St. John's River

We took a little trip over to St. John's River planning to take another scenic boat ride and check out the gators and manatees, but we were disappointed to find out all the tour boats were booked for the day. So....we decided to do the next best thing and rent a two-man kayak and head out into the swampy waters on our own!

We started out fine, enjoying wilderness along the river the wide variety of birds perched above us in the trees.

We quickly departed the dock and any sign of human life.


Jim is expressing concern over the reports of plentiful alligators roaming the river we're floating on.

The water was extremely dark, so no manatees sightings despite the signage.

All is well.

Here's one of the many large turtles we saw basking in the sun. Then...just when we're feeling safe and secure in our surroundings...this appears!

He looks so small in this picture, but actually he was rather massive!

We tried to stay in the middle of the river where the water was deep to avoid his kind. We tried to paddle past this fiend of nature as quickly as we could, Jim expressing his wish to avoid becoming a gator snack. The next thing I hear is Jim screaming "PADDLE FAST! THERE'S A FREAKIN' GATOR COMING AFTER US! AHHHH! IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO US!"

At this point Jim is no longer enjoying the experience. I had to laugh a little, only because I didn't actually see the "scaled one" lunging after us and therefore didn't quite experience the same level of terror as my Jimmy. :-)

Bulow Plantation Ruins

On day two in Ormond we took a nice drive into the rustic state park to check out the ruins of an old sugar cane plantation that was built in 1821 in Seminole Indian territory. After fifteen years of operation, and many conflicts between the federal government and the Seminoles, U.S. troops stormed the plantation, taking John Bulow prisoner for opposing the government plans for the Seminoles. Not too long after the Indians burned Bulowville to the ground. Deeply discouraged, Bulow died shortly after at 26 years of age.

The area has pretty much been reclaimed by the forest, making for a rustic hike.

Love that Spanish moss.

Ormond Beach

Yea! Our hotel was right on the beach! We went on long walks, picked up shells and watched the whales right off shore; a great way to relax.

It was especially nice to shed the coats and boots for a while.

And bonus....the beach was uncrowded.

Warm and happy!

Okay, there was one or two drawbacks, the Ormond and Daytona Beach areas are definitely in decline. I think they probably had their hey-days back in the 50s and 60s, sadly now most of the place is in disrepair and many of the hotels look like they could use a good wrecking-ball to the mid-section. But as you can see, my bargain hunter of a husband is feeling quite pleased with himself as he contemplates the many dollars saved.

Winter Park, Florida

After a few busy days at Leaders Conference in Orlando, Jim and I opted out of the theme park offerings and made our way over to the coast. But first we made a stop in lovely Winter Park for a scenic boat ride and cafe dining in the cute downtown district.