SE Florida GTG April 8th & 9th - DPChallenge Forums

03/20/2006 10:16:58 PM · #26

Originally posted by yakatme:

Hey greatandsmall...YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!

Why thank you.... Does that mean that you want to do Jupiter or the TC? Edit, Oh, just saw that you vote for TC. I just want everyone to have a good time.

IMPORTANT CORRECTION: I said "If you choose to come to my area instead, Iâ��ve arranged to get quality kayaks to the river and then return them to the rental place (N/C)." I should have said that rental fees still apply. It's the transportation that I can do for free. They do include everything you need, including a waterproof bag.

We'd still save a bundle if we did it here. And I would pay for the hamburgers and hotdogs, really!

Edit: Thanks everyone for being so flexible and agreeable. And thanks Gracious for your great suggestions and setting up our tours!

Message edited by author 2006-03-20 22:21:32.

03/20/2006 10:22:51 PM · #27

About ORCA, which stands for Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area, and is in Vero Beach. I just completed training to be a nature guide for ORCA, but don't expect me to have all the answers. I moved to Florida about 4-1/2 years ago from the mountains of upstate New York. I've always had a natural curiousity about nature and my environment, and pursued it. Since moving here, I've been learning new stuff, but I have a long way to go. I suspect that most of you will also have insight to contribute to the interpretive aspect of the park.
If you want to see images of the area, just check out my Betterphoto gallery. Click on "my gallery" below. I've tried posting pics here, but can't...sorry.

Besides the planned itinerary, I can, and I'm sure Roxanne can also, recommend other sites to visit while in the area. We can also refer you to some restaurants.

Message edited by author 2006-03-20 22:25:00.

03/20/2006 10:24:35 PM · #28

Whatever you say, I'm up for. You have definitely done your homework and I totally trust and opt for your recommendations.

I like the kayaking (I understand the about the details regarding rent and transportation) and really look forward to that. Christopher is proficient on a kayak, he has been kayaking since he was 26 months old, and paddling solo since 4 years old.

If there is anything that I can bring (coolers, food, drinks, more dry bags, etc.) please let me know.

sickdog

Sony DSC-F828

03/25/2006 04:59:08 PM · #29

haven't been on much this week.

i just started a new job but still have secured the weekend off and will be bussing up with my fiance on saturday morning..

sidenote: i do photography for bands as a hobby on the side. this week a band mailed me a copy of their first cd with a couple of my shots in te jacket. it wasn't my best work and i didn't get payed but i did get credited for it and i'm very jazzed about it.

chris

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

03/26/2006 12:49:49 AM · #30

Originally posted by sickdog:

this week a band mailed me a copy of their first cd with a couple of my shots in te jacket.

Congratulations. I hope you bring a copy to the GTG. I'd like to see it.

notonline

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

03/28/2006 09:37:19 AM · #31

Is there still room for canadian on this adventure???

I have a card game that same weekend so I'm trying to convince myself to go to the gtg instead.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

03/28/2006 10:03:43 AM · #32

Plenty of room. I'll be posting an itenerary soon.

notonline

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

03/28/2006 10:13:35 AM · #33

Originally posted by greatandsmall:

Plenty of room. I'll be posting an itenerary soon.

You were supposed to help me make up my mind.

03/28/2006 10:18:46 AM · #34

Temperatures in the high 70s, possibly low 80s.
Lots of cool and fun photographers.
Everything is green and flowering.
Party at my place.
It's spring break, you could stop in Daytona and see nekkid chicks...
How much more persuading do you need?

03/28/2006 08:20:57 PM · #35

I'm really looking forward to this, I can hardly wait.

03/28/2006 08:55:54 PM · #36

It's going to be a blast! We kayaked the Sebastian River this weekend. Didn't take the good camera, but here are a couple of snapshots so you can see what it looks like. I didn't get time to take many shots, as these people would have left me behind.

I think you are going to love it.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

03/29/2006 03:39:30 PM · #37

Gracious has been so gracious as to coordinate Saturday! She has done a lot of work in getting things put together for the ORCA.

Here's the tentative itenerary:

Saturday
Meet at ORCA from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Meet at Driftwood for Lunch from 12:00/12:30 to ? (Those who can't get there early enough for the 10:00am can pick up with us at lunch)
Then either back to ORCA or on to Pelican Island, after lunch(Depending on what the group wants to do).
Then head up to Sebastian and set up lodging.
Sunset photo op (for those interested)
Then a cookout at my place.

Sunday
Breakfast on your own and then do whatever you want until lunchtime.
Picnic lunch at bottom of river 12:00ish.
Leave cars there and carpool to top of river.
Launch kayaks around 12:30 to 1:00
This is a 3 to 4 hour trip if you stop for photos, so we should be back at your cars around 4:00 or 5:00 pm.
It takes an hour to get back to Vero Beach bus station, so a good bus departure time would be sometime after 6:00pm.

We need a head count and what days and times everyone will be here.
Please PM me with the answers to these questions:

Which Day/Days you will participate?
Your projected arrival and departure times.
If kayaking on Sunday, will you need a kayak rental? ($30+tax)
Camping or hotel? (I will reserve your campsite Sat.am) Hotel, you will need to reserve.

ArpeggioAngel

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

03/29/2006 08:30:02 PM · #38

I am planning on being there for Saturday only. I am coming from the east coast. I will try to be there by 10am to meet at ORCA, otherwise I will catch up with everyone at lunch. Not sure how late I will stay yet. Would love to hang out for dinner too! In the event that I cannot make it in time to meet everyone at 10am at ORCA, is there anyway you can provide address and/or directions to the restaurant for lunch?
I am really looking forward to this!!

Katie

03/29/2006 10:30:22 PM · #39

greatandsmall,

Sent you the PM that you requested. I just wanted to also post that I appreciate the research and work that you and Gracious are putting towards making this GTG successful and enjoyable.

The tentative itinerary sounds well thought out and will help with the various arrival times of DPC'ers. I look forward to the numerous photo ops that it will afford also. Definitely sounds like a great time. I look forward to finally meeting other members of the DPC community and hope that many will take the oppportunity to join us.

03/30/2006 10:09:30 AM · #40

I've gotten confirmations form yakatme, yakatyou, Gracious & ArpeggioAngel.

I need to reserve the kayaks ASAP & hotels are filling up fast...is everyone else still coming?

03/30/2006 11:41:52 AM · #41

Roxanne, You're doing a great job! Thank you.
I'm trying to put together a Powerpoint slide show that we can use during a short orientation. This way you will all know what to look for. I'm a trained nature guide, but brand new at being a Florida guide, so keep that in mind.

Just a reminder, HEREis a link to ORCA which stands for Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area.

Directions/Map Here

After lunch we can visit Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is here that I photographed a Loggerhead Shrike, aka Butcher Bird, and his killed and impaled Anole. I can't promise anything, but it's worth looking for. Click here for Pelican Island

Info about Loggerhead Shrike

In my Betterphoto gallery, I've just added two pics of the Shrike, and one of his doomed prey. They are the first three pics you'll see HERE

Now a word about the Restaurant. Waldo's is in the Driftwood Resort, right on the ocean in Vero Beach. It is an amazing destination it's self. Not only is the location great, the food decent, but it is a photogenic place built entirely from ocean-washed timbers and planks. There are also lots of artifacts and antiques. DON'T MISS IT!!!
Driftwood
Im about to post the menu in the next post, so I don't overwhelm the system here with too many characters in one post. Take a look.

Grayce

03/30/2006 11:43:57 AM · #42

Waldo's at the Driftwood Menu
Once everyone confirms who's coming I'll reserve a good spot. Would you all like to be outdoors overlooking the ocean? Let us know.

Starters and Finger Food

Giant Super Nachos $7.99
Melted Cheddar and Jack Cheese, Chili, topped with shredded Lettuce, diced Tomatoes, served with Salsa and Sour Cream.
With Guacamole add $ .75

Peel and Eat Shrimp $8.29
Tender boiled shrimp served with spicy house cocktail sauce.

Spicy Chicken Wings $5.75
Bleu Cheese and celery sticks, medium or hot

Caribbean Crab Cake $7.79
A seasoned white lump crabmeat cake, served with a light red pepper sauce.

Beer Battered Dolphin Fingers $6.59
Atlantic Dolphin beer battered, deep fried and served with
Mango salsa.

Coconut Shrimp $7.69
Large shrimp breaded and rolled in grated coconut, deep-fried and served with a Caribbean dipping sauce.

Conch Fritters $6.95
Caribbean conch fritters fried to perfection, served on a
bed of lettuce with a spicy cocktail sauce.

Fresh Salads

Crazy Harryâ��s Cobb Salad $8.99
From Cancun with diced Chicken, Shredded Lettuce, Avocado, Bleu Cheese Crumbles, Tomatoes, Scallions, Black Olives, Bacon Bits, served in a flour shell with Dijon Vinaigrette

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad $8.49
Grilled Chicken served on Romaine Lettuce tossed with fresh grated Parmesan and Croutons.

Grilled or Fried Shrimp Salad $7.49
Tender medium Shrimp grilled or fried, atop a bed of Lettuce served with your choice of dressing.

Waldoâ��s Famous Chicken Salad $7.79
Deliciously prepared with all white meat, Walnuts and
Mandarin Oranges, garnished with low fat Pasta Salad
and Fruit.

Sandwiches and Burgers
All Sandwiches are served with your choice of our spiral pasta salad, cole slaw or french fries

Soup & Sandwich Special $5.99
Whole Sandwich of the Day with a cup of Soup or low fat Pasta Salad.

All American $6.29
Â½ Pound Burger with lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion and Mayo
With Cheese Add $ .75

Bacon Cheese Burger $7.29

Jamaican Mahi Mahi Sandwich $7.75
Grilled Mahi Mahi seasoned with island spices served on an Onion Roll with Mango Salsa.

Cajun Grouper Sandwich $7.80
A Grouper filet breaded with Cajun Spices, Shredded Lettuce, Tomato and Cajun Mayo.

Chicken Sandwich $6.95
Tender boneless, skinless Chicken breast with Jack Cheese and Bacon.

Chicken Caesar Wrap $6.95
Boneless breast of Chicken tossed with Romaine Lettuce in our Caesar dressing and wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Tijuana Club Wrap $6.95
Classic club with sliced ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato and bacon wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Crab Cake Sandwich $8.95
Our famous crab cake served on a Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomato and onion.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich $8.75
Thinly cut USDA choice beef, sautÃ©ed onions, green
peppers, and Swiss cheese served on toasted French bread.

VIP Rib Eye Steak Sandwich $9.95
USDA choice boneless rib eye grilled to perfection, served
on a hoagie roll with lettuce, tomato and onions.

Grilled Hot Dog $4.25
Â¼ lb. All beef dog in a bun served the way you like it.

Waldoâ��s Beachside Favorites

Waldoâ��s Chicken Quesadilla $7.29
Flour Tortilla filled with Bacon, Spicy Chicken, Colby and Jack Cheese, Green Onion, Jalapeno Peppers, Salsa and Sour Cream.

Florida Fish Fry $8.25
Grouper filet lightly breaded served with cole slaw.

Boiled Shrimp $9.95 half / $12.95 full
Atlantic Shrimp served with spicy house cocktail sauce and cole slaw.

Shrimp Alfredo $15.95
Fresh local shrimp sautÃ©ed with whitewine and garlic,
served with our homemade Alfredo sauce over linguini.

Our Amazing Fried Platters
All seafood and combination platters are served with french fries and cole slaw.

Waldoâ��s Fried Captainâ��s Platter
Atlantic shrimp, oysters and catch of the day, fried until golden brown.
$16.95 for one / $26.95 for two

Fried Oysters $11.95
Plump select oysters, battered and deep-fried to a crisp golden brown.

Fried Shrimp $12.95
Atlantic shrimp, lightly battered and Deep-fried to a crisp
golden brown.

3-Way Shrimp $15.95
Jalopeno Shrimp, Coconut and Fried Shrimp.
A coastal favorite

Todayâ��s Home Made Soup
Cup $2.59 / Bowl $3.59

Healthy Choices
For our heath conscious customers

Fresh Fruit Platter $7.95
Fresh Florida Fruit, strawberries, grapes, and
seasonal melons.

Broiled Chicken $8.95
Tender chicken breast broiled to perfection and served
with steamed veggies and rice.

Grilled Sword Fish $10.25
Fresh sword fish grilled and served with steamed veggies
over rice.

Blackened Tuna $10.75
Fresh tuna blackened with cajun spices and grilled
to perfection served with chefs veggies and rice.

Waldoâ��s
After Five Menu
Available after 5:00 p.m. only

Traditional EntrÃ©eâ��s
All entrÃ©es served with chefâ��s choice of fresh vegetables and your choice of potato du jour

Add a House Salad to any entrÃ©e $1.95
Add a Caesar Salad to any entrÃ©e $2.25

Fresh Catch of the Day Market Price
Several fresh fish are featured every night. Your server will explain how they are prepared.

Crab Cake $19.95
Two crab cakes consisting of seasoned white lump crabmeat with breadcrumbs, served with a sweet red pepper sauce.

Baby Back Ribs $14.99
â��The Whole Rackâ��, served with Hickory Sauce

Filet Mignon $24.95
8 oz. Filet Mignon grilled to perfection and served with bernaisÃ© sauce.

Pan Seared Scallops $18.95
Large sea scallops poached in white wine then pan seared and served around a bed of linguini with champagne beurre blanc sauce.

Baked Stuffed Flounder $17.95
Fresh local flounder stuffed with crabmeat and broiled
to perfection, finished with a light hollandaise.

Black Angus Rib Eye Steak $19.50
10 oz. Black Angus Rib Eye grilled to order.

Seafood Pasta $18.95
Fresh grouper, Atlantic shrimp and large sea scallops,
Served over garlic herb linguini in a lobster cream sauce.

Roasted Â½ Chicken $12.50
Â½ Chicken Oven Roasted served with your choice of
Potato and fresh Vegetables.

Frozen Drink Specialties
Created Individually

Jumbo Island Coolers Delicious Fruit Daiquiris
Refreshing, Non-Alcoholic Rum, Lime Juice with Real Strawberries
Or Peaches
Island Hopper
Our All-Time Favorite, Strawberries Top Shelf Margarita
Bananas, Pineapple Juice. Our Special Margarita made with Tequila,
Triple Sec and Grand Marnier
Key Western
â��Hemingway Would Love This Oneâ�� Pina Colada
Orange Juice, Strawberries, Pineapple Rum and Tropical Fruit Juices, Try a
Juice and Coconut Milk. Strawberry Pina Colada with Real Strawberries

Chocolate Banana Daiquiri
Godiva Liqueur, Fresh Banana and Cream.

Wine List
Premium Wines by the Glass
$4.75 per Glass
â�¢ Merlot â�¢ Chardonnay â�¢ White Zinfandel

Bottle Glass
Beringer Vineyards,
White Zinfandel $17.50 $5.00

Kendall-Jackson,
Chardonnay $30.00 $6.00

Mondavi Danzante,
Pinot Grigio $20.00 $5.00

Columbia Crest,
Cabernet Sauvignon $20.75 $5.25

Dunewood,
Merlot $20.50 $5.25

A Full Line Of Premium and Domestic Beers Always Available

03/30/2006 11:53:43 AM · #43

If the schedule coincides, I can pick folks up at the bus station, and take you to ORCA. BUT...being the guide I can't be late. I have the boat house reserved for a brief orientation and slide show of what you might expect to see there, and at Pelican Island. It's a nice spot, and I strongly urge all NOT to miss it. There is a wetlands area where we are apt to see herons, etc. Possibly gators, but they are a bit cautious of homo sapiens..understandably.

03/30/2006 07:16:14 PM · #44

Just over a week away.

Anybody else here tonight want to join us?

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

03/30/2006 07:23:50 PM · #45

An invitation has been extended to the other guides at ORCA, so if any join us, we will have a collective wealth of knowledge.

Is anyone coming from out of state?

ArpeggioAngel

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

03/30/2006 07:34:40 PM · #46

I don't know what happened to Bacchus. He had been in on the previous thread and I had pm'ed him about this one...I hope other Floridians take notice too! The more the merrier and all that!

Edit to add....I went a step farther. I went back to the original thread and pm'ed everyone who had mentioned being interested in attending since I haven't seen most of them on this thread. I included a link to this thread (although I don't know if I did it right!) So hopefully anyone who was interested and didn't realize the thread had moved will be able to find it and join us.

I pm'ed:
wmprkg
idnic
colyla
bacchus
davidcara
RonB
notonline
PhotosByAyme
newsjunkie93

Hopefully I didn't miss anyone. I think everyone else on that thread I have seen in here (for example - greatandsmall, gracious, yakatme, yakatyou...)

Message edited by author 2006-03-30 19:48:10.