Journeys with Jackson

  This is our first Thanksgiving on the road. We thought we would be all alone. We thought the few campers that were camping might not even celebrate the holiday. We were wrong on both counts. Thanksgiving seems to be a popular time to camp(at least here in Florida) and many of our fellow campers have gone all out to decorate and celebrate. We have met so many nice people. We didn’t try to prepare a traditional feast for the day but managed turkey sandwiches with broccoli salad and one food item from our combined family traditions; my mom’s cranberry sauce and Mark’s mom’s pumpkin pie. Even though this isn’t a typical year we are thankful for the things we are always thankful for: family and friends, our little dog and of course the privilege of life, love and the pursuit of happiness. But in addition to those things we are thankful for a tangible item this year. We have two new additions to our “must have” camping list. When we decided to do this trip we knew Mark’s role would hav...

  We all know that if you try to return to a place you remember from the past it won’t be the same as you remember it. That’s especially true if you return right after a hurricane. Crystal River is a beautiful place where Mark’s family moved in 1971. Floridians call this area the Nature Coast. Mark went to middle school and part of high school here. It seemed like a tropical paradise to his family when they moved from Pennsylvania. It’s here that Mark learned to swim and water ski. His Dad bought a boat and the family took up saltwater fishing. They joined a country club and he learned to golf and play tennis. There was no way we felt like we could do a nostalgic Florida trip without a visit to Crystal River, even after Mark heard from old classmates, on social media, that the area had experienced serious flooding with hurricane Helene. We were encouraged that the campground where we had reservations, on the Chassahowitzka River, still welcomed campers despite damage to their offic...

  About 100 years before Mark’s family moved to Florida a religious utopian community settled here in 1870. Their leader, Cyrus Teed, took the name Koresh, the Hebrew translation of his name Cyrus, (meaning shepherd) and created the Koreshan Unity. Teed’s vision melded religion and science with some pretty wacky results. He believed he was anointed to build a “New Jerusalem” just south of Fort Myers and that eventually 10 million people would join him there. About 300 people were the most that ever showed up. The communal group that did join him believed the earth was hollow and earth and sky existed inside the inner surface. That earth contained the entire universe, inversely, with the sun at the center. Koreshan beliefs also included a biune God (one that was both male and female) and reincarnation. The community thrived for a while in the early 1900’s and were self sufficient, much like Amish communities are today. But because the sect eventually practiced celibacy and membershi...

  A trip to the Keys wouldn’t be complete without visiting Key West and having your picture taken with the buoy proving you made it to the southernmost point in the continental USA. There’s also the Ernest Hemingway House and the six toed cats to see.There’s no missing the Key West roosters because they are everywhere! They’re believed to be descendants of the fighting roosters released on the island when cockfights became illegal in the late 1970’s. We appreciated the history and culture in this vibrant city but after spending the morning in Old Town we happily headed north again. Our plan was to stop at mile marker 30, on Big Pine Key, in hopes of seeing the endangered Pine Key Deer. The island of Pine Key is home to the National Key Deer Refuge and this section of the Keys is the only place in the world you can see these miniature creatures. Sometimes called the “toy deer” an adult female can weigh as little as 45 pounds. (about the size of a German shepherd) The original specie...

  This trip was conceived from a sense of nostalgia. Every trip we plan brings anticipation and the hope of new discoveries but this trip was always rooted in the desire to look for places that bring back the elusive feeling of a simpler time; the old Florida Mark remembers from the 70’s. One way we’ve pursued that goal is trying to find places to eat with some history. The Fish House, in Key Largo, is one of the few remaining establishments that buys fish from local commercial fishermen; fresh off the boat. Local fishermen bring their daily catches every week to the back door of the Fish House where it’s filleted on the premises. Herbies has been part of the Keys dining scene since the 1940’s making it the oldest continually operated restaurant in Marathon. As one reviewer noted, it’s not really a dive; more of a shack, but good food and atmosphere.  However, our best find of the trip was probably the No Name Pub. Its history goes back to 1931. Years ago people from all walks...

  We made it to the middle Keys and are camping at a private park outside of Marathon called the Jolly Roger. When we arrived, we discovered many people had vacated the middle Keys because of the approaching storm and there were unexpected vacancies. We were offered a premium site in the park on the sea wall. As we made our way to the premier site I noticed a nondescript site no one seemed interested in that happened to be under an enormous tree. It wasn’t particularly level with lots of tree roots in the way but had plenty of shade. The site we’d been offered had a small palm tree, a level gravel pad and a breathtaking view of the ocean but no real shade. The past, younger version of myself wouldn’t have hesitated scooping up the water front site, but present day me realized that if we wanted to continue pursuing that elusive island vibe state of mind, the tree trumped the sea. We still have a distant view of the ocean but more importantly, a comfortable spot to lounge in from sun...

  When Mark and I planned this trip we had a general Jimmy Buffet inspired idea of what the term island vibe means. Our first island stop, in search of an island vibe, was John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. We settled into this beautiful place with every intention of slowing down, kicking back and enjoying a cheeseburger in paradise. However, before the island vibe could kick in we were warned that we might be in the path of an approaching tropical storm/hurricane. I’d planned to snorkel and Mark was signed up for another glass bottom boat excursion at the coral reef in the park but all tours were canceled due to rough seas caused by the approaching storm. We decided to watch the 1948 classic movie Key Largo (which also features first time island travelers facing a hurricane in the Keys). The movie inspired us to visit The Caribbean; Key Largo’s oldest bar where the movie was filmed 87 years ago. We found out from locals and fellow tourists that the best course of action in th...

  Today we visited our 41st national park. America currently has 63 recognized parks. The Everglades, along with Yellowstone and Death Valley are the largest parks in the continuous 48 states. The Everglades are a vast subtropical landscape of diversity and provide refuge for threatened and endangered species. They’re also known for harboring a healthy population of mosquitoes. Mark and I arrived at the park with head nets and repellent but couldn’t believe we didn’t have to use either. Mark and Jackson were able to sit in the shade of a pavilion, armed with my Dad’s old binoculars, and I got to hike along boardwalks and through hardwood hammocks. We saw egrets, white ibis, herons, hawks and a strange little bird that appeared to be walking on the water atop the lily pads. I later found out this “Jesus bird” was actually a purple gallinule. We also saw our first alligator of the trip. I didn’t manage to get a picture of any of the wildlife but the creator of the park brochure must ...