Limping Our Way Home to Jacksonville - Sunday, July 27, 2008

We were both ready to head home today. Friday and Saturday were exhausting! However... late on Saturday night, the Biologist had discovered an internet site that provided information about a former Knights of Pythias Lodge in Orlando so... she waited until the Marine had eaten a nice breakfast and we were about 30 minutes into the drive home before mentioning how nice it would be to post it. Yep, you got it, we made a detour through Orlando on the way home to Jacksonville. What a guy! He's the best husband in the world!

Still Making Our Way from Jacksonville to Miami via Tallahassee - Saturday, July 26, 2008

Today the Biologist let the Marine sleep in until 7am! He sure has it good, doesn't he? A quick breakfast and off we went. The Biologist is originally from Fort Lauderdale so we absolutely had to visit the house she grew up in and the schools she went to. Fortunately one of her former schools, Plantation High, was located near the Plantation Botanical Gardens, which just happens to have a Wind Harp on the premises! Surely you didn't think the Biologist was dragging the Marine all over the State of Florida because she was feeling nostalgic? Puhlease. There was a wind harp waiting to be claimed people! Fortunately, there was enough wind that we were actually able to hear it. Very cool. Next we headed over to the beach to visit a Whispering Giant statue and then made our way down to Miami where we visited a beautiful old Monastery that had been relocated from Spain to the U.S. in the early 1900s. Visited a few more historic places then off we went to Scully's Tavern, another place that had been featured on one of the Marine's favorite shows "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." After an interesting dining experience, we headed back to Fort Lauderdale for a good night's sleep before heading back home on Sunday.

Jacksonville to Miami via Tallahassee - Friday, July 25, 2008

This weekend we set out for Tallahassee to try to find one of the three Ghost Bikes that had been placed there. We visited all three sites, but apparently ghost bikes are invisible (or at least can't be seen in daylight) as we struck out at all three locations. (The Biologist tried to locate the ghost bike in Gainesville last week, but it was no longer there.) It's too bad that these nice memorials get vandalized or removed as they are very good reminders to all of the need to stay alert for bike riders along the road.

So... we made a left turn and headed south! Made a short stop in the cute little town of Cedar Key and found a few cool waymarks there, including a fierce School Mascot that was really chomping at the bit to get posted as a waymark.

Then off to Summerfield to find a Confluence Spot. Last time we came here, the gates to the business at this location were closed and we were left frustrated outside the gate only about 20 feet from ground zero. Today we were in luck and got there with plenty of time to spare. The Marine pulled into a parking spot and said, "How far are we from the confluence spot?" The Biologist looked at the GPSr and said, "We're here!" He said, "Uh, I know, but how far are we from ground zero?" "We're here! This is ground zero!" said the Biologist. So we moved the SUV to the next parking space and got out to take pictures of the confluence spot. Whew! That sure was a lot of driving (and gasoline) to get here... twice!

Off we went to a hotel in Clermont to get a good night's rest for tomorrow's continuation of this week's waymarking adventure...

Time to Head Home - Sunday, July 13, 2008

Sunday morning has dawned and it's time to head home. But first, we must stop for some breakfast. "How about Denny's?" the Biologist asks. "You love their French toast!" The Marine posed for the obligatory photo at the entrance to Denny's. Doesn't everyone take pictures of the restaurants where they eat?

During breakfast, the Biologist suggested another drive by the Port of Tampa, a Cruise Ship Port. Maybe a cruise ship had arrived in Port this morning and we could check it out... for future cruising reference purposes only of course! The Marine just shook his head and had another cup of coffee. So... we hopped back in the SUV and headed to the cruise terminals. Luck was with us today! The Carnival Legend was in Port... a Ship in Port!!! Woo hoo!

By now, it's really getting to be time to head out of town, but wait. This week a new category for Hindu Temples was up for approval. What if it got approved and we left Tampa without visiting the Hindu Temple of Florida? We'd have to come back, that's what! The Marine put the pedal to the metal and off we went to find the Temple. Hmmm, one might think the Marine was worried that the Biologist might drag him back to Tampa. Surely he had a good time. We did go to Keegan's restaurant for him the night before. Sheesh! Well, we soon arrived at the Hindu Temple, and a worthwhile visit it was. It was an absolutely spectacular building. But now we must head home. So until next time (that is, until the Biologist discovers a key waymarking target that she missed during this trip), hasta la vista Tampa.

Tampa and Beyond - Saturday, July 12, 2008

So after a good night's sleep at a local hotel, off we go to explore Tampa and vicinity. "We're really close to the University of South Florida," the Biologist says. "I hear they have a nice Botanical Garden there. We should go check it out. It will be really nice and peaceful there on a Saturday morning." Okay, so it turns out there was a plant sale going on at the Botanical Garden and it was complete bedlam, but there was a Carnivorous Plant Bog there that was really worth checking out!

Back in the SUV, the Biologist says "You know, we've been talking about taking a cruise. We should stop by the Port of Tampa to check out their cruise terminals. Maybe we'd rather depart from Tampa than Port Canaveral or Jacksonville." The Marine gave the Biologist a suspicious look, but off we went to the Port. Darn it! There weren't any cruise ships in Port. How can you possibly check out a cruise ship terminal if there isn't a ship in port?!!!

Feeling discouraged, the Biologist says to the Marine "You know, I think we should get out of town for a little while and go for a nice drive in the country. Let's drive through Zephyrhills and Dade City. I've never been there." (Or visited the two Highway Giants or this particular Z Welcome Sign). After stopping at the Giants and getting ridiculed by the mechanics at both establishments, the Biologist oh so subtly mentioned that she'd heard the town of Center Hill, just a bit further north and east, is a nice, peaceful place to visit. The Marine just shook his head, but off he drove. After stopping at a couple of Florida Historical Markers, we arrived in Center Hill. "Oh, look at that cool old building," the Biologist says. "It looks like it has Gender Separated Entrances. Imagine that!" (The Biologist saw an Orlando Sentinel newspaper article a few months earlier that mentioned that the old Center Hill High School had Boys and Girls entrances and had been biding her time to get over this way!). After taking the necessary photos and coordinates, the Marine said it was time to head back to Tampa as we had some dinner plans.

After stopping by our hotel and cleaning up, off we went to Indian Rocks Beach and Keegan's Restaurant, a place the Marine had seen highlighted on the Food Network Show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." He loves that show. He wants Guy Fieri's job! So after a great meal, we headed back to the hotel for our last night in Tampa. By the way, did I mention that we stopped at Boca Ciega Millenium Park on our way to the restaurant to look at a Time Capsule that was Made for the Millenium? I didn't? Imagine that...

Trek to Tampa - Friday, July 11, 2008

Today we headed to Tampa to attend a retirement party for one of the Biologist's colleagues. Of course, she managed to plot a few (okay several) waymarking targets into the mix. So... early this morning we departed Jacksonville and started making our way to Tampa via I-95 and I-4. "Oh, by the way," the Biologist tells the Marine, "we need to make a stop near Crescent City to photograph and get coordinates for the Railway Disaster Site of the 2002 Amtrak Auto Train derailment. It's not that far off I-95." So about 60 miles later, we get back on I-95 and resume our trip to Tampa. A few moments later the Biologist says, "You know, we're really close to the Ocala National Forest. We should go back to that cache on that jeep trail that had a few Shoe Trees near it." So we once again left I-95 and headed for the ONF in our 2-wheel-drive SUV. Thankfully the Marine put the vehicle in virtual 4-wheel-drive and we made it to the Shoe Trees and back without getting stuck in the sugar sand. About another 50 miles later we made it back to I-95.

This time we actually made it to I-4 and started crossing the State to head to Tampa, which is located on the opposite coast from Jacksonville. As we approached Orlando on I-4, the Biologist says to the Marine, "You know, I've always wanted to go to Gatorland and it's not that far from here. Why don't we make a quick stop? It will be a blast." A couple hours later, $22.99 poorer, and dripping wet from the 80% plus humidity and mid-90's temperature, the Biologist departed Gatorland (the Marine was smart and stayed in the vehicle in a nice shady spot) with two Mold-a-rama Machines, two Penny Smashers, a Compass Rose, an Architectural Remnant, a Miniature Railroad, yada, yada, yada under her belt. With the A/C blasting, we resumed our journey.

"Since we're in Orlando," the Biologist says, "why don't we stop at Downtown Disney to see if they've got any Disney World benchmarks there." The Marine rolled his eyes but off we went in search of the elusive rodent benchmark. After at least an hour wandering around Downtown Disney, we concluded there are no Disney benchmarks there, darn it. However, we did spot a nice Topiary at Planet Hollywood.

Back on the road again. This time we actually made it to Tampa without any further stops and went to the party that was the reason (really!) for our trip. Of course, the Biologist couldn't help that we spotted several waymarks after leaving the party...

Beat the Heat Meat & Greet - July 6, 2008

This afternoon we attended IceCreamMan's "Beat the Heat Meat and Greet" event (GC1DF1M). We've spent so much time waymarking and so little time geocaching since last November that we feel like we've been losing touch with all our NEFGA (Northeast Florida Geocachers Association) friends. Had a great time visiting with everyone, but the Biologist especially enjoyed talking to the other waymarkers who attended (the federation, macleod1, lazycachers). The local geocachers like to refer to us as "Waymarking Weenies." What's with that?