gulf coasting in florida


GulfFL0915-23wOn a recent roadtrip, I got to take my time along Florida’s Gulf Coast, from Tallahassee south. What a quirky variety the coast boasts, with more old time Florida than the Atlantic corridor. Unfortunately, my mission to see the Mermaid Water Extravaganza at Weeki Wachee was stymied for the second visit in a row, the first attempt made over a decade ago. (This time, there were no shade trees for the car or Zeno, with no kennel or dog-aid offered.) My mermaid dreams-come-true will just have to wait; in the meantime, the attraction’s entrance is still quite evocative. Meanwhile, the “Smallest Post Office in the U.S.” provides gator-mail while a backroad dirt track through the Everglades is revealing.  [please hover over images for captions]

 


About Ben

Ben Batchelder has traveled some of the world's most remote roads. Nothing in his background, from a degree in Visual & Environmental Studies at Harvard to an MBA from Wharton, adequately prepared him for the experiences. Yet he persists, for through such journeys life unfolds. Having published four books that map the inner and exterior geographies of meaningful travel, he is a mountain man in Minas Gerais, Brazil who comes down to the sea at Miami Beach, Florida. His second travel yarn, To Belém & Back, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. For more, visit www.benbatchelder.com.