On the Road – Page 21

Traveling with the Top Down, Crystal River Archeological State Park

October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 by KTgreen

We’ve been cruising around Crystal River for the last few weekends–enjoying the weather and the view. Most state parks in Florida allow dogs so this past Saturday we decided to check out some of those parks and took Maggie along. Traveling with the Top Down, Crystal River Archeological Park

First stop, Churchhouse Hammock Boardwalk which is right across the street from the Crystal River Mall. We walked on a really wide boardwalk that’s about 1/3 mile in length and goes through the forest. Maggie was quite sure that something scary was in the woods and wanted to go back the entire time so Terry ended up carrying her. Won’t be taking the pooch back to that trail!

Churchhouse Hammock Trail — I read somewhere (probably on the Internet) that if you have a fat dog, you don’t get enough exercise. Not true–Maggie is a chunky monkey but we ALL get lots of exercise. I’m sure she has a thyroid problem….or a metabolism issue!

The Crystal River Archeological Park was our main destination. There’s a lot of Native Americans buried here. I don’t have a lot of details because we couldn’t go in the visitor center but I have to confess that we’ve lived her over 10 years and have no excuse for not visiting this local treasure before this. But we’ll be back! The grounds were very well maintained and there are areas for grilling and picnicking. Fishing is allowed plus it’s part of the Great Florida Birding Trail.

Indian Mound, — These are the stairs to one of the burial mounds. No way will Maggie be able to get up these steps.

Traveling with the Top Down, Crystal River Archeological Park — Whaaaaat! OMG Chunky Monkey is running!

Indian Mound, Traveling with the Top Down, Crystal River Archeological Park — View from the Top of the Mound

Our final stop was at the Crystal River Preserve State Park Visitor Center.

Another beautiful spot on the Crystal River. And, once again, we couldn’t go in but we were happy to walk the grounds and love the river.

There’s a native plant garden. Not sure what this tree is, but it was this one was real PURTY!

So, in conclusion, there are a lot of places for us still to discover in the state park system in Citrus County. Like sunset boat rides and ecological tours and many more trails. We’ll be back. But maybe not with Maggie, we have some small people in our family that might appreciate it a little bit more than the pooch!

Traveling with the Top Down, New Smyrna Beach

October 15, 2013October 15, 2013 by KTgreen

24 hours in New Smyrna Beach

JB's Fish Camp — Lunch at JB’s Fish Camp, Blackened Grouper

Egret on the beach — Egret wanting to share our lunch.

Traveling with the Top Down, New Smryna Beach — Windy and Cool day

DAtlantic Bistro, Traveling with the Top Down, New Smryna Beach — Dinner at Atlantic Bistro

Morning on the Beach — Good Morning Sun!

Traveling with the Top Down–Dade City

September 9, 2013 by KTgreen

It was positively autumn-like this weekend. Just kidding. But it was only 72 degrees when we got up Saturday morning–that’s nice. My range for going out in the convertible is 80 – 90 degrees. Any cooler, I’ve gotta wear a jacket. Any warmer–forget about it! So it was time for our first “Top Down” adventure for Fall 2013! Off we went to Dade City!

We like to take side roads on our drives. Blowing down an interstate or the parkway at 70 mph is just not all that much fun in a convertible. So we took 98 to Brooksville to Spring Lake Hwy and ended up in Dade City.

Dade City is the county seat of Pasco County. That explains this big old building…

Traveling with the Top Down--Dade City — The Dade City Courthouse

I’ve been to Dade City more than a few times. For me it’s all about its cute little shops, antique stores, and delicious lunch places. All things that might not be on Terry’s fun things to do list. But Saturday was the first Cruise In for the season! Yippee! Both of us were happy.

We hit a few shops and then it was time for lunch. We went to the City Market Bistro. I’ve been to Lunch on Limoges and Kafe Kokopelli but this was a new one for me. Yum!

I have to admit that the whole eating experience is very important to me. I don’t just want delicious food, but give me some fun décor. And this place was very cool. Plus I had one of the best portabella sandwiches I ever! They also served beer and wine but then I would have had to take a nap so I skipped the adult beverages.

After lunch we went to some more antique shops and I bought a milk glass creamer and some cobalt canisters. I really loved them until I got them home. There was scotch tape holding the lids to the jars. When I removed the tape when I got home, I discovered chips on two of the lids. I just felt that was really dishonest to put the tape on the cracks. Really? Most reputable antique places point out those types of things. They are usually totally upfront with problems. But I learned a lesson, in the future I will be more careful on checking out the merchandise before I make a purchase.

Then on to the “Cruise In”.

It was a fun day. Great to be back in the convertible. The Cruise In is the 1st Saturday of each month from 2 – 7 now that our crisp Fall weather is back! Put it on your calendar!