Two Days in Tallahassee

Day 2 - Tallahassee has a lot to see so we had to really hustle today! We started our route by driving along a few of their "Canopy Roads", where century-old, moss-draped live oaks and glossy-leaved sweet gums intertwine to form protective shadows over nine canopied roads. Oh, were these beautiful! Other towns may have "covered bridges" to claim, but these tree-covered streets out did the "wow" factor.





























































Old Church Road took us to a quaint little church, Old Pisgah, dating back to the 1820's (they still hold service there).

















From there we headed downtown to see the Old Capitol Building & the Governor's Mansion. Their Old Capitol Building, built in 1845, sits right in front of their current 22 story Capitol Building. Several years ago Florida took the time and money and restored the Old Capitol Building back to the way it looked in 1905. They did a great job. It was a grand stately building.



































































Then we headed to the lighthouse! Oh boy, what a beautiful one she was too! St. Mark's is right on the Gulf Coast & the lighthouse is part of the St. Mark's National Wildlife Refuge. We even saw a baby alligator crossing the street as we arrived! The refuge has several observation decks along with benches set around here and there. Very nice and peaceful. A great way to end a very full day...












































If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...on the road in Florida, Marie

What goes Whoosh! Snap! Chirp! ??

The sounds in the Everglades!! Check off one of my "bucket list" items! A trip through the Everglades in an air boat Whooshing through the Mangroves and Grasslands at 35 miles an hour...in a word, FUN! No critter spotting on that trip, but soon after, as we are driving along, what do I spot along side the road? Alligators! Seems we were driving alongside a preserve, and there they were, all along the canal about every 20' sun bathing, or waiting on lunch, I'm not sure which.

We ended up going to the preserve, Fakahatchee Strand, and taking the hike (and it was a hike, let me tell you!) along their boardwalk where we were treated to an up close encounter of a "mom" with her young. At one point, she went fishing, Snap! As we traversed along the boardwalk we were able to see a number of White Ibis, one even playing "catch me if you can" with the alligator, and best of all, a Bald Eagle in her nest, Chirp!

We made a stop at the "Smallest Post Office in the US" to mail post cards to the Grand kids, then ended the day with a walk along the beautiful Naples Beach to watch the sun set.

What a thrill of a day!











































































































































If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/

...kicking back in Florida, Marie