Keeping cool along the Blackwater River
Summer in Florida can be pretty oppressive, with the heat and humidity making outdoor recreation less than optimal. But there’s a quiet corner of Florida where cool water and cool breezes are the norm, a place that feels a lot like Appalachia, with high clay bluffs overlooking swift rivers and shallow water dancing across limestone rapids, with sandy beaches where you can beach your kayak and take a swim. You’ll find this summer getaway in the northwest corner of our state within Blackwater River State Forest, more than 190,000 acres of protected land between Alabama and Pensacola. Learn more about what to see and do there this summer from my travel column at OurGenerationFlorida.com
Fly fishing at the top of the world: now there’s an adventure! Adventure Life Voyages just announced their “Ultimate Fly Fishing” cruise in the Patagonia region of Chile is 50% off for the first 50 paid-in-full guests booked by July 31, 2008. Rates include three meals and an open bar, scheduled fishing and whale watching excursions, complimentary jet boat, Zodiac, and helicopter services. Trips start at $12,500…not cheap, but it’s the trip of a lifetime. Having ridden on a Zodiac in serious chop amid sky-blue icebergs to get to a small ship to visit a glacier, I can tell you there’s nothing like being in Patagonia. 
After nearly a week in the Myrtle Beach area for my SATW Freelance Council meeting, I had the opportunity to experience the natural side of the beach at Myrtle Beach State Park. Opened in 1935, this lovely slice of nature is now crowded on all sides by development, making it a true oasis and a favorite escape for local families and visitors alike. The campground was abuzz with RVs and tent campers, the CCC-era cabins were fully booked, and today’s morning nature program, “A Crabby Experience,” was in full swing on the pier with naturalist rangers assisting families dangling crab traps into the water to see what they could find. Sea liver and a micro-sized blue crab were among the oddities dredged from the depths, but what fascinated me the most was this tiny sharp-nosed shark, which a fisherman had caught and Ranger Ann Wilson allowed us to look at up close before she sent it back to the surf. 
Ah, the Bruce! As the Niagara escarpment of Ontario winds its way north from the Niagara River to Lake Huron, it forms the eastern shore of the Bruce Peninsula, one of the most wild and picturesque regions of lower Ontario. Just a couple hours north of the farmlands surrounding Hamilton, the Bruce Peninsula offers excellent hiking and road touring to unusual geologic sites, waterfalls, caves, and cliffs, soft sand beaches and pitcher plant bogs.
Tis the season to get out to the Ocala National Forest, which is enjoying its centennial later this year (the oldest National Forest east of the Mississippi River, no less!), and take a canoe trip down the wild and winding Juniper Run. The water is (mostly) shallow and clear, the setting almost tropical. Make it easy on yourself and rent a canoe at the Juniper Springs Recreation Area: arrive early or call ahead!
A perpetual traveler, I'm Sandra Friend, the author of more than 20 books on outdoors, nature, and travel subjects. I'm an award-winning member of the Society of American Travel Writers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Florida Outdoor Writers Association.