Florida Day Eight: An Early Morning Walk And Then , Going Mobile, A Drive Through The Everglades
I was up before dawn again, on my last day in Key Largo. I was heading toward the Tampa area and I wanted to get in an early morning walk in before I left the Keys and drove north. 
I left my room at the Bar Harbor Lodge in the morning twilight and walked south along Route 1, also know as the Overseas Highway, that connects Key West with the Florida mainland. Usually a very busy highway in the day time there was little early morning traffic. 
The waning last quarter moon shone in the clear dawn sky. 
Once again I was on a mission to find a place to watch the sunrise. I came to a street that intersected the main highway and followed it east hoping to get a view of the ocean. I did find the ocean but the view faced to far south to see the rising sun. 
After walking back to the main street I took the next street that led toward the ocean. It took me through a nice private neighborhood. 
Here I found an unobstructed view of the rising sun. 
Well unobstructed except for the clouds, there seem to always be clouds on the horizon when the sun rises in Florida. 
Once again I enjoyed the rising of our sun over the ocean. It was breezy but still mild, with temperatures in the low 70’s. As I watched the sunrise I reflected on my visit and the many other places I’ve watched the sun rise and set on this planet. Fortunate I have been, but every time I count my blessing I reflect on my losses too and great they have been. I so miss my parents, who lived a long life and my beloved sister and here husband, who left us much too soon. 
After my reflections in the morning sunshine I walked back to the main highway and walked along a local rails to trails right of way for about a mile.
There were a few bikers, walkers and dog walkers enjoying the early morning sun. 
In addition to the humans I saw a few birds on my walk , including this pretty white ibis. 
My usual routine is to walk five miles in the morning while traveling but I wanted to get on the road so I headed back. 
On the way I enjoyed the morning sunshine and the puffy cumulus clouds.
Flowers along the way added to the beauty of the early morning walk. 
I had walked about three miles when I returned to my room.
I grabbed a cup of coffee and checked out of my lodge. Soon I was going to be on the road again, driving north to the Florida mainland. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going yet. Originally I planned to meet some friends in Clearwater for a few day and watch some Phillies Spring Training baseball games. But, because of the corona virus, Spring Training was cancelled. While enjoying my coffee, and a scone, I decided to stay at Venice Florida and made a reservation at a hotel. It was a perfect day for a drive. 
It was a scenic 30 mile ride to Florida City. I proceeded on through downtown Homestead and took the back roads through the Everglades, first Route 997 and then Route 41. 
It was a nice ride along the sea of grass that is the Everglades. I enjoyed the scenery under the bright Florida sunshine. 
However, when I stopped at a gas station I realized for the first time, how the corona virus was affecting our Nation. There were gloves and hand sanitizer at the gas station and they were not selling coffee. Moving on I found that many of the restaurants, tourists and sightseeing shops were closed. 
I was getting hungry and continued my scenic drive through the middle of the looking for a place to eat.
The landscape was changing. In the low sea of grass, cypress trees started to appear. The isolated trees gradually transformed into a forest. I had driven into the Big Cypress National Preserve. 
I had read about this wilderness area and wish I had time to explore. I made a quick stop at a visitor center but it was closed. Only the restroom facilities remained open. Onward I drove and found a place that was open, Joanie’s Blue Crab Cafe!
And it was a great place to stop. 
I learned from the local waitress, a fourth generation resident of the area, a lot about the history of both the restaurant and the Big Cypress region. 
In addition to the great conversation, while waiting for my food, I was able to explore the many artifacts that were displayed throughout the dining area, which used to be an old warehouse and cattle barn. Interesting items were displayed including on the bathroom walls. These, however, would not be suitable to share with anyone under 18 or offended by nudity. It was an interesting place.
And lunch was delicious too, I had a soft shell crab sandwich and a bowl of conch chowder, I was barely able to finish the crab sandwich and took the conch chowder with me. 
I continued my drive through the wooded and isolated cypress swamp. You could produce some good horror movies here and I think they have. I followed Highway 29 north and eventually came to the main interstate that crossed the Everglades, Alligator Alley or the Everglades Parkway. I have traveled on this road before. Soon I reached the suburbs of Naples and civilization. I drove through light traffic and made my way to the gulf town of Venice. I arrived early in the afternoon. I never heard of it before but I will never forget my short visit to this delightful town, starting with my check in at this wonderful hotel. Here is a link to a gallery with more photographs from my early morning hike and drive to Venice. : Florida Key Largo Day Eight morning walk March 17 2020.
“ROAD TRIPS ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF HUMAN WINGS. ASK ME TO GO ON ONE, ANYWHERE. WE’LL STOP IN EVERY SMALL TOWN AND LEARN THE HISTORY AND STORIES, FEEL THE GROUND, AND CAPTURE THE SPIRIT. THEN WE’LL TURN IT INTO OUR OWN STORY THAT WILL LIVE INSIDE OUR HISTORY TO CARRY WITH US, ALWAYS. BECAUSE STORIES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THINGS.” – VICTORIA ERICKSON
Categories
Recent Comments