Loxahatchee River
December 29, 1996
The motorhome was snug and cozy. Outside a warm, slow, rain pitter-pattered on the roof. The arrival of mail helped keep our spirits high. We were expecting Christmas cards and possibly the RR as a Christmas present. When mail did not arrive Christmas Eve, Pat's eyes became misty. This is the first Christmas in about 34 years that was not spent close to the shining faces of at least one of our children. We missed you all! Hopefully, we can all get together next Christmas. Maybe we can all begin to think of a location with attractive activities, good transportation connections, and reasonable weather. Does the thought of spending Christmas on a warm Florida beach sound attractive? Maybe a location close to Epcot Center or something. Spent Christmas eve on Jupiter beach - about 15 miles north of Palm Beach. The air temperature was about 79, water warm, folks swimming and catching rays on the beach. We waded, watched birds and people, and dreamed.
Launched our canoe into the dark waters of the Loxahatchee River, the only National Wild and Scenic River in Florida. The sun was shining, the weather was warm and the vegetation on the riverbank was a fascinating combination of cabbage palms, cypress trees, and mangroves. The wind was still and the smooth water surface mirrored the image of the riverside jungle. As we paddled up the river, an osprey flew overhead with a fish in its claws. It landed on its nest in a tall, dead, cypress tree beside the river. The male osprey watched her from a nearby perch as she tore pieces of fish and fed them to her young. After about 3 miles we stopped at the river landing of Trapper Nelson, the "wild man" of the Loxahatchee. Until the early 1960's he lived a solitary existence along the river, built a cabin of ax-hewn timber, planted a few fruit trees, and trapped raccoons, bobcats and alligators. He died under mysterious circumstances. His body was found, shot through the chest and was ruled suicide though many suspected foul play. His old property is now part of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, accessible only by boat, and is available for touring. A ranger provides tours and a colorful description of the man and his life. Later in his life, he wrestled alligators and played "Tarzan" for tourists - often with a large snake around his neck. After the tour and brown-bag lunch, we again boarded our canoe for the return trip. A light rain was falling but not to worry, our raincoats were in our backpack. It rained steadily during the trip back and we got almost as wet as the river otter that frolicked and foraged under the red mangroves along the river. But, the rain was warm, and we enjoyed it almost as much as the otter.
Highway 1 runs most of the length of the east coast of Florida. Where there are barrier islands, a smaller highway - A1A - winds northward along the coast. If you are in a hurry, interstate 95 or the Florida Turnpike are available. But to see the east coast, A1A allows you to see the Atlantic and the affluent folks that live there. Because these barrier islands are susceptible to hurricanes and only the wealthy can afford to build homes that can survive these storms, there are almost no poor folks on these islands and only a few middle-class citizens. These homes are characterized by their conspicuous consumption of rare resources - land and fresh water. As in California and other western states, there is a virtual water war being waged over the ownership of the fresh water. Often the wealthy have large yards and gardens that require irrigation to keep them green year-around. The farmers have historically owned much of the water rights to irrigate the citrus, sugar cane, and other crops. The Everglades require water which once flowed from Lake Okeechobee, through the river of grass, into Florida Bay. About 1000 folks move to Florida every day and they are not coming to farm. Ultimately, their votes will determine water use priorities so the farmers and the parks will likely feel the squeeze.
Economically, the hottest area in Florida may be in the Jupiter Island to Boca Raton area where mega-mansions in the 25,000 to 40,000 square foot range are being built so that there are about 19 such estates - unrivaled anywhere in the USA. Big names with big egos such as Rush Limbaugh, Oprah Winfrey, Celine Dion, and Vick Damone have all recently moved into this trendy area. Pat and I thought about buying one such property which would have only cost us $6.7 million for 21,000 square-foot of space, but Rush Limbaugh purchased it before we could make an offer.
To meet the Florida building code, homes on the barrier islands homes are designed so that if the high tide and a hurricane coincide, the waves break through the bottom floor, leaving the top 2 or 3 floors with minimal damage. Almost anywhere on the east coast that the Atlantic meets the shore and the land rises several feet above high tide, there are homes. The area from Key West to the coastal areas of Jacksonville is in the process of becoming one continuous city, broken occasionally by Cape Canaveral, wildlife refuges, and State and County parks. Some of these parks have campgrounds with hookups for motorhomes from Texas. We are currently hooked up at Sebastian Inlet St. Recreation Area. The wildlife of interest here is evident from the signs admonishing not to dig turtle eggs and to drive boats slowly and avoid manatees. To these might be added - don't step on the wood storks and pelicans. They line up beside the fishermen to receive a handout of trash fish and fish guts near the fish cleaning areas. It was our understanding that these storks were very rare and we were very excited to see our first one in the Everglades. Here they are relatively abundant and so tame that you must dodge the "beggars" when biking along the waterway. In the air, they glide gracefully, showing attractive white and black wings. Up close on the ground they are much less attractive with their wrinkled, black, bald, vulture-like heads.
We have no time-table for leaving Florida. When we feel that we have seen most of the state and feel the call of the road, we will head toward Texas. From here we will visit Cape Canaveral and then try to see manatees at Blue Springs State Park. So far these interesting mammals have eluded us except for those we saw in a tank in the Epcot center.
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