Year: 2019

Hike #51: Isle of Pine Preserve, Orlando

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Hike #51: 52 Hike Challenge: Isle of Pine Preserve, Orlando. I’ve been wanting to head out to Isle of Pine Preserve for several weeks and finally made it last Saturday. The parking lot was located within a neighborhood, but luckily there were several signs leading the way. Isle of Pine Preserve is the kind of place where you expect to see some deer and gopher tortoises, but I had no luck today. Although I hiked mainly on the Blue Trail, I also sampled portions of the Orange and Red trails as well. I will come back another time to hike the remainder of the trails. Distance: 2.5 miles.

Gopher Tortoise, Oakland Nature Preserve

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gophertortoise

One of our favorite hikes is taking a stroll along the boardwalk to Lake Apopka at Oakland Nature Preserve. This time out we saw a rat snake slithering down a tree, a baby alligator unsuccessfully attempting to eat a baby turtle and this friendly gopher tortoise trying to get some sun. Nice outing!

Braden Castle Ruins

reweidman50 Florida History, Uncategorized , ,

Postcards

“In the early 1840s, two brothers, Dr. Joseph Addison Braden and Hector Braden, arrived from Tallahassee to what is now the town of Bradenton, seeking to rebuild their lost fortunes … Today, the remnants of Dr. Braden’s once stately manor can still be found in the center of Braden Castle Park, fenced off to the public but clearly visible. The broken slabs of tabby are slowly being reclaimed by Florida’s original occupants: birds, lizards, and mangrove trees.” – Atlas Obscura

Hike #50: Price Lake Loop Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway

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pricelake

Hike #50: 52 Hike Challenge: Price Lake Loop Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway. It was an extremely cold but sunny afternoon as we headed along the Blue Ridge Parkway to one of my favorite North Carolina High Country hikes, the Price Lake Loop Trail at Price Lake Overlook (MP 296.7). We took our time hiking around the lake and enjoying the scenery, as well as carefully navigating around the occasional muddy patch. My phone conked out early on because of the cold and unfortunately I was only able to get the above photo. Afterwards, we headed up to Blowing Rock for a nice lunch at Mellow Mushroom. Not a bad way to spend my 50th hike! Distance: 2.7 miles.

Hike #49: Castle Windy Trail & Beach Walk, Canaveral National Seashore

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Hike #49: 52 Hike Challenge: Castle Windy Trail & Beach Walk, Canaveral National Seashore. We parked at Lot #3 since the Castle Windy Trail is located across the street from this parking lot. My first attempt to hike the trail was dismal, since I forgot to apply mosquito repellent and I was immediately attacked by a ferocious swarm of mosquitoes as soon as I crossed the street. I made it about a quarter of a mile and then made a hasty retreat. Fortunately, there was a can of mosquito repellent in our beach bag, so I doused myself with repellent and made a second attempt. The Castle Windy Trail is a straight shot from the beach to the aptly named Mosquito Lagoon. It is a shaded trail and very scenic, but expect to get many mosquito bites! The entire trail is only about 0.8 mile, so I supplemented it with a nice one mile walk along the beach. Distance: 1.8 miles.

King Henry’s Feast

reweidman50 Defunct Florida Attractions, Uncategorized , ,

kinghenry

King Henry’s Feast was a popular tourist attraction on International Drive in Orlando that operated from 1986 to 1999. According to a 1987 Orlando Sentinel article, “Down on tawdry International Drive, which enjoys a certain notoriety in these parts, the tourist-trade establishments blend together in one neon blur. But one of them stands apart, at least in terms of architectural novelty: King Henry’s Feast is a gargantuan fortressy affair with pink and white turrets. The self-proclaimed ‘Entertainment Banquet Attraction,’ which went by the name Shakespeare’s Tavern when it was housed in downtown Orlando, moved to International Drive in early 1986.”

The Vedder Museum, St. Augustine

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The brainchild of “Dr.” John Vedder (1819-1899), the Vedder Museum, which opened in the 1880s at the corner of Treasury and Bay streets in St. Augustine, may very well have been Florida’s first “tourist trap.” In addition to an impressive collection of snakes and alligators, The Vedder Museum drew in customers with an assortment of “natural oddities and curiosities.” Following Vedder’s death in 1899, the St. Augustine Historical Society, purchased his entire collection (however, the Vedder Museum building itself burned to the ground in 1914). By the way, seven-foot-wide Treasury Street itself was billed as “The Narrowest Street in the United States.”

Hike #48: Flat Island Preserve, Leesburg

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Hike #48: 52 Hike Challenge: Flat Island Preserve, Leesburg. I arrived early at the 2,300-acre Flat Island Preserve in the Okahumpka Marsh and was the first one there and (briefly) had the whole island to myself. The trail system here is well maintained (and marked) by the Florida Trail Association. Don’t miss a chance to check out the scenic boardwalk. I will be back! Distance: 3.7 miles.