Naples, Port Charlotte and Sarasota: Days 8-10

April 1st

My new friend Devashis had suggested a couple of chill spots to grab a drink, but I felt like I needed to get some exercise so I headed to Venice, Florida to pick up The Legacy Trail and bike it into Sarasota. It was originally a railroad line first built in 1911. The Army used it extensively during WWII and The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus were frequent users from 1960 to 1992. Now it's been paved over and except for the one overpass of Rt. 41, it is a nice flat, straight 22 mile round trip excursion through wetlands ,farmlands of grazing cattle and crossovers of the Florida waterways. 

The most noteworthy inhabitant that I came across was a large turtle, but it is possible to spot Otters, Coral Snakes (venomous), Banana Spiders, Florida Fox, Florida Panther and even Bald Eagles. It was a beautiful day for a ride and nice to be in the saddle again. I burned about 750 calories on the ride and maybe another 200 wrestling my bike back into the van! I need to take a picture of that storage puzzle for future reference!

For some photos and more info on the trail: Legacy Trail History

A Locals Presentation of Legacy Trail

I realized that evening that I hadn't done my due diligence in researching legitimate spots to overnight park in urban areas. My cursory search led me to believe that Walmarts are the perfect answer and I had been using them with success. However, this particular night as it got late I pulled into one that had the dreaded "No Overnight Parking" signs. So I plotted a course to the next one down the road only to see the same unwelcoming signage! At this point I was grumbling at Walmart, the information I got from the web and most of all myself. Upon further research I learned that although some 4000 locations do allow "over-nighting", but another 350 don't! Researching further I found according to one source that Kmarts, although not as prevalent, are actually the first big retail chain to set a corporate policy allowing "overnighting". Some additional alternatives among others are: Camping World, Lowes?, Cracker Barrel? (always confirm)  and Pilot/Flying J truck stops. The latter being a sure bet since on their website they explicitly state in their RV section that all are welcome to find a parking spot and get overnight rest. As bonuses they also usually have the best fuel prices (2 cent discount if you get the "Rewards Card"), a lounge area with TV and massage chairs, laundry machines, and showers available ($12). I played a hunch and waited to fill up in the morning and was stoked that my hunched played out. Overnight the fuel price dropped 4 cents (another 2 cents with the Rewards Card) and I got the cheapest fill up so far at $3.43/gal. nearly 40 cents cheaper than when I left Fort Lauderdale!

April 2nd

When on the coast what is more natural to do than to coast down to the local beaches? So that's what I did taking a pretty drive down Longboat Key and having a stroll along the white powder sands and inviting emerald Gulf waters of Lido Beach. I had been given the tip to also check out Siesta Key which has signs boasting they are the #1 Beach in the U.S. of A. Based on the massive congestion and traffic I guess you can't deny its popularity, but for that very reason I would knock it down quite a few spots. Sorry Siesta Key, but I have my own criteria and I'm sticking to it!

For the evening I was glad to exit the urban jungle and stay at Myakka State Park. I was hoping to sleep in the van and hold off on buying a tent since I already have two perfectly good tents in storage, but the Park Rangers weren't too keen on "encouraging" that practice. But that's O.K., I'm sure the tent will get some good usage through the mid-Atlantic states and may eventually make a good fort for a certain Nephew. 

A heavily armored invader.

After packing up my gear I began the 2+ mile hike into the primitive campground known as "Mossy Hammock". I was immediately greeted by an Armadillo and I didn't realized how prevalent they are in Florida. They aren't indigenous though. All it took for them to get a strangle hold on a new home was an overturned circus truck. They are not very skittish of humans, possibly since they carry a suit of armor, and they are considered an invasive pest capable of devastating entire of populations of leaf eaters. 

Not playing dead, just curious.

I arrived at the site shortly before sunset, set up the tent and went to collect some firewood for the evening. At dusk shortly after settling in for nature's laser show of lightening bugs I was given the once over by a curious Raccoon and later after my fire had died I heard the sounds of another "Curious George". It's always fun to watch the imagination run wild trying to figure out who the owner of those footsteps are as you here the crunch, crunch, crunch not far from your campsite. Is it another rocky raccoon, a panther, or maybe even a bear?! Fortunately my headlamp is equipped with a red light which I was hoping might go unheeded by this latest visitor. In this case I was correct and it did not scare off the curious Possum checking out my tent. The Flash and click of my camera, however, did startle him a bit. I got the pic though!

April 3rd 

One of the great things about proper camping is you can sleep with the peace of mind  knowing that no one is going to wake you up and tell you that you have to move on because some government entity has the audacity to tell you where and where not you can sleep. However, this morning there was the overpowering smell of heavy smoke and I could hear the crackling of flames. With some anxiety I opened up my tent to see that I was surrounded by fire! Doing my best not to panic I grabbed a t-shirt poured some water into it and wrapped it around my nose and mouth as quickly as I could. I headed in the best direction that I could make out heading downwind, looking for a path least beset with the singeing heat of fire. Eyes stinging, choking on the smoke making its way through the moist t-shirt I was desperately searching for an exit from through the labyrinth of flames engulfing the dry timber of the park. My limbs felt heavy. My vision narrow as if moving down a dark tunnel. It felt like time stood still while simultaneously it mercilessly marched on not allowing me to make any headway. Losing hope I heard a voice over the roar of the fire, "HELLO......., PARK RANGER!".  This, of course, woke me up from my dream and I answered back, "YEAH!"

Apparently, they forgot to mention at check-in that they would be doing a controlled burn in the area the following morning. So the Hippy-ish Park Ranger had to politely inform me that I needed to pack up and "move on".  In one sense it was a bit of unfortunate timing with regard to my stay, but on the other hand, excellent timing that I was warned before my dream sequence could become a reality. 

Anyway, there was still the Park's Nature Trail to see. The sites along the Nature Trail were comparatively sparse compared to recent experiences, but the one jewel this park offers is a 100 ft. Canopy Top Bridge walk giving an above the trees view of the surrounding area. But the bridge is only about 30 ft. in the air so for those who aren't afraid of heights I definitely suggest continuing up the tower at the end which put's you 76 ft. into the sky affording a very expansive view of the Park and surrounding lands. 

Don't quote me on this, but I think that well may be the highest you can get in Southern Florida!

 (notwithstanding buildings and mind altering substances!)

1000 Islands, Marco Island, Naples & Port Charlotte. Days 3-7

March 27th, 2013 (Day3)

After 3 days and 3 nights it was about time to leave Big Cypress and continue the exploration before I wore out my welcome. Driving out the dusty gravel road I had the opportunity to stop for a few more photo ops, including one for a really nice sized alligator. 

It wasn't very long at all before I was pulling into "1000 Islands Park". This place actually had the most bang for the buck as far as wildlife sightings. At an actual cost of $0 you can even save that buck for later spending.  It seemed almost as if the critters there were lining up to have their pictures taken! It was laid out perfectly for bird watching and it too had a few big gators sunning themselves along the grassy shores. I quickly ran out of film, or would have if I wasn't shooting digital, and continued on down the road.

Marco Island must be very lonely for the Gophers and Tortoises!

It's hard not to island hop especially when you don't need to take a ferry so I couldn't resist having a jaunt around Marco Island. The south end was your nice but typically overdeveloped beach area of ritzy hotels and condominiums of the rich and not so famous. The north end less so and much more palatable to my tastes.

Moving on into Naples I took a nice long walk along Bonita Beach and later in the day was fortunate enough to stumble upon "Freedom Park". A wild life conservatory of around fifty acres which not only serves as an animal sanctuary, but was built to act as a huge water filter funneling the areas storm water and running it through multiple ponds. The end result, of course, is cleaner water for the residents and needless to say some more great opportunities to view wildlife and fauna. I was particularly pleased to get some tight shots of a pair of Black Vultures. The dark nature  the name "vulture" conjures up really does a disservice to these flyers. They really are quite magnificent birds.

 

The following day I had arranged to meet my first Couchsurfing host, a young lady named Jessica. What is a "Couchsurfing host", you ask? Well it originates from a website I recently joined (www. Couchsurfing.org) which is  basically a meet up site, pairing travelers and those sympathetic to the plights of travelers who can either give some local advice on what to do and see or even open up their homes and play host. 

While I'm traveling in the van I assume I won't be doing too much hosting myself unless the "hostee" is really cute, petite, and knows how to spoon without stealing the blanket, but I figure it will be a great way to meet interesting people, gain some local insight and maybe receive the gift of an occasional hot shower or water tank top off. 

I am happy to report that it is off to a good start. Meeting Jessica, we agreed to hop on the water taxi and  see the town that way to start. She's a walker, which is good because my exercise regiment has fallen off a bit, so after a lap on the water we walked through the "Rodeo Drive" (Actually 5th Ave) part of town down to the beach.  

Then just to make it a real workout we hiked up the beach quite a way to a beach front bar/restaurant/resort to have a drink and wait for the "Meet Up" group to arrive. "Meet Up" is another website which organizes..... yeah, you guessed it, "Meet Ups". However, she must have missed an update because no matter where we looked we couldn't find the group. All in all, a nice way to pass the afternoon with some company ending with another repetition of the walking workout.

The following day I had the opportunity to meet the second "Couchsurfing Connection". However, I had the morning and afternoon to kill so I did some more exploring. I started with Englewood Beach and later found what I would have to consider the most beautiful "Beach Road" (notwithstanding ones with water views) I have seen to date. It's official name is Casey Key Road, unofficially it's called "Canopy Road". Aptly named for the long stretches with wonderful trees draping over atop the road, you forget that the ocean and bay are no more than 200 feet to each side. 

 

I had one last nature site on my list for the day, "Ollies Pond".  A really lovely little neighborhood gem that anyone would be ecstatic to have in their backyard. As long as you don't mind a few small alligators. It is another bird magnet which would help motivate anyone to get their daily exercise walking a lap or two around it every day. 

I just happened to time my visit to find a man and his 15 year old grandson there unloading a canoe from his pick up truck. As I got out of the van he bellowed over my way, "You want to go for a canoe ride?". I was a little surprised by the invite, but since I had time to kill before the  light settled down for some photos, I inquired further. It seemed the older gentlemen was 75 and not quite up for the task, but he just bought the canoe and wanted someone to go out with his grandson to give it a test drive and make sure it was "Pond Worthy".  

I agreed and later was glad I neglected my Skipper's duty by not insisting on life jackets since the pond wasn't more than knee deep at its deepest! In fact, we only got about 200 yards before we hopelessly hit ground and had to turn around. We did however prove that it didn't leak. As a side note, the van's outdoor shower definitely came in handy after I sank shin deep in pond mud pulling the canoe ashore.

The time had come to make the acquaintance of my next Couchsurfing connection. I met Devashis for coffee at his neighborhood Starbucks and we swapped stories of our travels into the night. He had a full house, but was kind enough to let me park in their driveway. And kinder still the next morning, allowing me to have a hot shower followed by more coffee and conversation. We probably could have went on much longer, but I didn't want to take up his whole day. We promised to keep in touch and before I left he said that I had inspired a bunch of his friends. I pulled out of the driveway wondering what the karma is for possibly helping to create a bunch of young homeless kids who "Live IN A VAN, DOWN BY THE RIVER". (sic-Chris Farley).

And the beat goes on......

The Magic Bus Tour Begins- Big Cypress National Park

Day 1- March 25, 2013

     So the epic travel begins. First stop, Big Cypress National Park. It's setting up for another gorgeous Florida sunset as I turn on to the 20 mile dusty gravel road towards the primitive style (few, if any amenities) campground ominously named "Bear Island". Racing to get there before the sun goes down I wonder if Mage (The Magic Bus) has ever been off-roading before? I'm hoping she's mostly seen highway miles, but she handled herself well and seemed to enjoy it, as did I, arriving covered in a thin coat of fine white dust.

Better than a cross Panther!

     I'd would have rather not jostled her around so much at high speed, but I figured since I would be camping among bears, panthers and gators it would be a good idea to have  some light so as to have a chance to  look around before settling into the campsite.

     Although there is a seemingly abandoned net canopy set up near by it appears that I have the whole area to myself with the stars twinkling in the clear night sky and the near full moon shining bright and on the rise. In the background  are the crickets and cicadas providing the soundtrack for the evening. It's a lovely sonnet, all except the blood sucking mosquitoes which I'd prefer to be much farther down in the mix. I frantically wave my conductors wand, but they drone on completely disrespecting the rest of the symphony. I guess there is a more senior Maestro conducting tonight's score to whom I must defer.

     The sun has set and with a slight chill in the air I don a sweatshirt and put socks on under my flip flops. I know it's not fashionable, but I also know the days of minimal footwear are soon to come to an end as I progress northward and I'm going to milk going shoeless for as long as possible. Besides, I'm alone. Although if my eyes were as big as an Owl's, I might see one snickering at me.

     I decide to test out the new Coleman stove and cook up a few quesadillas. The combination of not being micro-waved and cooking them in the great outdoors makes them most savory. My hunger satiated I pull out the camera for a few snaps at the moon. Afterwards I can think of nothing more enjoyable than to sit and  listen to the Earth spin while imagining I can communicate with billion of bellowing insects and try to warn them that if they aren't careful those birds of the famous Florida Bird Watching Trails will be their end.

     I believe I will sleep well tonight.....very well.

Day 2

Oh Dear!

     Sleep well I did. However, the second evening was another story all together. I wish I could share something as exotic as a wild panther pacing around the van all evening, but the truth is much more mundane. I thought the Earth's Poles might have shifted as I lay there freezing my tuckus off. With everything but my face covered in fleece and my blanket pulled over my head I cursed that cold Arctic air mass that snuck down into Southern Florida last night and dropped the temperature down to 39 degrees. I also cursed the ceiling vent I installed two days ago to pull out the warm air. It doesn't have a damper so what precious little heat I had was escaping throughout the night. A tupperware lid and some duck tape is my quick fix for the later problem. The former I can't do much about, but the forecast isn't as harsh for this coming evening so hopefully there will be less cussing.

     During the day I hiked a trail. Actually using the word "hiked" seems way too dramatic. Like all of Florida the park is flat and due to that fact I would have to say that Big Cypress Park is probably one of the least scenic national parks in the country. That is unless you're lucky enough to spot the elusive Florida Panther and not get mauled. Unfortunately, I was not. Also, despite what you might think given the park's name, it seems that big Cypress trees are also pretty elusive here. Go figure.

Carrying on with the theme of misnomers, despite this campground's name, "Bear Island", I have not seen any bears or for that matter, even water! Of course, you'd have to be really lucky to spot a Bear or Panther anywhere, but if you make your way to the watery sections of this park you will have no trouble spotting Gators. Just don't feed them or you'll wind up in the slammer, possibly minus a limb.

Many would consider this area a "Bird Lovers Paradise". I'm not knowledgeable on aviaries, but I have seen lots of Osprey, Red Shouldered Hawks, Anhingas, Egrets, Summer Tanagers, Black Vultures, Tern, Blue Heron and even a few Wild Turkeys pecking around. The latter were the scariest. Not because of their vicious ferocity, razor sharp claws and man eating beaks, but because turkeys are in season and they do allow hunting in the park! I survived those turkeys though and I soldier on......

    Now if you'll excuse me I need to get under my blanket of stars, start a campfire and cook me some vittles.

Sunset over Big Cypress

If you're interested in learning more about the park, here is a link.

http://www.nps.gov/bicy/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

Key West Magic Bus Test Run

3/15/13 Key West or Bust!

Sunset from Mallory Square

     I decided to take the van down to Key West as a mini test trip to try out the van and make sure everything was copacetic. So I headed down through Miami and decided to follow I-95 down to its end and pick up US 1 the rest of the way. I had no idea South Miami extended down so far. Big mistake, probably added over an hour to the drive and for no good reason.

     I was excited to make the rest of the drive because a friend had recently done it and said it was very scenic and I also saw on a "Scenic Drive" website that it was listed as one of the drives you should do before you die. Well, I can now say I did it, but honestly I wasn't that impressed. It was nice.... and anytime time you come across a 7 Mile long bridge it's got to draw your attention, but to me it was a case of being over-hyped. However, I have done this trip actually plowing through those waters by boat and nothing can compare to that so take my being jaded with a grain of salt. The waters are incredible as well as the sunsets and there are a few parks/scenic trails along the way that I should check out on the way back up.

     I'm happy to report that Mage (what I'm affectionately calling the Magic Bus) did well. The fridge door popped open once, but other than that she did her job flawlessly. I'm even getting better than 15 mpg which is better than I thought I would get.

     I found a parking spot near the main drag (Duval St.) and docked her. Then took a stroll to see Key West in action during Spring Break and St. Patty's Day weekend. I would say that the Spring Break numbers aren't going to break any records, but the green were well represented. 

So an Irishman walks out of a bar....... No really! It can happen!

     After a night on the town it was time to spend the first night in the van. I blacked out the windows, turned on the fan and had a nice uneventful, undisturbed night with the exception of the neighborhood rooster who really must be screwed up by Daylight Savings Time. Someone buy that thing a watch! 

Day two to come......

   "Hi Mom- it's me.....and I'm not in jail!"

     I slept in and was woken up by the police. Apparently Key West is another one of the corporations that believe they have the right to mandate where and where not a person can sleep. There are probably 1000 homeless in Key West sleeping on the street, but Heaven forbid if a guy wants to catch some shuteye in his legally registered, taxes paid, not an eye-sore vehicle. Anyway, I was polite and cooperative and the cop was cool so I got a verbal warning and as bonus he gave me props for the van build.

Very Funny and Talented Street Performer!

     The rest was typical Key West, you know, Eat, Drink, Bar hop, Sun Bathe, Sightseeing, Sunset at Mallory Square.... yada yada yada. I won't bore you with the details. If you want the full experience.... head down there!