiki cup drinks for Momma Jo!

Click to see map for Day 10

Florida finally!

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On 21st January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

A Lola misdirection took us into the heart of Jacksonville on Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday! Steve got us back on the road to Anastasia State Park via Hwy A1A but not quite quick enough for Momma Jo.

Our first Florida beach was the empty North Gate Beach of the GTM Reserve near Pointe Verda. This location of 30 degrees 8 seconds North Latitude has the historic significance of Juan Ponce de Leon’s first sighting of Florida on his search for the Fountain of Youth! We can certainly relate to Juan and his crew, as we too are searching for our own Fountain of Youth.

Hershey’s Chocolate World

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On 17th January 2019

In Florida 2019, Places We've Been

Day 2 on the road

Every trip to Hershey, PA should include a stop at Chocolate World!

It’s not just the chocolate that makes you smile, as you should do the tour and feel like a kid again. This stop is a chocoholic’s (Steve) dream. The variety of chocolate and treats is simply amazing and satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. A must is a bag of chocolate for the road!

To make the long drive south a little less monotonous, we stopped at each state Welcome Centre for a “Kodak moment” and a map. Momma Jo doesn’t trust Lola.

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