Date Visited: 1/13/2020 In the Florida panhandle where the Wakulla and St. Marks River meets, sits a National Landmark called San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park. For over 500 years, from the Spanish period through the civil war, this was a strategic landmark. In 1679 the first wooden fort was built. It housed 45... Continue Reading →
O’Leno State Park
Date Visited: 1/12/2020 Opened in 1940 as one of the original nine state parks in the Florida Park Service, O'Leno (Old Leno), is a beautiful and peaceful place to stay. With 20 miles of hiking, biking, equestrian trails within the 6000 acres that encompass O'leno (and its sister park the River Rise Preserve State Park),... Continue Reading →
Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park: Florida’s Miniature Rainforest
Date Visited: 1/12/2020 Okay, we all know I'm a little overweight, out of shape, over 50 and have an ongoing battle with heart-disease and diabetes, so I almost talked myself out of visiting this state park because I knew there were a number of stairs I'd have to ascend after descending to see the sink... Continue Reading →
Blue Spring State Park
Date Visited: 1/6/2020 & 08/03/2022 (Camped) For hundreds of years, Blue Spring and the surrounding area provided food, clothing, shelter and the materials needed to fabricate tools and weapons to the Timucuan Indians. Later European settlers and pioneers began moving into the area and by the mid-1800s, most of the Indians had been killed or driven... Continue Reading →
Bulow Creek State Park
Date Visited: 12/31/2019 Standing as the focal point in this 5600-acre state park is one of the largest Live Oak trees in the South. The Fairchild oak is estimated to be between 400-600 years old and is a member of one of the largest remaining stands of Southern Live Oak forest along Florida's East Coast.... Continue Reading →
Tomoka State Park
Date Visited: 12/1/2019-12/3/2019 & Various other times This was a hard post to write and I've put it off for several weeks. This camping trip we took in December of 2019 would be the first and last time I was able to go camping with my dad as an adult. Originally, I had not planned... Continue Reading →
Our YouTube Channel is Up and Running
We took the plunge and decided to start publishing videos on our YouTube Channel. The older videos are about as crude as you can get. But as time goes on, and we invest in better equipment, they will improve. The first thing we will be posting are some fishing videos like this one here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rp0x_69nOSU... Continue Reading →
The Face in the Stone: Crystal River Archaeological State Park
Date Visited: 12/9/2019 Our next stop was one of those places were you want to visit and learn as much as you can, but you also feel as if you are trespassing on hallowed ground. This 61 acre Pre-Columbian site consist of six mounds dispersed around the property. There are burial mounds, temple/platform mounds, plazas... Continue Reading →
Civil War Connections to Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park
Date Visited: 12/9/2019 While in Homosassa Florida, we took the opportunity to visit the Historic ruins of the Yulee Sugar Mill located off of County Road 490 West. Although we've visited many of these such mills around Florida, this one was of particular interest due to it's association, not with the Seminole Wars, but with... Continue Reading →
How a Hippo Became a Honorary Florida Citizen
Date Visited: 12/9/2019 Before telling you about the rest of our trip to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Park we need talk about the elephant, or rather I should say the Hippopotamus in the room. Lu, short for Lucifer, has been a resident of the park since 1964. He was born on January 26,... Continue Reading →
Preserving History at Fort Cooper State Park
Date Visited: 12/9/2019 Our first stop of the day was at the 710 acre site of Fort Cooper State Park. Established in 1972 this park was a great place to start our morning with a relaxed walking tour through the history of the surrounding area. Historical Significance As is the case with most of Florida,... Continue Reading →
We Found Florida’s 2nd Largest Live Oak at Lake Griffin State Park
Date Visited: 12/8/2019 After our return trip to Washington Oaks Gardens we headed toward the west coast of Florida for an overnight stay at Lake Griffin State Park. The campground was typical of most Florida State Parks; it was clean, the sites ranged in size, they were a little pushed together in some areas (as... Continue Reading →
The Beautiful Coquina Beach @ Washington Oaks Gardens State Park : Oceanside
There are Rocky beaches in Florida? Yep, it's true. Date Visited: 12/7/2019 Now I have a confession. Previously when I wrote about our first trip to Washington Oaks State Park I wasn't 100% sure that the beach across the street was actually part of the park property or just fortunate enough to be within close... Continue Reading →
Another Disappointing trip to Fort Matanzas National Monument
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 →