Looking at a topo map, it was obviously flat. What I discovered and the TTW videos show, is that it is heavily wooded in many areas, something I didn’t expect.
Video 07 West Central Florida http://www.vimeo.com/967922
The wooded Florida landscape surprised me. I think I sort of expected sand hills with scrub vegetation. Instead the landscape was rich with oak, pine, and palms, and lots of water. Frankly, I didn’t notice that there were no mountains, perhaps because whenever I looked up, I saw trees. Pretty countryside! A very nice drive on roads that I found excellent and safe throughout Florida.
I was also surprised at the rural character of much of where I traveled east and north of Tampa. In Miami there were so many buildings under construction, with so many giant cranes on the skyline, it was like a brand new city was being built. And the roads, two lane or interstate, between West Palm Beach and for 20 miles south of Miami, were lined with urban developments. So to travel for hundreds of miles through largely rural areas was a pleasant surprise.
And the Gulf Coast east of Mexico Beach was equally “unspoiled.” West of Mexico Beach, you started to get the typical strip development with condos, lots of tourist businesses, and the like. It reached its peak at Destin, which was one continuous beachside tourist carnival. It made California beach towns like Santa Cruz look like miniatures.
Video 08 Apalachicola, Florida http://www.vimeo.com/967937
I really liked Apalachicola. In fact it was probably my favorite “discovery” as far as tourist towns go. It still had its small fishing fleet, kids rode their bikes downtown, the streets were lined with terrific historic buildings, there were no crowds, and there were several interesting restaurants and shops. I spotted only one condo development, and that was far enough out of town to be minimally intrusive. I would go there again in a minute.
Video 09 Beach near St Joe. http://www.vimeo.com/967949
Despite the fact that the highway follows along the Gulf Coast, access to the beaches, at least east of St Joe, is difficult. Unlike Oregon and Washington where beach access is permitted virtually anywhere and you can’t deny public enjoyment of the oceanfront, it at least appeared that in Florida you can deny access to the beach in front of your property. I don’t know the Florida laws, but I do know that beach access for the public was very limited, in comparison to my western experience.
This was the first time I saw an opportunity to photograph the waterfront, and it was a public park. This is also where I picked up a scoop of sand. Maybe that is why access is limited or denied. Too many people would otherwise carry off a cup of sand, and before you know it, the oceanfront would be all rocks. (Sorry, the devil made me say that!).
Video 10 The old (1929) and new Dupont Bridge on US98, Panama City http://www.vimeo.com/967969
The 1929 Dupont Bridge has been replaced, but its end spans still grace the waterfront at Panama City, Florida. I also took a video of an interesting new bridge in Mobile, but since I don’t have a name for it, it will remain unposted until I do some research.
All in all my entire trip long the Hypotenuse Trail through Florida was terrific…better than I expected, interesting, well worth a return visit. I fully understand now why so many people move there. The beaches, when you can reach them, the weather, the landscape, and the people I met, all added up to a top notch travel experience.
Keep the Show on the Road!
Dave
PS Don't forget, if you want your earned share of the Hypotenuse Trail goodies, you have to declare your intent. Look at the post titled "Artifacts to go the Hypotenuse Trail winners"
