Travel writing should be done while you're having the experience. So much is lost as time passes. I keep observances in a journal and find that words bring back my memories so much better than with a photo, but there is always the belief that you'll remember every feeling, every impression and nuance. Sadly, that just isn't true.
I remember being pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Cedar Key in spite of the community's modest nature. Houses were being built on stilts, in the current hurricane-survival style but, while the results weren't particularly attractive, the houses were strong and I think the view is probably nice from up there.
I loved sound of the water as the wind drove it against the pilings and the land. I would keep an eye on what color the water was because it was so changeable. The sky, wind, tides and reflections all kept the water's beauty in a constant state of flux.
We signed up to go out with Captain Doug and his Tidewater Tour on Wednesday but it was so freezing cold that nobody else signed up. We decided to go out on Thursday instead, hoping for a bit less wind. From the dock, we went to the Manatee Springs State Park on the Suwannee River. The river is bigger than I imagined. There was a Cypress swamp, hundreds and hundreds of vultures, cardinals, jumping mullets, the the famous Manatee Springs, and manatees! Manatees are big, blobby animals with a lovely tail fin. One moved enough to eat a couple of weeds, but the rest just hung around in the spring water and dozed.
The literature stated that the spring "produces an average of 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily". The spring creates a clear stream that flows through the hardwood wetlands into the Suwannee River. Something I will never see is a cave that is 90 feet below the ground where divers go to visit a place called the catfish hotel. If you ever go, please let me know what it was like.
One of the surprising highlights of the trip was watching the black vultures who spend winter in the park. It was bath time so we watched them take turns washing in the stream then flying to a perch to preen or stand guard over the other bathing vultures. Alligators live in the park and probably snatch a vulture every now and then.
That night, we ate at the Island Hotel. It's supposedly haunted and well-populated with ghosts from the Civil War time. Not surprisingly, it's been featured on several television shows about ghosts. We ate very well. There was crab bisque, spinach salad with a wonderful homemade dressing, stuffed grouper, and some kind of specially prepared oysters. I was sorry we only had one more day left, but I was also starting to fantasize about being warm someplace besides inside the car.
On the last day, I bought gifts. We took the boat tour despite the wind, but Captain Doug's daughter provided some much-needed heavy wool blankets to wrap up in. Saw loons and an eagle's nest with fledglings inside. Returned to Annie's Cafe for lunch, then went to Robinson's Fish Market for our final purchase of fresh shrimp. The last stop was a produce stand where we bought beets and two wonderful sugar cookies a lady was selling to raise money for her church. I had to go back to the condo to box up the gift so I could mail them home.
I would return to Cedar Key happily anytime. I would wish for warmer weather but not the infamous mosquito season. I'd also like to venture out into the Gulf to have a look around. It's a nature lover's paradise with so much more to see than we had time for. And I think it would be very conducive to writing.
I remember being pleasantly surprised by the beauty of Cedar Key in spite of the community's modest nature. Houses were being built on stilts, in the current hurricane-survival style but, while the results weren't particularly attractive, the houses were strong and I think the view is probably nice from up there.
I loved sound of the water as the wind drove it against the pilings and the land. I would keep an eye on what color the water was because it was so changeable. The sky, wind, tides and reflections all kept the water's beauty in a constant state of flux.
We signed up to go out with Captain Doug and his Tidewater Tour on Wednesday but it was so freezing cold that nobody else signed up. We decided to go out on Thursday instead, hoping for a bit less wind. From the dock, we went to the Manatee Springs State Park on the Suwannee River. The river is bigger than I imagined. There was a Cypress swamp, hundreds and hundreds of vultures, cardinals, jumping mullets, the the famous Manatee Springs, and manatees! Manatees are big, blobby animals with a lovely tail fin. One moved enough to eat a couple of weeds, but the rest just hung around in the spring water and dozed.
The literature stated that the spring "produces an average of 100 million gallons of clear, cool water daily". The spring creates a clear stream that flows through the hardwood wetlands into the Suwannee River. Something I will never see is a cave that is 90 feet below the ground where divers go to visit a place called the catfish hotel. If you ever go, please let me know what it was like.
One of the surprising highlights of the trip was watching the black vultures who spend winter in the park. It was bath time so we watched them take turns washing in the stream then flying to a perch to preen or stand guard over the other bathing vultures. Alligators live in the park and probably snatch a vulture every now and then.
That night, we ate at the Island Hotel. It's supposedly haunted and well-populated with ghosts from the Civil War time. Not surprisingly, it's been featured on several television shows about ghosts. We ate very well. There was crab bisque, spinach salad with a wonderful homemade dressing, stuffed grouper, and some kind of specially prepared oysters. I was sorry we only had one more day left, but I was also starting to fantasize about being warm someplace besides inside the car.
On the last day, I bought gifts. We took the boat tour despite the wind, but Captain Doug's daughter provided some much-needed heavy wool blankets to wrap up in. Saw loons and an eagle's nest with fledglings inside. Returned to Annie's Cafe for lunch, then went to Robinson's Fish Market for our final purchase of fresh shrimp. The last stop was a produce stand where we bought beets and two wonderful sugar cookies a lady was selling to raise money for her church. I had to go back to the condo to box up the gift so I could mail them home.
I would return to Cedar Key happily anytime. I would wish for warmer weather but not the infamous mosquito season. I'd also like to venture out into the Gulf to have a look around. It's a nature lover's paradise with so much more to see than we had time for. And I think it would be very conducive to writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment