LL Stub Stewart Hike

Hello Blog Pals,

What a nice day for a hike.  It's I, Little Fox and my hiking companion Sequoia waiting for my roommate to get things set up for our hike.  It's a nice day (cold) but sunny and you can see I am soaking up lots of vitamin D. 

I am at LL Stub Stewart State Park.  LL was a lumber company owner (he was the shortest person in his high school and college classes hence the nickname "stub"). and a representative to Oregon's legislature and volunteered on the Oregon State Parks board for over 40 years.   

I wonder if LL Stub Stewart was ever confused with another famous LL?  LL Cool J. 

Enough talk.  Sequoia is ready to go. 

This sign could offer more detail.  It just says "Trail".  

Looks like I am heading to a place called "Unfit Settlement" I wonder why it's unfit?

Well, this is it. Unfit Settlement certainly seems unfit for this fox.  There wasn't much online about who claimed it as a settlement, why they felt it was unfit, and what was it unfit for? 

A nice little view of the coast range from unfit settlement. 

Ah, back on the trail and to my final destination.....lunch. 

Brrr..it's cold in Florida.

Who gets cold in Florida?  No one I know except for little stuffies that make a conscious choice to visit an Ice exhibit. 

The exhibit is at the Gaylord Palms hotel, a fancy (i.e. expensive) place to stay in Orlando.  They do an ice sculpture show every year.  This years theme is based on the movie called "A Christmas Story".

This is the family car (all out of ice).

Massive bears out of ice. 

A nice Christmas village.  Yep, all out of ice. 

Ice dogs. 

This is a very popular attraction for stuffies.  Look at all of these friends I met.  I wonder if they have blogs too?

Time to go out of the ice into the warmer parts of the hotel.  This looks like a nice area. 

This stature is a fountain.  A fox could really reflect and relax here. 

Looks like other stuffies come here too. 

Besides the relaxing area and the ice sculpture they also have a Christmas tree trail. 

Found one:

Here's another.

Found the big tree!  Now it's time to relax. Perhaps this fancy hotel has an ice cream shop?

A familiar friend?

On my trip around Florida I think I saw Ooogie.

Ooogie, were you hanging out at SeaWorld anytime recently?

Tour: Local History at the Manatee Country Historical Park

Hi Gang.  Little Fox here.  I have woken up from my Christmas sugar coma and today I am off on an adventure.  I am at a local history center which is a hodgepodge of local history.

  First up is the Cracker Trail.  The Cracker Trail is named after the sound of the whip that cowboys used to move cattle.  Apparently, Florida supplied lots of cattle back in the day and often cowboys needed to move the cattle from inland to the ports on the gulf coast. 

Next, is a locomotive engine that was used for the Manatee Crate Company.  Florida grows lots of citrus and in the 1900s the Manatee Crate made crates for the citrus growers to transport their fruits to the world.  Old #2 (the name of this engine) was in service for the Manatee Crate Company from about 1900-1950. Now it's retired at the Manatee County Historical Park.

Next up:  The old boarding house. The five flags represent the five countries that have been flown under Florida.  Spain, Great Britain, France, The Confederacy, and the United States.   

Throughout the park the Chick-Fil A mascot is hiding.  Similar to a scavenger hunt but you don't get a free piece of chicken at the end, just the satisfaction of knowing you found all of the cows.

Do you see the cow in the blacksmith shop? 

What about now?  Do you see the cow on the old piano?

This is a great picture (I think).

Time to explore the old courthouse. 

A cow is on the jury? 

The courthouse is in great shape.  I like the old wood.  Very rustic. 

Next stop:  The old house.  These homes are called Cracker Homes as they are essentially built on a raised foundation for airflow in the summer.  They also have 3 sided porches to keep residents cool during the summer.  This is the kitchen.  It is in really good shape and I bet I could cook up a good meal for my humans. 

A well stocked pantry.  

My roommates told me I am not allowed to use the pioneer kitchen....their loss.  Perhaps we can stop by a chick fil a on the way home?