Wednesday, February 13, Coastal drive

Woke up this morning to very high humidity - feels like a very light rain. It didn't cool off much last night as it was 22.5C (72F) inside and 21.C (71F) outside. Air conditioning is working great.

After looking at the map, we decided to take a drive down the coast. Started out going west on Hwy 64 towards Holmes Beach. Passing through Bradenton, we went by McKechnie Field where the Pitsburg Pirates prepare for the regular baseball season. (Been there, Terry?)
After crossing a drawbridge, we arrived on the coast at Holmes Beach. Unfortunately, it is still very misty & visibility is minimal.

Continuing south, we reached Bradenton Beach, where we stopped & went for a short walk. The sand is very fine and white. A local explained that what we are experiencing is "sea fog".  It usually is caused by the movement of moist air lying over a warm landmass to a water area with a colder temperature. Just our luck that there is cold front coming in.

The next stop was Cortez Beach, where Marcel took the sign too literally!

In case you can't read the sign, it reads "Please bin your butts".








We continued down US789, along Longboat Key, which is lined with hundreds of expensive-looking resorts, many with vacancies. It is still misty.
By 11:00, the fog is burning off finally, as we cross back to the mainland and into Sarasota. The skies are clearing and we see sunshine.

By 12:15, it is turning out to be a beautiful day as we head back north on US 41.
We arrived back in Bradenton at 12:35 under sunny 25C (77F) skies.

Ten minutes later, we stopped at the Manatee Village Historical Park, where we had our picnic lunch before touring.
The park includes an 1860 courthouse, 1887 church 1912 settlers house, 1903 general store and 1908 one-room schoolhouse. Other highlights include a replica of a typical Florida barn as well as a boat exhibit, restored smokehouse, turpentine still, working blacksmith shop and cow hunter's bunkhouse.

This steam engine, known as Old Cabbage Head, got its name from its rounded smokestack. It served in northern Florida as part of the turpentine industry before coming to Manatee to shuttle supplies for the Manatee-Nocotee Crate Company
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A little history about The Florida Cracker Trail: This point is the western terminus of the Florida Cracker trail, which follows an east/west route across the state and has existed since 1850. This trail was used by early Florida settlers to traverse the state. It was primarily used to drive cattle from Florida's heartland to the coastal ports for shipment mainly to Key West and Cuba. The term "Cracker" was derived from the sound of the early cow hunters cracking whips as they moved the cattle along this trail.

We toured the Boat works , built by a Bat Fogarty, a member of a boatbuilding and seafaring family, the boatshop contains original tools and equipment.

Next was the Blacksmith shop, which was important to the settlement of the area. Th pioneer smith made settlement possible in any new area by providing tools and farm implements.
Blacksmith shops contain a forge used to heat the metal so that it could be shaped over the anvil.





The Turpentine Still was an interesting exhibit. Pine tar and oil of turpentine were vital to the caulking of sailing vessels. A turpentine still included a large kettle and a condenser, as well as troughs which would have been used for refining the resin.

The Smokehouse was as necessary to the rural pioneer home as a refrigerator is today. In the smokehouse, pioneers hung cuts of meat on racks. Underneath the meat, a green oak or hickory wood fire burned for several days, creating thick smoke that cured and preserved the meat.
This smokehouse is also a sugar cane mill, which we saw at the Florida Pioneer Village.

 

The Settlers House was constructed in 1912 by the Will Stephens Family. The Stephens House is an excellent example of how to survive the long summer without air conditioning. The blocks elevate the house 2 1/2 feet off the ground to allow air flow under the house. The large front porch shades and cools the breese before it enters the house. The large central hallway with a high ceiling funnels the cooled air through the house. This home is shaded by live oaks.

 

 

 

 The 1887 church took two years to build. Construction was begun in 1887, then halted when a yellow fever epidemic claimed the lives of the pastor and many of the congregation. It was originally the home of the Union Congregation, which later became the Methodist-Episcopal Church South. The church remains a consecrated house of worship and frequently hosts weddings, baptisms, memorial services and other religious events.

 

There are other restored buildings on the site. All in all, it is a wonderful display of early pioneer life.

By 3:00 we were back to Fishermans Cove, enjoying the warm sunshine.