FL - Outdoor Adventures

In the midst of planning for the biggest adventure of my life so far, I periodically have to remind myself that I AM in the middle of a very awesome adventure right here in Florida.  Even though I enjoy daydreaming about Paris cafes and Nice beaches, the culture here in Orlando and Central Florida has definitely been one to remember.  On the eave of my last day of work, I'm going to try to conjure up all the wonderful memories I've had while living in Orlando for the past 7 weeks.   Let's turn down a very sunny, sandy memory lane lined with palm tress and spanish moss dangling off live oaks :)

Destination:  Orlando, Florida
Duration: May 16 - July 1 (7 weeks)
Purpose:  Internship at FINLEY Engineering Group
Residence:  Condo on Orange Blossom Trail, NW of downtown
Previous Experiences:  A week long family vacation when I was ~7 with memories pieced together from pictures and family stories.

Outdoor Adventures

Wekiwa Springs
Everyone knows about Florida beaches.  The natural warm springs, however, are a lesser known secret. The constant temperature, fresh water is a nice break from the sun and salt of ocean life.  I'm in search of a natural spring, where water comes up from an aquifer through a vent in the ground.  Wekiwa is 25 minutes away from GL's place, has a swimming area in the Springs, and has kayak and canoe rental on the Wekiwa River.  Lawrence comes for a weekend and we are both excited to see the park and to try our hand at kayaking.  The activity is popular, and we end up renting a two person canoe.

The first 30 minutes on the river is like navigating the traffic in Atlanta.  Some treat kayaks/canoes like bumper boats, most go in some sort of zig-zag pattern, some have dogs perched in the middle, or coolers with drinks or fishing bait, some have brought beach chairs for little ones to sit in the middle, and some are full of teenagers that you can hear from a mile away goofing off and on the brink of capsizing.  The river is fairly wide for being a spring fed river; for the portion of the river we were on there was a width of 40-100 feet.  Either side is lined with cypress trees, with knees at their base for storing storing oxygen and helping to anchor the tree in water/muddy soil.  The water is fairly open at this point, cool to the touch, and clear.  40 minutes into our paddle, we see Rock Springs.  Aka, a docking point popular stopping point and bar on the river.  We see people wading in the water holding wine glasses and beer bottles.  Kids are tossing balls, splashing water, or trying out Paddleboading.  The live music in the background creates a very laid back scene.  We soak it in by stopping for lunch by pulling our canoe up under the trees lining the other side of the river.

Continuing north after the Rock Springs stop, we break away from  a majority of the people from  earlier.  The reward is a more peaceful, naturally beautiful scene.  There are lilly pads everywhere, and in some cases there is a 'highway' of sorts cut out of the lilies to facilitate kayak travel.  In addition to the wildlife we can see (birds, fish, turtle), we hear what sounds like loud whoopie cushions.  The whoopie cushions bounce off either side of the river: once to the left, once to the right.  Several weeks later we find out these are alligators talking to each other (Were we caught in between alligator mating calls??).  Despite not seeing the creatures, we know we were canoeing in gator territory (which later turns out to be very obvious.. there is a gator attack several weeks later at the very place we had stopped for lunch.. no serious injuries, just a wake up call).  After ~ 2 h.5 hours out, we have the river pretty much to ourselves.  It seems like we're on a Tarzan film set. Our arms have gotten over the initial burn from the paddling, and I embrace the workout after days in corporate America where my finger typing and clicking muscles see most of the action.  Due to time, we start paddling back.  We want time to swim in the springs and cool off.   So, back through gorgeous scenery and past the 'bar on the water'.  Along the way, several power boats pass us by.  Either they have the intention of fishing or are just out to cruise the water.  Their waves provide a nice distraction and excitement.  Lawrence uses it as an excuse to rock our boat even more :P

The swimming hole feels like a large swimming pool in a natural setting.  The area is very popular and the slope near the spring is full of picnickers and sunbathers.  The water is very cool at first.  There is about a 30 degree temperature differential between the the outside temp and water temp.   Acclamation takes a couple of minutes and the water quickly becomes verryy enjoyable.  Almost everywhere I can touch ground... ground being either rock, sand, or slimly mossy stuff.  I practice open water swimming for the real first time and make huge improvements.  What a confidence boost.  This is the weekend before going to the tri in Dunedin.  My mind is on that open water swim.  Overall, what a nice oasis from the city!  Crowded, as you would expect any water spot on a Saturday and so close to the city.  This is one of my favorite pics.  I love this dude's chill attitude.

Blue Springs
This time, we're in search of an even more natural spring (aka, with less peeps).  We're promised real alligators!!  Expectations are high.  The drive is a bit farther, but the people load is the same, almost even heavier.  We get there mid day, and are welcomed with a 1.5 hr wait to get in the park (??)  This is new. Wouldn't be so bad if there weren't dark clouds threatening in the distance... but we're optimistic.   Once in the park, we're treated to a kayak through a wildlife sanctuary.  There is hardly anyone out on the water.  The rental dude tells us an appropriate route and helps us in the water.  Our vessels are two single kayaks, of the plastic variety and very maneuverable compared to the metal canoe of a clunker we had last time.  Within 5 minutes of scanning the coast, the first gator is spotted!!  What a treat.  He is perched on a log, is about 4 feet (?) long, and appears to be sleeping (he doesn't move for the time we're snapping pics/video of him).  His majesty's portrait:

Ok, awesome.  We saw a gator in the wild!  Our kayak continues.  Our route is pretty much an hour paddle around an island that will take us by some remote, gator prone areas.  By the end of the paddle, it seems like EVERYwhere is a gator prone area.  We run into an experienced kayaker.  His custom made wood boat (very purty), his tan and his hat tell us he knows whats up.  Was very friendly and tells us of several offshoots that are only navigable via kayak.  Given time, and seeing the darkening sky, we stick to our route.    Which.... turns out to be exciting enough :P  L (Lawrence) stops for cliffbar break on the side of the bank.  Two wonderful looking birds put on a puppet show of sorts for us :)  From their interaction, I can't tell if they are brother/sister, mother/child, or boyfriend/girlfriend.  In any case, it's a treat to see interaction in a wild setting so close to us.  Ahh!  Way better than the zoo.  As we paddle away, I see two eyes and a nose skim to the surface and nudge L's kayak.  WHAT!?!?!?   Was that a gator???   Being the great friend I am, I am so speechless I don't point it out, and in a panic, am paddling as hard as I can AWAY in the other direction.  Lawrence will have to describe my face.  I can describe the panic / excitement.  A sad and sure sign that the gators in the area have been fed, they are unnaturally comfortable with getting very close to boats.  L doesn't see his 'friend' and I am a little shaken up.  We paddle on, me with the eery feeling of being surrounding by clamping jaws.  My high school physic's teach Gator 'chomp' is flashing through my mind.  The splashes of water that randomly happen in the river are signs of a gator (or a fish, but usually a gator).  Along the route home, we see other great wildlife.  Videos of wildlife at Picasa Album (awesome clip of bird flying off... look for the 33 second vido).  We are treated to several more gator spottings.  Unlike the first stationary one we saw, all these other are very active and moving in the water or getting in/out of the water.  Make for an exciting paddle and what an awesome memory!  This is definitely the place to come if you want to see Florida Gators!   

Big Tree Park  

Boasting the oldest bald cypress tree in the world and 17.5 feet in diameter, this is definitely something I've gotta see.  Fabricio from the office and I meet up for a bike ride on the Cross Seminole Trail and plan a route and starting point with two things in mind: Big Tree Park and the I-4 pedestrian bridge that Simon (our boss) was the Engineer of Record on several years ago. We'll get to see both in the span of several hours of biking.  Big Tree is such a jungle!  Wow!  I am greeted by a lush entry... a wall of greenery and a noticeable temperature differential.  Walking into the park, I feel like someone opened the freezer door at the grocery store.  After biking in the 10am heat, the cool air feels very refreshing.  There is a short walk into the jungle to see The Senator and Lady Liberty.  Both are very large in diameter and a neat site to see.  I think more than anything, I like being in a jungle environment where it is nice and COOL :)   THe I-4 Pedestrian bridge is awesome to ride over as well.  How often do you get to cross an interstate?  On a bike?  The ride is capped off by a very very very delicious scope (or two :) of gelato from a shoppe along the trail.  Come 12 o'clock in FL heat... you see where my interests lie.

West Coast (of FL) Excitement

Warning:  This is verbose.  I am soo happy to be writing again.  I'm still fresh and have lots of time, energy, and things to write about.

I couldn't wait to get back to my Bluebook to record my immediate impressions of my travels, Dunedin, the food, people, beach, race volunteers, and RACEDAY.  Let's start at the beginning, and things will only get better with time.

I think a 2 day, 1 night trip should at the most warrant one bag.  I leave Saturday morning with my new big green beach bag (thanks mom and dad!), full with all things beachy: snorkel and mask, bathing suit, towel, tied walmart bag containing changes of clothes, camera, race day volunteer info, runners, granola bars... The drive down is quicker than expected; I roll into Dunedin in a little over 2 hours.  I'm way earlier than the agreed check in time with Sue at Seaside.  I drive around a bit, and, anxious to be grounded and have a 'home base' of sorts, I call Sue at a reasonable time to see the status of my room.  No one stayed there the previous night, so - I'll be there in 10 minutes!  Full of anxious excitement, I'm not sure how to approach the guy chilling around the umbrella'd table that I see as I pull in to the parking lot.  Is he the owner, a guest?  I quickly come up with something as least offensive as I can, which results in him asking if I have a reservation.  After mentioning Sue, 'he'll be darned' and leads me to the main office room.  Within minutes, I'm meeting Sue and being warmly welcomed, given a key, paying $65 in cash.  A short visit later, I've shared with her the race in which I'm volunteering with and she has recommended a great local breakfast spot: Kelly's in downtown Dunedin.  But first to my room!!

I'm in No. 4 (of 9 units).  After grabbing my bag from the car, I head to my room.  I don't know what to expect.  I've seen no pictures on their website ( this reservation was, after all, made within the last 24 hours).  I assume I'll get a bed, a bathroom, maybe a TV, you know, the normal setup.  But WoW!  My mouth was wide open when I open my door.  I fall in love.  The west facing wall is a wall of windows letting sunshine Pour into the room.  To my right, a kitchenette, to my left, the bathroom and a small kitchen table.  A large open floor area, a recliner, 2 beds, a sofa, a dresser and TV.  The cyclical hum of the ceiling fan and the Sunshine say 'hello heather, welcome to a wonderful beach town in FL'.  I spend 5 minutes happily checking out my new place like a chocolate lover in M&M world.  The two switches in the bathroom don't turn the light on, but make funny sounds.  10 seconds later, it's definitely a heat lamp (In FL??).  I assume the light is broken and move on.  The front door to my room has slats that open and close, letting both people's curious glances and a breeze in the room.  I leave those open, the fan going, and most of my belongings in the room.  Time wise, I need to head to breakfast if it's a sit down place.  Still in awe of the accommodations, seeing a gorgeous bird standing right in the parking lot outside my door sends me over the edge.  The guy from earlier (turns out he's Sue's husband) walks by with ladder in hand and asks how everything is.  20 seconds later, a dazed 'I'm so happy' is all I get out of my mouth with a huge smile.

Hello Downtown Dunedin.  You are quaint and small.  So small that I do not realize I am in downtown at first.  I find FREE parking and walk to Kelly's.  It's the most popular thing on the block, and, feeling slightly pinched for time, I tell the hostess I'll take first available (inside or patio).  Normally, I would have been visibly disappointed with an inside seating, but I have an open mind.  I end up being very happy with my position.  I quickly recognize that I stand out, though.  There are other.. soloists.. at nearby tables.  An older man to my right reading a paper.  Another on the left listening to his ipod reading a book. And me.. a  (newly) 22 yr lady slightly wide-eyed but becoming more comfortable with her surroundings by the moment.  A vege egg white omelet, a stack of pancakes, and potatoes come my way.  The pancakes have been lightly soaked in egg batter which leaves them with an ever so slight crispy exterior.  I like it.  I pour the syrup in the shape of a sun on the top.  22, traveling by myself, and I laugh out load cause I can play with my food and No one will tell me not to do so.  Oh the small joys of grown up life :P

Breakfast is pleasant.  People know the waiters, share stories, and eat good food.  9 dollars later, I'm headed toward American Running company.  Through brief emails, I've contacted the race director, Suzanne, who tells me when and  where to report, and that 'we'll go from there'.  When I get there  to an empty store besides several shoppers, a little doubt creeps in.  I've come all this way based on a very short email with a race director, who is probably very busy and has lots of people working with her.  My  envision of being her number one assistant is squished.  Silly me.   Nonetheless, I am relieved to overhear people talking about the race 'clinic' and work my way into their conversation.  A clinic at 12, registration from 1-4:30, and Suzanne should be here soon.  Ok, relaxing a little now.



Tris are a physical and mental sport.  Planning and preparation are required and essential to a smooth and 'relaxing' race.  I learn tid bits here and there throughout the weekend.  Today is registration and packet pick up though.  My job: greet people coming up to the store front and inform them of the sign in process.  x 300 people.   Easy enough.  I meet several Rotarians volunteering.  Mike is the Rotary Club volunteer coordinator and mans the front door with me.  He's a recent Rotary member (1 month) and is excited about the new group.  His work is in the financial sector and has joined Rotary for the connections in the community.  By the end of the day, we've worked out several ideas for getting him back on track physically.  Next year, his name is going to be on the participant boards.  Good luck Mike!

Several hours of registration works off those pancakes, omelet and potatoes.  I've had my eye on the hoagie shop several stores over, Delcos.  It looks meaty, and only at the suggestion of Mike do I head over after volunteer hours are over.  I'm happy with the chicken pizza hoagie I've ordered (I decline the first few recommendations .. Philly steak among other things).  The owner likes baseball.  If this place weren't a restaurant, it could double as a mini museum.  Even I can appreciate the stadium replicas, the signed posters and jerseys on the wall.    I feel a little awkward being the only customer at first (this place is good, right??)  The 5 o'clock on my watch serves as a small explanation. By the time I'm done with my delicoussss pizza hoagie, the room is filling up, mostly with pregnant men.  I mean, beer belly men.  And when I say finish, I mean finish a ~2lbs sandwich.   I leave satisfied with a 7 month food baby.  Yum.  Let's go back to my oasis and take a short nap.  Will it still look as cool as this morning?

It feels a lot hotter, that's for sure.  There's an old timey AC unit under one of the windows... there's a first time for everything..  I approach it confidently.  The older technology IS more simple.  I quickly find the power button, and the blue cool button.  I turn my world to 74 degrees.  I rely on my phone to find out more about a bike trail I've heard about.  From the motel's website, they boast being 2 blocks from it.  A ride sounds good, and I want to get out and seeeee this place I'm in.  Enough of a running shop, I can see those any time.

Leaving my room behind again, I am Pinellas Trail bound.  I know where the access point is, and beyond that, who knows.  I head north.  From the map, it looks like this direction will run me closer to the water.  The trail is nice.  It runs along a major road, behind houses, through commercial districts, behind warehouses.  I reach max elevation of 39 feet going over the bridge crossing a major road.  This takes me closer to the water.  After ~ 5 miles, I peel off and turn west into a neighborhood.  I sniff my way to the ocean.  Literally.  The breeze is amazing.  I'm dwarfed by palm trees.  Interesting fact:  Palm trees are plants, not trees.  You can thank me on Jeopardy later.

Eventually, I ride with my camera around my wrist.  My trips to the beach are too infrequent and the views too pretty.  I keep my eye on my watch.  GL has been cooking up a good sunset for me all week.  I'm anxious to see it from the West Coast.  It's already produced amazing scenes from where I live in Orlando.  It's about almost 7 now.  I weave my way in and out of neighborhoods.  I see beach front mansions and trailer parks.   Both have beauties to them.   I go home before the sun sets and will have just enough time to shower; I've recorded my route:  MapMyRide.

Seaside is soo close to the ocean and I find a 'hidden' treasure in the sand/gravel road that runs right along the beach and the beach front houses.  I walk out with camera in hand in time to see this beauty:

  
From the one bedroom apartment  comes Victoria.  A computer programmer at USF, new to the area within the last year, her arms indicate she's in shape.  We chat about the tri race on Sunday, life on the water (she drives 30 miles every day to work due to  a love affair with water), kayaking, running on Honeymoon Island, and meetup.com , a way to meet up with people in your area with common interests. Hmm.. I want to keep this in mind.  I can tell Victoria and I have a lot in common.  After taking each other's picture with the sunset, she heads off to meet her friends that have just pulled up.  They are learning to tango dance tonight and then go off to a Malanga.

The rest of Saturday night is casual.  I'm clean, in my car, and I head to the local grocery to get bug spray and some bottled water.  The faucet water tastes funny.  And I'm promised to be eaten alive by no-see-ems in the morning.   I want the 4 am wake up call to be as pleasant as possible.  4 am .... I splurge and get the 7 dollar sweat-proof bugspray.   Tomorrow is going to be a good day.

The room key wrapped in a thank you note to Sue, I pack up and drop the key through the front door slip.  It's dark outside as I head north to Honeymoon Island.  I can't see the scenery I'm passing on the Causeway out there.  I follow my way to the 2 huge light generators at the main parking lot.

Registration goes smooth.   My morning is full of ' this is packet pick up!  If you already have your bib number, chip pick up is on the left, body marking on the right! '  I'm the first thing people see coming up from the parking lot with all their gear, bikes, and family members.  The sun rises, the race director gives directions over the loud speakers, people set up bikes and equipment in the transition area, and close to 800 people head to the beach.  There are quite a few newbies in the group.  One guys asks if there is a place to buy a helmet ... he's forgotten his at home.  I point him in the direction of the bike shop tent.. secretly doubting they have any for sell and knowing the race rule requiring helmets.  I'll see him later in the day.

I want to see the swim.  This is a huge reason I'm here.  They go off in waves every three minutes.  You wear different swim cap colors by age.  And, some how, the 45-60ish age men are in hot pink.  The swim course is .25 miles and very shallow.  This is a Very beginner friendly course.  The transition to the bike is exciting.  Speed is key, and proper set up allows experienced athletes to throw shoes on and GO.   You have to walk/run out of the transition area and you clip in just outside.  The bike is 12 miles long and doesn't take long.   At the bike exit I meet James. He's supporting his friend Robert.  Another older guy, lean and tan, joins our conversation.  Happily, he is a very experienced triathalete (hurt for this race), but has a long history of races.  This is his first year (in 9) he's missed the Dunedin Tri.  He's here supporting friends.  Soon people, come in from the bike and transition to the run, a 5k, partially through loose sand.  We see the post race party getting set up.  Dunedin brewery, Jet's pizza, fruit, bagels, pasta, sports drinks, bottled water.  All free.  Beer... at 10 am?  I guess when your day starts so early ... 10 am feels pretty late.

We watch the finish line.  The elite finish impressively fast, just over an hour.   Turns out Jason's friend Robert was the 'no helmet' dude from before.  A fellow racer loaned him a spare.   We visit a while.  Robert is excited to have finished his first race.  This has been a lifestyle change for him.  Gone are the days of junk food and smoking.  He still has the nipple piercing and circle earrings.   A coworker and several family are there to watch.  They are a great group.  We share European travel stories and they feed off my excitement of an upcoming trip.  By the end of the morning, James and I have high-fived to doing our first race in the near future and I get an invitation to do a sprint tri with them in August in De Soto, FL.   

The race winds down and I part ways with Robert and his group.  I'm heading toward the beach!  I bungee cord my beachtowel to the outside of my backpack and head off to the elevated bathhouse to change and do a sunscreen app.  I walk along the pristine beach, clear water, and seashells and think how much more confident I will be going into my first tri.  My stress level and anxiety about the swim and transition area will be a lot less.  All in all, it's been an awesome weekend.  After a swim in the Gulf and some interesting people watching, I'm ready to head back to Orlando.  The excitement of all the traveling, the sun, and the saltwater have left me sunkissed and tired.  It's a happy tired and I'm excited to make trips like this in the future.

Sooo much more to share and elaborate on.  Working girl duty calls my name in the morning.  More posts soon :))  hlh

A link to my picasa photo album:  Picasa Photos

Dunedin, FL Bound

Traveling overnight .. by myself.. for, I believe, the first time ever.  A several hour trip, bed and breakfast type room, and a really cool mission.   A step towards learning more about the sport of triathlons.  I am surprised that, with so many friends that do tris, I have never been to a race.  Sunday, I'll get to see the 6 am prep, the swim (the most intimidating to me), the transitions from the swim to bike and then from bike to run, the types of bikes people have, the whole thing.  I am pumped.

Staying overnight in Dunedin  was my only reasonable option.   Volunteers report at 5:30 am Sunday and I'm looking at ~ 2.5 hr drive from GL's in Orlando.  So.  Where to stay?  My family is a Marriott family, or, and the very rare chance there is no Marriott in the area to from my Dad's hotel points, some other very common hotel chain.  Creatures of habit lifestyle does have its perks ... always nice big, clean, well stocked rooms, with Internet, breakfast, and friendly staff.  So.  Starting my independent travel adventures in a very different fashion.  Think:  family owned, 9 units, on the beach, pet friendly, feeling slightly bad about calling at 7am and interrupting their breakfast to make a reservation, and explaining my personal travel plans to 'Sue' to try and accommodate check in/out times.   I have high hopes.  May have to give up the wifi ... but who needs wifi when you've got a beach and West FL sunset calling your name?  And, I may do a quick P90x to entertain myself / feel a little bit better about going to a race and not ... racing.  Again, I think another first.

Being such a people person, I'm excited about trying my hand at independent travel (granted.. only a drive away, to an English speaking city, with an iphone GPS and my very familiar car.  But!  You've got to start somewhere!  And ... all the people I'll meet!  I can't wait for this glimpse into this lifestyle.  Maybe I'll try my hand at openwater ocean swimming.  Already made HUGE improvements at Wekiwa Springs last weekend.  900 racers, who knows how many volunteers, family and friends, and several race directors, should be an action packed weekend.  Sunscreen, check.  Bathing suit, check.  Map of island and race course,  check.  Volunteer 'Cheerleader attitude and voice',  we'll see at 7am Sunday morning :)

Till then... HLH