The Road Less Traveled- Round Island, Florida

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 

 

 

When you take the road less traveled in Florida, it will lead you away from the condos, tourist packed beaches, resorts, and retirement villages and what you find at the end if that road is breath-taking, simple, and beautiful.  We made many stops on this journey- the first to be shared is Round Island Florida- located just North of Fort Pierce, Florida.

 

Looking for manatees- Round Island.  What a great find this place was, how grateful we are to the new friends we made in Florida that told us where to go!  This is the Indian River, a place where the manatees like to hang-out.

Cheyenne and I are in the kayak and you can see the manatee swimming up to us.  He was so very friendly and kept coming to check us out.  Tony took the pictures from the bridge that connected the shore line to the island.  This was a great view for watching the manatees.

You can paddle all around these little islands in the Indian River.  Cheyenne and I saw several manatees and on around the backside of these islands we watched a group of dolphins hunting for fish.  One thing we did not see was an alligator and for that I am grateful!  These islands are filled with mangrove trees, these trees have roots that grow down from branches to the water.  These masses of roots make for excellent nurseries for the marine life.  Jonathan and I paddled around before Cheyenne got in the kayak.  Every time I got close to the trees, he kept getting anxious.  I asked him if he was concerned about a snake dropping out of the tree into out boat, he said, “No, I am afraid you are gonna pop our kayak.”  You see, these were inflatable kayaks loaned to us by our new friends.  Given how durable these things are he needn’t have worried about popping the boat.  I, on the other hand, was quite concerned about the snake issue.  Not that we ever saw a snake at all, but given my irrational reaction to snakes I would have rather met an alligator.

 

For those not interested in the water, there are wonderful trails, bird watching platforms, and views all around the island.  Also, across the highway on the ocean side, Round Island has a great beach.  The waves are great, the water beautiful and the sands are almost white- but there are no real crowds.

Another view of the overlook bridge and my wonderful family- this will forever be my greatest accomplishment in this life.

 

 

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