Day Trip: Manatees and Mediums

This past year it seems that I have spent a great deal of time reconnecting.  Reconnecting with real food is important but, also, being connected with your environment and the all of the natural beauty around us can go a very long way in keeping us grounded and at peace.

This weekend I took a long but beautiful drive over to Deland Florida.  There is company there called Blue Heron River Tours that offers two hour tours twice a day.  The tour takes you along the St. Johns River and through old logging canals from the past.  It is a taste of old Florida that is a fantastic and easy way to have a break from the tourist area.  If you live in Florida or are a visitor, I highly recommend you spend a couple of hours here for a relaxing and interesting look into Florida’s beautiful nature.

We saw several manatees surface for a quick breath before hiding back under the water.  This was the weekend of the annual Manatee Festival, and with the cold weather, there were hundreds of manatees seeking the warmer waters of the nearby spring.  We also were able to see alligators, turtles, and so many types of birds, that I cannot remember them all.  From the boat, we could also see the signs left by those who harvested Cypress trees before they realized that they were not easily renewable because they grow so slowly.

I will let the pictures tell you the rest of the story.  Click on a photo for a full sized slide show. Part 2 will come tomorrow with the ” medium” half of the day trip.