Driving and Geocaching North

 

The breakfast bar at our hotel had some amusing signs.

 

 

 

 

It was a breezy 64° when we left this morning and we definitely wore our long pants. This day reminded us of how most of the January days were in Fort Myers this year.

 

We spent some time at J. E. Gregory Park in Richmond Hills, Georgia. The park is situated along the Ogeechee River where rice was grown in the past. This activity peaked in 1860 when 1.8 million pounds were shipped from plantations along the river. With a ready supply of slave labor no longer available after the Civil War, along with a destructive series of hurricanes in the 1880’s, rice cultivation ended there by 1900.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I was not expecting see this sign that warned us of snakes and alligators.

 

 

We walked almost a mile roundtrip looking for 3 geocaches. The scenery was beautiful and we stopped so many times to admire it and to take photos that it took us 1 ½ hours to finish.

 

 

 

 

A special cache that we found today was at a rest stop in South Carolina. Liberty Gardens commemorates the September 11 tragedy and was completed September 11, 2002. It honors those Americans who have perished in acts of terrorism.

 

 

We are spending this night in Dunn, North Carolina. The hotel has a nice carpet at the front door that makes us feel welcome.

 

 

 

 

Goodbye Fort Myers!

 

It was cloudy when we left southwest Florida this morning. Seems to be easier to leave with that kind of weather rather than if it had been a bright sunshiny day.

 

 

 

We didn’t drive very far until we encountered rain on and off and lasted the rest of the day. Our family and friends made us promise to bring the pretty Florida weather back with us but we certainly didn’t mean to take it all and leave them with clouds and rain

 

 

When we stopped for lunch we saw these pretty flowers blooming and I wondered if that would be the last ones I saw until later in the season.

 

 

 

We looked for a few challenge geocaches along the way. After driving 351 miles, we stopped for the night in Kingsland, GA. We realized that we most likely would not be wearing our shorts for the remainder of our trip.

 

Our Last Week in Florida

 

On Saturday, we spent the day geocaching with our local friend, Brian. He is an awesome geocacher and an even better cache owner. We have learned a lot while spending time with him.

 

 

                    

The terrain here in Southwest Florida is very different from what we encounter in most of the other states while searching for caches. I have learned to constantly be aware of fire ants which are just about everywhere. But, I still forget to exercise care when I am around Saw Palms and today I got a painful reminder when one cut me on my shin,

 

 

One cache that we couldn’t resist looking for was located about 500’ feet from the road. We were not able to find a place where we could step across the water that was lying beside the road. I learned that peer pressure is still present in really old adults when Brian offered to go and get the cache for us. He took off his sandals and waded across while telling us that it was a sandy bottom. It was a very warm day, so Cordell and I decided we just had to make this trek also.

 

 

 

 

 

As I was drying off my feet, it was amusing that the towel I was using had a snowman on it.

 

 

I walked by a shrub that had very fragrant flowers blooming. It reminded me of some type of honeysuckle.

 

 

 

There weren’t many choices of places to get lunch in the area where we were caching. We decided to try the pizza at Hungry Harry’s. I was a bit disappointed in the whole experience. Even though there were booths for customers to sit at, they did not have any kind of plates, forks or knives. It was a bit sloppy, but we managed to eat all of our pizza.

 

 

On Sunday, we returned to Zion Lutheran Church for the second time. There were lots of quilts displayed that the women of the church had made and were donating. During the service, the minister gave a blessing over the quilts.

 

 

 

Last week, I thought some child had left a teddy bear in the pew. But, today I noticed that teddy bears were scattered on pews throughout the church.

 

 

 

On Monday, we did some geocaching in the North Fort Myers area. We hiked a bit at Pop Ash Preserve and as is with most preserves, we saw some beautiful scenery.

 

 

I don’t know what kind of berries these are, but I bet they are a good source of food for some creature.

 

 

I learned something else at one of the caches placed outside a pasture. I saw a horse eating the Spanish Moss that was hanging down from a tree. I wondered if the horse considered it to be a special snack.

 

 

We saw some cattle egrets in one of the fields. They are a species of heron and they often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals.

 

 

At another cache site, we saw rip rap along the roadside that is very different from what we have in Maryland. There were several types of large seashells and even some fossils.

 

 

We stopped at a Sonics for lunch and we ate our food outside just because we could!

 

 

We made our last trip to the grocery store to buy just a few more things.

 

 

On Tuesday, we spent our last day with Brian. He had received recommendations to eat at a restaurant in Cape Coral that was near a missing geocache. So we decided to kill two birds with one stone by replacing that cache and eating lunch together. Brian and Cordell fashioned a new container and placed it.

 

 

 

 

 

Then we ate lunch at Jill’s Joint, which is a café built into the front of a large warehouse. Jill does the cooking and when the waitress is delivering food to other offices, Jill also serves the food. It was very tasty home cooking and she seems to have plenty of customers.

 

 

 

 

One of the other cache sites we visited required climbing a tree and Brian easily retrieved it. This will make our sons happy because they get nervous when they see photos of Cordell climbing trees.

 

 

 

Even the weeds here are pretty this time of the year.

 

 

We were disappointed to spend way, way too much time looking for a cache that we couldn’t find. When we got back to the condo, Cordell discovered that the cache owner archived it after we posted our Did Not Find Log. But, at least I got to spend time out in the beautiful weather.

 

 

We spent Wednesday and today packing up and getting ready to start our trip back home.

 

 

Two years ago I placed a cache here and named it I Left My Heart In Fort Myers. Even though Brian maintains it for me, I went by to check it out and leave some more heart shaped trinkets for trading. And so, again this year I will be leaving a part of my heart here until we hopefully return again next January.

 

 

 

 

I went to the swimming pool both afternoons trying to soak up enough sunshine and warmth to carry me through until the weather heats up in Maryland.

 

 

Cordell spent some of his time napping.

 

 

 

We will be leaving early tomorrow morning and enjoyed one more sunset as viewed from our lanai.

 

 

 

 

April 8th - Our Last Friday in Florida

This is our last Friday to spend in Florida for this snowbird season. Next week plan to spend Friday night in Georgia.

 

During these two bonus weeks, we have been spending as much time as we can outside. And for the past two days, we have been finding more geocaches.

 

Yesterday, Thursday, we went back to Cape Coral. We visited the seven islands development which was made ready for development several years ago, but nothing has happened for a long time.

 

I saw some beautiful tracts of land on which I would be happy to build a nice house---after I win a big lottery, that is!

 

 

 

 

We walked around the highest terrain we have seen so far here in this flat land.

 

 

At one cache site we saw this memorial for James Arthur. We wondered who James Arthur was and if his ashes were scattered there or did he die on that spot or was it one of his favorite places? It certainly was a peaceful place.

 

 

Today, Friday, we drove to Pine Island Pine Island which is the largest island in the state of Florida. It is  a 30 minute drive from Ft. Myers and is situated on the Gulf of Mexico.

 

It is likely that the Calusa Indians inhabited Pine Island until 1513 when it is believed that Ponce de Leon landed there. The Spanish skirmished with the Calusas and imported serious European diseases. By 1750 the Calusa culture had vanished leaving behind only shell mounds, some of which can be seen today.

 

Surrounded by mangroves, three aquatic preserves, acres of palm, tropical plant and fruit groves Pine Island has escaped the cement and skyscraper development so predominant on other Florida islands. The waters of Pine Island Sound provide not only some of the finest fishing in Florida, but are a haven for birdwatchers and nature lovers. Hiking trails, kayak and canoe waterways, ancient Indian shell mounds add to the outdoor adventures. Home to many artists, authors, song writers and poets, Pine Island is also known as “Florida’s Creative Coast”.

 

 

 

Like several other sites here in southwest Florida, we saw an abandoned housing development with fire hydrants and underground utilities already in place.

 

 

We “hiked” 1.2+ miles in Pine Island Flatwoods Preserve where two geocaches are hidden.

 

 

 

At the information board, we learned about the wildlife that inhabits the preserve. It was very quiet when we were there late this morning and we did not see any Roseate Spoonbills, Gopher Tortoises, or snakes. However, we were serenaded by some lovely bird songs.

 

 

I believe that the sun is much hotter here than at home. Perhaps that is due to the angle it shines during this time of the year. When I felt the skin on the back of my neck burning, I used my Baltimore Orioles towel to shade it. I have adopted the Orioles’ motto “We Won’t Stop” as my motto for geocaching also.
 

 

 

When we left the Pine Island Flatwoods Preserve, we went to St. James Creek Preserve where we walked along the St. Jude Nature Trail. It is an approximate one-mile round-trip trail through flatlands and a mangrove forest. The vegetation being restored is native to this area. It was given the name of St. Jude by the developers who were trying to catch Danny Thomas’ attention as a pitchman or investor; the actor was known for founding St. Jude’s Hospital.

 

 

 

The trail is built on an old roadbed constructed several decades ago as part of an "intended" St. Jude Parkway. The parkway was to be a boulevard lined with shopping centers and restaurants leading to a skybridge connecting Pine Island with the southern end of the Sanibel Causeway. Fortunately, the permits were withdrawn before further damage to the mangroves occurred.

 

 

 

 

At the beginning of the trail is this sculpture entitled “Spirit of Calusa”.

 

 

The trail is lined with memorial benches as it follows the old roadbed. All the benches have names carved in them, several which are in memory of someone.

 

 

We liked this nicely shaded picnic table placed on the trail. Someone had even left cushions.

 

 

At the end of the trail, there is a boardwalk with an observation deck. The rails and wooden deck are completely covered with names of supporters of the Calusa Land Trust which owns and preserves the surrounding land.

 

 

We have seen some interesting dog waste pick up stations and here is a different one that is in this preserve.

 

 

These wild flowers are not from a nursery, but I thought they are just as pretty.

 

 

 

My favorite geocache today was one that had been replaced by our local friend, Brian, and as with most all his caches, each one is a bit unique. The person who was there two days before us wrote the following in their log: “I wouldn't have tried this one if I had remembered this was that location. AND on top of all that....a dead snake. ya. that finished it for me.” We were amused when we located the cache which was attached to a fake snake!

 

 

We ate lunch at Low Key Tiki Bar. Our local friend, Brian, took us there last year and we enjoyed it so much we definitely wanted to patronize it again this year.

 

 

We like the grass thatch like covered outdoor eating area and the decorations. The food is delicious.