February 5th - March 5th, 2007 - After freezing to the bone in Arizona in January we
decided to dash across the country to Florida. Besides warming up, we had lots of family
that was in Florida for the winter, so it made a great destination. When we first arrived
we spent a few weeks in The Villages in north central Florida. This was a hub of activity
for much of Mark's extended family. The Villages is a unique masterplanned community
of 60,000 people
surrounding two town
center facades -- they are
real, in that there are real
shops selling real goods,
but they are fake in that the buildings and environs were
constructed in the last twenty years to resemble old fashioned
towns from another era. The mirage is exceptionally well executed.
We walked along the town lake, past the "Bait Shop" to the town
pier. It was
odd to
discover that
the boats in the water were props, including one that was "shipwrecked" on
the pier. The scene was lovely to look at, but had no heart. As we walked
we listened to The Villages radio station piped over the intercom
throughout the town center. Ads for housing in this massive development
played constantly. We turned and saw that the largest building in the town
square was the
sales office -- a
lovely building with
pillars and a huge
inviting front porch.
But the sign above
the porch bore The
Villages logo and said
"Sales Information."
It is a kind of Santa's
Toyland for retirees, a
great place to spend a week of escapism vacation but (for us) a scary place
to spend your golden years. Happy hour was at 4:00 everyday with insanely
inexpensive drinks and community-provided live entertainment. We boogied
with WWII vets and drank two-for-one margaritas til we stumbled. We had a
blast, but it felt good to get away and get a dose of reality in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville Beach, and its neighboring
Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach, is a simple
stretch of sand lined with tall grasses, beach
houses and seabirds. The seabirds were
especially engaging. The Royal Terns looked to us
like 1980's punk rockers, with damp saltwater
stiffened feathers on their heads that looked like
mohawk hairdos. The laughing gulls careened
everywhere, cackling their high-pitched cries as
they flew.
The far north
end of Mayport Beach is home to a mixed flock of seabirds,
primarily Black Skimmers that have a fierce predatory look with
a bright red sword of a bill.
We took a daytrip
to Mt. Dora. This
small town has a
cute cycling statue and a sign marking the trailhead for a bike path. What a
surprise to find out that this town has no bike path! Just some artwork and a
trailhead sign.
However, the town does have a
beautiful boardwalk out into the swampy
marshes on the edge of the town lake.
Snakes and birds and exotic swampy
plants line the boardwalk. Our best find
was an alligator swimming around
partially submerged in the lake.
We spent some time in Ocala National Forest. One
evening as the sun set we had all our windows open in
the trailer. One by one the swamp creatures began to
sing their evening songs. The forest came to life
around us. We sat for an hour letting the darkness
descend, listening closely as the strange noises from
these animals filled the night air.
After a heartwarming visit with one of Mark's cousins we were packing up the
trailer to head over to the Gulf Coast. Busily bringing in the slide and raising
the jacks, we talked to his neighbor -- now our friend. She started describing
her favorite local camping area, Alexander Springs. By the time we got in the
truck to drive away we had changed our destination -- to Alexander Springs.
It is a beautiful little
jewel in the forest, a
natural, clear, warm
spring with a lovely
boardwalk trail
through the swamps
around it.
We wandered along the trail,
marveling at the lush plants and
the bright turquoise water of the
springs. Some scuba divers were
there that day, and after watching
them sink down a few feet they
vanished into their
bubbles, and then even
their bubbles seemed to
vanish, surfacing only as
gentle disturbances to
the glassy surface.
Our travels took us up
and down the east coast
and central parts of
Florida several times.
Daytona was our next big stop.