St Louis vaca - Day 6

Final day of a fun time in and around St Louis! I am writing this from home. Just downloaded yesterday's photos and they are probably my favorites from the trip!

Started the day slowly. Had to write a paper for a math course (Developing Mathematical Practices for Number, Operations and Algebraic Reasoning Grades PreK-5) that I am taking and it was due today. Then I had to pack up all my stuff. I had a few options of things to do on the drive north to Chicago, but because of a somewhat late start I wasn't sure what I was going to do as I left the motel.

Forgot to mention earlier that the land between St Louis and Chicago is pretty flat and treeless, more so than I had expected. So I took a few pictures as I drove along. One nice thing was finding gas for $3.28/gallon. Decided I would push on to Joliet, so I would be close to Chicago when I took a photo break in case I encountered any traffic problems. And where did I get stuck in traffic? When I exited the highway in Joliet to go to Pilcher Park Nature Center - oops. Checked traffic with iPhone app and it was a big red line so I exited the clogged road as soon as I could to figure out Plan B. A reason I love solo traveling - I can do whatever I want.

I saw a trail that looked inviting, but there wasn't a parking area. Drove a little further and saw a sign for Lower Rock Run Preserve - a state/county park with access to the trail. Perfect. Sun was shining, breeze blowing, trail along a waterway with some shade, wildflowers. It was delightful. Spent a little over an hour strolling there with my camera before completing the drive north. Here are the pix from the preserve - bringing people and nature together.

It's under 6 hours from St Louis to Chicago. Traffic on the final leg wasn't bad, despite being between 5 and 6 pm. Gas to top off the tank cost $3.91. Rental car drop off was simple, shuttle bus was right there to get to the terminal. No one in line to check bags. Bit of a line at security, but I had plenty of time. Smooth flight back to Boston where Jon met me at the airport for the ride home. Home around midnight. Up bright and early for class this morning.

Thoroughly enjoyed this vacation! Special thanks go to Sean Quinn who unknowingly inspired me to head to St Louis. I have a Bucket List and seeing the Arch was on the list. Having Sean performing in Stages Theater's production of A Chorus Line gave me a reason to go this summer! Seeing him in 101 Dalmatians was an added bonus. Still places on my list of possibilities in St Louis that I would go back to see in the future. But had fun seeing Miller Park Zoo, The Arch, Faust Park & Butterfly House, World Bird Center, Grant's Trail, St Louis Zoo in Forest Park, Lower Rock Run Preserve, and Sean Quinn!

St Louis vaca - Day 5

5th day exploring St Louis. Woke up to rain and there must have been a lot of wind overnight because the furniture around the pool was blown up against the fence! I had a hard time deciding what to do because of the weather. I kept checking the radar and it finally looked like it was going to clear. I headed to Grant's Farm - forgot to double check and when I got there I discovered it's closed on Mondays - oops! I parked the car in a church parking lot and walked Grant's Trail which abuts the farm so I was still able to see the Clydesdales out in the field. The trail was lovely - paved for bikes and rollerblades. It was about 75º when I started my walk, the sun came out and the temperature soared! Ulysses S Grant Historical Site was along the trail so I stopped in there. The AC felt good and I enjoyed a drink of water. The historic barn had some great photo possibilities. Fortunately there was a breeze for most of the walk.
Here are the pix from Grant's Trail.
When I got back in the car the thermometer said it was 84º. So what to do next? I had heard good things about Forest Park so I decided to check it out. The entrance I found was right next to the St Louis Zoo entrance so I ended up spending the afternoon at the zoo. That meant another 3 hours of walking in the heat and humidity. Wish I had a pedometer so I knew how far I've walked on this vacation! The St Louis Zoo is very nice - Sean and I had discussed the fact that sometimes zoos can be depressing. Again some great opportunities for photography. One of my favorite spots was a building called Birds - inside there were enclosures for the various birds on display and there were plantings in front of the enclosures that enhanced the displays, plus it was all carpeted. The zoo is huge and even with all of their signs I found myself confused about where I was at times. If I hadn't been so hot and tired I might have explored more of Forest Park - I did make a quick stop at the World's Fair Pavilion on my way out.
Here are the pix of the zoo and the pavilion.
Now I need to do my homework assignment for the math course that I am taking that meets the morning after I return home!

St Louis vaca - Day 4

This was a quiet day for 2 good reasons - #1 is was hot hot hot and humid; #2 I saw Sean in 2 different shows at Stages Theater in Kirkwood! First there was the morning show of 101 Dalmatians - an adorable little kids show. Sean was the daddy dalmatian, Pongo. I sat in the front row and giggled at the site of him in this spotted costume. After that show I walked over to the park and sat on the bench where Sean had been sitting yesterday when I strolled by. I read on my Nook and took a few pix of ducklings - really my only photos of the day.
Click here to see the ducklings.
While I was sitting there one of the actors (Jeffrey Scott Stevens) jogged by and remembered meeting me at the Stages door after the puppy show :-)
Walked back over to the Stages theater to see A Chorus Line, with Sean in the role of Greg. It is a really strong cast. They have sold out most of their shows.
After the show Sean and I went out for lunch. It was nice to sit and talk with him for almost 2 hours. He'll be in St Louis until October - next show is The Secret Garden and then Victor, Victoria.
Back at the motel for the evening - thunderstorm and tornado warnings just scrolled across the TV screen - they do it by county which isn't very helpful if you're a tourist... Last night there were severe thunderstorms in the area.

St Louis vaca - Day 3

Day 3 in St Louis started of cloudy, hot and humid. Forecast said there was a chance of thunderstorms. Decided to head to Faust County Park and the Butterfly House because there was an indoor option. Strolled through the little historical village and enjoyed the gardens. Then went over to the Butterfly House - a conservatory with hundreds of butterflies. Super hot and humid in there! Lots of opportunity for photographs. I took a break half way through to go outside and 'cool off'. Here are the pix of my morning ~ Butterflies and more.
After that I headed to Kirkwood so I would be able to find the theater for the show tomorrow. It's located in Kirkwood Park - a rec area. When I got there the weather was looking threatening and I could hear thunder. Decided to take a quick walk around a little pond next to the parking lot - didn't want to get caught by the weather. Imagine my surprise and delight when half way around the pond I discover Sean sitting on a bench! Sean is one of the reasons I made this trip - he is acting in A Chorus Line - the show I will see tomorrow. I believe in kismet - something drew me to the park and there was Sean. We sat and talked until he had to go over tot he theater to get ready for this afternoon's show.
Thunder faded so I decided to try a visit to the World Bird Sanctuary. It started to rain as I drove to get there, kept going anyway. By the time I arrived the rain ended and the air seemed a little cooler and more comfortable. The sanctuary takes care of sick and injured raptors. There is a nature trail that takes you past enclosures that house some of the birds. It's all free too. Here are some of the birds that are there ~ World Bird Sanctuary.
One last thing - gas was $3.37/gallon when I filled the tank this morning.

St Louis vaca - Day 2

Today was all about The Arch. I found my way from the motel into the city without incident and found a parking lot that charged $1/hr. Walked towards the river so I could view and appreciate the mighty Mississippi - water level is very high and the water is very muddy! The water was over the banks and has flooded the lower roads - they had snow plows pushing back the water. That didn't make sense at first, but then I realized it pushes debris back into the river and limits the amount of mud that stays on the road once the water recedes. I went down the stairs and walked the sidewalk next to the flooded roadway and approached the Arch from there - an impressive site no matter which way you approach it. Alas the high water meant they weren't running the Riverboat Cruise, so that part of my plan had to be canceled. I headed down the ramp leading below the Arch shortly after I arrived, when the line was minimal. You have to go through security just like the airport. Once you are below the ground there is a museum (that I skipped), some shops for tourists, the the entrance to the trams that take you up to the top. There is a north tram and a south tram - they each have 8 little pods that hold 5 people, quite cozy. It's a 4 1/2 minute ride to the top of the Arch where there is an observation space with magnificent views to the east/Mississippi River/Illinois and the west/Missouri. Ride back down is 3 minutes, I think. Before they added the trams the only way to the top was to climb stairs ~ lots and lots of stairs!
When I got back outside I sat in the shade and enjoyed the beautiful day. It's Marine Week in st Louis and there was lots to see in the area. The line to go below the Arch was really long by then so I was glad I had gotten there early. Wandered around and took some more pix.
Headed back to the motel mid afternoon. Went and sat in the shade by the pool and read my book.
Early evening I headed back into the city. I wanted to get some pix of the Arch with different light. Ended up driving across the river to East St Louis (which is actually in Illinois) and got some pix from there. Hmmm... parking lot where I parked to take the pix just happened to be at the Casino Queen! So I went in to try my luck and of course had none. Still a good time and even better light with sun setting when I left.
Wonderful weather & wonderful day.
Here are the photos ~ The Arch.

St Louis vaca - Day 1

Got up bright and early for 6:25 flight to Chicago ~ thank you to Jon for also getting up early and driving me to the airport! Uneventful trip, although we did circle Chicago for a while before we could land. Then we landed on a runway that was no where near the terminal - it took us 15 minutes to taxi to the gate!
My rental car is a red Chevy Cruze - red is easier to find in parking lots. St. Louis is about 300 miles south of Chicago, about a 5 1/2 hour drive. I stopped at a cute little zoo in Bloomington, IL so I could stretch my legs half way through the drive.
Here are the pix: Miller Park Zoo.
Easy drive the rest of the way - traveling with a gps makes things pretty easy. I programmed all my possible stops in to the gps before I left. The Best Western where I am staying is actually in Bridgeton. I will head into St Louis to explore tomorrow. Weather forecast looks promising.

June 2011 * St. Louis

Another adventure for photography fun ~ heading to St. Louis. Lots of possibilities for places to see and things to do. Decisions will be made day to day. A lot will depend on the weather.

If you're happy and you know it...

Final day for Florida photography for this vacation. Lucky thing because I am running out of idea for songs to describe my days!
Headed south to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples. For the record my GPS liked to pronounce it Corks Crew which was amusing :-) Another warm day, but not as sunny, which was a good thing after I managed to get sunburned yesterday. Corkscrew is 'A 2.25-mile raised boardwalk takes visitors through four distinct environments: a pine upland, a wet prairie, a cypress forest, and a marsh.' (From their web page) It wasn't crowed which was nice after the crowds at Myaka River and on Sanibel. Walking the boardwalk it was easy to pause and let people pass to be able to walk quietly alone. Saw an alligator up close to the boardwalk. Also close views of anhingas and a little blue heron. Corkscrew photos.
Met friend, (Nancy, from Channel 2 Auction days) at a nearby casino for lunch and some play. It was fun to catch up after just keeping in touch via facebook. She lost playing slots before we ate lunch so she headed home when we finished eating. I kept playing and went up and down as usual. Walked away with a little more than when I started.
Drove north and spending the night in Tampa before heading home in the morning. Took some pictures of clouds and sunset as I was driving. Back to the cold and to reality.

Island Girl

I woke up to foggy morning, so I went back to sleep. An hour later I woke up to sunshine. Organized my things and drove crosstown to Blair’s place for the day's photo adventures. It was nice not to have to pack up everything for a change.

Blair and I headed across the causeway to Sanibel Island and the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. It's a 4 mile wildlife drive with many stops to get out and take photos, there are lots of people who ride their rental bikes around the drive - they looked hot! We were hot enough just getting in and out of the car. I saw mullet (fish) jumping out of water and decided I need to catch one in the air. Blair and I would laugh every time one jumped in a direction where I wasn't focued! I persevered and was successful. We were lucky to see roseate spoonbills - Blair set me up with his scope as my camera lens for some great photos, I was quickly spoiled by being able to get some wonderful shots of the birds that were across the water. I walked part of Indigo Trail, Blair sat in shade and enjoyed shade and breeze. Ding Darling Pix here. Our next stop was the Bailey Tract on another part of Sanibel, again I walked while Blair sat in the shade. This time I tried Blair’s close-up lens and looked for wildflowers. I saw 2 alligators, turtles, and found a variety of other things to photograph. I was hot and sunny, but the breeze reached most of the trail.
After that it was on to the beach ~ first Gulfside City Park, then Lighthouse Beach - walked barefoot in the sand and it felt like vacation. Blair spotted a dolphin in water as we walked down to beach. A few minutes later suddenly there was a huge wave at edge of shore, crazy splashing - it was dolphin chasing fish to shallow water - I managed to get some pix of the experience. It was such lucky timing -5 minutes earlier or later and we never would have known it happened. We joined the exodus of island, traffic on the few main roads seems to always be stop and go. We did a drive by of the house where Blair's parents lived on Sanibel and were able to stop and say hello to one of their former neighbors. Back in Ft Myers we had supper at Sonny’s and then back to Blair’s to get my car. It was a long and busy day - we were both ready to sit down and relax. A few more pix from my other camera.There was lots of time in sun = sunburn despite applying sunscreen several times. Oops.

Sunshine on my shoulders

Tuesday I traveled from Gainesville to Ft Myers a journey of about 300 miles. The weather again was sunny & warm.

As I was heading south on I-75 I noticed a sign for Manatee Viewing Center Being curious and having no particular schedule, I exited the highway to check it out. It was a lovely facility next to Tampa Electric, where their processes heat the water in the canal. Plenty of tourists there to try to see a manatee, plus a school group. There are volunteers there to answer questions and tell people who stop about the manatees. The Manatees appeared in 1986. There is a walkway next to the canal that has speakers with a narrated description of the native plants that are there. There was manatee with buoy attached to him near the end of the walkway. Found out he had recently been released after medical treatment and they wanted to keep track of him for a while. There was a little butterfly garden where I actually saw and photographed a butterfly. Great thing - it was all free! Click here to see the pix.

True destination for the day was Myakka River State Park in Sarasota. After paying the entrance fee ($4) there was a long, tranquil drive to the parking area where suddenly I was among crowds of tourists - tour guide said this was busiest day of the year so far. I really want to take the airboat tour - I got there at 1 pm, next available (last of the day) airboat tour wasn't until 3:35. I got the last available ticket and it was worth the wait. I wandered the area near the dock while I waited for my tour. I noticed a bird hovering in the air over the lake and was able to get pix of this osprey diving down and catching a fish - took me a while to figure out that it was an osprey. I got one of the seats in the bow in from of the captain so the view was perfect. We saw lots of birds and lots and lots of alligators. Also saw a small herd of deer. Highlight was an alligator swimming next to boat, I got pix and a video with my iPhone. I wished had more time to explore there - missed canopy walkway and birdwalk. Would definitely go back again. Click here for the pix.

I needed gas and was happy to see a gas station when I got back to I-75, the park is in the middle of nowhere. I got to Ft Myers about 6:30. I had supper with Blair. After supper we sat in the rocking chairs outside the entrance to the motel. We caught up a bit and planned our adventure for the next day.

Oh, there were green alligators...

Today was my day at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, better known as Okefenokee Swamp. The weather was sunny, windy, and warm. Without the wind it would have been hot.
I took a boat tour and saw lots and lots of alligators sunning themselves on the banks of the canal. There were 2 alligators sunning at the boat dock so I got pix of them before we left on the tour. Saw some turtles sunning too. I thought we would see more birds. We saw 2 great blue heron and a pair of sandhill cranes.
I walked the trail near the canal after the tour, couldn't go all the way because a large gator was lying right at the edge of the trail and another about 4 feet below him at the edge of the water. We had seen them earlier from the boat. I got some nice pix while keeping in mind that I was in his territory! I was glad I hadn't walked out the trail before he got there ~ then I would have been stuck on the other side until he decided to move. There was no way to get around him, I drove to another area of the refuge and strolled the boardwalk to the observation tower. It was worth the walk for the amazing view from the top of the tower - 48 stairs to the top.
Click here to see today's photos on my Picasa page.

Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning

First full day of vacation was lovely. Woke up early, motels can do that to you, so I was on the road around 8:30. Drove south from Latta, SC to Charleston. Here are some pix I took as I was getting ready to go.
Spent a few hours at Magnolia Plantation and wished I could have stayed longer to explore more there and the Audubon Swamp Garden right next to it. Took the Nature Train Tour and the driver was very informative. I had no idea this area produced the most rice in the world in the mid 1800's. After the Civil War this was one of the few plantations to survive and that was only possible because they discovered phosphate on the acreage. We saw lots of alligators out sunning and the driver would slow so we could take pix. There's a petting zoo that I enjoyed and of course wonderful gardens. How wonderful to see green grass and flowers. Here are my plantation pix.
It kept getting warmer as I drove south to Georgia. Stopped to buy gas for $2.99/gallon - bet I don't find that again.
My next planned stop was going to be a stroll down memory lane - The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia where we vacationed in the 60's, 70's, and 80's with my grandparents and then with my parents. Alas there have been many changes there since our last visit. It is now a gated resort and only members and guests are allowed on the island. So that plan was thwarted. The stable where I loved to ride - we would ride across the marsh and then along the beach - is gone. There is a sign there - Old Stable Corner. I considered calling the hotel and asking if I could be put on 'the list' to be allowed in tomorrow, but decided not to even try. I guess some memories are best left in the mind.
Spending the night on St Simons Island, a few memories here too from our vacations. It's a lot more built up now, more chain stores. No wireless in my room and the ethernet connection slow. Seems to be a colony of feral cats in the parking lot here, an interesting feature. I went over to the beach hoping to get some sunset pix, but I was a little too late. Here are some pix anyway.
Over 300 miles today. On to Florida tomorrow.

Photo Fun Trip 2

Day One of Photo Fun Trip 2011
I am happily in the south where the sun is shining and the air is warm. No pictures to share of day 1 of this adventure because it was a travel day, but I will post a few comments.
An observation ~ Logan Express doesn't do enough advertising or post information about specials/changes on their web site. I happened to hear on TV that they were offering a vacation week special for parking and I called to confirm because there was nothing on their web page about it. It's true: $22 for up to 14 days of parking! Can't beat that. I've paid that much for an afternoon of parking in some cities. When I called to confirm the price for parking, and check on availability of spaces, I also found out that they were running Saturday buses every half hour instead of just hourly, again because of vacation week. I think there were just 8 of us on the bus - if you don't advertise, then you can't expect riders!
Something to ponder ~ should I he happy or depressed that the clerk at Logan Express offered me the Senior Discount? I declined - their age for seniors is 65!
Easy airport/flight experience. Short line to check my bag - first bag flies free. Windy at take-off and landing, but smooth in between. Always fun to discover what kind of car the rental will be ~ this time it's a Kia Sportage, so I feel safe on the highway and it shouldn't get lost in too many parking lots. Laverne, my GPS, got me to my first motel in Latta, SC without any wrong turns.
There were a few times on the drive east from Raleigh where I wished I knew the area. I kept seeing a wonderful sunset in my rearview mirror and wished I could stop somewhere to photograph it. I didn't think pulling over on the highway to snap a few photos would be a very smart idea after so many people told me to have a safe trip. Also considered getting off at the exit for Pedro's South of the Border to take pictures of the neon frenzy there... memories of drives south when the boys were young.
Logged about 1 miles... many more to go. Camera batteries are charged - looking forward to Day #2.

One year later

Here I go again!
Heading south tomorrow afternoon to take lots and lots of photos. This blog will be a journal for this 2011 adventure. Most of the photos will be up on Picasa, some will be here as time and space permits.
“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves.” ~ Andre Gide