riding west - short and sweet mississippi

Alabama night cloaks the Hardwoo as we head out of the panhandle and cross towards Mississippi , we stop for the night at a rest area just over the Alabama/Mississippi border. Our first impression of the state is given to us by a weathered and talkative security guard at the rest area seriously this guy looks and sounds like he should be a sheriff in a Clint Eastwood movie. A friendly sort though who says I remind him of his wife who recently passed away and cautions us about everything from local snakes to pickpockets in New Orleans.
 Worn by the road we are happy when he shows us to a spot where he says the transport trucks won't bother us and we're able to set up our camp chairs and have a couple of well needed drinks in the heat of our first Mississippi night.
We make some simple breakfast and set out, anxious to be on our way to New Orleans. We did however make a couple of stops that earn their mention. Seeing signage for Ocean springs along our way we decided to depart the highway in search of what might presumably be, well, a spring .
Well maybe there was a spring at one time maybe there still is,but find it we did not .
What we did find was a delightfully desolate beach , huge BBQ pits right on the beach , photogenic decaying fishing piers and the only business around is picturesque little yacht club renting hobby cats and small motorized fishing boats. If your there for the day I recommend taking in a game of giant chess. There's a board right on the beach although understandably, you do need to call for pieces. The board walk is a long and peaceful walk to the sound of the sea. It's a rare thing in North America to see a beach like this one where quiet contemplation is possible without the interference of loud and colorful sea side capitalism . The water is warm and calm although fairly shallow still fine for swimming also worth mention courtesy of our friendly security guard all beaches and parks in Mississippi are dog friendly.
It would be a shame to pass through Mississippi without trying some BBQ so we don't . On our way out of town we make a detour to what might be my favorite place yet. The Shed is a roadside BBQ joint that bills it's self as a BBQ and Blues family food and drinker, I love it.
The Shed is somewhat of a local legend it turns out , built by a brother and sister team out of, well, what could simply be called junk. popularized as a blues joint by another brother straight out of school for sound engineering . Today the blues is blasting and every inch of décor is plastered with a funny slogan, ceramic smiling pig , bullet holed license plate, scribbled love note or signature. So grab a seat and get into the overwhelming awesome kookiness. Rows of picnic tables make up the main "dining area" or do as we do and just sit right up at the bar and order up a refreshing midday beer .
We order The Shed combo plate 2 meats , 2 sides and 2 BBQ breads , we chose ribs and their world famous pulled pork. For sides collared greens and G-Maws famous beans . I'm a huge ribs fan for real. I order them whenever they look good wherever I am in the world and I can honestly say these are some of the best I've ever had, the beans are also a big thumbs up. After your meal if you feel the need to make your mark and salute The Shed at the same time , lick the last morsel of BBQ sauce off that plastic fork scribble your message on a 1$ bill and ram it into the celling above the bar.

Summer in the sunshine state - Forth of july on Florida's west coast and the panhandle

We emerge from the everglades and made tracks for Sarasota , where we will be staying with more family friends who have found a home in sunny south Florida. Sarasota is largely viewed as a retirement community , our friends Ray and Fran refer to it as "God waiting room" however we found it to be far more diverse than that . Yes there are a lot of older people there but there are also families and young circus performers , yes that that's right Sarasota is a circus town ,who knew ?

Calhoun tiger tamer

 Turns out the city and it's keys grew out of substantial real estate investments made by Charles and john Ringling in the 1920s . John Ringling saw the place as perfect place for the wealthier members of the greatest show on earth to settle in while the circus was not on the move. He even built a palatial home there on the water it is now home to the  John and Mabel Ringling museum of art .
If you find your self in Sarasota I highly recommend setting aside a day (you'll need all of it) and paying it a visit. In addition to an honestly mind blowingly huge collection of art work there's their house it's self which will make you feel like you stepped from south Florida into a European castle. There is a museum dedicated solely to the circus, my favorite part of which being a miniature model of the circus grounds. it spans a whole room (not a small one either) and truly gives you a sense of what a huge undertaking traveling circuses were at that point in time. Wait, there's more! The museum has it's own theater. The historic Asolo theater was brought over in pieces from Italy and reconstructed in The Ringling. There you can (depending on the time of year) catch a mini circus show put on by graduates of The Ringling circus school. It costs a little extra but it's totally worth it to get the full Ringling experience.
Sarasota is made up of a series of keys as well as a strip of main land. Our friends have a condo on Lido key which has beautiful beach and a cute little downtown circle . We stopped for lunch almost every day at a little bakery and café called Pastry Arts which make delicious coconut cakes. If your a chocolate lover you might want to try the mocha muffin. It comes with stunning reviews from Calhoun and Ray.
The circle at St. Armand features nice (but expensive) boutique's , a half a dozen little ice cream/gelato shops and cocktail spots.
For the forth of July we ventured into down town Sarasota and stopped at a busy little spot for Italian style pizza and hand made gelato. Then, gelatos in hand, we continued to the bustling water front j,ust in time for a fabulous, all be it, somewhat ashy (we were standing down wind , a bad choice) firework display . Red white and blue rockets lit the night sky over the glistening water for an amazingly long time in a truly world class display. Other fireworks set of by hotels and the like bedazzled the sky throughout the night . We took our time returning to the car stopping for a cocktail on the way through the throngs of people.
Another gem, although not in Sarasota but in St Petersburg (close enough), is the Dali museum with one of the two substantial collections of his work in the world. The evolution of Dali's work from novice to legend is displayed in this stunning building which it it's self is a work of art. We took the self guided audio tour which though you may feel a little silly wandering around with a recorder and head phones is worth it for the insight into Dali's work and life. At the end of the museum is an interactive exhibit where you can have your picture taken and be made into a Dali print your self . There is also a display of local children's work who's Dali influence is definitely present. i
It's worth checking out because some of these kids will really wow you .
On the way back from the Dali museum we stopped at another Sarasota gem called Yoder's, an Amish run market and pie shop. Calhoun swooned over their fresh produce as did I over their silky smooth key lime pie.... Mmmm, pie.
Our last day in Sarasota we hit the beach for another forth of July celebration ( they go all weekend) power boat race and all you can eat BBQ . Though boat races aren't really our thing it is so quintessentially Florida it's worth going. people in swimsuits line the beach munching on burgers and sipping beers . Others, including us, board whatever inflatable crafts they can find and take to the water to watch as boats going over a hundred miles and hour race by. All in all it was an enjoyable American day.
Next morning (well more like afternoon actually) we waved goodbye to Ray and Fran and began on our way to Tallahassee, Florida's capital.

floating on down the river

We made a stop on our way there at Ichetucknee springs, a beautiful state park where you can take a meditative float down a serene river. A tram service which is quite a pretty ride itself will take you to the launch point so you end up back at your car. Concerning intertubes , you can rent them from the local farmers for 5$ or do what we did and buy one of your choosing from the Walmart down the road for 10$ we got a regular tube but you can make the float on an inflatable alligator for a few dollars more. After a the float we visited the springs them selves. There are two of them both cool clear and beautiful. Ichetucknee spring is more accessible but it's worth the walk through the forest to get to the smaller and more secluded Blue hole spring. We really enjoyed Ichetucknee but if your going set aside the day there's a lot to do.     

Blue hole springs

A couple of days after leaving Sarasota we arrived in Tallahassee
So what is the capital of this beautiful, up beat state like? I'd heard it's a lot more southern than the rest of the state which is true, what I hadn't heard, and is also true, is this city is a dump. Really, I don't say that lightly. Downtown is not worth seeing, it's the sort of city that makes you grip your wallet tighter and makes you wish you'd paid for underground parking. Home bums line the streets hustling for change , frightened looking college students hurry back to their cars , restaurants are generic out posts running at about 30% capacity and the night life is non existent.
So why would you visit this nasty little part of the map .The answer The Bradfordville blues club off highway 61,
down a dirt road on the outskirts of the city lies one of the last remaining old school blues clubs. It's only open Friday and Saturday night and you want to buy your tickets on line because this place sells out quick. It don't look like much but this place is hoppin . We were seated by one of the owners at a table bearing the face of a famous blue musician. All the tables in the place are like that, they're painted by a local artist, choice ones are taken off their bases and hung on the walls. The bar only serves beer and wine, which was a little disappointing as I generally like bourbon with my blues. But it's made up for by the 20$ buckets of beer. The atmosphere is vibrant and it seems like the whole town is here young and old. Once the band starts playing you won't see that dance floor empty . Having found out we were on vacation and when someone with a reservation didn't show up fast enough one of the owners whisked us to the fount row.

The Dean Fowler Band

Outside the bon fire is raging and one of the local chefs is frying up a tasty plate of fresh caught fish. Try it it's relatively cheap, 10$ buys a huge plate and divinely authentic goes perfect with beers and blues.
After intermission it's back to the dance floor for another round of kick ass blues rock..
These are some of the nicest people we've meet on our journey, they even let us stay on the property after partying a little too hard.
Our second stop was at The Florida Caverns state park where you can hike beautiful trails ( bring your bug spray), swim in crystal clear cold springs which truly are cold but  very refreshing on a hot summer day, and of course tour the caverns which look pretty impressive.Uunfortunately they were sold out for the day when we arrived. Despite an impromptu rain shower later in the afternoon we spent an over all enjoyable day there before continuing on to our next destination.

Cannon ball!!! at Florida Caverns

Our last stop in Florida was at Pensacola beach for a moon lit swim which sounds romantic until you get in the water and realize there is a primal human fear against being in the ocean at night. A moonlit walk on the beach though, very romantic.
The light of the full moon shone off the hardwoo as we sped away into the night , our eyes firmly set on New Orleans.










Don't forget to check out the new merchandise at our online store.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/hardwooadventure?ref=pr_shop_more

Summer in the Sunshine state - south east Florida the worlds most famous beach

We continued south from Savannah one sunny afternoon towards Daytona beach on the eastern coast of Florida . Daytona is billed as the worlds most famous beach , I had been there multiple times as a child and felt my husband should see it . It is beautifully maintained it is also one of the few beaches in the world that you can still drive and park (for a reasonable 3-5$) on .
We parked and despite the yellow flags and crashing surf the Hardwoo family headed to the beach. Calhoun tentatively  approached the water after his experience on VA beach the moment the water licked his toes he understood why I had always considered the water anywhere or anytime in Canada to be too cold. Unfortunately dogs are no longer allowed on Daytona beach. Between that and our pasty skin, our visit was relatively short but sweet soak in the crystal clear tropical waters .

Calhoun and Girlie at the sea buoy

Daytona it's self is rather run down and depressing unless your here for a Nascar event (yes this is the home of Nascar) or a motorcycle rally it's a pretty uninspiring place however the beach is well worth the visit .
From Daytona we made the push for Pompano breezing swiftly through large chunks of east Florida. Beach front mostly at night but the air was warm and pleasant we arrived after a hour long wrong turn thanks to poor GPS signal at our family friend Dave's house in the Pompano highlands . He, recovering from dental surgery, and us having been on the road a month now (and a good while in the car from Daytona) didn't last long. A couple of drinks and stories later we were all ready for a good long sleep which we engrossed into like a good book.

got enough coconuts Calhoun?

Next day the sun was shinning the weather sweet, a late morning walk to the grocery store and Calhoun whipped up a lovely breakfast , as he would do every morning of our week long stay in Pompano. I don't feel guilty in admitting we did much of nothing our first day there but watch TV take much needed showers and work on some pretty things for the Hadrwoo store, you can check some of them out if you like at
https://www.etsy.com/shop/hardwooadventure?ref=pr_shop_more
That night Dave treated us to dinner we tried for the fish shack, a favorite local hole in the wall seafood restaurant which cooks up the local catch of the day but were deterred by an hour long wait time, the tiny place being packed to the gills but apologetic none the less. Instead we dinned at seafood world don't let the kitchy name fool you this place is south Florida decadent, the front entrance is largely dedicated to their on site seafood market where you can purchase local favorites to take home. fFom out of town? don't worry they'll pack it in ice and ship it to you (no joke).


Girlie hiding from the sun under a boat

synchronized swimming in a Miami lake

The menu is adorned with huge grilled fillets of fresh fish from the on site fish market . Calhoun and Dave both opt for the catch of the day Grouper. You can have it different way,s personally I like it blackened ( Dave's choice) but it's good any style , Calhoun had his poached in a sweet sauce with artichokes and tomatoes which was also delicious. What did I have you asked? Well being a committed shellfish addict I opted for fresh jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab with a creamy lobster sauce shellfish nirvana! They were so huge I had to take two home with me . Where else can you have a meal like that in shorts and flip flops? Only south Florida, I love this place.
To see south Florida, really see it, you need to see it from a boat so that's exactly what we did Packed a cooler, donned our hats and swim suits and set out for Hillsboro inlet. Through the canals and water ways that run all over Florida there are posted and enforced speed limits largely to protect the manatees and other wildlife . On the ocean though your free to let a rip in your boat as fast as you dare , a knuckle chilling bone thumping brain rattling (and very new experience for Girlie) few minutes later we're up the beach in Boca Raton, home to more fabulous houses and palatial gardens. We cruise down the canals widow shopping houses we can't afford. Then take a quick dip in the boonies, a canal system which was once apon a time overgrown with mangroves and used by water skiers and the like for it's lack of speed limit. After at quick stop at a floating gas station and corner store we return home down the intercostal water way, a wide highway for boats that runs the length of the Atlantic side of the U.S. from Norfolk, VA to south Florida.
We spent the rest of our visit being quintessentially Floridian visiting the beach , eating, shopping and collecting coconuts. we spent most of our time at Deerfield beach, a large near by beach I remember from my childhood. Pompano Beach is also nearby but I think Deerfield is nicer and the parking is cheaper .

hanging gardens at PAMM

We left Pompano a week later with full bellies, sandy shoes and a Hadwoo filled with coconuts. Our next stop was in Miami , in everyway that Pompano is one side of the coin that is south east Florida Miami is the other streets lined with seafood shacks, pastel colored ranchers and Spanish mansions on private canals give way to world class fine dining ,sprawling urban jungle and tightknit gated communities.
We stayed in Miami for the weekend, took in the visually stunning Perez Art Museum Miami. This, the city's newest gallery in three levels of modern space displaying a wonderfully varied collection of works spanning from modern to contemporary. The huge glass window span celling to floor providing a picturesque view of  the harbor on the entrance level you walk under the unique hanging gardens which are in them selves a spectacular work of modern art . A bit peckish from our day of art walking we stopped for a bite at the Verde restaurant and bar inside the PAMM itself , they serve up light sandwiches, wraps and Italian style pizza along side fruity cocktails and specialty coffee and tea drinks. We split a margarita pizza which made for a lovely fresh midday snack washed down with sweet tea.

outside the Clyde Butcher gallery

That night my Aunt and uncle took us to La Carreta a busy restaurant serving traditional Cuban food  which was tasty and filling. Calhoun had a Cuban sampler platter which included grilled plantains , boiled yucca , roasted pork shredded beef and of course rice and black beans , a good way to try a little of everything.
The house we were staying in was built on stilts over a beautiful placid lake which is home to many turtles, toads and birds , needless to say we spent plenty of time relaxing in and near it.

behind us in above picture

The day we were planning on leaving one of Florida's pounding rainstorms blew in and we decided it was in our better interest to make for the everglades the following day.

also behind us

The 41 offers a fabulous drive through the everglades the best way to see in is on an air boat tour run by a local chief but highway 41 is a close second. Aside from the airboat tours the everglades is breathtakingly desolate, it's main inhabitants being alligators, mosquitoes and abandoned pet pythons that grow to enormous size in the protected national park (yes this really
happens and it's not as amusing as you think as they are actually causing a lot of real problems for the native animals).
Another excellent way to see the everglades is through the photographs of Clyde Butcher who's oversized works have a lovely little gallery on the west side of the park right on highway 41, it also has a cute little nature trail behind it which gives you just a little look into how beautiful life can be among the mangroves. If you take the trail you will doubtless see how an artist could make this place his life's work but bug spray is a must (seriously it's bad ) .

Back on the road and now for another way to see the everglades in the sleepy town of everglades city from a quirky lakeside seafood restaurant featuring some of the areas most prominent stars gators and frogs deep fried for your enjoyment , uummmm tastes like chicken , fishy chicken . All topped off with a slice of authentic key lime pie .