1258 April 10, 2025 Helene’s Destruction In Big Bend
I walked on County Road 326 adjacent to the campground. It was another lovely walking morning.
We packed up and left by 9am. We traveled through the town of Chiefland where we stopped for supplies and groceries.
We stopped again in the town of Steinhatchee. As we drove, we could see more evidence of hurricane damage. Piers and docks were destroyed. Trees were snapped in half. Roofs were missing and there was building material hanging in treetops. We pulled over in a large lot and had our lunch.
We arrived at Old Pavilion RV Park in Perry, Florida shortly after lunchtime. This campground is in the Big Bend region in Tyler County. Hurricane Helene hit here as a category 4 hurricane with 140mph winds. We knew from speaking with the owner that this campground had only been reopened in the past several weeks. The pier is missing here. The man’s second story was ripped from his home. The only reason that the house was still standing was because it was on 19-foot block pillars. The storm surge here was 17 feet.
We took a drive this evening and many homes and businesses were completely destroyed…wiped away…gone.
We took some pictures but they don’t convey the extent of the catastrophe. It is six months after the storm and the wreckage and debris is still here. There are full dumpsters and great piles of trash. There was an ice machine washed up on the beach. There is a DISH antenna in the surf. Many homes are covered with blue tarps. There is a toilet in the marina.
This boat was pushed up against the tree line more than ½ mile from the water.
These folks are tough and resilient and with determination and grit they are plowing through the bureaucracy and insurance and red tape and inspections necessary to rebuild their lives. Some places are freshly painted and remodeled but they are not in the majority. Seeing it firsthand left us without words…it is deeply disturbing and so very sad. People have literally lost everything; taken by the wind and the sea.
Thousand of tiny crabs marching in their own parade.
We found this food truck and stopped to get dinner. We had amazing smoked ribs and I had broad beans cooked to pieces and Tim had collard greens.
This evening, we watched the sun kiss the water at 7:58pm from our site.
Another perfect morning for walking; crisp air and abundant sunshine with a light breeze. I walked large laps around the campground. I saw tiny half dollar sized turtles in the pond.
Tim also walked and he had to run to get this picture of a snake crossing the road.
We left Cedar Key and drove 5 miles to the Shell Mound Campground. We hiked near here yesterday and we were impressed by the pretty and serene ambience of the place. We decided to return today and spend the night. There are no hookups because of Hurricane Helene but it wasn’t hot at all and we will be fine for an overnight.
We walked down to the point at the boat ramp.
We took our lunch and ate out by the water.
We walked the Dennis Creek Loop Trail.
We had a quiet afternoon.
For dinner we had fresh corn on the cob, grilled barbecue shrimp, and we cut open that watermelon…luscious…all of it!
This evening, we watched the sunset over the estuary; peaceful and relaxing.
1256 April 8, 2025 Shell Mound And Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge
It was chilly enough for long sleeves this morning and perfect for walking. I walked one mile down the country lane adjacent to the campground and then one mile back. This Ohio Spiderwort was blooming alongside the road.
We packed lunch and drove to Shell Mound. Last time we were here the area was gated and closed. Today, we were pleasantly surprised to find it open. We parked at the boat ramp and took in the view.
We walked the Shell Mound Loop Trail. We learned a lot about this area. First of all, Cedar Key is so named because of the presence of lots of cedar trees. Do you know what cedar trees are used for? Pencils. Cedar is a soft wood that does not splinter easily and it smells good. This area was one of the first to manufacture pencils. One cedar tree can produce as many as 300,000 pencils. As we were walking through the woods, it smelled like pencil shavings!
This area is a protected archeological site. Native Americans first settled here about 14,000 years ago. The oyster was important to their culture for many reasons. Most importantly it was a source of food along with fish and conch and other sea life. The shells were also used for tools and containers. The people figured out how to use the oyster shells to build seawalls. These seawalls prevented erosion and were also used in fish trapping. The remainder of the shells were collected to form a humongous mound. It is estimated that this shell mound contains 1.2 billion oyster shells. These mounds also elevated the land as much as 13 feet so that structures could be built out of the flood plain. Much of this area would currently be underwater without the shell substrate. The Native Americans realized that the right valve of the shell could be returned to the water to encourage the growth of the reef. The left valve was deposited in the mound. The habit of fostering the growth of the reef made harvesting the shellfish a sustainable practice. This mound was situated to align with the sun at summer solstice. It was used for ceremonies and rituals.
In 1970, a private landowner dug into the side of the mound with a bulldozer. He used the shells to form a path. Unfortunately, this was the fate of many shell mounds here in Florida. The oyster shells were mined and used for fertilizer and aggregate.
It was amazing to walk on ancient and sacred ground and remember that people have been here long before us.
We drove to Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge and started at the South Entrance. We meandered along the nature trail.
We found a place near the water for our picnic.
There were many Virginia irises growing along the edge of the trees in the sandy and muddy ground.
We saw a white-tailed deer, some turtles, a red shouldered hawk, and songbirds.
We went back to the campground and enjoyed some quiet time.
This evening, we drove into Cedar Key for dinner. We ate at the Second Street Café/Steamers Restaurant. One week before the third hurricane, there was a disastrous fire on Dock Street. Several of the restaurants and shops were obliterated.
Second Street Café and Steamers were two restaurants both owned by the same man. He had the idea to use one of his properties to relocate and merge the two restaurants. Second Street Café serves breakfast and lunch. Steamers takes over for the dinner hour. We had great food.
Meanwhile, in Reisterstown, David and his family flew in to visit with my mom and with Kyle and his family. We are sad not to be there with everyone but we have plans to be in Atlanta soon. We want to be there for Austin’s birthday. At any rate, the family including my sister, Debbie and her husband Greg, all gathered tonight at Reter’s Crabhouse. We got to FaceTime and say hi!
The cousins!
Tim and I walked out to the beach area. We saw lots of dolphins. They must have been following a school of fish and they were feeding. They were jumping up out of the water and splashing and diving. I think they may have been working together to herd and trap the fish. We watched until they were far away.
We walked to loop from the beach and along Dock Street, across the bridge and back through town.
Tim stood on the front porch of this public building. He is marking the high water mark from the storm surge from Hurricane Helene. This building is 3 blocks from the waterfront.
More new art in the town.
We went to sit on a bench on the beach and saw the return of dolphins.
We also saw a single spoonbill. He came in for a landing and startled a bunch of gulls. They all took off together before the spoonbill parted from the group and flew off alone.
On our way back to the campground, we stopped at the public boat ramp at the Marine Research Center. It was really pretty looking out across the mudflats.
It was nice to walk in a new place. This campground is really cute. I went to check-in at the office this morning and they offered us a spot here for next winter. I think I would rather be in the Keys…
We left around 9am. We had a longer drive today; our destination was Cedar Key.
There was no easy path from central Florida to the coast. There were ten different ways to go and they all involved a lot of wiggle waggle and navigation. We worked our way steadily north and west until we arrived on the Suncoast Parkway. We arrived at Cedar Key RV Resort at around 2pm. It was 86 degrees and very windy.
We packed dinner and drove into Cedar Key. We were last here in November of 2023. Just a few months before, in August, Hurricane Idalia destroyed the town. There was a lot of damage to the waterfront restaurants and shopping area. When we got there before Christmas, the stores and restaurants were just beginning to reopen. The following August, Hurricane Debby struck the town again. There was more damage to the town businesses and infrastructure. As the town was beginning again to recover, Hurricane Helene struck in September of 2024. 3 hurricanes in 13 months. The waterfront area is devastated. I am not sure if they will ever be able to rebuild. The area is so terribly broken.
The post office is boarded up and there is a post office on wheels in a parking lot.
There were multiple motels and homes that were in shambles. There is still a lot of debris that needs to be cleared. The drive through town was quite sobering. The reality of the power of wind and 8-12 foot storm surges fully evident here.
The Community Park has been rebuilt with fresh paint on the pavilions and new playground equipment. It seemed like it was important to the community to have the center of town look put together.
A new sculpture installation at the park.
The ibises were foraging for bugs in the grass. The male has his mating season color on.
We saw large pink birds, spoonbills, flying near the shore.
More pelicans.
A wildly outlandishly decorated golf cart!
We left town and drove on a dirt road through the National Wildlife Refuge. We immediately saw feral hogs. There were two black and homely sows and we could see two small brown piglets.
I walked laps at the Midway Campground. We packed up and left shortly after 9am. Today we said goodbye to Southern Florida. No more Everglades until next winter. Tim wanted to drive up through the center of Florida. We traveled through Big Cypress National Forest. Then we drove through panther country. We drove through farmland and arrives in a small town called Immokalee. We were looking for a place to pull over and take a break. We saw a park but we couldn’t find the way in. We drove a little further and found a large empty parking area near a tomato packing plant. We stopped. Outside the garage door, there was a large bin of free tomatoes. Tim picked out 3 beautiful, perfect, vine ripened tomatoes.
I worked on the blog while we were in an area with service. Tim went walking in the town. He came back excited. He said we had stumbled upon a huge Farmers Market. We drove across the street and found a large industrial complex with huge warehouses for sorting and packing produce. We didn’t see any retail sales and we were a little disappointed.
We turned back onto New Market Road and saw a nice produce stand. In the parking lot, several men were loading a pickup truck with hundreds of watermelons. The guys sliced one open and handed us a sample of the most delicious red and juicy watermelon. There were thousands of melons in boxes on pallets. We purchased a whole watermelon, corn on the cob, and mangoes.
As we walked back to the RV, we saw a small alley that led to more than a dozen other produce vendors. We had fun walking through and choosing some avocadoes and pepitas and Tim got a mamey.
We continued our journey. The smaller towns gave way to larger towns with all of the big box stores and fast-food restaurants that we see in every larger town across the country. We stopped and did a Walmart run for RV supplies and staples.
Tim asked me to start looking for a campground for this evening. I began making calls. I eliminated the resorts with 1-star ratings. The state park was closed for reconstruction and renovation. I called 8 RV parks before I finally found one that could accommodate us and then I was just really lucky! This place, Lake Glenada RV Resort doesn’t usually take phone calls on Sundays but she answered and she helped us!
We got settled and by that time it was late afternoon.
We both took turns walking around the park. It is a cute little place. We have a lakefront site.
We enjoyed a great meal…a fresh tomato, nice bread with fig balsamic and olive oil for dipping, and fresh mangoes. We haven’t had a tomato that delicious in years!
1253 April 5, 2025 1253 April 5, 2025 Snowbirds In Flight
I walked one last short walk around the campground and along the seawall. It was balmy, 79 degrees, hot, and windy. I was glistening!
We prepped the RV to move and away we went.
We traveled on the Overseas Highway all the way to Homestead where we hopped onto Krome Avenue. We took Krome all the way to the Tamiami Trail and drove to Midway Campground. We were settled in early afternoon. We had intended to stay here for two nights but the forecast for tomorrow is for 89 degrees and windy. We had wanted to bike the 15-mile loop at Shark Valley one more time but it is no fun when it is windy and hot. We changed our reservation for just one night. This turned out to be a good decision for another reason. Tim noticed last night that he had another flat tire on his bike…boo!!!
Tim did some walking here in the campground. I sat outside for a while this afternoon. It was less humid here than in the Keys and the breeze made the warm air feel pleasant.
We packed dinner and drove to Monument Lake. We saw a gator sitting atop a rock in the water and then a huge gator resting on the bank.
I saw this cool Florida Lubber, a grasshopper, in the gravel road.
After eating, Tim was wandering along the vegetation near the water. There were hundreds of skimmers rising up from the grass and fluttering around him. I wish I had my new camera.
We saw dozens more grasshoppers climbing the trunks of the palm trees. We saw birds munching grasshoppers too.
We found these eggshells beneath a tree. I don’t think that they are bird shells. The eggs are very round and larger than most bird eggs. They also felt more leathery. I am thinking they might be turtle eggs or even gator eggs…but that is pure speculation on my part…I don’t know to whom they belonged! I also think that a bird got into the nest and had a little snack…but again, I may have made that up as well!
After so many days and nights in the Keys, it was quiet and relaxing in this beautiful and peaceful place.
I walked in the campground and then went into Marathon with Tim. He went to the gym and I went to the grocery store.
It was really windy again today but we were undeterred. We packed our lunch and drove to Curry Hammock. The kiteboarders were enjoying the stiff wind and we were entertained for a long time. It was fun to watch them zipping across the water and then catching air and doing tricks. These guys were not novices. The kites were whipping and the athletes were moving rapidly along the surface of the water.
A squadron of pelicans flying low.
We walked to the end of the beach and sat watching the ocean and the sky.
We spent some time getting things packed and ready to move. We have had the most wonderful time here. The very best part was having Kyle and his family with us…lasting memories for sure! The warm weather and sunshine and color are all excellent reasons to be in the Keys during the winter. I have grown to dread the cold and greyness of the winters in Maryland. Tomorrow, we will slowly make our way north toward home. We have lots of stops to make and we hope to find some new places to explore.
A glass of wine and one last sunset at Jolly Roger. We even saw dolphins tonight. Until next year…
I took a walk in the campground again this morning. This chocolate lab was laying on the seawall just watching all the people go by!
It was very windy again today. Wind speed was at 20 with gusts at 24-28mph. I had no interest in being pummeled by the wind and so I stayed inside. I read and did stuff that needed doing.
This evening, we went to Islamorada. We saw these military jets flying overhead.
We wanted one more dinner at Florida Keys Brewing Company and Taco Jalisco. We decided that Green Turtle and the taco truck were our best meals here in the Middle Keys. We had another great dinner and listened to a musician playing acoustic guitar. She had a pretty singing voice and we enjoyed being there.
When we got back to the campground, we walked down to the water to watch sunset. There were lots of clouds again tonight but it was nice to be outside.
I began my day with a walk in the campground. When Tim was ready to drive to the gym, I went along and walked again in Marathon. I found a pretty little marina.
We did some grocery shopping before heading home.
This afternoon, I spent time sitting in the shade at the beach area.
Tim took a ride on his bike and then he went out to the beach later in the day.
We packed dinner and drove to Long Key State Park. It was really windy but I managed to cook our omelets on the cookstove. Finding a place to eat out of the wind was a challenge but we did just fine. We sat watching the water for a long while.
As we drove back to Jolly Roger, the sun was beginning to go down.
Another campground walk this morning. I saw people peering into the water along the seawall. I stopped to look and saw spiny lobsters sticking their heads out.
I also saw lots of bigger fish.
We packed lunch and drove to the Old Seven Mile Bridge with our bikes. We had a great ride.
At mm1.4 I saw shadows moving through the water. We stopped to look and saw about half a dozen rays. We watched them for a long time before moving on. On our return trip, the rays were still there.
We took our picnic and found a table in the shade and along the water.
This afternoon it was hot. I put on my bathing suit and went to the pool. I did about 10 easy laps and it felt so nice. This guy visited the pool to get a sip of water.
I grilled mushrooms and onions and peppers and shrimp and made tacos with black beans for our dinner.
We went out to watch the sunset and ended up talking with Norma from Michigan. This is her first trip to the Keys and so we shared lots of fun ideas with her.
