Tuesday, March 24, 2015

More Cedar Key


Today we did a short (less than one hour) relocation from Cedar Key to Williston, FL, where we will be spending the next week.  For our last full day at Cedar Key we explored some of the other islands around the area which included a visit to the Cedar Key Museum State Park.  You can find a few photos with this link.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Shell Mound and Manatee Springs


While some of you in the more Northern areas are still encountering snow, we spent March 20th discovering some more locations in the area of the Lower Suwannee NWR with the temperature in the middle 80's.

First, a visit to a shell mound.  Not having done any advance research, I was expecting just some pile of shells.  Well, how about an area of over 5 acres and 28 feet high with an interesting history (see link above).  The mound has been covered with trees and other vegetation over the last 1000 years, but the composition of probably trillions of shells is still evident on the trail that crosses it. 

Next was a visit to Manatee Springs State Park which included a walk around the first magnitude spring (an average of 1 million gallons of fresh water per day) and a hike along a long, elevated boardwalk to the point where the water from the spring enters the Suwannee River.  There were no Manatees in the area this day, but we did spot many snakes and one 'gator swimming across the river.

Click here for photos of these adventures.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Cedar Key, Florida


Having completed our Winter stay in Frostproof, FL, we have now moved a few hours North and West to Cedar Key which is an accumulation of islands just off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico.  There are 6 larger islands in the group which are connected to each other and the mainland by bridges, but other large islands and at least hundreds of smaller ones can only be reached by boat.  The outermost island of the group, Seahorse Key, boasts a central ridge with an elevation of 52 feet, making it the highest point on Florida's West Coast.  The area is responsible for the production of 95% of the farm-raised clams harvested in the U.S.

Please enjoy these photos of the area that were taken as we explored Cemetary Point via a boardwalk above a tidal marsh, observed two young bald eagles near their nest (no white heads yet) and took in the sights, sounds and food of the commercial area along Dock Street.

Note:  In each set of photos you can click on the "Slideshow" button above the album title.

Also, here is another set of photos from last month when we repeated our Carnival Paradise experience, this time joined by two lovely young ladies.  As you might conclude from the photos, we all had a really nice time.