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- 12/23/2024, Monday - Biked the Historic Jungle Trail
We found a trail called the "Historic Jungle Trail" that looked interesting, so we drove to Orchid Island (a barrier island) to check it out. We parked at the trailhead in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. The trail is hard packed sand. It was built in the 1920s by the farmers who turned the jungle into orange groves. Now they are trying to return the land to native habitat again. The north part of the trail is in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, which is the nation's first wildlife refuge, created in 1903. There are hiking trails and a wildlife viewing platform that we thought we would check out on the way back if we had time. The trail is open for vehicles, but we saw mostly cyclists, hikers, and runners. Parts of the trail reminded us of the lush green jungle in Belize. The trail also passes by some fancy gated communities. The south the trail opens up to big condos on one side and the Indian River on the other. We stopped in and took at peak at Captain Forster Hammock Preserve. There are hiking trails there, too, but we didn't have time to check them out. A little history of the trail and the citrus in the area. The homes in south Florida all have a screened-in lanai because it gets buggy, as we experienced. Some unexpected rain came in, and we were abnormally unprepared, so we took shelter under a pavilion at the Jones Pier Conservation Area. We spied this hawk in the distance while we waited for the rain to pass. Unfortunately, the rain delay (and the impending closure of our parking spot at dark) forced us to turn back before we made it to the end of the trail. The trail became quite mucky in parts from the rain, and we took some of the muck with us on our bikes and clothes. That was a sign of a good time, though, in our book. Here is the Relive video showing our route and ride:
- 12/20-12/21/2024, Friday-Saturday - Aborted SpaceX Rocket Launches
We learned that a SpaceX rocket launch was scheduled for Friday night at 10:39pm, so we decided to head to the Cape Canaveral area to try to get close and watch it. Before leaving the area we had breakfast at a a local restaurant called Tim's Corner Cafe. We saw a few clues that Tim is a huge Buffalo Bills fan. We found a place in Cocoa Village (on the mainland) to park, and we decided to bike over to the barrier island that is home to Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. There were several bridge crossings. Thankfully, most bike paths were separated from the busy road like this. However, on the first bridge it was not separated, and we had to really crank up our speed. Yay, we made it to Cocoa Beach! We took the sidewalk south toward the walkable downtown area of Cocoa Beach. We passed this enormous Ron Jon Surf Shop and thought it looked like a temple or something. We popped into a dive bar called Hunkerdown Hideout. A good band called The Sheep Dawgs was playing, but the stage was in a tiny courtyard/hallway area with little standing room. Very bizarre. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant called Poke Poke. You guessed it, they serve Poke bowls, but you get to pick the base, protein, and toppings. It was cute, and the food was good, although we failed to get any photos. After dinner we headed north to Cape Canaveral to get closer to where the rocket would be launched. Here is a better view of the giant Ron Jon Surf Shop (since we passed it again on our route north). The first place we tried to go to watch the rocket launch (Jetty Pier Park) was closed, so we biked over to a restaurant with a rooftop bar. It was also closed. We found a waterfront restaurant with large patio, though. We had a drink and caught the last song from a band, then we learned the launch had been postponed until midnight. There are lots of cruise ship terminals in this area, so we saw several of them moving about. Unfortunately, this restaurant also closed before the scheduled launch, but we were directed to another area to try to watch it. We found a spot we thought would be good enough, pulled up the live stream, and started getting excited. Then the countdown was like 3-2-1-0-Abort. :( So, we didn't get to see the rocket launch, but we did see a SpaceX booster across the way that we were told had recently been delivered by barge. We started back home, and Cara thought the pedestrian symbol (an astronaut) on the shared path was cute and totally appropriate for Cape Canaveral. We took our time heading back to the mainland, arriving after 2am. Here is a video of our 32.81 mile biking route this trip: The rocket launch got postponed until the next night at midnight, so we decided to stay another night and try again to watch it. This time we stayed in the cute downtown Cocoa Beach area and thought we could ride our bikes from there if we wanted. We worked during the day, then walked around in the evening. We found this cute beach access and decided that would be a great place to watch the launch. It was a cold night, though, so we hoped the nearby beachfront bar with patio would be open late enough. The bar would be open late enough, which was good. It had a nice vibe, and we even caught a little live music. We decided to go eat dinner, add more clothing layers, then return later for the launch. We found a gastrobar called 4th Street Fillin Station, and it was good. Eric enjoyed his shrimp and grits, and Cara liked her gluten free pasta and salad. We went back to add more warm clothing layers, and that's when we learned that the launch had been scrubbed again. Womp, womp! That killed any motivation to go out again, so we just went to bed. Another launch is scheduled from a different launch pad for the next night, but we don't want to wait around forever, so we decided to move on in the morning.
- 12/18-12/19/2024, Wednesday-Thursday - Explored Daytona Beach
After completing the last of our necessary medical check-ups (no issues, thankfully) we headed to Daytona Beach because we had never been there before. We found a great deal for a couple of nights at Ocean Court Beachfront Hotel in Daytona Beach Shores. It was a super cute hotel with a lovely courtyard and nice vibe. The pool and beach access were still closed from Hurricane Nicole two years ago, but it had a friendly hotel kitty that let us love on it! :) We decided to walk the three miles up to Daytona Beach proper. Along the way we were attracted to a sign that said "live alligators", so we had to see what it was. You could feed them, but we didn't. The live gators were at a minigolf place called Congo River Golf. It had a crashing plane and everything, lol! We passed by Screamer's Park, where we saw people riding the fast moving and spinning "Vomatron". We made sure to stay out of the direct path of its spin, just in case a rider did vomit (they didn't). We found an arcade and played pinball, winning several games, and leaving several credits because our hands got tired, lol. Eric got a high score and his name on the board, though - woohoo! For dinner we opted for sushi and hot sake at Sakana Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar. Cara ordered two yummy vegetarian rolls, while Eric opted for sushi from the little boats floating by us. On the walk back to our hotel we stopped in at a little local bar with only two other customers. One of them, a funny lady named Sherry, had control of the jukebox and was playing Elvis Presley songs non-stop. The next day, after working a bit, we decided to walk up to Daytona Beach and the Seabreeze Historic District again, but this time we took the beach. Here you can pay to park on the beach and hang out. Years ago, before the speedway was built, the Daytona 500 race used to be run on the beach and the road (Hwy A1A). However, much beach has been lost, and now high tide goes right up to the seawalls. As we walked north toward the pier (home to Joe's Crab Shack) we watched a heavy fog roll in. By the time we got to the pier the tiered building to the left was completely obscured! See - you can't even see the big tiered building (a hotel) anymore! It was quite the fog, and it lasted all night. We had to clean our glasses MANY times because they kept getting fogged up, lol. This is the cute Surfside Historic District in Daytona Beach. We walked through some neighborhoods and saw this pretty cemetery. The white sign says it is closed during Bike Week, which we found amusing. The Daytona Beach Bandshell seems like a cool venue. It's oceanfront, but you can't tell because of the thick fog. Nearby, at The Beach Hut Cantina, we enjoyed Happy Hour cheap drinks and half off appetizers. We love deals like that! It was about a 7+ mile (roundtrip) walk between our hotel and the two historic districts. After the second day of doing this, our feet were getting tired, so we headed back to the hotel room and crashed. We thoroughly enjoyed the area and our hotel, though, and we would definitely go back.
- 12/13/2024, Friday - Biked Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island had been recommended to us as a great place to ride our bikes, and Friday was set to be a beautiful day, so we decided to go check it out. The bike path basically follows along the roads on the island, but it's still pretty. It's also nice because it's separated from the roads, so you don't have to worry about getting hit by cars. Much of one section of the trail follows along a national wildlife refuge. In this section we saw a tortoise munching away on the grass. He wasn't paying us any mind at all. It looked like the area had suffered lots of damage from the recent hurricanes. Unfortunately, the wildlife refuge is closed on Fridays, so we couldn't go in and get a better look at it. This was a nice place to stop for a rest, although we soon discovered that they appear to have biting sand flies here like we are used to from Belize. Cara sat and watched the little lizards running about while Eric talked to his mother on the phone. Approaching the northwest end of the Sanibel Island, where you cross over to Captiva, the sand was invading the bike path like it surely did every part of the island. There was still a lot of cleanup to do in this area. The beach on Captiva Island was still being restored. We headed back to continue our loop around Sanibel Island. We passed through the Rabbit Road West Reserve, which, according to the sign, is alligator habitat. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any gators. The developed side of the island (opposite the huge wildlife refuge) suffered lots of damage, and there was new construction or reconstruction going on everywhere. The developed side of the island (opposite the wildlife refuge) suffered lots of damage. There were loads of empty lots where destroyed buildings had been torn down, plus lots of reconstruction and new construction. We made it to the other end of the island where there is a lighthouse. The lighthouse was closed off so we couldn't climb it. At least the bathrooms were open, lol. And the view from here was cool. Uh oh, it looks like something must have been on fire in the distance. Biking back to our vehicle we saw the crazy traffic waiting to leave the island via the one and only route. Unfortunately, it meant we had to sit in this traffic for a while too. After leaving Sanibel Island we drove down to Bonita Beach to visit a friend who now lives there. He has a great location directly across the street from the beach. A zoomed in view of the sunset from the front porch. We stayed a couple of nights here, just hanging out with our friend and enjoying our view from the van. Saturday ended up being a grey, rainy day, although we were rewarded with this beautiful full rainbow when the drizzling rain finally finished. You've got to love that!
- 12/10/2024, Tuesday - Walked Downtown Bradenton, FL
In the morning we drove south to Bradenton. We think these long span bridges are cool. We also find these enormous fishing piers super cool. This one is actually a state park! During the day we got in workouts and showers at Planet Fitness, plus lunch and work at the Panera Bread next door. Then we drove to downtown Bradenton to walk around. We decided to have dinner at a place called Oak & Stone, not realizing they had a rooftop bar/dining room. We were lucky enough to get a table with this incredible view! We have to remember to keep an eye out for rooftop bars from now on, lol. The pizza we got was made with fermented dough, and it was yummy. The crispy brussels that had been tossed in a bourbon agave sauce were also really delicious! Eric likes to make brussels sprouts, so he is always looking for ideas on making them better, and he took note of this sauce for sure. After dinner we walked the nice riverwalk along the Manatee River. This was near the Mosaic Riverwalk Amphitheater. There was also a really cool art installation of two parabolic dishes. We failed to get a photo, but Eric conjured up a video, and we enjoyed jamming to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King playing "Born Under A Bad Sign" between the parabolic dishes. It sounded like they were playing live just for us!
- 12/9/2024, Monday - Biked St. Pete Beach
After getting some work done at a Panera in St. Petersburg we headed over to St. Pete Beach to bike around and check out that area. We parked in downtown (not much going on there at all) and biked south. There were loads of places that still had debris along the road from the recent hurricane. We biked to the south end of the island to the Passe-a-Grille Historic District. We checked out the sunset on the newly rebuilt beach. The recent hurricane had shifted a ton of sand over the roads and into businesses, so that all had to be moved back to the beach. There were only a couple of places open in this cute area. We stopped in at a bar called Shadrack's because that was Eric's great grandfather's name. Plus, the bar had a pinball machine that we enjoyed playing.
- 12/7/2024, Saturday - Biked St. Petersburg, FL
On Saturday we drove to St. Petersburg, Florida and found a place to park downtown. We started out on foot and walked to North Shore Park along the waterfront, where they have these incredible banyan trees. In the park there was a big holiday fair for the children. The police had one of their assault vehicles on display for the kids to examine. Kids of all ages were enjoying looking at the vehicle and grilling the policemen about its cost (about a quarter of a million dollars, fyi). There was even a sledding hill with real snow that was set up just for the day! After grabbing lunch at a nearby farmers market we headed out on our bikes to check out some of the Pinellas Loop Trail. The part going through downtown was soon closed, so we turned back and biked along the waterfront. We saw a couple of these tiki bar pontoon boats returning to the marina after a day on the water. We checked out the public pier area, which is huge! Several people were fishing and otherwise enjoying the end of the pier. There is even a shuttle to take people from one end of the pier to the other because it is so big. We continued north along the waterfront. We saw all these sailors bringing their sailboats in after a nice day on the water. We continued past all the waterfront parks to the residential areas where people had private docks. Lots of docks had sustained damage from the last hurricane, and many palm trees along the waterfront were being supported like the one pictured here. We saw this rhinoceros statue (dressed as a pilgrim?) in somebody's front yard - what the heck?! After a nice bike ride, we ended the evening with dinner, drinks, and pinball at Voodoo Brewing Co.
- 12/5/2024, Thursday - Biked the Seminole Wekiva Trail
The next day we drove to nearby Lake Mary, FL for lunch at SoDough Square, a restaurant offering Detroit style pizza using fermented dough. The fermented part means Cara can eat it without the usual side effects from wheat! Then we drove to a nearby park to pick up the Seminole Wekiva Trailhead. The park included the Markham Woods MTB (mountain bike) Skills Park, as well as a number of mountain biking trails. The Seminole Wekiva Trail where we picked it up in the park. We headed towards the town to see how people live here. All along Markham Road were gated communities. It was still a nice trail even though it closely followed the road. And there were some pretty spots along the way. The trail turned south and followed an even busier road. The first bike trail underpass. Going through some neighborhoods. At one spot along the trail there were a few pieces of workout equipment. In another area the fence along the bike trail was decorated with all kinds of animals, people, movie scenes, motivational quotes, etc. Saving the Monarch butterfly's preferred plant of milkweed seems like something Cara's mother would support. The second bike trail underpass. More of the inspirational fence section (taken on the return ride)... On the ride back we were struck by the beauty of this sunset and had to stop for a picture. We enjoyed a nice 23.5 mile ride, then drove over to Clermont and walked around their historic downtown district. We found another fitting photo opportunity for Cara's mother here. We picked Pepe's Cantina for dinner, and Cara really loved her Black Bean Enchiladas with mole sauce. The mole sauce is a rare treat for Cara since it's usually not vegetarian.
- 12/4/2024, Wednesday - Biked the Sanford RiverWalk and Spring to Spring Trail
After more doctor stuff in the morning (nothing wrong, except the crazy health care system) we drove south to Sanford, Florida to check out the bike trails there. In a lakeside park we noticed this bird, who was obviously used to digging around in the trash cans for food. We started on the Sanford RiverWalk. It passed a marina, where we like to look at the big boats. The Sanford RiverWalk follows along the southern shore of Lake Monroe. We saw lots of people out enjoying the nice riverwalk. We continued on a big bridge over the lake. View from the bridge. On the other side of the bridge we reached the city of DeBary. We found ourselves at Lake Monroe Park. There are several nice trails in the area. The trail we picked up here apparently is part of the Coast To Coast Trail System, as well as the Heart Of Florida Trail System. Our maps call this the Spring to Spring Trail, and this picture doesn't do justice to how pretty this section of the trail was. We made sure to not stop and put our feet down when passing by these high power lines. We made that mistake one time years ago, and we still vividly remember the uncomfortable charge we felt. After a nice bike ride we walked around historic downtown Sanford, which was all lit up for the holidays. We found nice murals and sculptures around the town. Cara loved this metal sculpture. Eric had a taste for German potato salad, and there was a German restaurant (Hollerbach's) in the town that came highly recommended, so we had dinner there. Eric was able to satisfy his craving, and Cara got potato pancakes, which she also loves.
- 11/28/2024, Thursday - Thanksgiving Morning Walk
Knowing that Thanksgiving was going to be an eating fest, Cara and Ann went for a walk in the morning to preemptively burn off some of the calories they would be consuming. We failed to get pictures of the rest of the day, which consisted of Uncle Rick cooking, Eric organizing the electrical situation in our minivan, and Cara doing laundry and a little computer work. Around 4 pm we had a yummy dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, garden salad, and dinner rolls. We all ate too much, then sat and talked and watched football games until we passed out.
- 11/27/2024, Wednesday - Explored St. Simons Island, GA
We called Cara's uncle and aunt, Rick and Ann, because they are just a couple hours north of St. Augustine in St. Simons Island, Georgia. They were happy to hear from us and invited us up for Thanksgiving, so we made plans to arrive on Wednesday before dark.