Transit Day

Another travel day, this time from eastern MN to western MN the across South Dakota to the Badlands National Park.  The only excitement was a flood that closed I-90 for a while.

Once into western SD we start picking up on some more interesting things like:

Georgia O’Keefe Live

The Ranch Store and Trading Post

(Trades with the Chinese only.)

The World’s LARGEST Prairie Dog

 His Children

 And my personal favorite – Eroded Dirt 

 (The little sign says “BEWARE OF RATTLE SNAKES”

Good Night From The Badlands

Brad & Val

Today Minnesota .... Tomorrow the WORLD

This morning we departed DG precisely at 9 am, SDT (Standard Departure Time), destination ALASKA. The original plan was to go to Portland via the Black Hills, Devils Tower, and the Tetons.  However, on the Thursday night walk, “somebody” suggested we just keep on going to Alaska.  HUH?  So after the walk we drove to B&N and bought “The Milepost” ALCAN highway guide.  And I then had one day to plan a 9,000 mile road trip.

Turns out, that’s not too much of a problem since there are basically only 2 logical routes to Fairbanks, (endpoint of trip), so we take one on the way up and another on the way back.

 Today consisted of a spectacular run west from Chicago to Rockford, then up through central Wisconsin and a little ways across southern Minnesota.  Wildlife sightings consisted mostly of roadkill and a few bovines.  (Sorry, no pics.)

Excitement was limited to a realization that we only had one set of car keys with us, thus necessitating a stop at the Brenengen Chevrolet in West Salem WI.   Woulda'  been even more exciting if it had been 100 miles from the nearest town somewhere in the Yukon.  

I did however prove a long suspected theory by turning the driving over to Val is immediately followed by 20 miles of construction and another 1/2 hr of classic Minnesota torrential downpour.

We're now settled in for the night at Myre - Big Island State Park near Albert Lea MN.  Had dinner and opened my Father's Day Present early.  Great cards, virtual and hard-copy from kids and grand kids and some electronic gizmo with 18 cables sprouting from it which allegedly will spew forth many videos if I can figure out how to hook it up.

Good Night to All From Minnesota

Note – I never completed the blog posts from the Florida trip so blogging this trip might be a challenge.  However since the days are going to be 21 hours of daylight, I guess that might help.

Brad & Val

CENSORED.....

The past three nights were at St Josephs Peninsula State Park just east of Panama City Fl.  I had a very spicy blog all prepared but was advised to "stick a pin in it".  So I sent it to Jessica who is the only person I know who would appreciate it.  Lets just say it involved:

    1.  A youth group of 30-40,

    2.  The camp site right next to ours,

    3.  A live amplified band.

The following are some shots that have nothing to do with the above.

7 1/2 Miles of Empty Beach Ahead.

6 Miles of Empty Beach Ahead

5 Miles of Empty Beach Ahead
(but who's counting)

Awesome Beach!!

You leave her unsupervised for FIVE minutes......

Have moved on (actually backtracked) to St Georges Island State Park for 2 nights.  Weather is very iffy but hope it holds up.  Monday we head for the barn.

Good night from quiet St Georges Island.

Brad & Val

Southern Sloth

No, we didn't actually see a sloth.  However it has been said (but not substantiated) that just being a southerner automatically makes you slower, less productive and trend towards sloth-i-ness.  

Well I would like to say that I haven't updated the blog for a week because we've been sooooo busy.  But that would be a lie.  I am simply succumbing to the above theory.  To be sure, some of the places visited have less than stellar connectivity,  but again that would be rationalization.

So, in a whirlwind catchup, Since the last post we've worked our way up the west coast of Florida, a'la the circuitous route below.

The objective being to stay as close to the water as possible, (without actually being in it).  There was a pretty heavy rain earlier and some of the dirt roads along the coast are only inches above the swamp water.

Travelling west Florida is all about nuance on the basic theme of swamp, marsh, ocean, bird, alligator, etc.  We have seen a LOT of nuance and below are some examples:

(Be sure to watch the movie clip at the end.)

SNAKES SEEKING HIGH GROUND AFTER THE RAIN

Oh....  I love snakes.

A DRIVE ALONG A COASTAL BACK ROAD

It SAYS the road goes through!

Sunny Warm Florida

I may be old, but I'm not THAT old.

Manatees at Manatee Springs

Spooky White Squirrel

ANOTHER Alligator

You steal my sandwich and I'll feed you to the 

above @!#$%%# alligator!

                According to Val, the only thing better than the heron eating the snake...

IS A SNAKE EATING A SNAKE

And the only thing better than that would be for a heron to swoop down 

and eat them both.
HA HA

Good Night from Ochlockonee, (and no, I can't pronounce it).

Brad & Val

Heading "North"

Heading north is by necessity, not preference.  Because any further south would require swimming, which the Funmobile does not do well.

So we departed Bonita Springs later than planned due to a clock that was still set to daylight savings time.  (That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.)  A bit overcast but trying for Ding Darling (silly name) National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island.

When we get to the causeway to the island, there is a solid line of traffic coming off the island and an even more solid line going onto the island, with no place to turn around and a toll booth ahead.  (It's mid-day on a Monday.  WHY AREN'T THESE PEOPLE WORKING!!)



Long story short, we finally give up, do a U'y in mid-island, joining the outbound line.  Continue on to arrive at Oscar Scherer (no clue who he is) State Park in a driving rain.  Rain breaks for a while allowing for a leisurely short walk.

Roger, I don't care if the market IS down.  I want to make money ALL the time.

Today (Tuesday) the clouds break and we head over to Myakka State Park for the day.  A bike ride and a walk in the palmetto forest makes for a good day, ending in a special sighting.

Can Alligators Climb Trees?

A female owl and two chicks.

Now back at Oscar Scherer.  Tomorrow heading further north.

Good Night from west central Florida.

Brad & Val

Family Time

Spending a couple of days at Judie and Fred's in Bonita Springs.  Relative luxury compared to the Funmobile, with separate bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, shower, dining room and indoor pool.  We have all those things when living in the Funmobile too, just all in the same room.  (Except the pool which is usually across the street and full of alligators.)

For anyone who hasn't been to Judie's,  it's really nice.  A beautiful setting with lots of tropical plantings and designed to attract local wildlife, (birds, frogs, butterflies, hurricanes, etc.)

Not too shabby gettin' up in the morning and drinking your coffee overlooking the ibis' poking around under the banana tree.  One could get used to that.

Now Judie is a big-time birder.  I'm talking someone who would (and just did) spend a week travelling to all four corners of Colorado attempting to sight every known species of prairie chicken.  (To be fair, I'm sure she considers me a bit nuts for spending a month or more at a time living in a box with wheels.)

That said, taking a walk in the woods with her is and experience of another dimension.  She can see, hear and identify birds that I would never find, and even if I saw them, wouldn't have a clue what they were other than "white bird with long legs".

So that's what we did on Saturday, hopping over the gators on the trail, and on Sunday we walked around the island that is owned by the community association  where they live.  

OK - LISTEN UP!  That was a snowy footed, indigo fly catcher.
Twee-Toot-Warble-Warble

Just kidding.  It was only a robin.

He WASN'T there when we came out this way!

Good dinners and sitting around swapping travel stories. (Judie is well traveled to say the least, with several continents of birding under her belt.)

Several loads of laundry done, and we we are on our way Monday morning.

Thanks to J & F for the hospitality and Good Night from Bonita Springs.

Brad & Val

Backtrack

Last night was at Everglades City area which is on the west edge of the park.  We had planned on kyaking in the area, but I couldn't find anything that looked like what I wanted, (swamp as opposed to open water).

So we decided to back track to a trail known as Gator Hook located down a dirt road off the Tamiami Trail (the road crossing the glades.).  

.






Now this is a pretty remote area and although technically it is in the Everglades National Park, there are some private land parcels.  But not to worry, they are well identified.



At the trail head there was a ranger, so we asked him about the trail.  We allowed that while we were experienced hikers, we were from Illinois had not done much swamp hiking.  A very friendly fellow, he  offered that he was from Wisconsin and down for the season as a park volunteer.

He said it was a wonderful trail and the calf to knee high water was clear most of the time so it was pretty easy to see what was underfoot..  He did however suggest we take one of the tree branch poles leaning up against the sign just to stir things up as you walked.  He also offered that there are hardly any gators as there's nothing to eat out there.

Finally, he said "You can wash the mud off you feet over there in the canal when you get back.  But be sure to swish the stick around first."

We smiled and thanked him for the advice.  Back at the Funmobile I decided that good sense says NEVER TAKE ADVICE FROM PEOPLE WHO WEAR CHEESE ON THEIR HEADS!!

So instead of the Gator Hook trail, we drove the 20 mile scenic dirt road, which is where all the alligators were that were allegedly NOT on "gator" hook trail.

Cooperative Roadblock Between Alligator and Buzzard

From here we proceeded to Bonita Springs where we will spend the next three days with Judie and Fred who graciously invited us to visit as long as we did not hang holiday lights or place pink flamingos around the Funmobile.

Good night from Bonita Springs

Brad & Val