jaosehl

We used to see this restaurant as we drove down University road, but not really take note of where it was. And now we’ve actually looked for it often, but never managed to find it. I don’t think it’s there any more. I’m giving this one up.

Yikes!

Joel and I, and three of our photography friends drove up to this park yesterday. If you like peace and quiet for your camping and hiking, then this is the park for you. There were a few people camping (I was pretty jealous), but other than that there was no-one else around. We walked for MILES and didn’t see another person. We saw lots of birdlife, smaller creatures like frogs and butterflies and dragonflies, a couple gators and their babies, and lots of wildflowers. We also saw wild hog, and bobcat tracks, but we didn’t see any – we were probably chatting too loudly.

This park is quite remote, and there isn’t a store in sight. Make sure you take everything in with you.

If you go soon, you’ll see the cutest little ducklings. Be careful of mama and papa though – I got chased this afternoon while I was photographing the babies. lol

Hubs and I were driving around, looking for some photo ops, and suddenly J said, “I know where we can go!” and turned the car around. I asked him about twenty times where we were going (it was quite a drive from where we were staying), but he refused to tell me. It was a great surprise to arrive at this spot. Joel had seen it on my laptop the night before when I had been looking at local attractions to visit, and had quietly memorised the address. What a sweetheart, huh? =)

We met a friendly local and his dog, Jack, at the bridge. He was there cleaning the site up before he closed the gate for the night. He was very proud of his community’s local historic site, and told us that there used to be lots of covered bridges, but this was one of the last two left in the state. We asked why him why they had specifically built covered bridges back then, and apparently it was because the horses were scared to cross the bridge without the sides and roof. Something about the noise and motion of the water upset them.

It was a very interesting visit. I’m not sure it would have been as interesting without the guy who told us all the history about the place though. They might need to put up a sign with all the historical detail on it so that other people who go know what they’re looking at. If you’ve read this review, you now have a little background, and it’s definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area. ;)

J and I have been searching for a good Indian restaurant for a while now, and after trying two others first, (the first one we stopped at was vegetarian only – not an option for J; and the second one on the Garmin didn’t exist any more) we ended up at Madras Cafe this evening. We’re so glad we did. The food was delicious, and the staff were attentive, friendly, and super helpful. They had to explain to us what a few dishes were – and we didn’t ask, but we must have had huge question-marks on our faces, because they just offered up the information with big grins. We had a wonderful meal, and we’ll definitely be back next time the Indian food cravings hit.

If you go soon, you’ll see little white fluffy Anhinga chicks. They’re in a nest on the small island closest to the first covered area on the boardwalk. Too cute!

There are also baby gators there at the moment.

At my Nature and Wildlife Photography meetup last weekend, almost everyone I met mentioned Wakodahatchee. When J and I set off to go and visit it this morning, I half expected it to be a great place if you have a camera with massive lenses, but not so good otherwise. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that that was not the case. Yes, a long lens would be a wonderful thing to have here too, but the boardwalk takes you right through the wetlands, so that you can get up close to pretty much everything. (If you hit the map link at the top of the page, Google Earth has a great shot of the wetlands, and you’ll get a good idea of how the boardwalk winds through the area) We had a great time, and I’ll definitely go back – probably quite often – to get some early morning, or early evening shots, when the glare off the water isn’t so harsh.

Well worth the visit if you live in South Florida.

After reading this I have to go and check it out.

Excellent Indian cuisine. Certainly the best I’ve ever had. The atmosphere is lively, you watch the chefs cooking your meal right in front of you, and the air is full of the most delicious smells. The staff are fantastic!

Take your own bottle, or grab a few drinks from the store next door, and settle in to an amazingly yummy evening out.