Saturday August 29, 2015 - St Petersburg, FL

In the middle of St Petersburg is Sawgrass Lake Park.  I'd heard rumors of alligators inhabiting the park.  My first trip, while pretty, yielded no sightings of the reptiles but a  few nice pics:

 

I promised I would not molest them with anything but my camera butt this is the closest to seeing an alligator that I got.

I learned that, once again, the path chosen was the wrong direction.  There was more of a chance to see gators at the other end of the park.

Hot and humid and only 8 am....I gave up, for the day.




Taking off early for my 2nd visit to the park which bore good results:

Look closely and you can see the outline of a big fish.

The birds even tip toe around the lakes hoping not to interrupt a slumbering alligator.



 

I was beginning to think all I was going to see were the footprints/slide marks of where the subjects of my search had once  been...then I reached the "Outlook" and there it was, ALLIGATOR!

 I thought I was going to be witness to a Wild World moment as the gator took off toward this bird.  Silly bird started chirping and moving closer to the hunter.

 Then he turned and started coming my direction...

and he got closer...

      or maybe I zoomed in with my camera.  I was safely up on a deck with no ramp up from the water.

Snuck up on this bird and he seemed to sense someone was watching.

Just when I thought my adventure was done I came upon a fellow adventurer who showed me the baby alligators. 

I was thinking how much like Bolivia this area is and how glad I was there would be no monkeys trying to get my camera and biting me when this rogue squirrel started running towards me, giving me a look...  it was a tense moment until it jumped off in the other direction.

 At the property I live there was a gang of vultures that hung out for a week...a bit disturbing.

 Meanwhile this bird just went about its business.  The pink color didn't show up on the bird very well, can see it better in the reflection.  Its the odd bird out since it is the only part pink one around.

 

Forgot a picture.  The rain, as mentioned, has been pretty heavy.  A squirrel got caught in it but made the most of his long wait by trying to use his tail over his head as a shield and having a snack...

Saturday, August 1, 2015 - Update
In case anyone hasn't heard - I am in Florida after accepting a job on July 2, finding an apartment, booking a flight back to Oregon on July 3, packing up and flying back on July 14 red-eye arriving July 15. Wooo! The plane trips, and everything here, are delayed by lightening storms as people run for cover since this area is known as the lightening capital (by whom? I don't know).

It has rained every day since I got here and not nice friendly rain but cranky rain with lightening. Oh, did I mention the humidity?  Yeah, my hair is having trouble with the change as is my GPS who keeps telling me to make a uturn as the place on want to go in on my right and there is an entry point right in front of me or every 100 yards telling me to stay right or left and there is no road to go any other direction or to stay right and turn left.... 

  Haven't figured that one out yet, but I can now find my way home from work (which is only 1.5 mile straight shot) without needing my GPS, which I have a distrust of (see post of Missouri).  These directional contradictions may help explain why this area is double the cost in car insurance.

 I finally made it to the beach (not that I couldn't find it but my attempts to see it had failed due to the large homes, motels and hordes of people could literally not see it).  So early on a Sunday rainy, morning I headed out to Fort De Soto:

 

June 30, 2015 - Tuesday

I forgot to mention about Fort Leonard Wood that it was, and may still be, known as Fort Lost in the Woods.

 

From this google map you can see it is definately in the woods and having been lost in trying to get there, the name fits.

Anyway, my journey today was devoid of any road kill and filled with the potential for danger.  There was several storm systems between me and my destination - Florida.  If a car is traveling 65 mph and has to make it 95 miles to miss an oncoming storm traveling 45 miles an hour without running into the tail end of another storm, will said car make it?  Answer - NO, at least not entirely.  Had to wait out some rain at the Florida Welcome Center, who offers free orange juice.  I am now in Madison, FL - 3 1/2 hours from St Pete.

June 29, 2015 - Monday

Got into a fight today.  There was yelling, screaming, name calling and tears.  The reason for the fight?  My TomTom sent me to the middle of nowhere!!  I plugged in "Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri" and off I went.  when the pavement ended and the directions where to go down a road that looked like it might require 4 wheel drive the yelling began.


I turned around and ignored the repeated directions to make a u-turn and back out to the highway.  Found a sign to Fort Leonard Wood.  Took I-44 and found a sign that said there was a security gate ahead and to be prepared to be inspected.  Hmmm.

Fort Leonard Wood is an army base.  While I knew that there was a portion of it that was I thought that there was a town around it.  There's not. 

I tried nervously to explain to the uniformed man (uniformed men make me very panicky) with a big gun (makes me even more panicky) who was scanning my driver's license that I was born there and was just curious to take a look.  It requires a background check and there is not a town and NO YOU CAN'T TAKE A PICTURE.  He allowed me to turn around and scoot away.  I got down the road and pulled off to put in my next destination.  TomTom kept telling me to turn around BACK TO THE GUARDED GATE!!!  That is when there was more screaming and the tears.

Looking at a map on my tablet, Fort Leonard Wood does look like it is in the middle of nowhere and the first directions that I was sent to would have put me coming into the Fort on an unauthorized road where I no doubt would have been SHOT!

Back on the road I realized how much the landscape looks so similar to Oregon.  The difference is the roadkill.  While I am tempted to take pictures of the different roadkill I don't want this blog to become macabre.  The roadkill in Missouri is turtles.  Box turtles.  Managed not to hit any of the live ones crossing the road.

 Anyway, I am in Tupelo, Mississippi and headed to St. Petersburg, FL where I got offered a job today.

June 28, 2015 Sunday

Stayed in Springfield, MO for several reasons.  A pending storm, didn't want to drive and because I couldn't decide where to go next.  Went to a meeting at the Kingdom Hall and met a lady from Oregon who had been to St Petersburg, FL.  Why is this relevant?  Well, two flood companies who have called are from St Petersburg, FL.  When looking at google maps it looks like a whole lot of concrete and big city and humidity. 

Side note, the humidity in Missouri is high and my hair is quite frizzy.  Making me a little cranky when I look in the mirror.  Anyway, I was try to decide if I should drive to St Pete.  The lady I met had a very favorable impression of it.  So off to St Pete tomorrow, and the next day, and maybe the next- about a 16 1/2 hr drive and heading east will loose another hour.

Was just going to chilax in the motel but decided to go check out the Fantastic Caverns:

A lovely 60 degrees, stalagmites and staltites and a number of other geological terms.
 

 A group of 13-18 year old girls in 1867 explored the caves.  Their names are listed on this rock, sorry kinda blurry.  They had a candle in a can to light their way and had to crawl through a narrow openings and over rocks.  Girl power!

 They had musical concerts in the have - included talents such as Buck Owens (too funny, I had such a crush on him as a kid HEE HAW).

Only critters seen were crickets but there are also bats, blind fish & blind salamanders.

June 27, 2015 - Saturday

3 States 9 1/2 hours, many miles

 

Wish I could bottle the air as a reminder of the different places.  One town in Colorado had the freshest, sweetest smell.  Not so much with Lamar, CO where I spent last night.  It didn't have any unusual smell when I arrived, but OH MY what the morning brings!  It was like a cattle stockyard and it lasted for 22 miles! Another place in Kansas had a very pleasant, fresh air too.

Passed the continental divide in Colorado and the temperatures have been mid 80's but a little more humidity.  Not too many pics.  Ran into interesting critters - road kill, like an armadillo.  His little legs sticking straight up in the air.  Didn't stop for a picture.  Once section there were FROGS !!!!!crossing the road.  Any one who knows my history with these EVIL creatures knows there was quite a bit of screaming and freaking out going on.

 Little bunny!  So cute!  Kansas 

Currently in Springfield, Missouri.  Will visit Fort Leonard wood, Missouri tomorrow - birth place of one Lj Feasel (formerly known as Linda Jane McCluggage).