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Days of Wine and Roses

May 22, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Days of Wine and Roses

Thank you for reading this week’s post on Days of Wine and Roses. Appropriately, it’s been a laid-back week with lots of mundane activities.

Saturday we visited the Municipal Rose Garden in San Jose. Do you know the way to San Jose? And who ever heard of a municipal rose garden?

A portion of the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden.

It’s stunning.

A smaller portion of the same garden.

From their website- “Rolling green lawns and colorful showy blooms highlight the San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, named ‘America’s Best Rose Garden.’ Hardly a day passes when some species is not in full bloom, with more than 3,500 plantings and 189 varieties featured. Early May brings acres of fragrant, majestic roses at arguably their most beautiful stage. San Jose’s 5 1/2–acre Municipal Rose Garden – a one-time prune orchard – is today one of the most attractive of its kind in the world, drawing thousands of visitors each year.”

Another tiny portion…

There were lots of people there, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Lots of flowers got smelled! It seems to me, more towns ought to be doing things like this.

Sunday was car day. Google Maps tells me the most direct way between Maxx’s house and mine is 2,822 miles and takes 41 hours. I did some arithmetic. We went 7,401 miles and took almost two months. We got almost exactly 24 miles per gallon.

The van badly needed an oil change. While I was at it I topped off the tires and battery, and changed the air and cabin filters. We still have to get home!

Susan at the wine tasting.

Monday we went on a wine-tasting, visiting two vineyards and making most of a day of it. I wouldn’t make a habit of it, but it was an interesting way to spend a beautiful day.

Is Maxx hiding behind empty glasses?

 

I was as interested in the clouds as the wine.

I looked into getting a fishing license so I could fish while in California. At $142, the fish will be safe from me, I think. California fishing isn’t worth that.

Yesterday Susan and I went for a walk around Lake Chabot. We then picked up Maxx and went to Oakland’s Chinatown, where we indulged in some lunch at a small restaurant, eating stuff we didn’t know what it was. Some dumplings, those I know! It was all good, anyway.

Thank you for reading this week’s post on days of wine and roses!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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Some Places We Visited This Week- A Photo Essay

May 15, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Some Places We Visited This Week- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post on Some Places We Visited This Week. I type this from a couch in my son Maxx’s living room, having finished our drive across the country earlier today.

I’m tired. The last few days have been a grind. This post will be mostly captioned photos, little text.

We left Escalante and its terrifying roads and went to Red Canyon campground. A hike, a quick trip to Bryce Canyon. In the morning it was a brisk 28 degrees- time to leave!

A fantastic rock formation, VOFSP.

A long drive down I-15 through the incredible Virgin River Canyon brought us to Valley of Fire State Park.

The Valley of Fire State Park has infinite incredible rock formations.

 

Susan, on a hike in VOFSP.

 

More fantastic rock formations, VOFSP.

 

A raven, an important animal to the natives according to the pictographs, VOFSP.

 

VOFSP lies within the Mojave Desert. It gets hot there!

 

We encountered numerous bighorn sheep at VOFSP.

 

 

Susan, on a hike in VOFSP.

 

Susan, on the same hike.

Two nights in the Valley of Fire, and off we go. Through armpit Las Vegas to Death Valley.

Crappy Las Vegas traffic on I-15- not the trip highlight.

 

The happy couple at the entrance to Death Valley National Park.

 

Badwater Basin, the lowest geographical point in the United States.

 

Susan dances at the lowest point!

Ended up not wanting to camp there, we continued to Lake Isabelle, then Kern River Canyon, two nights. Went to see the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequoia National Monument. Many terrified moments on the mountain roads ensued!

The Kern River. I watched a guy use salmon eggs to catch a couple small rainbow stockers here.

 

I’m learning how to photograph the Milky Way. I made this shot from our Kern River canyon campsite.

 

Susan stands inside the base of an enormous sequoia tree.

Got a campsite for one night on the Pacific coast near San Luis Obispo. After that, it was California Highway 1 through Big Sur, then a dash to Maxx’s to beat the weekend traffic! And here we are!

Elephant seals howl on the rocky beach along CA 1 near Big Sur.

 

A Bird of Paradise flower along CA i in Big Sur.

Thank you for reading this week’s post on Some Places We Visited This Week!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

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Utah- Incredible Natural Beauty- A Photo Essay

May 8, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Utah- Incredible Natural Beauty- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post on Utah- Incredible Natural Beauty. The state has lots of prehistory in the form of Anasazi ruins, too. We could easily spend a month here and not see or do everything available. I still haven’t touched those fly rods, either, although I did see a few trout today, small ones, while hiking along the Escalante River.

Susan hikes through a slot on the way to the petroglyphs.

Mesa Verde National Park lies in Colorado, and our week started there with a scary drive to the top of the mesa. We went for a hike on the Petroglyph Point trail, a two-and-a-half-mile loop at 8000-plus feet elevation. I had to take it slooooow; these lungs have problems at sea level. It was a great hike and the petroglyphs were only a small part of it.

The petroglyph, a history of the antelope and raven clans.

 

Susan on the return trip.

 

The famous cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde NP.

 

The remains of a pueblo, with a kiva, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

Another day, another archeological site. This one was Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, which sits on the state line. This monument was different than others in that the sites were fairly distantly spaced, with private lands in between. We got turned around and ended up at Hovenweep National Monument, lucking out to get the last campsite there. We were now in Utah.

Ruins at Hovenweep National Monument.

We went on a hike before dark, another incredible experience.

Ruins at Hovenweep National Monument.

 

A Susan and John selfie, at Hovenweep Monument.

The next day we drove on Utah 95 through Bears Ears National Monument to get to Natural Bridges Natural Monument. Everyone should experience both the road and the monuments!

Susan examines one of the bridges.

 

That tiny speck under this bridge is Susan!

The sun rose again. We went to the Needles Overlook in Bears Ears. What you look over is the canyon of the Colorado River, upstream of where it’s designated “Grand Canyon.” It’s still grand!

Susan on the edge at Needles Overlook, Bears Ears National Monument.

 

No arch in this shot at Arches National Park.

Then it was off to Arches National Park. We took a number of short hikes, none more than a mile, any of which could be life-changing in the right circumstance. The amazing thing about this trip is every day is better than the previous one, just cake-and-ice-cream scenery day after day!

Arch one and arch 2. This things are huge.

 

The famous double arch. Tiny specks at the bottom are people.

We had a travel day scheduled. We were passing Canyonlands National Park, where the Green and Colorado Rivers converge. We did it too fast, no hikes. Still amazing.

Petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock, Bears Ears NM.

We got on Utah 24 off I-70, headed to Capitol Reef National Park. Sadly, we only could get one night at the campground there. This place so warranted further exploration!

I heard something out the window at dawn. Twenty mule deer were just outside the van. Capitol Reef NP.

 

One of may incredible rock formations, Capitol Reef NP.

Continuing west on 24, we entered the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I have traveled on mountains roads in Bolivia and Peru. Route 24 through here was the most terrified I’ve ever been on a road. Two narrow, swerving lanes, sheer drops of forever on either side, and no guard rails. YIKES!!!

Not at the terrifying spot, Grand Staircase-Escalnte NM.

We made it, somehow. Today we hiked in Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, seeing more petrified wood than I saw at Petrified Wood National Park.

This colorful fossil tree trunk is 300 million years old.

 

You can see the annual rings in this one.

Whew! That brings us up to date!

Thank you for reading this week’s post on Utah- Incredible Natural Beauty!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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A Tour of Northern New Mexico- A Photo Essay

April 30, 2021 by · 1 Comment

A Tour of Northern New Mexico- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post on a tour of northern New Mexico. Hope you like the photos! Lots of places in New Mexico are still closed because of COVID, as we learned to our chagrin this week.

We were driving through a small town called Carrizozo. We had cards to mail. I drove past the post office and went around the block to get back to it.

Some Carrizozo street art, not on the street.

The town revealed by that turn-around was awesome. While we ogled the street art a man came over to us and said, “Welcome to Carrizozo! We’re glad you’re here!” Turns out he was Mayor Ray Dean. We spent a quarter hour chatting with him. The town’s population is about 1200, 47 of whom are artists. They are looking for more artists, and retirees, to come and live there. You could do worse.

In Carrizozo, some good advice.

 

Carrizozo had this burro thing going.

We wanted to visit Valley of Fire National Recreation Area. It was closed. We stopped along US 380 to see the lava flows, then continued on to Socorro. From there it was continue west on US 60. I wanted to visit the Very Large Array. It was closed. They let cows in, though.

The cows could get in to the VLA, but we could not.

 

We went through a place called Pie Town. A name like that screams at you to stop. We didn’t though.

The chapel in Quemada.

We found a lovely little mission church in Quemada.

The Santa Fe trail passed this rock. Petroglyphs and inscriptions from pioneers can be found here, but the gate was locked.

We wanted to visit El Morro National Monument. Only open Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

We stopped at the Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave. Since this is privately owned, it was open. We paid the fee, then hiked to the crater. It was cloudy, windy, and cold. I took pictures, bad ones.

Susan down in the lava tube with a Navajo family.

The elevation, about 8000 feet, was killing me. Breathe in, breathe out, rapidly! From there we hiked to the ice cave, which was an old lava tube from the volcano. That volcano’s lava flowed more than 20 miles, and at one spot we could see nine other cinder cones. It was a great stop, and wonderful hike, and really nice to find something open.

We woke up to 36 degrees and snow.

We camped that night at Bluewater State Park. It was cloudy, windy, and cold. We woke up to 36 degrees and snow flurries.

Another fun sculpture on the street of Santa Fe.

At this point we hadn’t showered in four or five days, and had been sleeping in our clothes because it had been so cold. So, we got on the interstate and drove to Santa Fe, where we had a restaurant meal and an evening in a motel. Warmness! Showers!

A fun sculpture in one of Santa Fe’s galleries.

The art in Santa Fe- oh, my GOD! Every gallery we visited had stunning, museum quality work. There were lots we didn’t visit, either because they were closed or because of time constraints. A lot of the buildings there are built in the adobe pueblo style. The place had a very cool vibe- it was the nicest town we’ve visited so far.

The streets of Santa Fe are loaded with museum quality art like this.

We went to see the Puye Cliff Dwellings- closed.

We continued on to Bandolier National Monument. The visitor center was closed, but you could hike the trails. The most popular trail is the one going to the cliff dwellings. About 1000 years ago, 700-800 Anasazi people lived in what is now called Frijole Canyon, in natural caves that were enhanced by hard, determined work. We visited some of them.

Susan sits at the entrance to a cave dwelling.

 

 

 

Susan negotiates the Ladder of Death.

After an incredible hike we had time to visit the Valles Caldera. About one million years ago, after enormous explosions and lave flows, the cone of the Valles volcano collapsed, forming an enormous caldera. I made no attempt to photograph it, not beginning to see how one might.

We drove to our next campsite at Abiquiu Lake through snow flurries. It was another chilly night.

We stopped in Taos, another nice town, for coffee and to visit a few galleries. There were a lot of “cool dudes,” I’m guessing ski bums, hanging out. We bought the biggest cream puff I’ve ever seen, then got back in the van.

The bridge over the Rio Grande Gorge.

We got on US 64. Just a few minutes out of Taos was the Rio Grande Gorge. I was thankful the bridge proved solid. We got out and took some pictures (bad ones).

US 64 was the most stunning drive in a state full of them. Amazing! At the top of a mountain we stopped. I was hungry, but even though the sun was shining the temperature was in the 40s. Neither of us wanted to get out of the van and mess with food. Susan said, “I have the cream puff.”

Getting her cream puff on!

We started eating that thing, as big as a child’s head. Our eyes met and we lost it, laughing uncontrollably, tears rolling down. Didn’t stop us from finishing the puff, though!

Our day ended at Heron Lake State Park, where we met fellow vanners Greg and Corrinne. They told us we needed to stop at Camp Kush, where we are now. On the way here we crossed into Colorado, stopped for coffee in Pagosa Springs, saw Chimney Rock (national monument closed), and stopped for lunch in Durango.

More adventures await!

Thank you for reading this week’s post on a tour of northern New Mexico!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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A Cave, Dunes, and Petroglyphs- A Photo Essay

April 27, 2021 by · 2 Comments

A Cave, Dunes, and Petroglyphs- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post on a cave, dunes, and petroglyphs. Hope you like the photos!

We visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It was like the Florida Caverns, multiplied by a zillion. Eerie, fantastic, fantasmic, wonderful, unearthly- I could go on but the point is made. We spent three hours in the caverns, three unforgettable hours. Our only disappointment was that the bats had not yet arrived.

This photo mostly shows stalactites in Carlsbad Cavern. This photo cannot give a sense of scale- these structures are massive.

 

This was an attempt to give a sense of scale- note the silhouette of a human figure at the bottom of the lighted area.

A stunning three-hour drive through a mountain range brought us to Alamogordo.

Street art was carried to new heights in the town of Artesia. This bronze sculpture was on the side of the road.

 

Susan eats pistachio ice cream in front of the world’s largest pistachio sculpture.

After stopping to visit the world’s largest pistachio statue, we went to White Sands National Park. It’s just as fantastic as the caverns, in a totally different way- blasting sun, blowing sand, heat, wind, light. Lots of people there, having fun in the dunes. We took some hikes, then headed to see the petroglyphs.

A sand dune at White Sands.

 

The happy campers. It’s like our second honeymoon!

 

 

People ride plastic discs down the dune faces.

 

Susan enjoys a rare piece of shade at White Sands.

Three Rivers petroglyphs site has thousands of symbols etched onto rocks. A short hike brings one to them. Counters can try to keep track of how many they’ve seen. The number will be large.

Petroglyphs at the Three Rivers site are more than 1000 years old.

 

More petroglyphs, with the Sacramento Mountains in the background.

 

The moon hangs over the mountain in this view from our campsite at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, south of Alamogordo.

 

Barrel cactus blossoms, lovely things.

 

Sunset from our campsite at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park.

Today’s plan is for a drive to another part of New Mexico and some new adventures. Be here to see them next week- same time, same channel!

Thank you for reading this week’s post on a cave, dunes, and petroglyphs!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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In East Texas, A Photo Essay

April 17, 2021 by · 2 Comments

In East Texas, A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s In East Texas post. Hope you like the photos!

In Martin Dies Jr. State Park.

Our week started at Martin Dies Jr. State Park, on the shores of Lake Steinhagen. The lake was once the Neches River. A dam took care of that, making a large lake, and on one side of that lake you find the state park.

Butterflies worked the thistles.

In Texas, people fishing from shore in a state park do not need a fishing license. I went fishing with the spin rod, and caught the first fish of the trip on a red shad Culprit worm. It was a largemouth black bass that tipped the scales at about five ounces. It was the only bite I got.

We found some jack-in-the-pulpit.

We spent most of a day on the hiking paths. I hugged a big old loblolly pine and had a religious experience. Really.

View from a boardwalk along the trail.

Swallowtail butterflies were working thistles. I shot a couple hundred frames!

Cindy, riding Buca.

We spent most of the week on Ten Metre Circle Ranch, with our friends Ken and Cindy. They are amazing hosts! With them we visited the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Grimes County Court House in Anderson, and Washington on the Brazos. We learned a lot about Texas history, Pompeii, and butterflies! And we learned a lot about dressage, because Cindy rides!

 

Cindy photographs a butterfly.

 

There were all kinds of exotic butterflies.

 

There was a sizable reptile too- an iguana.

 

Roman sculpture was less sophisticated than the Greek, but it wasn’t shabby, either.

 

Classic Rock Coffee in Navasota. Don’t get the croissants.

 

The interior was awesome!

 

Grimes County Courthouse in Anderson, a great place to visit. Ask for Al.

I was not expecting the profusion of beautiful wildflowers along the roads and in the fields, or the rolling hills. We find this part of Texas surprisingly lovely.

Bluebells, the Texas state flower.

 

Primrose, common along roadsides.

 

The east Texas version of Indian Paintbrush.

Thank you for reading this week’s In East Texas post!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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In Cajun Country, A Photo Essay

April 10, 2021 by · 2 Comments

In Cajun Country, A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s In Cajun Country post. Hope you like the photos!

I’m writing a travelogue for GlobalOutdoors.com. They post a new installment every Monday. You can see the first one here…

North shore, Lake Pontchartrain

Our week started at Fontainebleu State Park, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. At one time, the property was a sugar cane plantation, with slaves providing the manpower. Now it’s a state park where those slave’s descendants can recreate. Maybe we are making progress as a race.

Sugar mill ruins.

 

A hummingbird moth works a thistle near the ruins.

 

Happy couple, giant live oak.

 

The surrounding communities have some interesting attractions, although many are still closed due to COVID. Travel during a pandemic has some drawbacks.

When we got there it was closed, saving us ten dollars.

 

Susan strikes a pose in front of the Catholic cathedral in Lafayette.

From there we went to Palmetto Island State Park, in the heart of Cajun country. We learned to eat crawfish, and learned about the Abbeville Omelette Festival, where they make a gigantic omelette by using more than 5000 eggs!

Crawfish, yum!

 

Wash the ‘dads down with cold Abita!

 

Mural in New Iberia, Bearing Gifts.

 

 

 

 

The state park had a large concrete alligator to welcome visitors.

 

It also had red irises!

 

The old train depot is now a gift shop.

 

A mural of the Omelette Festival!

After two nights there we headed to Texas, where we are currently. Big Thicket National Preserve is the coolest place I’d never heard of! We stayed two nights in Village Creek State Park, outside Beaumont. But we’re moving again!

There’s a place in the Big Thicket called Pitcher Plant Trail.

 

Snack time for the pitcher?

 

Pitcher plant blossoms.

 

Cypress slough along the Kirby Nature Trail, Big Thicket.

 

There were magnificent old trees.

Thank you for reading this week’s In Cajun Country post!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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On the Road Narrative and Photo Essay

April 2, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

On the Road Narrative and Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s on the road narrative.

At Gainesville’s Burrito Famous.

Last week I ended the post by saying we were ready to pack it up and go. We packed it up and went!

FLORIDA

Could Vanna do it better?

Our first night was spent at O’Leno State Park, in High Springs. The Sante Fe River disappears into a sinkhole here, after which it flows underground for three miles before popping to the surface again and continuing its way to the Suwannee River. I recommend a visit to O’Leno State Park– it’s nice!

Swamp azaleas along the trail at O’Leno Park.

 

On the O’Leno suspension bridge.

 

River Sink. The Santa Fe River disappears here.

From there we went to Florida Caverns State Park, in Marianna. We took a tour of the caverns, which was a great thing to do! The tour took an hour, during which time we were more than 60 feet below the surface, surrounded by fantastically sculpted line rock. Electric lights kept us from multiple toe jams, or head jams, depending which end would have struck. Fantastic place.

The tour guide does her thing.

 

Stalactites.

 

Colored lights add an eerie ambiance.

We spent that night and the next at Moonpie Farm, where we got a full dose of farm animals. Elizabeth, the owner, was super nice and except for the no showers part it was a great place to camp.

Elizabeth and Ivan, of Moonpie Farm.

 

Elizabeth makes several goat’s milk cheeses.

 

Unlike most geese, these were almost nice!

We also visited Falling Waters State Park, the location of Florida’s highest waterfall! It’s a lovely little falls, where the water drops deep into a sinkhole. It was cool to see, but, it was then, OK, what else ya got? We took a short hike around a lovely landscape, but short was the operative word.

Florida’s highest waterfall!

 

An unusual type of thistle along the trail.

ALABAMA

We drove to Spanish Fort, Alabama, the next morning, to camp at Meaher State Park. It’s little more than an RV park- I would not go there again. A cold front with accompanying rain and lightning spiced up our stay.

Approaching front at Meaher.

MISSISSIPPI

We had breakfast in downtown Mobile the following morning, totally forgettable. Then we crossed another state line, into Mississippi. As I write this we’re at the Davis Bayou Campground in Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Walter Anderson’s personal room, now at the museum.

We visited the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs. This guy, like so many artists, was simply amazing. He was compelled to create, working with watercolors, oil paints, wood, clay, found materials- the medium didn’t matter. He rowed a little dingy 12 miles out into the Gulf all the time to get inspired by nature on uninhabited Horn Island, a barrier island off the coast. He had some fantastic work on display, easily a trip highlight for us.

A section of an Anderson mural at the museum.

 

Same mural, different section.

That cold front I mentioned? It meant business. When I woke up this morning, the air temperature was 39 degrees. The Sienna doesn’t have an auxiliary heater. We were not in a hurry to roll out of bed.

Pitcher plant blossom at the wildlife refuge.

When we did, we visited the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. Like all federal properties these days, the visitor center was closed. We took a lovely, too-short hike through a pine savannah filled with pitcher and sundew plants. The pitcher plants were blooming, large yellow flowers, lots of them.

Random shot in Ocean Springs. Maynard G. Krebs, prop.

Tomorrow another state line awaits, I gar-on-tee!

Thank you for reading this week’s On the Road narrative!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a trip!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

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Went to Cape Coral

March 19, 2021 by · Leave a Comment

Went to Cape Coral

Thank you for reading this week’s Went to Cape Coral post.

Saturday found Susan and I in the Sienna, going to Cape Coral on a bit of a shake-down, and to visit Alex and Allison. We went to Cape Coral!

We arrived around supper time, and after dining on Susan’s chili, we watched Coming 2 America. As could be expected, it was silly. It was also well-done and pretty entertaining. I’m glad we watched it!

Went went to the Six-Mile Slough.

Sunday morning, Susan, Allison, and I went to the Six-Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, someplace I had always wanted to visit. The boardwalk wanders through the slough for about a mile-and-a-half loop. We took it slow, barely strolling. There were only a few flowers, and not a lot of wildlife, but the walk is pleasant. It was a good thing to do.

The boardwalk…

 

…a blue flag iris…

 

…a reflection of an old cypress tree…

 

…the woods…

 

…and a white ibis. Good walk!

Afterwards we went to Cafe Brasil for lunch. We all split the muqueca- yum! There may have been a caipirinha involved as well…

Alex and Allison’s neighbors, the burrowing owls.

That evening I went and photographed the owls, little burrowers that live down the street from Alex and Allison.

Their eyes! Pretty amazing!

Monday Alex and I went kayak fishing off Bunche Beach. He used spin, I used fly. He got more trout than me, I got more fish then him. My take, all on Clouser Minnows, included 2 small gag grouper, five mangrove snapper, a dozen or so trout to about 24 inches, and more ladyfish than all three of those others, combined. I stayed pretty busy, and was glad I had a de-hooker! Nothing very exciting, but it sure was nice getting bite after bite.

Didn’t bother taking pictures of fish. This is what was left of the first two flies, mangulated by the fishies. Yes, I did make up that word.

Tuesday morning I went out and shot a few photos of a Plumeria tree.

Frangipangi!

Then we drove home. On the way we got hungry, and stopped in Winter Haven at a dive called Tacos My Friend. Oh, my, for eight bucks we had plenty of belly-filling deliciousness. I recommend the Gorditas!

Tacos, My Friend

 

The menu.

The rest of the week was spent cleaning the van and the house, and testing the electrical systems in the van. So far, so good. It’s almost ready!

Thank you for reading this week’s Went to Cape Coral post!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or walk on a trail! or eat tacos!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: central florida destinations, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Southwest Florida Travel Post

March 6, 2021 by · 1 Comment

Southwest Florida Travel Post and Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s Southwest Florida Travel post.

Yours truly was a guest on the Fish Untamed podcast. I listened to it half expecting to be embarrassed and was pleasantly surprised that I came off as well-informed and perhaps even thoughtful.

Thanks for having me on the show, Katie!    https://fishuntamed.com

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Monday morning found me driving to Everglades City in the wee hours of the morning. I wanted to catch the outgoing tide all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, and low tide was at 11 AM. I mostly made it.

The kayak on the return trip, after eating and drinking for a couple days.

Paddlers need to know how to time the tides. Paddling against the current isn’t hard if the current doesn’t run fast. The moon phases where the highest volume of water moves are the new moon, closely followed by the full moon. Much less water is moving on quarter moons.

Another good thing to know is that 1/12th the total water volume moves during the first hour of the tide. One-sixth the volume moves during the second hour. During the third and fourth hours, half the total volume that’s moving does so. During the fifth hour the flow slows again, with 1/6th the total volume moving. And during the last hour, 1/12th, all that’s left, moves.

So if you must paddle against tidal flow, the best time to do it is on a quarter moon, near the top or bottom of the tide. If only the wind speed were so predictable.

I got out to Jewell Key near mid-day. Other campers were there, but there was plenty of room for me. After setting up camp I tried fishing. At my favorite spot the water was too deep to wade, and too rough to fish from the boat. So I tried other areas.

My favorite spot at low tide. These rocks usually hold fish. Not this time…

It was slow. I managed a couple each of jacks and ladyfish and one small snook, all on plastic shad.

Same area, same tide, different angle.

By the time sunset came around, I was ready to get horizontal. It had been a long day!

Sunset, into the Gulf.

Tuesday morning’s low tide found me in my favorite place. I worked it hard, both on foot and from the boat. The fish were not there. I managed four trout in four hours, and it’s not like they were big ones. I tried several other spots, and got nothing. By then it was high tide, when I typically don’t do well anyway. So I returned to camp and took a nap.

Did some stargazing and star photography.

That evening I stayed up and did some stargazing, always an enjoyable pastime. The wind was sufficient that the bugs were near non-existent.

Praise the Lord for a new day!

Wednesday the wind was blowing hard, and the sky looked like rain. After the previous day I figured fishing would be a wash. Bag it, John! Go see something new! I paddled back to Everglades City, then drove to Fakahatchee Strand, where I had never been.

Lots of clouds around for the sunrise.

The Big Cypress boardwalk was a tremendous one-mile walk. Most cypress in Florida are second-growth. But this place has massive, virgin cypress trees. My regret was the walk wasn’t longer.

The boardwalk.

 

Beautiful, big cypress trees.

 

The strangler fig killed this cypress.

 

Little blue? tri-color? heron along the trail.

From there I went to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, another place I had long wanted to visit. I got there and the gate was chained. Oops!

I ended up in Cape Coral, camping in son Alex’s driveway.

Getting ready for the tour.

Thursday I took an three hour ecotour with Kayak-Excursions. It was fun and educational, and the mangrove tunnel at the end was one of the nicest I’ve seen, just awesome. I highly recommend their services, https://kayak-excursions.com.

Launching!

 

Paddling amongst the pelicans.

 

In the mangrove tunnel.

Friday? Clean-up on aisle 4. After that trip the van was trashed. Now it’s nice and clean, as is all my gear.

Thank you for reading this week’s Southwest Florida Travel post!

Life is great and I love life!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! or take a kayak ecotour!!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Fishing Reports, Paddle Fishing Florida, Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , , ,
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