st. andrews, florida panhandle

We have fallen in love with salt life. St Andrews state park is right outside of panama city but you would never know it because it feels so remote. Our mornings were spent by watching the sun rise at the jetty where we fished for Spanish macral. There were dolphins jumping right there and huge cranes edging closer and closer to anybody with a pole just waiting to steal your catch. Both boys caught some and we had delicious fish fries for breakfast.
The beach there had something for everyone. There was an aquamarine lagoon, shallow with no waves. On the other side there is huge surf attracting surfers and kite boarders. We spent our time there in those huge waves, bobbing in the swells and dodging under the surf. It was incredible to feel the endless power! Each of us, at one point, would have our timing off and swim into the wave too late, at which point the wave takes you and throws you around like a washing machine....very scary but fun too. We all got full body salt water cleanses. The dolphins were there too and at one point we saw a huge shadow in the water right by us. Stephanie was certain it was a shark, Chris thought dolphin and some beachers said it was a giant sting ray. The shark thought was persistent in our minds because while fishing we met a fellow fishing for bait who also fishes for sharks in the same area we were swimming. He had caught a 13' maco shark there! Yikes!

disney

It was not in the plan, but we found ourselves right near Orlando with 2 extra days so we felt we had to do it. We camped in Walt's campground and went to discover the magic. With just one day and after being told that the morning is the best time with shortest lines, we woke up at 5:30 and caught the bus that brought us to the boat that brought us to the magic kingdom. They have an opening ceremony that is a full on gate opening production which was very fun to catch.
We were pumped, so excited to be there, so the first thing we did was to run to the biggest rollercoaster there, space mountain! No line at all, we got on, got locked in, and started rolling into space, yee ha! Then everything went pitch black and we were throttled through high speed twists and turns when we remembered that Finn had never been on a rollercoaster before and he is rather afraid of the dark. Not our best parenting moment. When it was finally over, eli was thrilled, mom and dad were nauseous, and poor Finn was terrified. But he choked it back and we decided to try some milder rides.
It was a blast. We went on our favorite ride, splash mountain several times, did the classics like It's a small world, got to hug some characters, and stayed to watch the electric parade and fireworks at 10:00. We were completely exhausted and felt like we had gotten our fill of magic.

the everglades

Looking for a true everglades experience , we wanted to take an airboat trip. All the American companies seemed way too commercialized so we had decided to try to do it in Louisiana. Then we drove through an Indian reservation and found one more our style. Our guide's nickname was beastmaster, and he really was. Within minutes of the ride he had "called" in a large gator who he reached down and kissed before lifting it 2/3 out of the water with his bare hands. He was full of information about the swamp and took us to the old Indian village. There he called in another gator and let both boys feed (by holding up a fist, tapping it on the nose, it opens up its mouth and then throw in the food!) and hold the wild alligator up by the chin! This was no joke, and thankfully they both still have 10 fingers. As a token of appreciation, the boys wanted to give Mr beastmaster a large black feather they had found a while back. He wouldn't even touch it and said it was vulture feather which is bad luck. Chris took all the feathers out of the car and tossed them out the window as we pulled out.
In keeping off the beaten path we drove through Florida farm land and were so lucky to stumble upon this fabulous open market called Robert Is Here. We got to sample some local honey and fruits and vegies we had never seen before. One of the fruits we got is a big green ball that is supposed to turn black and soft and then taste like chocolate pudding. We'll let you know....
Cruising along, we had to stop at a "hot" migrant worker street taco shack. It was a bit dirty but the food was awesome and again the boys were entertained by chickens, bunnies and a peacock.

florida keys

We have been having so much fun in the keys we didn't take time to write. It started with our night in the cracker barrel parking lot in Florida city. Not something we have done before but it would maximize out time in the keys. It was a tough night to say the least.
Our first campground was at bahia Honda state park which is just about to key west. It was picturesque light blue turquoise shades of sea around the coral reef island. We snorkeled a ton. One side had a shallow beach where we saw a sand shark, a huge star fish, crabs, lobster, jelly fish and tons of beautifully colored fishes. The other side was more of a jump in deep channel where Chris, eli and Finn snorkeled and saw a 6' bull shark! Chris threw his shoulder out heaving the boys out of the water but couldn't heave himself out due to the high wall so he had to swim with the shark about 100 yards to get to a spot to get out. It was not a Fun situation even to Chris, Mr adventure himself.
We took a day trip to key west, the southern most tip of the usa. We had not yet, in our one month of travel, eaten a meal in a restaurant but had to treat ourselves to a locals favorite Cuban street taco truck. There really were no tables, just a couple hammocks and a cooler to sit on, chickens, roosters and baby chicks running free (they are all over key west), and the most delicious food. The experience was complete with a colorful tale of the owners life story.
Then we headed back north to another state park located in key largo. Looking for more turquoise water and not sunburned enough yet, we hit the beach with some new friends from ny then to a fun dinner where we got to feed giant 6' tarpon from the dock. Early in the am, we took a snorkel tour boat 5 miles out into the Atlantic, to a coral reef where there is the Christ of the Sea. Again we were totally awe struck by the beauty God created under the ocean. It is a whole world we had never experienced before.

urban jungle

We left our sweet paradise not really prepared for the urban jungle we went through to get to myakka river state park. It was a long day of traffic and we all got a bit edgie. Myakka river is home to many large alligators, big vultures, wild hogs, armadillos, snakes, and lizards. Our camp was attacked by a small herd of racoons. Chris had to fight them off wearing only his underwear and armed with a handful of pebbles. The coons were not intimated. We were just relieved it wasn't a herd of wild hogs.
We realized that our next destination, bahia honda, being one of the last keys, is a long drive so we canceled our reservation for tonight and are putting some miles behind us so we can maximize our time in the keys. free wheeling it, we will sleep in a cracker barrel or Walmart parking lot. we did have to stop.and see why siesta beach is top ranked in the country. The white crystal sands felt like baking soda, the beach was beautiful but a little crowded for us. we made some.sweet sand lizards and sea turtles.

manatee springs state park

After stopping at a hillbilly flea market (lots of culture) we arrived at manatee springs state park knowing it is no longer the season to be seeing manatees there, but not having.any expectations. The spring was a crystal blue paradise and we could not wait to get in and try out our snorkel gear. Eli and Chris dove in without hesitation, Finn and stephanie entered a little more trepidation but immediately it was amazing. The perfect spot for us to get comfortable snorkeling. We saw water snakes, turtles and all sort of fish. It was like swimming in a fish bowl.
That night we went for a walk and were treated to a light show from God. A bazillion lightening bugs lit up the forest. It.was brilliant!