Charity Island Lighthouse Dinner Cruise

When we visited Michigan in June, we took a sunset dinner cruise to Charity Island.  The boat was docked at Port Huron.  It was an hour boat trip to Charity Island and we toured the lighthouse and learn the history of the lighthouse and the islands.  The dinner was delicious and the sunset was gorgeous.

Port Austin Harbor and Coastal Wetlands

Harbor Beach Lighthouse

Pointe Aux Barque Lighthouse

A Burro - Lake Winona Rd

It's seldom I get to see a cute burro with dairy cows driving to De Leon Springs.

Sugar Mill Restaurant

Sugar Mill Restaurant you cook your own pancakes at the table made with stone ground flours.  Fresh blueberries and pecans pancakes was our choice.  It was delicious!

Old Methuselah at Ponce De Leon Springs

At De Leon Springs Park we walked the nature trail to Old Methuselah.  It is a 600 year old Cypress tree located in a swamp. 

A Florida Fall at Spring Garden Creek

We live too far from the Blue Ridge Mountains or any mountains to take a quick trip to see the fall foliage.  This is the way Florida trees look at the top of the season for leaf colors.  With the Spring Garden Creek framing the trees, it was a gorgeous view.

Spring Garden Creek - Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge

We took a Eco boat tour on Spring Garden Lake and Spring Garden Creek to Lake Woodruff.  The creek flows through the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge.  We saw several different bird species.  This is one of the best places to see fall foliage colors in Florida.  

Spring Garden Run at De Leon Springs

We visited De Leon Springs State Park to enjoy the fall foliage of natural Florida.  The Spring Garden Run produces 19 million  gallons of water a day at 72 degrees year round. There were many grand live oak trees.

Milford Sound - Gallery I

These are photos from my one night cruise through Milford Sound to the Tasman Sea.  Fiordland National Park is New Zealand's rawest wilderness area of jagged mountains and forests.  It was cloudy and rainy in the evening so the sky was not clear enough to see the Fiordland's pristine skies.  The Southern Cross and Milky Way can be seen on a clear night. You have to be in the Southern Hemisphere to see Crux – the Southern Cross – in all its glory. Bluish Acrux, aka Alpha Crucis, is its brightest star.  I will probably never have the opportunity again.  Rain, Rain why didn't you go away?

 

Constellation Crux photo by Christopher J Picking in New Zealand. 

Te Anau Milford Highway

Driving to Milford Sound was probably the most nervous driving experience I had.  The sharp curves was a challenge for someone who is inexperience driving on the right side of the road.  I learned very quickly!  These photos were from the road side before heading up the mountains.

TSS Earnslaw Cruise Lake Wakatipu

 

The TSS Earnslaw is a 1912 Edwardian steam-powered boat where I took a 90 minute round trip cruise to the Walter Peak Farm.  It was a slow and pleasant experience of what steam boat transportation was like.  It is the only remaining commercial passenger-carrying coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere.