Creel Photography

Alligators Eat Marshmallows

Several months prior to our vacation, in a moment of extreme weakness, or perhaps dementia, Rachael and I agreed to combine our summer vacation with an "opportunity" to be semi-chaperones for the youth choir from our church. The agreement was that we would fly to the Orlando area, spend a few days on our own playing tourists, then the choir would meet us and we would assume chaperone duties. Sounds relaxing, doesn't it?

Rachael and I were most excited about the opportunity to get away from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for a while and as the plane lifted off, our last minute efforts to stuff two months worth of clothing into several small suitcases for a one-week stay, seemed worthwhile.   Our plane was scheduled to depart at 7:30AM, but due to several minor issues (heavy rains, wind sheer) and pesky memories of fateful Delta crashes fresh in our minds we sat on the runway until 9:30AM. Thanks to this delay, I finished reading my book ten minutes into the flight. With nothing to do, I was forced into pondering several of life's little questions such as…whatever happened to former Astros outfielder Terry Puhl, and… how, exactly, did Jesse Jackson get the title of Reverend? I have some interesting thoughts on the second question, but I will not diverge from the topic at hand!

Since we did not have a direct flight to Orlando, it would make sense to connect through Atlanta or perhaps a Florida city such as Miami or Jacksonville. However, we connected through Chicago O'Hare. My only guess is that on Saturdays the earth's movement causes Chicago to be a more direct route. Actually, because of a snafu in last years travel to Casper, WY we were "rewarded" with free vouchers on United thus feeling obligated to take whatever route for which the vouchers would pay.

Due to the delay at DFW, we missed our connecting flight in Chicago. However, do not despair.   We were "rewarded" with additional vouchers so that next year if we get to go to Alaska, maybe we can use United to connect through Reykjavik, Iceland or perhaps Sao Paulo, Brazil, depending upon the Earth's movements of course. Anyway, we were able to catch the next flight and arrived in Orlando at 5PM local time. This 2.5 hr. delay caused us to miss the launching of an unmanned space vehicle (non-NASA workers actually call these satellites) which we had planned to attend, but hey, the average American can view those first hand any day, right? I wonder if NASA gives vouchers?

Upon deplaning, I let my senses take in the new surroundings, namely heat and humidity, and was convinced that the pilot had made a wrong turn over Kentucky and we had ended up in Houston. After seeing all the Disney paraphernalia on the airport walls I was sufficiently convinced that this was Orlando, so we proceeded to pick up our checked baggage and our rental car. These events are always dicey, but for once were accomplished without a hitch. Things were looking up. The map provided by the rental car company was adequate and we arrived at our hotel in Fort Myers some 4 hours later (time taken to detour to see the Gulf of Mexico and to nibble on a snack from a fine restaurant, Subway). At about 10PM that evening we pulled into La Quinta, which by the way when translated from Spanish means "next to Denny's." Think about it!

The next morning we felt for the first time that we were actually on vacation. The day's schedule called for a short car ride into Everglades National Park where we would were scheduled for an hour-long airboat ride with the main purpose being to see alligators. So, after bathing in a 50/50 mixture of sun block and bug repellent, we headed into the `Glades. Now I have heard many redneck comments about Texas and the South in general, but it has always seemed to me that Florida has been excluded (perhaps because of the high percentage of snowbirds and retirees in the state). Five minutes with the airboat driver (Captain Mo) would make anyone realize that we were in the backwoods. Most of the people that live in Everglades City and the surrounding small towns have lived there all their lives, and any number of them could serve as poster children for the dangers of family trees that do not branch, if you get my drift. Luckily, Captain Mo proved to be a rather good driver. At 30 MPH, we zipped in and out of waterways, glided over mud, and narrowly avoided tree roots. It was quite entertaining. While on the ride I learned an important scientific fact…the food that is consumed by the largest number of animals in a marsh ecosystem is…anyone care to guess…marshmallows. The good captain used marshmallows to lure raccoons, alligators, and Florida chickens (aka ostriches) so we could have a better look.   Quite informative huh?

After the airboat ride we took another ride on a much larger vessel that took us out into the ocean. We traveled through an area known as the 10,000 Islands to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico to look for manatee, dolphins, and the various types of wading birds found in the area. We did not find any manatee but saw numerous types of wading birds and the highlight was that the Captain was able to tempt several dolphins to ride the boat wake often jumping in tandem alongside the boat. It was quite entertaining and informative.

After completing the second boat ride, and before heading on the long car ride back to Orlando, we decided to drive down a dirt road that a local told us would give us up-close views of alligators. She was right. We saw and photographed a number of alligators from a relatively short distance (50 ft. is a short distance when you are talking about animals that could have you for dinner). We then settled in for the long trip back to Orlando. Well, Rachael settled in, I had to drive.

The next morning, Rachael's birthday, we awakened early and headed out to Kennedy Space Center. We had paid the exorbitant price to take an up-close tour of the Space Center. Once loaded on the VIP bus (yeah right) we were informed that we could not tour the launch pad(s) on this day because NASA had just rolled two of the four space shuttles to the launch pads. When they do this, no one without security clearance is allowed within four miles of the site. Since security clearance involves knowing someone of extreme influence, lots of time, and something about a search using a latex glove, we knew we would just have to be content with the other parts of the tour. On the "VIP" tour we were able to see the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), the astronaut dormitories, and the landing strip used by the Shuttles. I was amazed at how the landing strip looked so much like a landing strip! The only thing that separated it from 37L at D/FW was that it was made of 16" thick concrete.   The VAB was actually quite impressive. It is the second largest building by volume in the world. If the Empire State Building in NY were sectioned off it would fit inside the VAB 5.5 times. Yankee stadium would fit on its roof with over an acre left over for parking. I still think I could hit a 9 iron over it.

The rest of the tour of Kennedy Space Center was interesting as well. We saw exhibits concerning the Apollo program (you know, the program they named after that Tom Hanks movie), the International Space Station, and others on NASA in general. The public is allowed to see few of the working sections and even though I informed NASA that MY tax dollars was paying for all of this, they still wouldn't let me see more. Communists.

Upon completion of our Kennedy tour, we rushed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Rachael had made reservations for us at a murder mystery dinner theater. I must admit that I was quite hesitant about this, mainly due to the whole crowd participation thing, but it was actually quite a good time. The food? Well let's just say that the show was pretty good. Rachael correctly identified the murderer and I reaffirmed that detective work is not for me.

At this point I find it necessary to bring up a couple of general questions and/or comments on Florida in hopes that someone can help me. They are as follows:

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Is there a reason why Florida engineers cannot design highways to have access roads?

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Is it required by legislation that all main highways be toll roads or is it just the ones most likely to be traveled by tourists?

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Is there any way of introducing legislation that would make it illegal for people who have not worn a bathing suit in public for more than ten years to choose Florida as the place to break their streak?

With that little diversion, let me continue. We had purposed in our mind to go to the beach for a time of mirth and frivolity. Well, those weren't the exact words we had used but you get the point. After closely examining our map, we decided that we would drive to Daytona Beach. Our flawed reasoning went as follows: It is famous so it must be a good beach and the map says it is about 12 miles long so surely there will be some place in that 12 miles where we can be alone. Notice that I said our reasoning was flawed. After driving to Daytona we realized that every square inch of that beach has been developed into an eclectic mix of high rise resorts and very tacky hovels. Having just re-read Isaac's Storm about the hurricane of 1900 that hit Galveston, I found myself wondering how big a hurricane it would take to wipe the place out so they could start rebuilding with a little class and dignity. Do not get me wrong, I was only wondering and would not wish it to come true! After determining that Daytona was not a place for modest people such as us, we again glanced at the map and determined that if we drove North to the relatively unknown beaches we would have a better chance at being alone. Thirty minutes later we found ourselves at Beverly Beach. It was a very nice beach with white sand, and best of all there were few people. The people were all concentrated at the entrance, so we walked perhaps 2 miles up the beach to a secluded section. This was done partly because we are modest people and partly because I like to practice what I preach (see question/comment number three above). This was the first time for both of us to swim in the Atlantic Ocean. The water was warm (though not as warm as the Gulf), the breeze was refreshing, and my feet got sunburned due to my inability to spread liquids evenly. All in all it was a very good time and I am still reminded of the beach every time I put shoes on my feet. The sunburn is kind of like a temporary, free memento of our trip I guess.

Vacation, like marriage, involves a lot of compromises. My ideal summer vacation would involve a cool climate (preferably mountains), lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife for photography purposes, and as few people as possible. Rachael on the other hand would prefer beaches, hot climates, and lots of great shopping (hence many people). So, as you can see, vacations involve compromise. With this in mind, Rachael compromised and went with me to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. She was actually a great sport and drove much of the time so that I could jump in and out of the car freely every time I found something I wanted to photograph. We mostly saw and photographed birds, but there were some interesting marsh scenes as well. After leaving the wildlife refuge we headed to a canal that connects the Intracoastal Waterway with the ocean. There is a spot on this canal that has a Manatee lookout that historically harbors many of these beasts in the summer. We were rewarded finding that 9 or 10 Manatees were lumbering about in the canal. These animals are not the prettiest things in the world, nor are they the smartest given their affinity for boat motor propellers, but they are fascinating. They can grow to be 10 ft. long and weigh up to 3000 lbs. There are an estimated 2500 left worldwide so we actually saw a high percentage of the total. After viewing the Manatees, we headed for the Canaveral National Seashore where we saw and photographed additional birds.

Wednesday night the youth choir arrived in Orlando. We were there to greet them after their 26 hr. bus ride (makes our diversion through Chicago look tame doesn't it), and several mishaps that caused such a delay. They were glad to get off of the bus and enjoyed the fireworks show at their resort. They were equally happy to get some sleep.

Thursday morning I got up at 5AM and headed back to the wildlife refuge for some early morning photographs. I was back at the hotel about 10:30 for a quick shower (not that I needed one you understand) and Rachael and I headed out to meet the youth choir for lunch. That evening we accompanied the choir to a small church in Lakeland, FL where our 60 member choir more than doubled their average attendance. God blessed the service and 7 people received the Holy Ghost that evening (mostly young people). Following the service we all went to a restaurant called "Steak-n-Shake". The food? Well let's just say that the service was…well let's just say that I have no desire to go back there.

Friday morning was the first morning that Rachael and I slept in. We were up about 8:30, but hung out around the hotel until lunchtime. This was to be my day of compromise. After lunch, I happily chauffeured Rachael and several young ladies from our church to an outlet mall so that they could all search for "bargains" and "save" money. I was privileged enough to hear Rachael and the young ladies recount all of the wonderful sales they have attended over the last few years in the DFW area. I had no idea how much money Rachael has saved us recently. The local Bass Pro Shop was adjacent to the outlet mall so I wandered over and did a little drooling while meandering through the boat and the tackle sections. Friday evening the youth choir sang at another small church in Longwood, FL. Following the service, we all went to CiCi's pizza. The food? Well let's just say that the price was right, $2.99 for the buffet.

Saturday morning, I was up at 5AM and headed back to the wildlife refuge. I was back at the hotel by 8 and since Rachael was not out of bed yet, I decided to get a few more hours sleep myself. We checked out of the hotel at noon and headed to some additional outlet malls so that I could further refine the art of compromise. After Rachael had "saved" us even more money, we stuffed the treasures into the already overflowing baggage, and headed out to the airport.

I know that the fun and relaxation cannot go on forever even though at times I wish it could, but there are also times when I am ready to get back to familiar surroundings and most importantly into my OWN BED. It was time to head for home.

Our trip back did not take us through Chicago, as had the trip down. Instead we got to take a much more direct route through Washington, D.C (United Airlines really needs a hub in the central part of the contiguous States). The trip home was uneventful and I was glad to be returning to my own bed.