This post is going to cover a lot! Have you been to White Sands National Monument?, Old Mesilla and the Movie Made There, Have You Been To Mexico on Cinco de Mayo? and the Organ Mountains

Spending a week in Las Cruces with our gracious hosts, Ken’s sister Susan and husband, Pat, whom acted as our personal tour directors covered a lot of ground! Our first daytrip:

Have you been to White Sands National Monument? Don’t miss it!

White Sands is an hour’s drive from Las Cruces. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. The photo  above was taken around sunset in 2011. The photo below was taken around noon just a this week.

Imagine saucer sledding on the dunes, or hiking the trails. The gypsum remains cool to bare feet in the heat of the day. Here are two slide shows with the sunset ones with long textured shadows and the other with high noon bright sun with little texture, just white gypsum for contrast.

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Meet Susan and Pat

 

Old Mesilla and the Movie Made There

Old Mesilla dates back to the mid 1800’s. Its original buildings are all adobe structures. Billy the Kid was hung here. This section of Las Cruces rivals the Mesquite section for its antiquity. We watched a movie here in the old theater (Fountain) made by local resident, Mark Medoff, based on his play of the same name, The Heart Outright. It was filmed right here in Mesilla and at the restaurant right next door to the theater. The movie was excellent!

The bus depot in the film is actually a top restaurant in the area.

Here are a few more shops near by.

Mesquite area:

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These are adobe built buildings. The home is the oldest in Las Cruces, I think. It is being remodeled in this photo.

Have You Been To Mexico on Cinco de Mayo?

Yup, that’s what we did! We drove an hour and a half south westward to Columbus, NM and parked our car in a parking lot just outside the border crossing to Palomas, Mexico. Our agenda was to celebrate the holiday at the Pink Store for shopping and lunch. It is just a short walk across the border.
After crossing over, we are greeted by the statue of Poncho Villa and, of course, the Pink Store.

Upon entering the store, you’re given your choice of a free beverage: soda, water, margarita or beer. They have an incredible selection of stuff from Mexico and other Central American countries. There’s an entire room filled just with decorative tiles. Of course, only jewelry would easily fit in our RRRV. Here are photos of only 3 of the rooms.

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Here’s a close-up of a humorous miniature set:
We had a really nice typico Mexican meal for lunch and wandered around town for a short time before it was time to head back over the border for home. All of our dogs were at doggie day care for the day. Here’s a slide show of some of the scenes I spotted in town.

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Organ Mountain and Flowering Cacti

Las Cruces is well known for its prominent Organ mountain. It’s a backdrop to almost every view of the city. For me, the best time to photograph it is near sunset. The view from Susan and Pat’s backyard is also perfect because it is not obstructed. Here is my photo taken from there:

Flowering Prickly Pear and Cholla (in Susan and Pat’s yard):

Whew! This has been an incredible week. We’ve been blessed by great company, great weather, and a great area to visit and play. Also, Hacienda RV Resort is a great place to stay!

A little less than a two-hour drive from Port St. Joe north takes us to Florida’s highest elevation of Briton Hill at 345 ft. above sea level. We didn’t actually go there but did visit nearby at Falling Waters State Park at 325 ft. elevation. The waterfall at the park is the highest in the state at 73′, ending in a deep sinkhole.
Its water flow is dependent on rainfall as well as the aquifer.  This entire area is dotted with sinkholes. While in this area for three days, we stayed at Florida Springs Campground in Bonifay. We also traveled to Florida Caverns State Park in nearby Mariana. It was really refreshing to see hills and spring sprouting with dogwoods blooming, lillies and more. It almost felt like April in western Maryland.

The waterfall:
Here is a link to the video Ken shot of the waterfall on YouTube. Here is a still shot of it.

The caverns:
These are quite spectacular and rival the likes of Luray and others. They’re certainly less commercial since they’re part of a state park! On the grounds I was able to capture a dogwood at the end of its bloom and native wild lillies.

The best way to enjoy the photos inside the caverns is through the slide show below. Enjoy! Unfortunately, you can’t get a feeling of the size of these formations. In most instances, what you see is an area that is approximately the height of the cave, which accommodates an adult standing upright.

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I love this area!  The campground we’re staying at is also special (Presnell’s Marina and RV Resort). Here’s an aerial view of the campground. We are located at the big “X” on the right. Right behind us is St. Joseph Bay.

This is our first waterfront site. The sunsets are gorgeous! There’s no traffic. It’s laid back. There’s a beautiful beach on the “Cape” that allows dogs, a rarity for Florida.

In Port St. Joe itself is a Piggly Wiggly food market about the size of Graul’s back home. There’s a pet store in town (Bow Wow Beach) as well as a Vet. I bought dehydrated dog food at that store and visited the Vet for Pogo’s nail trim and anal gland expression.

We ate out at a really good restaurant, Provisions, located downtown near the pet store. I had their special 8 oz. filet mignon wrapped in bacon with blue cheese crumbles on top; it was to die for (don’t say it). Ken had the Saint Joe Saute with shrimp and scallops. The restaurant is the top rated one in the area earning close to 5 stars on Yelp and Trip Advisor.

But, it was the sunsets that were truly spectacular. Right from our site, too!

We went on a really nice bike ride on a bike trail that followed route 30E, which went along the entire length (8.5 miles) of Cape San Blas to the St. Joeseph State Park at the tip.

Ken met a fellow sailor at the campground, Peter Finn. He and his wife are now full timers in their motorhome, staying here over the winter months and moving on during the other months. He has two small wooden boats with him that he’s working on: a catboat and a Chesapeake Light Craft rowing shell. Wood epoxy techniques and racing were Pete and Ken’s favorite discussions. We hope he got to finally row his boat in the bay right after we left.

We could have easily stayed here a few more weeks with such beautiful surroundings!

While staying at Newport Campground, we traveled south on Lighthouse Rd. through St. Marks Wildlife Refuge to see the lighthouse on the gulf.

Lighthouse Rd. was directly across from the campground so it was easy access. We timed our trip to coincide with our being there during sunset and making sure we’d be out of there (the gates close this road) by 7:00 PM. We wondered what happens to folks who are stuck inside on this road after closure??

It was a beautiful 10 mile drive through natural vegetation and habitat. In the map above, you can see the St. Marks river to the left of the road.

Once at the lighthouse, the beauty of the surrounding wetlands was presented. This panorama gives the feeling of it from three stories up on an observation platform.

And finally, our sunset photo over the gulf:
Overall, a beautiful place for a side trip! Now, for the answer to the question I posed about getting locked in after the gates close in Lighthouse Rd about 3 miles from Route 98: there is a button that one can press to open the gates!! Hah! You’re not locked in until the next day.

The Florida panhandle is a very unique part of Florida! We’re definitely in “old Florida,” and it is a refreshing change from the traffic and congestion of the Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor areas of the gulf. Also, the scenery is different with more pine trees and less palm. Susan, my sister-in-law, highly recommended a trip to Wakulla Springs, 14 miles south of Tallahassee. It was a great tip! We stayed at the county campground of Newport, which was only a twenty minute drive away. Other than ultra low water pressure, our stay at this campground was adequate. But, we came for the Springs.

The Springs themselves are the deepest springs in the U.S. At least 185′ deep to the surface, once inside the caves, it is said to be well over 300′. It is a first magnitude spring producing millions of gallons of water a day into the Wakulla River and next to the St. Marks River and finally 14 miles later out into the Gulf.

Since the land was purchased back in the early 1930’s by Edward Ball with the intent to conserve it, after his death it became a state park. The river for a good part of its length is pristine and untouched. All habitat is natural. The only way to appreciate it is with a narrated boat tour that lasts about an hour.

There’s a lodge in the park that dates back to the late 30’s and is still in use today. We ate an excellent lunch there and Ken was introduced to two great things: 1) Apalachicola raw oysters and 2) beer that he really likes: Lazy Magnolia, Southern Pecan Nut Brown Ale (roasted with pecans). 

He raved about the sweetness of the oysters. This area is known for them.

This is the boat we toured in. The “captain” was a guide and was not USCG required to have his Masters license because it’s a closed body of water! He did know his animals and where exactly they would be hiding just before we would get there.

Listening intently to every word!

A slide show of just all the alligators we saw:

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And, some of the turtles, birds and ducks!

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On the day we were here, it was warm enough for families with kids to enjoy the warm water from the Spring.
Our next post will be on our side trip to St. Mark’s Lighthouse just to the south of Newport through the Wildlife Refuge.

 

The greater Tampa Bay area is blessed with at least two spectacular art museums; I’m sure there are more, but we visited the two most well known. The Dali is in St. Petersburg and the other is part of a sprawling estate of the Ringling family in Sarasota.

The Ringling Museum of Art is built upon John and Mable Ringling’s love of Rubens paintings. They had the rooms specifically designed to complement the enormous paintings. Their first collections were of Rubens, but later collected other painters and sculptors, mostly from the pre-Renaissance and Renaissance periods throughout Europe. Here are some photographs of the museum itself.

The Rubens collection is magnificent as these photos show:

There were paintings and sculptures from Asia (an entire wing) and Contemporary Art as well, although not as prominent. Remember, the Ringlings were collectors.

The Salvador Dali Museum is as diametrically opposed to the Ringling as one can get. We went to these a day apart. This houses the largest collection of his works outside of Spain, his native land. There was no shortage of huge canvas paintings here as well.

Salvadore Dali made a remarkable impression on civilization. His sense of wit and the icons of his art and life (melting time pieces, handle bar mustache) almost take a life of their own at the museum.   Visit the gift shop and see this reflected in ties, coffee cups, napkins, etc. Even the spiral staircase mirrors these themes.

The building itself is dramatic. A central spiraling staircase takes you to the top floors and galleries.  The museum uses technology to help make an indelible impression of his life and art.  When we reached the top we took the offer to tour a painting immersed in goggles and earphone which created a compelling virtual reality. I felt as if I was having a lucid dream where I could explore the landscape as I wished. The museum also lends out earphones and smart phones (or you can use your own) to give commentary on Dali’s vision.

Dali’s art has common themes. His family and wife, Gala, are mirrored again and again in many of his works, not only in portrait but dissected and transformed into symbols and allegorical figures. The museum has made delightful use of this technique in creating the Gala restaurant both from an architectural point but from a food display as well. My meal was visually stunning as well as delicious. Of course, the food was inspired from Spain.

Above is the portrait he did of his dead brother, Salvador. He died as an infant. Salvador imagined what his brother would be like as an adult.

The above painting takes up a gigantic wall in the museum on its own. It must be viewed from the far opposite wall to be able to see that it is a portrait of our President. His wife Gala is also depicted in the painting.

Both museums were great to visit on each day. We both highly recommend that everyone who enjoys seeing masterful works of art should put them on their bucket list.

This is a catch-up post. I’m going to make all the next few posts thematic rather than in chronological order. I hope it will all make sense.

We got lucky and were able to get a spot at Fort De Soto County Park in St. Petersburg Beach instead of dry camping/boondocking after Riverside RV Resort. The only disadvantage of staying here is the lack of a built-in sewage hookup. But, the pluses far outweigh this for sure: kayaking right in the park, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and the finest beaches to be found anywhere, plus mature trees and lots of site privacy. Here’s the map of our “kayak trail” at the park:

Below is an aerial view of the area for paddling.

Here is a photo of our campsite:
 It was a nice warm day for paddling and the trail was well protected. It was fairly busy with other kayakers since there was an outfitter renting kayaks right there.

And, most folks come to this park for its beaches. As you can see, the Gulf has more turquoise water than the Atlantic.

 

Next kayak location was in Bradenton. We stayed a week at Winter Quarters Manatee and Jen joined us for the tail end of the stay and the move to the Chassahowitzka well north of the greater Tampa area. We did a lot of paddling with Jen; she brought her SUP down with her. In Bradenton, we paddled at Robinson Nature Preserve, which is a county run protected area. The day we went was extremely windy so we stayed within the protection of the preserve rather than venture out into Anna Maria Island. Here is the map of the winding waterway area we covered in our trip:

The scenery is varied in this area and is a welcome change from all the red mangroves of previous paddles.

We left Bradenton a day early because the weather forecast was not going to be good for the one day that Jen would have paddling on the Chassahowitzka before leaving for home, plus the campsite was pretty noisy being right adjacent to I75. Luckily the campground (Chassahowitzka River Campground) had our site open for the early arrival. We were heading to Florida’s “Nature Coast” and the “Chaz” is supposed to be one of the best spots for kayakers in the entire state. It is one of the few remaining pristine waterways in Florida. Here is our gorgeous site with nice privacy and a fire pit!
The campground has a large launching area on the river and is only a few hundred yards from the Seven Sisters Springs and a short distance to Manatee Cove. Here’s Jen and Ken getting the kayaks ready for launch:

The campground has several buildings on the riverfront. They also have a kayak kondo where Jen was able to store her kayak overnight while staying inflated.
Our first destination was downstream to Manatee Cove. We all were determined to see manatees in the wild. Sure enough, we could tell from a distance that we would be in luck as there were several kayakers all circling in the cove.

We carefully paddled over to the area and counted off at least 10 manatees! Many surfaced for air right next to our kayak, within inches! It was so exciting to see these huge mammals.

We continued downstream and took a nice detour through a tributary. What’s amazing about this river is that the water is so very clear. Here’s a YouTube link of a video of us Kayes in our kayaks as we paddle in this paradise. Ken and Jen are discussing the mullet fish in the water. They’re everywhere! They also love to jump clear out of the water, too! By the way, they’re delicious smoked.

We finished the paddling day at the Seven Sisters Spring, where there are 7, yes, 7 springs close together in a small creek off the Chaz. There are caves way down below. Jen got out of her kayak and took Ken’s phone and put it underwater for some video which is here. It is said that there are folks who disappeared in these underwater caves while snorkeling. Here is a photo of that one from the surface:
This spring is the one where Jen got out of her kayak and grabbed Ken’s phone (in a protective clear drybag) and placed it into the hole! You can see the aquarium view in YouTube.

After Jen left, Ken did a solo paddle on a small tributary off of the Suwannee in Otter Springs. He may do his own version of kayak posts. My next post will be on “Art”.

 

 

 

By Pogo