Honeymoon Island, a barrier island across the St.
Joseph's Sound from Palm Harbor, is home to the Honeymoon Island
State Park. The park is
385 acres in land area with 4 miles of beach, and 2400 acres of submerged land.
According to the Florida Park Service, Honeymoon Island
was introduced to the public during the 1940's through newsreels and magazines
with advertisements promising undiscovered pleasures for newlyweds. Formerly
known as Hog Island, in the early 1940's
honeymoon-type huts were built on the island for vacationing, and the name was
changed. The thatched huts fell into disuse during World War II, and were
eventually torn down, however, the name stuck. Although no longer a destination
for honeymooners, nature lovers will find osprey nests (we saw plenty of these!),
a wide variety of shorebirds, and one of the few remaining virgin slash pine
forests in South Florida. We also came across
a very busy armadillo, rooting and digging for something, who seemed completely
unconcerned with humans. There are several nature trails, some of which we rode
our bikes on, and visitors can also swim and snorkel in the warm waters of the
Gulf, collect shells, picnic, and take advantage of an onsite gift shop and
snack bar. Here are some pictures of our bike ride on Honeymoon Island
State Park.
The Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs is a
unique area in Pinellas County (Florida),
and is home to the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the United States.
The first local sponge business was started in the 1880's, and the industry quickly
grew. Soon spongers from Key West and the Bahamas settled
in Tarpon Springs, and by the 1890's a few Greek immigrants arrived here to work.
In 1905 John Cocoris introduced the technique of Sponge Diving to Tarpon
Springs and recruited divers and crew members from Greece. The sponge industry soon
became one of the leading maritime industries in Florida, and the most important business in
Tarpon Springs, generating millions of dollars a year. A red tide algae bloom
occurred in 1947, wiping out the sponge fields in the Gulf
of Mexico, and much of the industry in this area. Eventually the
sponges recovered and there has remained a consistent but smaller sponge
industry since then. Visitors to Tarpon Springs can often view sponge fisherman
working at the Sponge Docks on Dodecanese
Boulevard, as well as enjoy the many Greek themed
shops, restaurants, and museums detailing the Tarpon Springs' Greek heritage.
The January day we visited the area was sunny and bright, perfect for walking
around the village and enjoying the sights.
The suburban area of Pasco County
where we are staying is called Port Richey, but often it is difficult to tell
where Port Richey and New
Port Richey (and previously Old
Port Richey) begin and
end, as in reality they seem to be one and the same. In the early 1900's a
"new" part of Port Richey built up around Orange Lake,
and residents began to refer to this neighborhood as New Port Richey.
Eventually this designation became official with the establishment of a Post Office,
and over time, New Port Richey surpassed Port Richey in both geographical size
and population. The downtown area of New Port Richey wraps around Orange Lake,
which is surrounded by parks and neighborhoods of pretty lake houses, but what Dan
and I found most interesting were the murals painted on several of the
buildings. One afternoon we took the time to walk through the heart of the city
and take pictures of the historically themed murals, as well as enjoy the
surrounding area. Here are pictures of our visit.
On November 10, 2014, we left Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,
and drove to Savannah, Georgia where we stayed for a few days before
finally arriving in Port Richey, Florida.
(The trip to Savannah
was a second visit for us, the first being in 2011, which I blogged about here.) In
the past we've spent our on-the-road winters in different South Texas Towns,
and various Arizona locations, but this year
will be the first year we spend an entire winter season in Florida. Five other RV'ing couples we know
who also like to come to warmer southern climes this time of year will comprise
our small neighborhood of friends and golfers in the RV Resort we are staying
in. In addition to golfing and reconnecting with old friends, Dan and I like to
explore what the area has to offer for biking and hiking, and here we found the
J.B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve. This gem of a park nestled in the middle of a
very busy city is filled with miles of walking, hiking, equestrian, and biking
trails that wind through forests of pine flatwoods, cypress domes, freshwater
marshes, stream and lake swamps, and sandhill and scrub covering an 8500 wetland
ecosystem. We've been to the park a couple of times to ride our bikes, and plan
to make this a regular destination while in Port Richey. So far we've spotted
deer, a red rat snake, an armadillo, lots and lots of lizards, and a variety of
water birds. On our first visit we stumbled into a winter Christmas Wonderland
as well, very fun and timely!
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