Tag: Florida

Kiting With Dolphins And Stand Up Paddleboarding With Manatees – 2 Weeks On Florida’s NE Coast

On By Karl GessleinIn Kiting, Lifestyle and Health, TravelLeave a comment

Thilde and I were ready for vacation in early October until her car got hit in Syracuse. After months of hell fighting with the insurance company, we finally got a settlement and got her RAV4 fixed and hit the road. By the time we were able to leave it was December so we decided to drive down to Florida since Thilde had never been there and we knew it would be warm. We ended up having one of my best trips yet and found lots of great spots to SUP, hike, bike and kite at. It was a trip to remember and gave me a new appreciation for our southern flat land state.

We were able to drive the sprinter for miles on the beach which made the kiting really nice.
We were able to drive the Sprinter for miles on the beach which made the kiting really nice. The sand control was a nightmare.

Continue reading “Kiting With Dolphins And Stand Up Paddleboarding With Manatees – 2 Weeks On Florida’s NE Coast” →

Poisoned By The Dispersants BP Dumped Into The Gulf. Complete Silence In The US Mainstream Media.

On By Karl GessleinIn Lifestyle and Health, TravelLeave a comment

My friends for Montreal were planning a kiting trip to Fort DeSoto park on the gulf side of Florida for 10 days in January.  I had been looking for an excuse to head south, Norman’s two children are about Orion’s age and I figured that he could learn some French from them and they could learn some English from us.  The drive down was pretty uneventful except there was a serious snow storm from DC all the way to Florida.  There were cars in the ditch everywhere, people in the south really have no idea how to drive when there is snow on the road.  At times there was as much as 3 inches of snow on the freeway and some people still insisted on going 70 mph.

Oil + Dispersants
Oil + Dispersants

When we got to Florida it was amazing, there was sun and the ocean was beautiful. Although the wind was very light I very much enjoyed spending time with our new friends.  At night we would sneak into Norm’s campsite and play boardgames with him and his children.  Once of the smaller boys started getting a sore throat and fever early on in the week.  I thought nothing of it really.  Then we met another elderly kiter who talked about  how he wasn’t kiting because of ‘some strange virus’ that going around giving everyone sore throats and making them tired.  I had a sore throat since the day after we arrived so I figured I had gotten something from the kids and thought nothing of it.  On the 4th day there I kited on Norman’s big 21 meter kite for several hours in the gulf.  Orion was acting very sluggish and did not want to play with capture the flag with the other boys.  I knew something was really wrong.  That night was New Years Eve and so I went and parked the van in the middle of a residential neighborhood that was in the middle of having a huge New Years Eve bash.  There was partying and fireworks for the better part of the night.  That night my throat was so sore I couldn’t sleep.  I knew something was very wrong.  The next morning I used my cell phone to search for sore throats and gulf and although there was very little in the US mainstream media I was able to find articles like this that scared the crap out of me.

Continue reading “Poisoned By The Dispersants BP Dumped Into The Gulf. Complete Silence In The US Mainstream Media.” →

Wintertime Got You Down? Drive As Far South As You Can Before You Hit The Ocean.

On By Karl GessleinIn Lifestyle and Health, TravelLeave a comment

Coming home from a great trip always makes me feel more than just a little bipolar. While traveling I am so incredibly happy and centered and when I return back home to my comfortable house with the nice heat and fuzzy bed I am so completely and utterly miserable. Looking over the photos from this 2 week trip in the winter of 2008 with Orion filled me with memories of excitement and wonder, he travels so much better than any child I have ever met. I feel so incredibly blessed to be able to spend this time with him as he grows up.

The first day we went to Smithsonian Museum of American History in DC. There was a hands-on exhibit with Elie Whitney’s cotton gin, and another really great exhibit on inventions that I really enjoyed. The next day we drove to Charleston, SC which had an excellent aquarium there. We went on a behind the scenes to see the Sea Turtle hospital. Had a couple of giant
300lb Loggerheads and some smaller green turtles. We also took a trip to historic Fort Sumter which was a National Monument. It was insanely windy, on the boat on the 2nd story it was hard to stand up. Orion got a Jr. Ranger program completed, I made him do all of it for his homeschooling. It was pretty cool being at the place where the civil war started.

Continue reading “Wintertime Got You Down? Drive As Far South As You Can Before You Hit The Ocean.” →