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A Winter 2006 Trip to Georgia and Florida

In early February, 2006, Bob and I took a two-week driving trip from eastern Pennsylvania to Georgia and Florida. We stopped first in Statesville, North Carolina where we joined old friends Jerry and Tim for dinner. We were on our way early the next morning for Decatur, Georgia, where we spent two days with relatives Rafe and Ilze. We visited Chattahoochie National Recreation Area, near Atlanta, one afternoon, and thought if we'd had more time we would have spent more time there. We liked the Cochran Shoals part of it best. We drove from Decatur to Naples, Florida in one day. This would have been an easy drive if the weather had not been so awful. It poured steadily, and sometimes violently, with thunder and lightning, the entire last third of the trip. It's a 600 mile trip. We spent several days in Naples with friends Tom and Mary, and even had dinner with Jack and Lois, neighbors from home. From Naples we visited Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge and Fakahatchee. On our way across Florida on the Tamiami Trail we stopped at Shark Valley, and rode our bikes around the 16 mile trail. There were birds everywhere. And across the road from the refuge we got a great look at a male Snail Kite, always a treat on this trip. Our next stop was Hollywood, Florida to visit cousins Alvin and Marie, but before we checked in to our motel for the night we went to look for the Burrowing Owls at Brian Piccolo Park. We found 10 active burrows. Then, heading north, we stopped at Wakodahatchee, a wetland adjacent to a water treatment plant. The birds are always wonderfully close to the boardwalk - it's a photographer's paradise. Then to Titusville and a drive around Black Point Drive. We had great looks at Roseate Spoonbills, Wood Storks, Great and Snowy Egrets and other waders there. And then back to Georgia and Jekyll Island, where we like to end our annual trip. We had hoped to do some more bike riding, but a rainy day sent us shopping instead. On our way north and home, we stopped at Tybee Island, where we had never been. We'd seen it mentioned on Rare Bird Alerts on the Internet. The beach is wonderful - reminiscent of New Jersey's Long Beach Island. We saw skimmers, and many species of ducks. Also Northern Gannets and Red-throated and Common Loons. And then it was time to start the long trip home. We made the 700+ mile drive to our home in Pennsylvania in one day. It was a great trip.
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Bob on Boardwalk Jekyll Island
Bob on Boardwalk Jekyll Island
Bob on ramp aat Shark Valley
Bob on ramp aat Shark Valley
Bob on Tybee beach
Bob on Tybee beach
Bridge at Sebastian Inlet
Bridge at Sebastian Inlet
Broken tree at Fakahatchee
Broken tree at Fakahatchee
Broken tree at Fakahatchee
Broken tree at Fakahatchee
Buckeye
Buckeye
Burrowing Owl
Burrowing Owl
Burrowing Owls
Burrowing Owls
Canaveral sign Small
Canaveral sign Small
Center at Sebastian Inlet
Center at Sebastian Inlet
Chattahoochie
Chattahoochie
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