It's All Good in Goodland

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Why do we wait so long to go back to places that we know are so special? 

It's been a while since I've been to Goodland, FL and I just realized how much I've missed it.

Goodland is a tiny slice of old Florida and it's located on the way to the much more elaborate Marco Island. 

Today started off as a normal weekend day.  We planned to go to the Everglades for some photo ops.  But along the way, I wanted to stop at the Marco Island airport to view the wall space since I'm supposed to be exhibiting there in a few months. 

It was great to visit the small general aviation airport. I worked at small airports for many years before making my way to the International airport and I really do miss the atmosphere. At least my photos will have the opportunity to spend time at this great facility. 

After the visit to the airport, we drove through Marco Island and made our way toward Goodland. First stop along the way was Moran's Barge - a great little motel where we stayed on numerous occasions. Much to our disappointment - Moran's Barge is no longer there. The area is blocked by a chain link fence - I'm sure it'll be replaced by condos soon.

We were happy to see that the remainder of Goodland was pretty much the same. 

Stan's bar was still there and just opening up for the day. We stopped in for lunch and a couple of drinks. The blackened fish salad was excellent. 

I could hardly wait to ask the waitress about the salad - "What Kind of Fish is That?" Ok...you have to know Stan and his songs to appreciate the joke behind that question.  :) 

Unfortunately Stan wasn't there to entertain us with his jokes and songs but that's ok - we'll catch him next time.

After our time in Goodland, we made our way to the Everglades as we had originally planned. We are coming upon one of our dryest seasons in many years and I would like to document the changes that I see during each visit. It's amazing how much the Everglades can change from one week to the next. 

Evidence of the dry season can be seen everywhere in the glades. From this cracked ground to the golden color of the drying grasses to the overcrowded alligator watering holes.