Post #2
March 24 - 29

Janet and I dinghied ashore to the  Environmental Learning Center on Pine Island (near Wabasso ) which is exactly as its name suggests and had a lovely stroll along a board walk through the mangroves and watched a very large dolphin fishing in the shallows close by. The Center is also the site of the homestead that belonged to Laura Riding Jackson. She was a poet of the 20’s and 30’s who later renounced poetry, and who hung out with the artistic notables of the age including Robert Graves (of I-Claudius fame) with whom she made her “fabled suicide leap from the fourth-story bedroom window of the flat she shared with her long-time lover Robert Graves. He followed her lead by jumping from another window, one story below.” (Read more: http://marjorieperloff.com/reviews/laura-riding/#ixzz3Vj4gANkl). They survived.

But we discovered a far greater cultural influence in a sweet miniature pocket library on the grounds, where we found a hard bound copy of Nancy Drew and the Haunted Showboat! Now we are talking culture. Laura Bush, Hillary, Diane Sawyer, Ayaan Hirsi  Ali, Sonia Sotomayor, and her sister Supreme, the Notorious RBG, among many others, claim our girl sleuth  as an influence. Thanks to you Carolyn Keene, and your succeeding anonymous formula writers, for enlivening our childhoods!

The  next day a pair of dolphins followed us in our bow wake, what a awesome gift. 
 


Then we saw a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center! Saw the flame, saw the spiraling vapor trail, another moment of awe.   

 We came into Titusville mid day and Joel brought  the bikes in by dingy.
 

Janet and I took off to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. There was a definite potential for some serious showers but we got lucky and the close calls just gave us more drama. This is truly a birders paradise and I just wish I knew more about what we were seeing. Janet saw two feral hogs while I was captivated by a Tricolored heron, and later we had a close encounter with a pretty big gator. 

 
 










 
 





It was a spectacular ride, all 18 miles on the folding bikes. We were dehydrated and exhausted when we got back but very happy and had a lovely dinner at Kloibers Cobbler Eatery with our guys.

Sign for local eatery under the bridge where watched night fishing for crabs.

View from the top of the bridge

Manatees drinking at the Titusville Marina

Cold front moved through with high winds on the 27th, rain and dropping temperatures, but we were snug in the marina. Joel and I managed to bike four miles up Rt 1 to Sears for a hose before the weather moved in. Off the next day at noon, when winds died, to New Smyrna.

Lovely town is New Smyrna. Here is a monument to the early settlers, from Greece, Italy and Minorca. This was the largest settlement attempted by the English, who imported the Mediterranean workers, who mostly died on the way over, or died when they got here, and when they rebelled against the English, three were tried for treason, two were hung, the third became the executioner. There is a story to be told there! Then the remaining 600 walked to St Augustine to complain, stayed there, and that was the end of that colonial experiment.

 

Also a very nice Vietnamese young man with these amazing free line skates and he even let us try (ha!,not even close).

Next post is coming up soon, with some very special news, so be on the lookout.
Cheers
Sarah

The Great Loop Begins

Hallowell, March 17, 2015 

View to our back deck

Fort Meyers, March 18, 2015  Back deck of Snow Goose!

What a difference a day makes!

We are happy to be met by Janet and Ansley who have been breaking in the boat for us, they brought it from the east coast to the west. Its an interesting thing about boats, the balance between items checked off the “to do” list, and the items added appears to be in perfect equilibrium.

Nonetheless we made our official start of the Great Loop on March 19, 2:20 PM. heading east on the Okeechobee Waterway to join the Inter Coastal Waterway in Stuart. The first portion of of the Okeechobee is the Caloosahalchee Canal. We puttered past homes grand and modest, but for the most part it's undeveloped with mangroves, a dense underbrush with intermittent dry pasture and lots of cows, lounging in amiable clusters beneath the occasional shade trees.

March 20 at the Moore Haven “city” marina. Janet and I gave the bikes a try on the sleepy streets.
 


 We discovered this great house o’ beer bottles. The gent who owes it plans to continue the ornamentation around all sides, as time permits, and no, he doesn’t drink all the beer,  people bring him empties. Also heard about the boy who made national news a few years back when swimming the canal and a gator took his arm off. When asked by a reporter what possessed him to swim in the infested waters he replied, "well there’s not much to do in Moore Haven." Which does appear to be true.

Scenes from Moores Haven

The way into Lake Okeechobee is a truly beautiful wetland with tons of birds wading at the edge, soaring about, perching in trees.

The lake itself is huge, and shallow, but dredged and marked. We were blessed with a calm crossing.

The St Lucie River is the eastern passage, out to the Atlantic. Larger trees, still very little boat traffic and lots of undeveloped land.

We spent the night at the Indian River Marina (where Joel and Ansley spent the entire month of February working on the boat) A bit funky, but a very friendly and pleasant spot. This the ‘gator off our boat in the morning.

Now we are Stuart for a few days replacing a defective chart plotter ( a supper duper chart plotter), and awaiting better weather (its not that bad actually).  Here is a map of the full deal.

We have done the W to E across Florida

Cheers
Sarah