Canaveral National Seashore

27 Photos | Sep 27, 2009

Terrific trip through the Canaveral National Seashore. We drove out Hwy 50, through Christmas, FL and out to the coast. Stopped by Jungle Adventures first, one of a dying breed of Florida roadside attractions. We’re losing this little piece of Americana at an alarming rate. Places like Cypress Gardens around for over 70 years are closing all over. We made a small donation, and even got an 8 1/2 x 11 autographed glossy of the park’s curator, Safari Todd, who also happens to have a bunch of videos on YouTube.

The ride through the seashore was absolutely beautiful. Visiting the Indian mounds was a great experience and really makes you stop and think about those who lived on these great lands long before we did. Called Turtle Mound, it’s simply a (very large) pile of shells discarded by a Native Floridian tribe over a period of 500-600 years. We explored the defunct village of Eldora, a sleepy little turn of the (twentieth) century community that didn’t quite make it to town-hood over the years and eventually landed under the protection of the Natioanl Park Service around 1980 after the last of its residents passed away.

We ended up the day at J.B.’s Fish Camp. Terrific food, a beautiful sunset and a great cap to another awesome adventure!