December 2022 and March 2023
I made two separate visits to Florida. The first was when I tired of the cold in Texas so boarded a flight for Miami to head down to the keys and explore some national parks. The second was in March, again to avoid the cold weather permeating everywhere north of the State. My March arrival in the northwest part of the State was welcomed by a torrential storm including a Tornado watch, halting my southward progress from Destin – never made it to Panama City. I find I like the northeastern half of Florida more than the western half. People are friendlier and say hello. Also, other than somewhere like Daytona, there are fewer high rises. The sand is less pristine but that is not something I mind. It is still walkable and I can get fluffy sand in Santa Monica. Also, the northeastern area has the national parks with no buildings and way fewer people. South Florida has a LOT of mosquitos and these other little biting bugs called no see ums. I do think my bug bite thing (that is what it is called) helped a bit as well as afterbite to put on all the itchiness. Deet was of no help. When you go to the state campgrounds in the Keys (mostly RV parks these days – the words “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot” ringing in my head throughout) are filled with mesh cages where people can enjoy the outdoors behind a screen while they read their book before moving back into their large RV, some bigger than my first studio apartment. But the water is lovely so I did what I do in Hawaii, suck it up and count up the bites. One other thing I saw much more of in the southern part of Florida was smoking. So used to seeing few smokers (of cigarettes that is) in California that it was odd to see so many people lighting up cigarettes.
FLORIDA KEYS: I started my December ventures by driving south to the keys where I planned to camp thinking it would be easy on a Tuesday to land a spot. That plan turned out to be wrong. I quickly learned (and later confirmed with several locals) that the reservation system instituted in the last few years has nearly killed the ability to last minute camp. People book out 11 months in advance (the farthest out allowed) and the only way to score a spot is to keep checking for a cancellation or get a kind ranger to allow you to use the emergency spot for the night like I did. Just as well I had trouble as my bed set up was less than ideal – the blow-up pool float I bought at Target turned out to have these large gaps for a drinking game so that half of the thing could not be inflated (only the very middle and the edges). I stuffed it full of clothes but did not have enough with me to have a full sleep surface. I then went and bought some of those little arm floaties for kids but turns out I would have needed about 20 of them. It was not until my last camping night in the Everglades at a national park campsite that I slept a bit better having found some cheap memory foam at the Dollar Store.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Located just south of Key Largo, this was my first stop where I arrived just as the ranger was closing up shop and was able to land a one night stay at the emergency site. They are quite militant at these Florida state parks, even chalked my tires with heavy duty chalk that I had to buy cleaner to remove just in case I did not move my car from the site by 1pm. The campground itself is not great as it is pretty much an RV park (and my spot without hookups) but what makes it worth staying (other than having somewhere to sleep for the night even if it did cost over $50 for a plot of dirt) was being able to rent a kayak the next morning and explore the mangroves and the open ocean. Thankfully I brought my phone as I paddled way off the map they gave me and given it was sort of a bay, needed GPS to find my way back through the choppy waters.
Bahia Honda State Park. This particular park is known for its beaches but otherwise consists of two large RV areas and one tent camp area where you also can view the main road. I spent one night in the Buttonwood are, the not very nice area which abuts the four lane highway, separated only by a single row of trees. Not exactly the camping experience one would want. I had booked two nights here, the second being in a different spot but which I had to cancel as they have a rule I could not find posted anywhere that even though the tent sites include a parking space with plenty of room, you are not allowed to sleep in your vehicle, you must pitch a tent. Well, I did not have my tent with me or a sleeping bag for that matter and sleeping out in the open with the mosquitos covered by only a thin sleep sack just was not an option. So, I was left paying a cancellation fee for the second night and having to find other lodging.
Key West. Lots of chickens here. Also the best Cuban coffee of my trip at Keys Coffee – the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. I only took a day trip to Key West but managed to have breakfast, enjoy a coffee, pass by the most southern point of the United States (skipped the photo opp as not a fan of standing in line to take pictures), and drove the scenic Seven Mile Bridge to get there. It is a cute town though best enjoyed with a group and several cocktails.
Key Largo. Key Largo is the entry point into the Keys. It’s not so fancy facade had its own charms. Because I could not land a camping spot that night, I found a small hotel on the water where I found a room for just over $100 for the night and free use of their kayaks. Unfortunately the storm was picking up by the time I was settled making it a bit risky to venture far given the very high tides and steady wind which had me nearly paddling in place. So I had to instead bide my time chatting with the very attractive front desk attendant who had just signed his divorce papers. There are worse ways to spend an evening. We made plans to hang out on his day off but I realized I only had a few days left before my flight back to Houston and I wanted to camp in the Everglades, visit Naples and check out Miami. And I realized I was very, very unlikely ever moving to Florida so why start up something.
EVERGLADES. Home of large reptiles and bugs and beautiful birds. I started by renting a bike at Shark Valley and rode the 15 mile paved path bordering the swamps. Such a great way to explore the area and have many photo ops of alligators and birds, including one having lunch. I was a bit hesitant to stop next to a Gator but when I saw the open tour bus stopping to view, figured it must be somewhat safe (though on this writing, an 85 year old woman was just killed by one in Florida). After my day ventures I headed to Long Pine further into the park to camp. Here I found more birds and after night fell had to swerve to get around a very large Python near my campsite – have since learned I should have run over it as they are very invasive. It was then I decided to stay in my rental vehicle for the night and use the taco bell takeout container as my toilet which I emptied each time by quickly opening the door and tossing my pee out the window. So much for my plan to be near the bathroom. Once daylight came, I made my way to the bathroom only to have a very large bug stroll toward me without fear as I squatted, ignoring my stomping to scare it away. So, I ended up being the one to run away having emptied enough for the time being and made my way West.
NAPLES. A couple of my friends have raved about Naples so I wanted to make sure to see it on this trip. I realized I prefer a bit more funky/rustic or whatever and the area reminded me more of somewhere like Scottsdale or Phoenix so was not really my cup of tea though it is pretty and there are some very nice homes. I took a short beach walk but had to step over so many dead fish that I turned around after about 5 minutes. Not sure if this was related to the hurricane or red tide or something else, but explained why there was almost no one else on the beach. Back in the car I headed up the coast a bit and saw the true devastation of the recent hurricane. Mounds of trash piled up on the side of the road and cars that looked like an angry ex-lover had visited with a sledge hammer. I did not want to be the disaster tourist driving around for very long so I snapped a few photos and began my drive to Miami.
MIAMI / MIAMI BEACH / HOLLYWOOD. I have gone to Ft. Lauderdale in the past which I like as always found friendly people and great beaches but for this trip wanted to explore Miami and Miami Beach. Arriving at the Miami airport feels like arriving elsewhere south of the border. Most people are speaking Spanish and no one working there seemed inclined to give a modicum of service or move at other than at a very reduced pace. The woman at Hertz tried to help as I struggled to figure out how to move the headrest in my rental car, but she spoke no English. I tried to explain what I needed with my minimal Spanish then gave up and searched online for answers. The weather was cooperating and Art Basel Miami was winding down from the weekend so there were still a lot of folks around, especially at Miami Beach. Miami is like other cities with varying neighborhoods from hip to fancy to run down to touristy, or all the above. I had my last Cuban coffee at Versailles in Little Havana which did not at all rival what I had in Key West, took in some street art (no museums as it was a Monday and most was closed), walked around the Wynwood Art District (very hip), drove through Coco Cabana, walked a few other neighborhoods then headed to Miami Beach where I meandered along the busy beach finding where all the people were that I could not find in my recent travels. There I grabbed an early dinner at Harry’s Pizzeria which has a ½ price happy hour on any wine (not just the cheap undrinkable stuff) and any pizza and ended up with a fantastic short rib / gruyere / arugula / caramelized onion pizza. Yum!
DESTIN / NAVARRE. I drove to Destin in March from the Alabama Gulf Shores on the day before my birthday hoping to land a camping spot on the State run beach campground even though it was sold out online. I did not love Destin. It has a lot of high rises. But I did want to camp on the beach. As I waited in line to get into the park, the rain pummeling and the wind physically rocking my car, I decided that camping was not going to work and maybe I should just keep on my way to Panama City. I plugged the destination into my phone only to be greeted with a tornado watch for all directions other than the north from where I had just come. So much for beach camping or seeing Panama City. As the hotels were quite pricey, I found a room on AirBnB to the north in Navarre that claimed to be 30 minutes from Destin – it was not. I later learned Navarre has beautiful beaches but I never saw them as it was still raining in the early morning when I gave up trying to sleep, having been awakened at 4:20am by the folks in the adjoining room. My birthday was not starting out well. With the tornado watch gone, I headed east.
NEW SMYRNA AND CANAVERAL. I have been to New Smyrna in the past and had not planned to return but felt I needed a familiar place to spend a couple of days and having liked the town in the past, made my way a bit south. I did not time things well. Turns out it was the tail end of bike week (a Sturgis type event) and spring break which explains why the hotel prices were unusually expensive, with places like Fairfield and Days Inn running $300+ per night. I located one nearby camp spot but the reviews from the past few days were people checking out due to the proliferation of ticks. I finally found a room for just over $100 per night at a small nearby independent motel that had okay ratings. Driving up it felt a bit sketchy and the room was a bit, shall we say, worn. The manager was very nice though and as we chatted for a bit, he assured me that he knew everyone staying at the property and my car was safe and there would be no swat team raids (which had happened in the past) – brought back memories of my first day at my first job out of college in Gardena where there was a swat team in the parking lot as I pulled in. Anyway, I was here, it was late and I was hungry. Should have checked the room first before getting my Taco Bell dinner as I learned too late that the shower wall in the bathroom was occupied by a very large cockroach which I learned in the morning was a German cockroach, I guess due to its stoutness. I skipped the morning shower. Did I mention it was my birthday on the night I checked in…
CANAVERAL NATIONAL SEASHORE. Whereas the beach at New Smyrna was crowded with people and cars (you can drive on the beach and park so you don’t have to waste any energy carrying your chair and cooler), the national park seashore was near empty and the sand covered with beautiful shells and so very peaceful. I found my favorite road sign in Florida warning of nude sunbathing.
MERRITT ISLAND. The two parks are separated by a sandbar so you cannot drive through one to the other and walking the bar requires a permit. I went to both parks though drove to Merritt on three separate days, the first being cold and windy with the few folks there bundled up (except the lone nude sunbather who was representing no matter how cold), the second being sunny and beautiful resulting in my first sunburn of the year, and on the third trip I brought my friend Marcia with me covered up to prevent more burn. We were clothing shamed by some of the nudists though they gave me a pass after my explaining (why on earth I felt the need I don’t know) that I had too much sun the day prior and they acquiesced noticing my reddened face. In addition to a beautiful endless shore, there are beautiful birds and views of the Kennedy Space Center and rocket launch site. Oh, and we had a gator crossing on our way out – they are kind of cute when walking along – from the safety of my car.
SANFORD. This place was a surprise and holds a lot of history. Not on any of the recommendations I received nor a place I had heard of, I ended up here because the room prices were way more reasonable and the pictures of the downtown looked inviting. I was in desperate need of somewhere clean and found it at Richard’s place, a military guy which explained the ultra organization and sparseness (in a good way) of his AirBnB home. Sanford is known as Celery City based on its past of producing a large amount of celery for consumption. It is on a large lake (which to my dismay also has gators though felt very bay like the first day with a cold incoming wind and seabirds against the gray sky) and has a good size downtown with a number of restaurants, a happening food hall, and cafes. It also has these amazing craftsman style homes on beautiful tree lined, imprinted brick streets in the historic district. And then in Georgetown where I stayed are the older and mostly less restored homes where you can see the effect of segregation (the town’s founder, Henry Sanford, an anti-slavery activist both in the U.S. and the Congo, created the African American neighborhood by selling parcels starting in about 1880), with fewer sidewalks, unmaintained parks, and abandoned buildings. You can see some differences in the photos below. I would put Sanford on the worthy of a visit list. If there, go for a coffee at Palate Coffee. A great cause as they raise money to prevent human trafficking and they have great coffee.
WINTER PARK. I came here primarily to visit Marcia and Fred. Winter Park is one of the nicer cities in central Florida with several blocks of quality restaurants and stores and politically conservative. My arrival coincided with the start of the town’s 64th annual Sidewalk Art Festival (yes, it started in 1960). It is about the physical size of what used to be the Sausalito Art Festival though with a much larger attendance, partially due to its history and partly because it is entirely free. It is less music focused – though they do have music – the opening act this year was Spyro Gyra who would love to have seen but the main concert is held the week prior. There was some interesting art and some fantastic sculptures. We spoke with artists from as far away as Washington State – apparently more than 1,000 artists apply for spots at this festival which brings in up to 250,000 visitors each year. We also celebrated St. Patrick’s day at the newly opened Park Avenue Tavern which was a lot of fun and the food and service were fantastic.
ST. AUGUSTINE. Lots of history, pretty buildings, some museums, a cool college campus, a fort, and loads of people. I found it to be a bit too crowded after making my way through though had a really great ice cream at Mayday, they make their own. The Datil Dark which has datil pepper was decadent.
AMELIA ISLAND. Spent my last night in Florida here hoping to land a camping spot near the beach but no such luck. It is a nice small town with a historic shopping district with a number of bars and restaurants. The highlight was a second ice cream at DeNucci’s next door to my hotel, tried the chocolate with brownie and fudge and it was very good. It was an ice cream kind of day.
Northward to Georgia.