DESERTS-TREES-SUVS
Date Visited: 12/12/2020 This vast swamp is home to a rich diversity of plants and animals, including the endangered Florida panther, the American alligator, and the elusive ghost orchid. Here are some reasons why Big Cypress is so special: It is the first national preserve in the United States Unlike national parks, which are managed... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 12/09/2020 - 12/12/2020 We saw a top-secret missile base, car eating vultures, a horde of tree snails, the largest soft-shelled turtle we’ve ever seen and a whole lot of beautiful scenery during our three days stay at the Everglades National Park. We chose to visit Everglades during the winter while the temperatures were... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 12/7/2019 At this point in our travels we've grown accustomed to thwarted plans as our trip to Fort Matanzas in St. Augustine, Florida was about to be a disappointment for the second time. Our attempt to journey across the river and explore the fort (one that must be taken by the National Park... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/12/2019 Our next day trip takes us to the oldest surviving plantation home in the state of Florida. The property is located on Fort George Island and part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve managed by the National Park Service. A Brief and Incomplete History In the late 1700s Planter and American... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 As if our trip in 2018 didn't do enough to inspire us to get out and enjoy our National Park System, our stop at Russell Cave National Monument really did us in. Why? Because after talking to one of the park rangers about our past trips she introduced us to the National... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 We've now reached the last stop (or first if you're headed south) along the parkway: the Double Arch Bridge that crosses over Birdsong Hollow and Highway 96. The bridge was completed in 1994 and spans the 1572 feet of Birdsong Hollow. In 1995 it received the Presidential Award for Design Excellence for... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 Our second to last stop was an unfortunately brief stop at the War of 1812 memorial where we were met by a stone monument inscribed: This monument memorializes War of 1812 soldiers buried along the old Natchez Trace. And it honors the service of all brave volunteers who marched on the Natchez... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 As one of the two remaining buildings associated with the Natchez Trace, the Gordon House and Ferry stop is a must see. The house was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1970s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was restored to it's 1818 Federalist style.... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 With only 40 miles left on our journey up the trace we decided to take in one more short trail to check out another waterfall. I often wonder at the power of nature's ability to reinvent herself all the time and the sights you see at Jackson Falls is just one of... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/6/2019 As times change, people become more healthy, and the use of Tobacco may some day become just another part of history, I wonder if people will remember places like this and the long family histories that made these small early 20th century farms such a vital part of our history. The tobacco... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/5/2019 Born on August 18, 1774 near Charlottesville, VA, Meriwether Lewis is probably best known for being the primary leader of the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition to Oregon. But Meriwether Lewis was an accomplished man, having served as a U.S. Army Captain, private secretary to President Thomas Jefferson, and at the time... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/5/2019 The stop at Metal Ford is really two points of interest in one. The first is that it marks the spot where travelers forded the wide and fast moving Buffalo River. To find out how the ford got its peculiar name you can read the information on the sign below. Even today... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/5/2019 The pit that you see here is not another sinkhole. It is the remains of an iron ore mine that began operations around 1820. The deed to the ore bank was granted in 1826. When operating at full production the company employed 60 men at the mine. These men (miners) used pickaxes... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/5/2019 The Old Trace Drive was one of points of interest along the trail that I was really looking forward to experiencing. The drive is a 2.5 mile one way from south to north starting at MP 375.8. Only about 1.5 miles of the drive are on the actual old trace. At the... Continue Reading →
Date Visited: 4/5/2019 Today we leave Alabama and cross into Tennessee. Even though we were less than 100 miles from the end of the parkway, I found it necessary to slow down a bit and give my body a little time to recover. We had been moving along and taking in a good number of... Continue Reading →
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