Take a Boat Ride in History’s Wake

Posted by Lucy Tobias on Dec 30th, 2009 | Comments Off

Breakfast at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant inside DeLeon Springs State Park is an event. The tables have built in griddles. Our waitress showed us the button to turn on the griddle (gee, that was the hard part, it was on a table leg, we never would have found it).

As the griddle warmed, she brought coffee, big pitchers of home-milled pancake batters and the sides we’d chosen – blueberries and eggs. We began pouring batter, laughing, enjoying the moment, watching for the telltale bubbles that mean it is time to flip those pancakes.

Our table faced the windows. We looked out at DeLeon Springs headspring with its walled off swimming area and a waterfall spilling over boulders into Spring Garden Lake. This tranquil scene, with 19 million gallons of water a day coming from an underground cavern, empties its crystal clear water into Spring Garden Creek, then onto Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, the St. Johns River and eventually this water flows into the Atlantic Ocean. What a journey! And it begins here.

Across the way sat M.V Acuera, a 28-seat pontoon boat with a canvas roof cover. On the sides it says Fountain of Youth ECO/History Tours. Our plan: first, enjoy breakfast, and then take a boat trip. It worked but not quite the way we’d envisioned.

Tours leave at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Tickets are $12. The narrated boat ride lasts 50 minutes, going down Spring Garden Creek and into Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge. Reservations can be made at Sugar Mill or call the boat tour (386)-837-5537. To know more, visit the eco-tour’s Website.

BUT, and it is a big “but”, there must be a minimum of eight passengers for a tour to leave the dock. We were just two people ready for the 11 a.m. Apparently no one else wanted to leave the griddles.

So off we went to nearby DeLand, walking around downtown, visiting galleries, shops and museums. Captain Frank assured us he had 12 signed up for the 1 p.m. We returned (your park entrance receipt gets you back in all day) and boarded the M/V Acuera.

Captain Frank tells us Native Americans used to visit the springs 6,000 years ago. That was long before pancakes. In the early 1800’s Major Joseph Woodruff and his wife Jan bought 2,000 acres, grew sugar cane and indigo.

“He was the first to bring slaves to Florida,” Frank says.

There on the right – an anhinga and a great blue heron. On the left, snowy egrets and moor hens. An osprey sits high in a tree.

It is late fall, some color on the trees, most are bare.
“Come earlier in the fall for a brilliant change of color in the fall bright sunshine,” says Frank.

We see white ibis, lots of them, they were the sacred bird of Egypt.

Colonel Orlando Rees bought it in 1831 and made the earthen dam to power a sugar mill. Naturalist John James Audubon visited Rees in 1832 and Rees took him on a boat trip along the waterways, just like we are doing now. This is a great way to see birds. As we smoothly glide along, bird sighting are frequent. We also ask about plants.

Captain Frank points out smooth beggar tick – an unusual name – for yellow flowers blossoming by the water’s edge.

“This is old Florida, the way it looked for centuries, this is what the Spanish saw, what the Indians saw,” Frank says.

In the reeds an immature lack-crowned night heron and a female cormorant. We see an immature little blue heron – they are born white then turn blue in one to two years.

Alligators, big ones, sun themselves on the banks. Capt. Frank says they have 3,000 pounds of pressure in their jaws. We take his word for it.

A tri-colored heron is spotted in the shallows. Overhead a red-shouldered hawk flies by. A cooter turtle suns itself on a log.

We are floating in the Refuge now, some 20,000 acres of preserved land and water.

In the 1800s no highways existed. “The only roads were waterways, product was shipped by water, the only way to get to market,” says Captain Frank. He waves his hand outward. “It is 126 miles by water to Jacksonville. Steamboats came in the late 1820s, that is what really settled Florida from the center out, steam boat traffic, towns developed along the rivers and people came.”

And we come today to float in history’s wake, catch a glimpse of immature yellow crowned night herons and watch a kingfisher fly by. There are moments when you just have to say: “it doesn’t get any better than this.”

Short, narrated boat trips are a great way to see authentic Florida. We loved doing breakfast and a boat trip at DeLeon Springs and we’ll be back with family and friends.

Here are more possibilities:

A boat tour on the Wakulla River at Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park located southwest of Tallahassee. Upcoming tours include a photo tour on the Wakulla River on Saturday, Feb. 6 and a Valentine’s Cruise & Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 13.

A tour boat at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound goes up the Loxahatchee River to Trapper Nelson’s homestead and a ranger-guided tour of the homestead.

A little more adventuresome – From Fort Myers, it is a three-hour (or more) catamaran ride to Key West on the Key West Boat Shuttle. Spend the day or two, return by boat.

Since seeing birds is such a big part of a river boat trip, I recommend a good field guide, particularly the Sibley Guide to Birds.

Pretty amazing that he illustrated every bird. I like the different views. A bird will fly overhead and all you see is the underside. Well, Sibley have those undersides.

©2009 Lucy Beebe Tobias, author of “50 Great Walks in Florida”.. All rights reserved.

Go Native One Plant at a Time

Posted by Lucy Tobias on Dec 3rd, 2009 | Comments Off

Jeff Nurge went native eight years ago. He planted native flowers, bushes and trees in an effort to attract wildlife. You can’t really tell from the front – native trees and bushes are spaced apart. It is the sides and back of the house that get your attention.

These areas pulse with dense green foliage not unlike well, wild Florida.

Narrow paths make passing through possible. Seemingly random growth turns out to have specific lures for wildlife – a red bay, for example, has tiny flowers that bees love and the tree is a good shelter for birds.

“I wanted to see birds, snakes, owls, butterflies,” says the Delray Beach resident. And he does. In addition he wanted to conserve water. That too is happening.

A back fence has completely disappeared, hidden under flourishing firebush.

“This is a huge butterfly attractor,” Jeff comments. “Firebush is the number one native plant. This is the first plant to start with.”

I’m startled and surprised by what it means to go native. It means forget neat and manicured. This was once a conventional yard with grass underfoot and fence to mark the property line. Now it vibrates with exuberance and yes, a touch of chaos, all for a good cause – there is only so much space and so many natives to plant and so little time.

You see our wildlife is in trouble.

“So many landscapes are loaded with exotics,” notes Jeff. “They are beautiful but they are dead zones for wildlife. They have color and texture but where are the bees, the birds, the lizards?”

Dead zones? Beauty that kills here in Florida? Sounds like a science fiction novel but no, this is the real deal.

“The bird population and butterflies are not finding the food they need – the migrating birds need to feed in Florida to migrate to South America. If they can’t find the right food, they don’t make it.”

In my back yard, a haven with water fountains and bird feeders, or so I thought, the bird numbers have been dwindling in recent years. I was hoping they got a better offer and are happy somewhere else. Now I wonder if they made it from one year to the next.

Going native turns out to be a call to action – do you want to save native wildlife? Then turn your dead zone into a native buffet and you can do it one plant at a time. Before visiting Jeff I thought my side yard would become a fruit orchard. Now it is going native.

I planted firebush along the fence line. You go, you native you. Do your thing. The butterflies will love you.

RESOURCES

• Jeff recommends several native plant nurseries in his area including Pan’s Garden in Palm Beach, Meadow Beauty Nursery and Indian Trails Native Nursery, both in Lake Worth.

• “A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants” (paperback) by Rufino Osorio, here is the Amazon link and it is in our bookstore on my Website.

• Jeff, who is also a Master Gardener, has turned his native passion into a consulting business. Visit his Website to know more.

• Master Gardeners, an outreach program by IFAS University of Florida, may have an office near you. They can be immensely helpful, especially with micro irrigation and drought resistant plant suggestions.

• Florida Native Plant Society has chapters throughout the state.

• Here is the link for University of Florida IFAS Extension section on native plants. IFAS means the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

• Native plant nurseries will only flourish if people vote with their wallets and buy native. Here is a listing of native plant sources from Florida Gardener.

While milkweed is not a native it is the necessary larval plant for monarch butterflies. Learn more at the Live Monarch Foundation.

©2009 Lucy Beebe Tobias, all rights reserved.

Five Favorite Books for Fall

Posted by Lucy Tobias on Oct 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off

School has started. You know what that means. In the morning, after the macaroni munchkins are gone, you may even have a few minutes to yourself.

And the weather is trying to turn towards fall. Cooler days suggest that outdoor adventures are once again going to be fun.

So make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, pick up a Florida travel book, sit on the porch and dream a little. Here are some of my favorite books on Florida destinations and adventures:

50 Great Walks in Florida, Lucy Beebe Tobias, University Press of Florida, 2008. No surprise here. This is a great resource. People always ask which one is my favorite walk. The truth is each one is different and I’d do them all again in a heartbeat. For fall my choices would include Chapter 14 “Stained Glass and Four Freedoms”, a walk in Madison and then, as a Bonus Point, be sure to visit O’Tooles Herb Farm outside Madison.

Take a bird walk at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park (Ch. 19). The next one is Oct. 24 from 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Walk with Audubon at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples (Ch. 40). Cooler weather means less bugs. And sift through the sand at Blowing Rocks Preserve, The Nature Conservancy, Hobe Sound (Ch. 41). Walking on the beach in the cool of a fall morning is a delight.

 

Paddlers Guide to the Sunshine State by Sandy Huff. While some of us walk the walk, Sandy paddles the waterways. She took three years to paddle then compile 200 trips on 91 waterways. This is a tremendous resource. I love the first section where she gives tips on gear, clothing, cooking and camping. And her advice on wildlife is simple – Don’t feed them. Right on. Never encourage an alligator.

 

 

 

 

 

Payne’s Prairie: The Great Savanna: A History and Guide by Lars Andersen. Do you like good stories? Lars is one of the best storytellers I know. He presents Florida history almost as a love story and it is no secret that Lars loves Payne’s Prairie.

We went on a Payne’s Prairie canoe trip with him when the prairie was flooded. As we floated over boardwalks submerged underwater Lars told stories of Timucua, Creeks, Calusa and Seminole Indians who once lived here. We looked around expecting to see them at any moment. He makes the prairie come alive. I treasure this book.

 

 

 

The Dog Lover’s Companion to Florida: The Inside Scoop on Where to Take Your Dog by Sally Deneen and Robert McClure. My dogs love this book and it certainly opened my eyes on where I can go, and not go, with them. Maggie Dog took the authors with her all over Florida (after all, she didn’t drive). This book is updated regularly and perhaps even the fact it exists has made our canine companions more acceptable.

 

 

 

 

 

Road Biking in Florida by Rick Sapp. I’ll be the first to admit that road biking scares me. All that traffic. Alternatives like the Rails to Trails bike paths get my attention. And yet, the road is calling and there are some great rides out there plus cyclists who are working hard to find routes and make them safe.

Sapp divides routes into rambles, cruises, challenges and classics. Here in Marion County, where I live, a local bike shop takes a ramble through rolling horse country twice a week. One day I’ll be rambling with them and then looking for new challenges. This book is a good guide.

Space, the Final Frontier

Posted by Lucy Tobias on Sep 3rd, 2009 | Comments Off

On assignment as a reporter, I drove right up to the rocket garden at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex east of Titusville. The rockets are permanently grounded, a garden of huge slim needles pointing to space.

Has your heart ever pounded at the thought of going where no one has gone before?  Mine certainly has.

Sitting in my little Honda Civic looking up at the tall rockets I felt like a midget compared to these engineering marvels. And I wondered – a thousand years from now what will archaeologists think of this rocket graveyard they call a garden?

That first exhilarating look at space vehicles was back in the early 1980’s when it was still possible to drive right up to the rocket garden. Since then the Visitor Complex has indeed become complex, with many more buildings and a fence around everything.

You can’t’ get close to the rockets and all the other goodies like an IMAX theater without paying a $38 admission fee for adults or $28 for children ages three to 11 to get beyond the fence. Web site: http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/

For those who like less expensive outings, just down the road in Titusville you’ll find some cool space memorials and seeing them is a free walk in the park.

The U.S. Space Walk of Fame dedicated an Apollo Monument and had a 40th Apollo reunion on July 17. 2009. This is the latest addition to the Space Walk Park along downtown Titusville’s waterfront. The monument is a promenade walk, beautifully landscaped with statues and plaques. Astronauts had their hands cast and signed their names. History plaques tell of missions with magical names like Apollo, Neptune, and Gemini.

This is the latest addition to Space Walk Park. Across the street is another walk to commemorate Project Gemini. And next to that is Veteran’s Memorial Park, again with space memorials, this time to Project Mercury.

The U.S. Space Walk of Fame Foundation has been the prime mover for the Space Walk Park. They have a museum (free) at 4 Main Street, Titusville. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also open for launches and special events. Web site: http://spacewalkoffame.com/


I read, to my surprise, that this waterfront setting, the Veteran’s Memorial Park, is a prime viewing place for space launches. Look across the Indian River and there is the launch complex. The next space launching is set for Sept. 15 between 8 and 9 p.m. EDT. You can track the launch schedule at http://www.nasa.gov/missions/highlights/schedule.html

For a night launch, I’d recommend having dinner at Dixie Crossroads (try the rock shrimp and take it easy on the fritters, they’re really good) in Titusville (http://www.dixiecrossroads.com/) then head to the waterfront for a front row seat. Bug spray advised and do bring your camera.

True confession time: in the early 1980’s NASA was accepting applications from reporters. They were going to send a reporter into space, after first sending a teacher. I had the application and the go ahead to fill it out from both my editor and newspaper publisher. Then the Challenger disaster happened. That was the end of civilians in space for NASA.

Of course, I’m sure they wanted someone famous from the nightly news up there in space, not a small weekly newspaper reporter. But I would have gone in a heartbeat, notebook in one hand, camera in the other.

Space, the final frontier. I’m ready, let’s go!