Enjoying Florida by Motorcycle

There is a lot more to Florida than beaches and big cities. We reconnected with our Florida motorcycle friends this week, and spent much of our time riding the back roads of central Florida.

Fran and Patti know so many places to ride, and always find an interesting place to have lunch.

Paul's Diner in Wauchula, is one such place.  Every meal starts with a big bowl of homemade soup.

Central Florida has miles of citrus groves, 

Several varieties of row crops - this field is sweet peppers.

And many cattle ranches.  On a tour of Babcock Ranch one year, we learned that there are more cattle in Florida than in Texas.

We interrupted breakfast for this flock of vultures on our ride Sunday.

We stopped for lunch at Solomon's Castle

where they have a great outdoor dining area and even live entertainment.

This is a very popular bike ride - our group was 8 bikes.

Here we are on the side of a country road taking a short break.

We hated to end our ride at lunch time, so the very hardiest riders continued from Solomon's Castle to Anne Marie Island.

The Lutheran Church on Anne Marie Island has a big Osprey nest on the top of the spire.

Pierre and Nicole

Real and Lisle

Bob and Rosemarie

Fran and Patti

Ron and Rosie
All made the whole trip - starting in Englewood, heading into the middle of the state to Solomon's Castle, back to Anne Marie Island, and then down Longboat Key to Sarasota.

It was a lovely day in Southwest Florida in November.

Beaches of Manasota Key

One of our favorite beaches is at Stump Pass, at the far south end of Manasota Key.

Since we are a bit ahead of "The Season", and it was cold (72 degrees) all the beaches were nearly deserted and it was easy to find a parking place in any of the beach parking areas.

We usually go to Stump Pass Park via boat, as the park is popular and crowded in January through April when we are here.  There is a nice channel in the bay behind the Key where we can park the boat and take a short walk across the island to the Gulf of Mexico.

You can see the Mangrove roots on the bay side always trying to extend the Mangrove swamp.

Englewood Beach Park is the first park after the bridge that comes onto the island from Englewood at the south end.  Shops and restaurants and seasonal rentals abound in this area.

A boardwalk along the beach connects the various areas of Englewood Beach Park.  Several walkways allow access to the sandy beaches.

The Hermitage is a retreat for professional artists, writers, painters, composers, sculptors, poets and playwrights who come from all around the country and the world to live and work for 2 to 6 week residencies.  It is located just south of Blind Pass Park on Manasota Key.

Blind Pass is one of the most popular beaches on Manasota Key. 

 Manasota Beach Park is the northernmost public beach on the Key.  A large parking lot is located just after the bridge that crosses onto the island on the north side of the road.  Boats can be put into the bay at a boat ramp on the south side of the road.

A wheelchair accessible ramp runs from the washroom facility and parking lot to the beach.

He has found about a half of a water bottle full of prehistoric sharks' teeth.  These teeth can be found on all of the beaches of Manasota Key.

This man is more serious about finding things, with a metal detector in one hand and a shark tooth sieve in the other.  You can find teeth without the scoops, but serious collectors all have the screened scoop on a long handle to make the task easier.

We even found a few shark teeth and a couple of interesting rocks.

It was just about a perfect day on the beach - not too hot, sunny and breezy, and nearly deserted.

Manasota Key on Dwellable

Beachcombing On a Sunny Evening

A lot of the time, we don't have much beach at our Georgia house.  The waterlines on the dock supports show how low the lake is right now.

The lake was crystal clear and completely calm this evening, the temperature was around 75 degrees, and I decided to wander along our new found beach seeing what I could find.

 Other creatures besides me have been along the waterfront.  I am sure the raccoons and the big wading birds are enjoying the easier access to all the fresh water clams.

My friend, Lonnie, collects heart shaped rocks.  She assured me that if I looked for them, I would find them.  My first one needed some imagination to be a heart.

The second one was more pronounced, and I could really see a heart in this one.

Oh my, here is another one!  Lonnie is right, they are everywhere!

I took a picture of the lawns that Ron has finished mowing, and got to the top of the hill in time to see the sun go down over the lake.

Back in the South

As we left Iowa, we saw our first weather - just enough clouds and raindrops to make a gorgeous sunrise over Iowa farms, and a rainbow over the cornfields.

The leaves have been glorious all the way from Stevens Pass in Washington through Tennessee.  Around Birmingham, AL, we reverted back to mostly green.

We have to face the fact that our Satsuma tree is now fully a lemon tree.  It is covered with fruit in various stages of ripeness.

The lake is low after a dry summer, leaving us a big beach area. 

The flower beds are overrun with weeds, but the lawns were nicely mowed, thanks to our great neighbors.  

The sumac has taken over Mom's dry creek bed, and the vacant lots were covered with vines and trees.

But after two days of me working in the flower beds and Ron attacking the lots with the Kubota and the brushhog, things are definitely looking up and we are reminded how much we love this place!