Shelling on St George Island, some of the best

From sand dollars to letter olives, these are just a few of the beautiful shells we found along the beaches of St. George Island. Some of the other treasures are, several different Welks, the largest a lightening Welk, Cockles with the hinge still attached are know as the heart of the sea, assorted scallops, Pen and clam shells, this beach had a nice variety. A good day of shelling after the storm stirred up the panhandle.

Carrabelle

As we travel along the coast of the Florida panhandle we made a lunch stop at the little fishing village of Carrabelle. The protected harbor makes it a favorite place for anglers. Carrabelle is also the base where World War II soldiers trained for the D-day invasion. Carrabelle is also home to the world's smallest police station, actually, it's a phone booth!

Ochlockonee State Park

This week we moved upstate FL to what they call the panhandle and stayed at one of 5 state parks we have yet to visit. The first park is along the Ochlockonee River and named the same. It's a small park with less than 30 sites but the location on the river makes this a great place to stop. Blue had some wonderful walks and we had some fresh fish complements the Ochlockonee River. We will come back in the future to explore the river and fishing opportunities.

White Squirrels of Ochlockonee

Along the Ochlockonee the squirrels have mutated to a variation with white coat and dark eyes, some with a distinctive head patch and dorsal stripe. The condition is known as leucistic and the result of a melanin gene. These squirrels are not albinos. They are loved in the park and not strangers to people come up to greet you while you are setting up your campsite. Need I say, Blue thinks they are special as well.

Thoroughbred farms of central Florida

Today we took a new road up through the center of Florida, right through the heart of the horse Capitol of the world. The area near Ocala has produced some fantastic horses including the 1978, Florida bred-and-raised Affirmed who won the Triple Crown that year. Today, The area is one of the major thoroughbred centers of the world. It has more than 1,200 horse farms, including about 900 thoroughbred farms, totaling some 77,000 acres. Seeing these beautiful lands and even more spectacular horses reminds me of days gone by when I enjoyed some very special horses myself, not of this caliber but wonderful in the eyes of a teenager. It's a bit of a surprise to see these massive farms in Florida because it is not what you expect to see in the land of the Everglades, beautiful beaches and swamps. But early horse breeders new that one of the features that made the Kentucky Blue grass country so special also exists in the soil of Florida, an abundance of lime in the soils makes for grass that helps build a fast and beautiful horse.

St Lucie waterway and the town of Stuart

On the east coast of Florida along the St Lucie waterway, sits the quaint little town of Stuart. This is a favorite for many mariners and for us. The town has all the charm of the old Florida we read about, with some fun places to window shop and plenty of good eateries.

Creatures of St Lucie

There aren't a lot of trails in this area but the trails that do exist have plenty to see. Just across the lock sits a large tree dripping with moss and in the evening it fills with Turkey vultures for the night. It's not uncommon to hear owls at night and the rushing of water spilling over the lock. The government campground plays host to both campers on land and in the water.

Campgrounds near Stuart Florida

The move north is a slow one for us. We are spending two weeks just east of Lake Okeechobee along the waterway that makes for a shortcut through the state of Florida for mariners. Just outside the port town of Stuart are two beautiful campgrounds, one run by the Corp-of-engineers and the other a county park. Plenty to here with the river, boat traffic, fishing, hiking and visits to this quaint little town.

Out of the Keys

We've moved out of the Key for the rest of this trip but the good news is, we have found a wonderful campground on the river to stay at for the next week. What a wonderful place to stay with great views in every direction and just 8 neighbors. Only a government run campground can afford to have such a nice facility with only 9 campers! But what the heck, we'll take it and we will be back in 2 years for sure.