Frequently having business in Port Everglades near Fort Lauderdale, I tired of driving I-75 through Alligator Alley and decided to take the “back roads” home to Sarasota.
I exited I-75 just west of Fort Lauderdale on US 27 and proceeded north. US 27 is a national highway and begins in Miami and stretches all the way across the nation through Georgia,Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and finally Michigan.
I live on the west coast off Florida and up until this time had never traveled through the middle of the state, I didn’t know what to expect. I began to be pleasantly surprised, the landscape quickly changed to farm land. Miles and miles of very sparsely populated farm land awaited me. It reminded me of Texas combined with Indiana, flat, big sky like Texas, with the green vegetation of Indiana.
Florida hinterlands
I drove approximately 70 miles passing through nothing but sugar cane fields, it seemed like I drove 20 miles through the King Ranch, it was harvest time so many produce laden trucks were on their way to the processing plants loaded with sugar cane.
I was getting a little concerned as both my stomach and gas tank were getting empty and there didn’t seem to be a fueling station anywhere, either for my stomach or my car.
Approaching South Bay, the first town for miles,the crop of choice changed from sugar cane to citrus with miles and miles of citrus trees again lining the landscape.
South Bay sits on the south edge of Lake Okeechobee, it is a quaint, pretty little town, with a lot of emphasis on “little.” I was through it in the blink of an eye, still no gas station or restaurant!
The lake can’t be seen from the highway, although there are plenty of places to pull off where the lake could be observed. However my stomach kept calling me so I drove on, I will do the scenic tour next time.
Lake Okeechobee
The next town on the agenda happened to be Clewiston, “The sweetest little town in America”, as the sign at the city limits proudly states . Although this is the corporate headquarters of the United States Sugar Cane Corp., it is still a rather small town.
Clewiston
Luckily for me the first business in town was a gas station and the second was a Sonny’s Bar-B-Que, the home of barbecue chicken, pork, and beef, top it off with garlic bread and a salad bar and it has the potential for some darn good eatin”. If you are in the mood for good barbecue this is the place for you!
Now that my gas tank and stomach were both full, I wished I had stopped and checked out Lake Okeechobee, Oh well, next time!
Traveling north I soon came to my turn off on Hwy 70, as I traveled west the landscape remained pretty much the same, fruit trees,sugar cane, and cattle.
Arcadia restored train depot
Arcadia is the only town of any size in this part of Florida, it does have restaurants and gas stations and even hotels! It is a typical small town with a population of about 6,000. A typical cow town , it boasts a western wear store,antique shops and a yearly rodeo.
Soon I realized I would like to spend more time in central Florida, the Old Florida.
Gary has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean. He has studied the Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different parts of the world!
He has published several books about the various cultures he has observed.
For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks,and contact information: please check his website.www.commonsensejourneys.com
There is an extreme shortage of common sense in today’s world, I often think back to what my parents and grandparents believed and said, at the time I thought they were totally out of their mind and ignored it. I now wish I would have listened and followed their advice more often. It is in this light I have decided to publish some of my random thoughts based on the views of our ancestors
Because we were able to leave Washington D.C. four hours early, we will get home much sooner than we had planned. Arising just after day light we are already in Florida, approaching Jacksonville.
Meeting two fellow travelers in the dining car, we find they are indeed from Jacksonville and are traveling to Winter Haven for the day and back to Jacksonville on the evening train.
Leaving Orlando , we are on the home stretch,as we approach Lakeland it has begun to rain. Hope it’s not raining in Tampa when we get there.
Sunset on a great trip
The train has to turn around and back into the Amtrak station in Tampa to prepare itself for the return trip to Washington D.C. This little fact allows us enough time to grab lunch in the dining car prior to our departure.
From there it will be an Amtrak bus to Sarasota, these aren’t too bad , as Martz is the contracted carrier, they are much better than Greyhound.
As we arrive into Sarasota, I begin to wonder if our car is still there. We had parked in a city garage for no charge. I wondered if the guy who told us it was OK to park there really knew what he was talking about. It seemed too good to be true, but I figured a towing bill would be no more expensive than paying parking fees for sixteen days.
As the bus stops at our destination ,we disembark and begin walking to our car. Cool, the car is still here! I caught a break. And so ends a sixteen day adventure, all is well!
Born in 1496, just four short years after Christopher Columbus’s historic journey to America, Hernando De Soto soon followed in his footsteps. In May 1539 de Soto one of the early Spanish explorers landed nine ships with 620 men, and 220 surviving horses at Shaw’s Point near present day Bradenton, Florida,which he named Espiritu Santo after the Holy Spirit. The ships carried priests, farmers, craftsmen,engineers and merchants. Although a few came from Cuba, most were from Europe and Africa,and many brought their families .Very few of them had ever traveled outside of Spain and many had never left their tiny home villages.
For the next three years, De Soto lead many expeditions into what is now the southeastern United States. In the search for gold and a passage to China, de Soto traveled extensively through what is now the Carolina’s, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas. There is now much evidence that de Soto and his men traveled through Kentucky,entered Indiana near present day Evansville and ventured as far north as Chicago, turning back south through Illinois and Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
Many battles with the American Indian tribes were fought, often times causalities among the native Indians would be in the thousands. Many times de Soto and his men lost supplies, horses, and equipment .Starvation, disease, and hostile natives were thought to be just minor inconveniences, as the promises of riches was greatly exaggerated. DeSoto was expected to colonize the area for Spain within four years and as a result his family would acquire great wealth from the mother country. The wealth was never realized, however, because of his vast explorations, de Soto was the first documented European to reach the Mississippi River.
De Soto died of a fever on May 21, 1542 in the Indian village of Guachoya on the banks of the Mississippi River. Although many of the natives doubted this, de Soto had convinced the Indians he was an immortal sun God ( as a ploy to gain their submission without conflict).
To ensure their safety after his death, his men concealed his corpse by hiding it in a blanket, weighted it with sand and then sank it in the middle of the Mississippi River in the dark of night. Even though De Soto failed to find the riches or a passage to China,his impact was greatly felt in America. They brought horses and pigs to the new world, the pigs being the ancestors of the now famous razorback hogs of the southeast. Where would Arkansas be without their Razorbacks?
As with many of the earlier explorers, some of the negative influences were the swapping of disease, the Europeans brought with them small pox, and received in return syphilis and tobacco.
His explorations as well as those that followed opened the western hemisphere to others and eventually paved the way for the formation of a new country where freedom and prosperity would be available to every one who would desire it.
Gary has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean. He has studied the Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different parts of the world!
He has published several books about the various cultures he has observed.
For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks,and contact information: please check his website, http://www.journeysthrulife.com.
Your comments appreciated
There has been much debate over the years about what the founding fathers meant about the separation of church and state. In recent times there has been much disinformation about how they actually believed, especially George Washington. In this short Ebook the author tries to explain how they actually felt.
Florida has long been know to be the native home to many birds not found anywhere else in the United States, among them include the Egret, Osprey, Wood Stork,and Herons of many varieties.
Probably one of the most unusual is The Building Crane which has been unofficially adopted as the state bird.
These birds, the origin of which is unknown, have begun to be spotted everywhere! No one knows for sure where they came from,there was no record of them before the 20th century, but common belief is that they might have been smuggled into the state in a RV piloted by a Snowbird, another common inhabitant during the winter months.
Pictured above are two different species of Building Cranes. There are many different types, depending on the environment in which they live.
Although they can be often spotted in rural areas, their most common habitat is most likely to be the more urbanized parts of the state. The various climates of the state doesn’t seen to affect them , as they are seen in the north as well as the south.
Some experts attribute their sudden increase in population to the increase of snowbird numbers, as the building cranes are more numerous in parts of the state known to attract snowbirds, although this is scientifically unproven!
Because of their long legs, many believe they are part of the stork family, their diet is undetermined as no one has actually seen them eat anything, this fact alone should make them very eco friendly!
Politically they seem to be fair and balanced, as you can see from the photos, some lean to the left, and some to the right. The offspring are called Chads. When the little fellars are born , being they are so high above the ground, they cling to their mothers until adulthood, thus they are called “Hanging Chads”.
All in all the building cranes seem to be a welcome addition to manhood and every effort is being made to preserve the species.
After many years, the Cincinnati Reds are leaving their roots behind and moving to Arizona for spring training.
Having grown up in southeastern Indiana, I remember listening to the “Reds on Radio” with Joe Nuxhol, from the time I was knee-high to a grasshopper.
It was always nice to hear how warm it was in Florida while we were enjoying our last blizzards of the season in the mid west. It gave us hope that spring would be coming soon.
The Reds have been coming to Florida for as long as I can remember, with the last several years being spent in Sarasota, Florida.
I had the opportunity to attend their last game which was played on March 29th, 2008.
There is nothing like a spring training game, it has a personality of it’s own, there is a small town atmosphere that isn’t available at the larger parks.
Ed Smith stadium has a picnic area adjacent to the ball park, where the opportunity is found to enjoy a hot dog, hamburger,and soft drink while meeting folks with ties to the Cincinnati area, Northern Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.
Many conversations included comments that it just wouldn’t be the same in Arizona, many expressed the opinion that they would not go to Phoenix, many of the fans have winter homes in Florida and it just wouldn’t be practical for them to make the journey to Arizona.
So, while 4,500 loyal fans enjoyed a 8 to 4 victory over the Tampa Devil Rays, and a spring training record attendance of over 90,000, the Reds bid farewell to Florida and headed north to begin the season in Cincinnati, with next year’s spring training slated for “The Valley of the Sun”.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning Tampa Bay, is the world’s longest bridge with a cable stayed main span.
Construction began in 1982 after an ocean freighter struck the old bridge during a severe storm. The south bound lanes collapsed into the bay killing 35 people.
The people killed in the collapse included a Greyhound bus of college students and people headed for work.
The pilot was cleared of any wrong doing due to the fact a storm had blown in with blinding rain, the freighter was blown off course and there was nothing the pilot could do. The bridge had several “close” calls preceding this and as a result, protective barriers protect the new bridge so there can be no repeat of the tragedy.
Upon completion in 1987 the bridge is now 5.5 miles long and has a vertical clearance of 193 feet, enabling most freighters and cruise ships to pass under it’s span.
The bridge cost $244 million to build and connects St. Petersburg, Florida with Manatee county, it being part of the I-275 freeway is an important part of the local transportation network.
The bridge is considered to be one of the top ten bridges in the world and the flagship bridge for the State of Florida.
The remaining sections of the center span of the old bridge were torn down and removed, both ends of the bridge were preserved and now serve as a rest park and fishing pier,enabling fishermen and sightseers to enjoy many content filled hours on the longest fishing pier in the world.
The author has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, as well as studying native cultures.
His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.
He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America as well as the aborigines of Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.
He has published several books about his adventures.
Situated half way up the western suncoast of Florida lies Sarasota. This bustling city with it’s many cultural, sports, and civic events, is the center of life on the Florida suncoast.
Founded in the early 1900s, it has a rich history ranging from the contributions of the Palmer family who were responsible for much of the early growth, John Ringling who for many years made this the winter headquarters of his world famous circus, and many other early settlers who made this city what it is today.
In the early days a gambling casino was located on Lido Beach, located just across Sarasota Bay from the city. The first bridge crossing Sarasota Bay was built by John Ringling, who used elephants to pull the needed timber to the waters edge. He had visions of making St. Armand’s Circle a hang out for Presidents and the like,thus most of the streets on St. Armand’s are named after presidents. In the early days Lido Beach was a designated nude beach, but that practice has long been abandoned.
Sarasota itself has a long and interesting history, most of which has been influenced by Florida’s volatile real estate market.
Today Sarasota, while maintaining a small town “feel” has earned the reputation of being a big little city,with all the amenities of a large city, theater, opera, shopping,restaurants, sports, etc.
With a bayfront that resembles San Diego, one of the finest beaches in the world, some of the best fishing and golf available anywhere, and a southern friendliness where people actually go out of their way to be nice, it would be hard to go anywhere and find an area that would outshine Sarasota!
Gary has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean. He has studied the Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different parts of the world!
He has published several books about the various cultures he has observed.
For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks,and contact information: please check his website, http://www.journeysthrulife.com.
Your comments appreciated
This informative Ebook describes alternative methods of making money ,often a full time income in photography even if you have no desire to shoot wedding photography. this book gives examples and websites where you can use your photos to supply you with an income, not only to enable you to buy new equipment, but a living income as well.
After spending three days with family and friends, it was time to see what awaited me in the Sunshine State.
Leaving Batesville about 10 AM, my plan was to drive 6 hours to Nashville where I would spend the evening with one of my daughters and 2 grandchildren!
A friend of mine had repaired my air conditioner, so it was an enjoyable ride through the hills of southern Indiana , Kentucky, and Tennessee.
A relaxing and enjoyable evening awaited me, spending time with family is always nice. The next morning, my daughter and I left the house about 7 AM, waving good-bye as I entered the interstate, she headed for work and I headed for Florida!
Kentucky and Tennessee, being in the Smokey Mountains is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, with the mountain vistas and many lakes, driving through here is always enjoyable.
The scenery changes once Atlanta is in the rearview mirror, nothing but peanuts and pecan trees. I was beginning to get anxious to finally arrive in Florida.
Sarasota Bay
Midafternoon, my desires were realized, I was in Florida. The scenery doesn’t change much at first, however driving further south, palm trees become more numerous and I realized that a beach would on the agenda for later that day!
Making my last stop for gas in Lake City, I would be in Sarasota in less than 3 hours.
The highway signs kept saying I was in Sarasota, however, I could see no buildings from I-75, finding my exit, I eased off the freeway and immediately found the hotel where I would be spending the evening.
Quickly registering, I wanted to see the apartment and try to find a beach before dark. It was after 7 PM, so it would be getting dark soon.
The apartments were just around the corner, the office was closed,so I could only see them from the outside, they looked nice, but would have to check back in the morning to get a better look.
Seeing a sign reading Siesta Key, I turned that way, realizing that if there is a Key, a beach can’t be too far away! Following my nose, I found Siesta Key Beach, parked and walked out to the beach just as the sun was setting. WOW, what a beach! White Quartz sand the consistency of sugar, I would later discover this beach is one of the top ten in the world.
I think I can live here!
The author has been a writer/photographer for over thirty years. Specializing in nature and landscape photography, as well as studying native cultures.
His travels have taken him to most of the United States, as well as Australia, Belize, Egypt and the Canary Islands.
He has studied the Mayan culture of Central America as well as the aborigines of Australia. Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in various parts of the world.
He has published several books about his adventures.
This year my wife and I decided to do something different for Christmas. Our kids were all going to be out of town so we were “Home Alone”.
It would be a different kind of Christmas with no family around, first problem was to figure out “what to do.” There are very few businesses and restaurants open on Christmas Day, so that would be our first challenge.
Christmas Eve was easy, we have made a tradition of going to the Madfish Grill on Cattlemen Road, so that was the first thing on the list, making a reservation for 7:00PM our holiday was underway! Next on the list was deciding what to do next, we both grew up with a religious background, but although we are spiritual in nature we are not avid churchgoers.
We bought each other Christmas gifts on our last cruise, so that function was already taken care of. We have throughly enjoyed this Christmas Season although we didn’t put up a tree, my wife , who converted to Judaism has no problem with a tree, but I wasn’t in the mood, so no tree, maybe next year!
By chance we saw a news blurp on TV about a Christmas display at 59th and Tuttle in Sarasota, so we decided that would be our evenings entertainment.It was fabulous, there were probably two acres of lights, displays and music, complete with cookies and punch!
It had drawn quite a crowd as there were literally people there from all over the country as well as Canada! It is our understanding that this display has been available for several years and I am sure it will be on our list of “to do” things next year!
Christmas morning dawned warm and beautiful, so after all the calls to family, we decided it was time to hit the beach. Thinking that no one would be there , we were surprised to find the beach at Siesta Key packed, so we were able to partake in the time honored ritual of searching for a parking spot.
No beach chairs for us! We came to walk, so off we went to the Point of Rocks, the beach was filled with locals and visitors alike, you can tell the difference,the visitors are swimming in the 70 degree water(no self respecting Floridian would ever go in water with a temperature lower than 80 degrees!)and when they exit the water they are either fried to a crisp or lilly white.
We enjoyed the holiday spirit, as people were building snowmen out of sand, I just had to send a photo to my snowbound northern relatives!
Hunger having overtaken us, it was time for our Christmas feast. Driving around, most of our normal haunts were closed, making our way to St. Armand’s Circle,we found life, there were places open!
Christmas Day offered us the opportunity to find a convenient parking spot close to the restaurants on the north side of the circle.
After discussing our options, we decided to eat at Coconuts, which affords open air curb side dining.
The evening was perfect, the temperature was a balmy 75 degrees, no snow, and my Caribbean Steak ,complimented with onion strings and a vegetable was delicious. What a way to celebrate Christmas, life is good!!
Gary has been a writer/ photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and studying native cultures.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean. He has studied the Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life.Photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different parts of the world!
He has published several books about the various cultures he has observed.
For more information and a link to his hard cover and Ebooks,and contact information: please check his website.www.commonsensejourneys.com
You can also follow him on your Kindle.
Your comments appreciated
This informative Ebook describes alternative methods of making money ,often a full time income in photography even if you have no desire to shoot wedding photography. this book gives examples and websites where you can use your photos to supply you with an income, not only to enable you to buy new equipment, but a living income as well.
In May 1539 de Soto one of the early Spanish explorers landed nine ships with 620 men, and 220 surviving horses at Shaw’s Point near present day Bradenton, 
Situated half way up the western suncoast of Florida lies Sarasota.
Thinking Between the Lines 