Shark Valley–Everglades National Park, FL…

Another really special park can be found in Shark Valley at the Everglades National Park. There are several way to see this park… on foot, on bike, or take the guided tram. We decided to do the wonderful bike ride there since we had brought our bikes along and the weather was perfect…

The sign to Shark Valley is a bit hard to see but the cars parked all along the roadside are not easy to miss. As is typical on weekends, the park’s parking lot was already full and cars so cars were parked along the state highway. We found a spot and parked, took the bikes off of the bike rack and rode to the pay station where we flashed our National Parks Pass, which will save you the $5.00 per head entry fee.

The bike trail is a 15 mile paved road with no hills to climb or rough terrain to traverse making for a nice 2 or 3 hour ride. We know this now after having done the loop but when we first arrived we planned to ride 1-2 hours around what I recalled was a 6 mile loop… but is is much longer, ooops!!!

The first half of the loop was teeming with various birds and oodles of alligators. We stopped for many photo opportunities but eventually made it to the observation tower just short of halfway on the loop trail. It was then that I began to suspect the bike trail was closer to 9 miles… Not to be deterred we went up the tower to look over the expanse that is the Everglades…

We continued on the trail which I assumed to be about the same distance as the first part only to discover it wasn’t as it meandered back and forth along the marsh lands. The first half of the trail had been a straight shot to the tower so as time passed we both started to get a bit tired and cranky. Because we didn’t eat lunch before we began the ride, this may have attributed to some of the crankiness along with the extra 3-4 miles of unplanned riding we undertook…

If you do this ride I may recommend that you only ride to the observation town and then back along the same trail since the best wildlife viewing is on this half of the trail. Plan on a long and tiring ride in the Florida heat and as we found out we both needed some time to recover from the long day it took riding the full loop…

Road Treats of Key West, FL…

Some of our favorite things we did while here in the Keys:

• Best Happy Hour outside of Key West – Hogfish Bar and Grill
• Best Happy Hour in Key West – Boat House Bar
• Best local food establishment in Key West – Mr. Z’s
• Best Beach – Higgs Beach
• Best Happy Hour Menu – Boat House Bar
• Best Street to Walk – Duval Street, Key West
• Best Event to Watch/Photograph - Key West Race Week
• Best Biking – Anywhere in Key West
• Best People Watching – 100 to 300 block of Duval when cruise ships are in
• Best Bartender – Patty Wacker at the Hogfish Bar and Grill
• Most fun event – Key West Seafood Festival

Naples Greyhound Race Track, Bonita Springs, FL

If you are looking for something different to do in the Naples/Bonita Springs/Fort Myers area you should drive over to the greyhound racing track. Make sure to check the web site and find the nights they have a “DOLLAR NIGHT”… What this means is that the race programs, hotdogs, popcorn and draft beers are only one dollar each American!!! I use to go to the greyhound races when I was in the Air Force in Rapid City, South Dakota and remembered having a fun night when all us guys went out.

Since my bride had never been to a race at a dog track she said she waned to go so it was a done deal… we were off to the races. We got there a bit late but there was no fee for parking and only $2.00 per person entry. So with the one dollar program we started off $5.00 out of pocket after buying two entries and one program… 3 hotdogs and 2 beers later we were out a total of $11.00. This makes it pretty easy to break even on the day. We watched a total of 13 races and bet on 9 of them with our our wagers ranging from 2-6 dollars each race. We actually did pretty well at the track winning several bets with the whole day costing us less than eight bucks… despite having’s muchos cervezas!!! I know greyhound racing is somewhat controversial but for something different this is cheap and fun… especially on Dollar Night!!!

J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, near Fort Myers, FL…

A nice side trip from the Fort Myers, Florida area is the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel. It is known for its display of migratory bird populations and that fact that has one of the largest undeveloped mangrove populations in the USA.

Visiting wildlife refuges is a past time I will always enjoy going back to my roots of having studied Wildlife Biology back in college. I am always curious to not only see the refuge and it flora and fauna but I am also curious to see how the refuge is being managed and maintained. While working for Texas Parks and Wildlife I was a Biologist responsible for maintaining the natural integrity of parkland ecosystems in the eastern half of the state of Texas.

As a Biologist I assisted in many events such from prescribed burning to maintain habitat for endangered species such as Attwater's Prairie Chickens to eradicating non-native species such as sika and fallow deer from the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. So when I visit parks and refuges I am looking at them from two different perspectives… and from what I can see they are doing a lot of real good things here at the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

This super scenic four mile driving loop is well worth the $5.00 and if you have the National Park Access Pass your free for entry are waived. The absolute best to time to see the most wildlife will be during low tide. This would also make an absolutely wonderful bike ride, with camera in tow of course…

Blackpoint Wildlife Drive Park, Titusville, FL

If you are near the Titusville area then you really should take a daytrip over to the Canaveral National Seashore. Not only can you visit the National Seashore Park where you can lounge along the beach butyou will also pass a Road Treat along the way… The Road Treat I am referring to is the highlight of this area and it a nice little drive through the Blackpoint Wildlife Drive Park. Now keep in mind both of these parks are fee based but if you have a National Park Access Pass your free for entry are waived.

This self guided drive takes you along marshes, ponds and uplands where you will see a lot of different species of birds… some of the many we were able to spot were the Great Blue Heron, Tri-colored Herons, Green-backed Herons, Wood Storks, Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Reddish Egrets, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, large flocks of Gadwall, American Widgeon and American Coots. Double-breasted Cormorants, Common Gallinule, Anhinga, Belted Kingfishers and Pied-billed Grebes. We also saw many other species and other notable were Osprey, Northern Harriers and one stately Bald Eagle.

 

If you are ever in this area I would recommend you take a trip to this beautiful park drive and really enjoy the day…

High Tides @ Snack Jacks, Restaurant/Bar Flagler Beach, FL…

Wednesday we discovered a new road treat as there is a small restaurant/bar on the beach here at Flagler called High Tides @ Snack Jacks. We like to walk along the beach and noticed that this place was within walking distance. The actual address is 2805S. Oceanshore Blvd, Flagler Beach, FL. The Story of Two Women and a Dream on how this place came to be is an interesting read… So we were there on a Wednesday and we looked it up on the internet to see if they had a Happy Hour and guess what? It was Wacky Wednesday at High Tides @ Snack Jacks… whoopie…

Off we went about a quarter mile down the beach and after a short stroll up the stairs, we were at a table overlooking the ocean ordering some frosty beverages. Now what is Wacky Wednesday? Domestic bottles and pints are only a buck fifty!!! Well what can I say we stayed and watched the sun set over the water before making our way back home. Oh by the way they serve food here too but with beer at a buck fifty and an ocean view who is eating…

Shady Maple Grocery, East Earl, PA…

While driving through the Amish country of Lancaster County Pennsylvania you will likely pass by the Shady Maple Grocery in East Earl, PA. This store in the middle of the Amish country features locally grown produce and they specialize in “Made From Scratch” or “Home-Made” food items.

Their bakery inside the large store has wonderful treats from homemade apple fritters to some fresh out of the oven breads. A bargain can be had on their day old products as well. They have an interesting array of local meats, vegetables, bins of grains etc. and other food items. The prices are dirt cheap and the quality of the produce is as fresh as it gets.

I have no pictures of this place or any of the sections in the store because our hands were so full of produce, baked goods, cheeses and other various and sundry items. Never did I thing a grocery store would end up on Road Treats but this one does… Check it out!!!