The family farm in St. Vincent. Photo courtesy of HelpX.com

“On mountaintop. Great view. On a small Caribbean island. Pineapple and wax apple farm. Building in construction. I live with my 3 kids. 3 German Shepherds 1 Dobermann, in the unfinished building. This is a child friendly environment. St.Vincent is a lovely island, non touristic. I can offer food and lodging for your help. I appreciate your assistance. Please come and help out with farming, construction, creating greenhouse, landscaping, plumbing, carpentry, organic planting, house stay, restoring antiques, handyman, domestic work, kids homework, kids activities, decoration, home reorganization….We speak Flemish, English, French, Dutch, but all nationalities are welcome to apply.”

The family in St. Vincent. Photo courtesy of HelpX.com

The above is just one of hundreds of listings found on HelpX.net (short for HelpExchange), a website that connects host organic farms, non-organic farms, farmstays, homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats with volunteers who exchange short-term work for food and accommodations. This particular listing is for a property located on the island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean, and the family has already hosted numerous volunteers, some of whom have posted reviews of their experience. Kurt wrote:

“I loved the saltfish and bread fruit. Accommodation is very nice, your own room and bathroom. There is plenty of work, maintenance of the pineapple fields and landscaping around the house and odd jobs. Trips to town are often and you will get to mingle with the locals. When taking the local bus…hold on it is a ride.”

Home in St. Vincent where volunteers stay. Photo courtesy of HelpX.com.

HelpX is a refreshing departure in a world where “Volunteer Travel” has become big business. Google the term and more than 25 million results will be returned. One offering on the gitzy VolunteerAbroad.com website advertises: “Volunteer and Travel Abroad Experience Starting as Low as USD $499.” But the offerings at HelpX are volunteer opportunities in the purest tradition – in most cases the volunteers pay nothing. In the rare instances where money exchanges hands it is usually a small fee to help pay for food in the poorest countries.

In order to view complete listings at HelpX potential volunteers must sign up for one of two levels of membership, Free or Premier. Although the site states that Premier membership costs 20 Euros for two years and allows the helper to contact all hosts and read all host reviews, I was able to read complete reviews and access host emails with only a free membership. Hosts in Europe, South America, Canada, Mexico, SE Asia, Australia, and New Zealand sought helpers for tasks ranging from farm work in New Zealand, to teaching english to children in remote villages in Thailand, to working in resorts, and in a few instances were even searching for volunteers who could design websites for their budding businesses.

Since learning about HelpX, my mind has been working overtime. Maybe I could just travel full time, going from place to place, volunteering my time in return for places to stay and food for my belly. It would certainly be a great way to see the world without spending a wad of money and this type of travel would be authentic, allowing me to really get to know a place, rather than just rolling through as a tourist.

You might also like:

I’ve seen manatees. I’ve come nose to nose with them through the window of an underwater observatory. I must admit to being just the tiniest bit obsessed with manatees at this point. So of course, the only logical next step was to swim with the manatees.

Although manatees have been known to range as far west as Texas and as far north as Virginia in the warmer summer months, most live in the coastal waters of Florida and nearby states. However in colder months, they retreat to the rivers and springs because they cannot tolerate water temperatures lower than 68 degrees. Florida springs are favorite wintering grounds for manatees because the water temperature is 72 degrees year-round, and since Florida’s Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge supports the largest concentration of these gentle giants, the town of Crystal River was my destination.

Captain Wayne White aboard his ponton boat in Kings Bay

I arranged for a half-day boat trip with Wayne White, a semi-retired captain and professional photographer who still takes the occasional visitor in search of manatees. Captain White had everything I needed: goggles, snorkel, fins, wetsuit – even spf 50 sunblock. The only thing I had to bring was a swimsuit and $55. After watching a mandatory video about the laws that have been enacted to protect manatees (thou shalt not, at any time, intentionally or negligently, annoy, molest, harass or disturb any manatee), I boarded Captain White’s pontoon boat from a dock behind the Kings Bay Inn.

Kayakers on the Crystal River, headed for Three Sisters Springs

We motored slowly through the bay and turned left into Crystal River. A short distance upstream we tied up at the entrance to Three Sisters Springs, just a few feet away from a roped-off area where several manatees were resting on the bottom. I zipped up the wetsuit that was a size too large, pulled on my flippers, and slipped into the river. After recovering from the initial shock of the chilly water, I swam toward the concrete pillars at the mouth of the spring that keep boats out and lined up behind two kayaks and a gaggle of adolescent snorkelers.

Roped off manatee sanctuary at the mouth of Three Sisters Springs

As I waited my turn to enter, two enormous manatees suddenly decided to leave the restricted enclosure and swim into the spring. One of them passed to my right; the second swam directly beneath me and rose up, as if offering me a ride. Gently I stroked his leathery skin, surprised to discover it covered in short, spiky hairs. He looked at me curiously through my snorkel mask and then swam through the pillars and was gone. Come, motioned my captain – there are more inside.

A friendly manatee offers me a piggyback ride as he leaves the sanctuary, bound for the inner springs

I swam through the underwater rocks guarding the narrow entrance and into a magical blue wonderland, where sunbeams pierced the azure water and rippled on the white sand bottom. Along the shoreline, submerged, gnarled tree roots created abstract landscapes. Schools of flashing silver fish, numbering in the thousands, hovered unconcernedly at the bottom. Strangely, they all faced the same direction and when they turned, it was done in unison, as if communicating telepathically. If not for the tap on my arm, I might still be there, mesmerized by the blueness and the exquisite beauty. Again my captain beckoned – follow me!

Snorkeling through an otherworldly landscape of gnarled tree roots and giant schools of fish

After a breath at the surface, manatees sink to the bottom and curl up like boulders

Around a corner, the spring opened out into a large bowl where six manatees rested on the bottom amongst huge moss-covered boulders. Like synchronized swimmers, they alternated between floating to the surface to grab a snoot-full of air and sinking back to the bottom, where they curled up in a humpback resting posture. Although I tried to keep my distance, the flow of the springs pushed me ever closer to the herd. Their sheer size was intimidating; manatee can reach up to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 3,000 pounds. Worried about being caught between them as they surfaced for air, I was swimming toward the boulders for protection when one of the moss-covered stones began rising to the surface, revealing itself to be beast rather than boulder.

Manatees use their short front flippers to move along the bottom

Amazed, I sought out Captain White for an explanation. “Manatees are serviced by cleaner fish, who eat the moss off their bodies. The ones still covered in moss just haven’t had their turn yet.” He also insisted that I need not worry about being hit by a manatee, explaining that each of the stiff hairs I had felt on their body are connected to a nerve, allowing them to sense the slightest sound and movement in the water. However, this was not a theory I was prepared to test. Sitting on top of a single manatee was one thing; being surrounded by an entire herd was quite another. I kept my distance.

After three hours in the 72 degree water, my teeth began to chatter and I started to shake uncontrollably. Oh, how I wanted to stay! But I knew it was time to leave. Captain White checked my lips and concurred – my upper lip was just beginning to turn purple. I dipped my mask underwater for one long last look just as the manatee nearest me floated up for air. Facing one another, we hovered beneath the surface, snout to nose, barely two feet between us. I swear he looked directly at me, knowingly. Then he tipped his nose up, filled his two giant nostrils with air, and plunked back down on the bottom, boulder-like. I’ll never know for sure, but I’d like to believe it was the same manatee that had offered me the piggyback ride.

Just as I am about to leave, this manatee hovers in the water and eyeballs me

Swimming with the manatees was an unforgettable experience, full of awe and wonder. I am extremely grateful that there are still places like this in the world, where humans can interact with wildlife in its natural habitat. However, as we raised anchor I couldn’t help but notice the sign posted on the shore at the entrance to the spring, which read: “Help Save Three Sisters Springs.”

I was sad to learn that the current owners of the property surrounding Three Sisters Springs plan to develop the 57 acres into single and multi-family residences. Additionally, they originally applied for a permit to extract 1.2 million gallons of spring water per day. That request was later reduced to 426,000 gallons per day and in February 2003, the Southwest Florida Water Management District approved the withdrawal of up to 100,000 gallons per day, as long as water was pumped from a site away from the spring. Now the owners are considering building a bottling company near the site, although they have also stated they would be willing to sell the property for the right price. Donations are currently being accepted to match state grants in order to purchase the Three Sisters property and protect it in perpetuity. I can only hope they will be successful. It would be criminal to destroy such a natural wonder.

If you would like to see more of this beautiful place, watch the movie I made about the manatees at Three Sisters Springs on YouTube.

You might also like:

Having thoroughly explored the historic architecture in Dunnellon’s Historic Boomtown District, I turned my attention to natural attractions during my second day in this north central Florida town. As home to Rainbow Springs, Florida’s fourth largest natural spring which disgorges 416 million gallons of water each day, and the meeting place for the Withlacoochee and Rainbow Rivers, Dunnellon easily lives up to its claim of being the “Treasure of Florida’s Nature Coast.”  The local rivers are so famous for their large mouth bass that the State officially calls Dunnellon the bass capitol of the world, and fishermen also pull sunfish, bream, longnose gar, shad, and crappie from these waters as well. For those who prefer saltwater fishing, the Gulf of Mexico is only a short distance away by car, or by boat via the Withlacoochee.

This cascade in Rainbow Springs State Park is the highest man-made waterfall in Florida

Not being a fisherman, I decided to investigate Rainbow Springs State Park, the site of the headwaters of the Rainbow River just ten miles north of town. This spring became popular in the late 1880′s when hard rock phosphate was discovered in the area and by the 1930′s it had been developed as a tourist attraction. Sea walls, a lodge, a gift shop, and a reptile exhibit were built and tailings from the nearby phosphate mining operation were used to construct miles of nature trails, scenic gardens, and three waterfalls, one of which is still Florida’s highest man-made waterfall. In the 1960′s, Sperry and Hutchinson Corporation (S & H Green Stamps) purchased the spring and turned it into a popular theme park, dredging the river in order to offer glass-bottomed boat rides, riverboat rides, a log raft ride, and submarine boat tours. S & H also added a zoo, a monorail with leaf-shaped gondolas, and an on-site rodeo.

The theme park’s heyday was short lived, however. In the early 1970′s, Interstate 75 was built 30 miles east of Dunnellon, diverting traffic from U.S. Rt. 41 and forcing closure of the park. Thankfully, the U.S. Department of the Interior stepped in, designating Rainbow River as a National Historic Landmark. Determined not to let this natural treasure wither, in 1984 volunteers began clearing the overgrown lands, restoring the pathways, and with the help of the Village of Rainbow Springs Garden Club, planting azaleas, magnolias, and a variety of other native plants. Constant lobbying on the part of the volunteer organizations finally convinced the State of Florida to purchase the original area that was the Rainbow Springs Attraction in 1990. The park was opened to the public on weekends in 1993 and on a full time basis two years later.

Every spring, azaleas burst into bloom at the headwaters of Rainbow Springs

Looking toward the source of the spring in Rainbow Springs State Park

The swimming hole at Rainbow Springs State Park

Today miles of nature trails wind up sand hills, past waterfalls, and through native gardens that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. In the springtime, pink, purple, and white Azaleas burst into bloom, perfectly framing the crystal clear turquoise waters of the headspring. Visitors can swim year-round in the constant 72 degree waters of the spring or tube the length of the 5.6 mile river during the summer months. The park is especially popular with birders, as Osprey, hawks, and swallowtail kites soar overhead, while water birds – waders, dabblers and divers – are easily spotted along the river.

Another of the man-made waterfalls at Rainbow Springs State Park

The large grassy hillside near Rainbow Springs' swimming hole is perfect for sunning and picnics

The park offers a variety of programs, including guided walks, snorkeling expeditions, and canoe trips, or visitors can rent a kayak or canoe and explore on their own. Best of all, admission is only $1.

On the way back to town I stopped briefly at KP Hole County Park, located a short distance downstream from the headspring. This park also offers swimming, beach, picnic and grill facilities, playground, volleyball nets, a concession stand, and restrooms, as well as canoe and tube rentals. Although the entrance fee is $3, canoes and kayaks can be rented for $8 per hour here, as opposed to $10 per hour at Rainbow Springs State Park.

KP Hole County Park on the Rainbow River also offers kayak and canoe rentals

Back in town I hunted down the city beach, which I’d heard was located at the precise spot where the crystal clear Rainbow River empties into the muddy Withlacoochee. I found it tucked away on a side street behind the Chamber of Commerce and spread a blanket on the grassy shore, happy to rest after several hours of hiking and exploration. Some time later splashing sounds roused me from my nap. As I sat up to watch the toddlers playing on the tiny sand beach, a sign caught my eye. Well, two signs actually, mounted on top of one another. The first read; “Beware of Alligators,” giving me pause. But the second: “Do Not Feed the Alligators,” was simply alarming, as it implied that alligators crawl up on shore to be fed – on the very shore where I had been, just moments ago, sleeping. I wandered over to the family happily splashing in the roped off swimming area and asked if alligators ever came near the beach.

“Nah, they stay over there,” the woman said, pointing in the general direction of my blanket. “But they’re not a problem, as long as you don’t feed them.”

“Unless they’re hungry,” I thought.

With it’s carefully preserved Old Florida character, gracious residents, unmatched hospitality, spectacular rivers, springs, fishing, hiking, biking, and birding, Dunnellon is a near perfect Florida vacation destination. Now if they could just get rid of the alligators….

Next: I travel to Homosassa Springs and Old Homosassa. Stay tuned!

You might also like:

Last week, the blues hit me with a vengeance. There was no mystery about my mood; wanderlust was having its way with me and I knew it was once again time to travel. I threw a few things in a bag, grabbed my camera, and pointed the car north, intending to check out some of Florida’s smaller inland towns along the Nature Coast, where I’d heard “Old Florida” still exists. Exiting I-75 at US Rt. 98, I traveled west through Brooksville (cute enough, but it just didn’t have the energy I sought) and then turned north on US Rt. 41. Because this used to be the main north-south route in western Florida, it passes through scores of small towns – Inverness, Hernando, Holder, and Citrus Springs – but none piqued my interest enough to make me stop.

Blues Brothers sculpture stands at the entrance of the Two Rivers Inn

A few minutes later, as I crossed over the Withlacoochee River into Dunnellon, my “interest radar” perked up. A sign proclaiming “Dunnellon Boomtown Historic District” directed me onto Pennsylvania Avenue. I drove past dozens of lovely old restored homes and commercial buildings to the end of the street, where I found the Two Rivers Inn. Mounted in front of this otherwise unassuming row of concrete block cottages was a full-size statue of the Blues Brothers.

“It’s a sign,” I thought. “Maybe the Blues Brothers can chase my blues away.” I found the office and paid for a night’s stay, delighted with the $59 per night rate that came complete with wireless internet. Since my room wouldn’t be ready for another couple of hours, I wandered back down the main drag in search of something to eat. At The Levee Cafe, they were literally standing on the front porch, dragging folks inside on this slow Sunday afternoon. Lured in by the promise of a great Caesar salad, I slid into a booth just as BJ and Bruce began singing the blues during the cafe’s afternoon jam session. “Did I pick the right town, or what!”

Bruce and BJ sing the blues at the Levee Cafe

After a delicious lunch, I headed back to the motel to deposit my suitcase. I must digress for a moment. My criteria for motels and hotels is simple – I seek budget prices, a modicum of cleanliness, and safety. As you might imagine, I have stayed in some real dumps, and with a nightly rate of $59, I was prepared for Two Rivers Inn to be another dump. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst, I opened the front door. My  jaw dropped in astonishment. This was no dump!

The rooms at Two Rivers are mini suites, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, smallish living room, and a screened front porch. Each suite has a themed decor: “Equestrian,” “Wine Cellar,” “Palm,” “Plantation,” “Golf,” and “Maui,” among others. My suite was aptly named “Nantucket.”

Bedroom of the "Nantucket" mini-suite at Two Rivers Inn

With its high, fluffy bed smothered in throw pillows, its painted furniture, and its cottage-craft wall hangings, it was obviously inspired by a trip to the beach.

Living/sitting area in the "Nantucket"

"Nantucket" kitchenette

Cute as a button bathroom

The kitchen was fully stocked with pots and pans, dishes, glasses, silverware, a toaster, and a coffee maker, and the motel had even provided free coffee. The acid test was the bathroom, as they are usually less than wonderful in these old buildings. But though small, the bath was a delightful combination of old-fashioned design and modern decor. The screened front porch was even furnished with an outdoor table and reclining chairs.

Most intriguing, I learned from the inn keepers, Rhonda and Herbert Moon, that the motel was originally built by the U.S. government as officers quarters during the second world war. After the barracks were no longer needed they were moved from the Dunnellon airport to their present location.

During a subsequent walk around town, I discovered that the Inn is just one of 70 architecturally significant properties in the “Dunnellon Boomtown Historic District.” Prior to the 1888 discovery of hard rock phosphate in the area, the only settlers had been self-sufficient farmers growing cotton, vegetables, sugar, and raising cattle. But that changed drastically once the valuable mineral was identified. Phosphate was a commodity in high demand. In Europe, French farmers alone used 200,000 tons per year and farmers in the U.S. used more than 1,300,000 tons of phosphate fertilizer. Soon, investors, prospectors, and developers were pouring into Dunnellon and a building craze ensued.

Because phosphate mines as well as the timber and turpentine camps surrounded the town site, Dunnellon never segregated its black and white communities. As a result, development happened in a helter-skelter manner, with elaborate Victorian mansions constructed alongside “shotgun shacks” and foreman’s cottages. Saloons, bordellos, rooming houses, churches, and mercantiles sprung up between residences to serve the needs of this rough-and-ready mining boom town.

Boom times continued until the beginning of World War I in 1914, when European ports were closed to U.S. shipments and demand for phosphate from domestic markets was decreasing. By the time the war ended, France had discovered phosphate deposits in its French territories in North Africa and Dunnellon faded into obscurity, just another sleepy, small town in north central Florida.

The town’s slow recovery, which did not begin until the late 1960′s, was a unwitting contributor to the preservation of many of the historic structures. Finally, newcomers began moving into the Historic District and restoring houses for commercial and residential use. For the remainder of the afternoon, I wandered in and out of restored Victorian mansions converted to antique shops, gift stores, florists, real estate offices, and and restaurants. The best among them was the Grumbles House, which offered an intriguing selection of gifts, antiques, and live plants in an outdoor nursery.

Grumbles House restored Victorian mansion

At the Grumbles House, buy antiques and gifts inside, plants and flowers outside

The Historic District is not the only attraction in Dunnellon. These days the town’s most treasured natural resource is its location at the confluence of the Withlacoochee and Rainbow Rivers and the existence of nearby Rainbow Springs, the second largest natural spring in the state of Florida. Already, I know I will stay here more than one day – there is much more to explore, so stay tuned for part two about this undiscovered gem along the Nature Coast of Florida.

You might also like:

When I say that the display of lights in Dunedin, Florida was moving, I’m not talking about the “bring you to tears” kind of moving. I mean they were literally moving – on the water. At Dunedin’s annual Holiday Boat Parade last night, thousands of people gathered on the waterfront to watch perhaps three dozen wildly decorated boats sail into the marina.

From Christmas trees to an American flag, boats were decked out in all manner of themes

Christmas lights reflected in the still waters of the marina

On one sailboat, an American flag in lights had been strung amidst its rigging and two women, dressed in red, white and blue USO outfits waved at onlookers from the deck. Another sported a penguin theme, with two giant inflatable penguins attached to the mast. Still another had created a palm tree outline in lights. While most were sailboats, several speedboats and one pontoon boat had been decked out for the holidays as well.

In keeping with Christmas Florida style, this sailboat featured a palm tree

Boats were decorated with giant inflatable penguins and snowmen

Even a pontoon boat got into the action

Boats in the marina rocked as Santa arrived on a fast speedboat

At the end of the parade, Santa arrived Florida style, on the Police speedboat. The Chief of Police pulled several doughnuts in the ‘no wake’ main channel of the marina as Santa waved to cheering children lining the shore. His arrival kicked up waves, creating an even more dazzling of Christmas lights as the decorated boats rocked and bobbed at their moorings. Santa stepped off his water-sleigh and walked to a stage set up in Edgewater Park, where he officiated at the town’s tree lighting ceremony.

Dunedin is a lovely little town where children still ride their bicycles after dark without fear and a real sense of community abounds. And the events are not over. Dunedin still has a full calendar of events planned right through Christmas, with the next one being a Holiday parade on Saturday, December 13.

You might also like:

I’m on the road again, traveling for another month. At the moment I’m wandering around the Gulf coast of Florida and checking out some of the lovely beaches on this side of the state. By day, I’m soaking up the sun, but by night I’m checking out some of the many Christmas events offered in the area.

It was an Old Fashioned Christmas in Dunedin, Florida last night, complete with twinkling lights, Santa Claus, and yes, even snow! This small town on the northern end of Tampa Bay attracts thousands of visitors for its lineup of Christmas events each year. Festivities begin with the Old Fashioned Christmas event, held last night, and continue through the month of December. The lineup includes a Holiday Boat Parade and Mistletoe Craft Market (both on Dec. 6); a Holiday Parade, complete with floats (Dec. 13); a Holiday Chorus (Dec. 14); Santa’s Calling, when Santa Claus telephones children from his Workshop at the North Pole (Dec. 17); and a Holiday Band Concert (Dec. 18).

Last night’s activities kicked off with a performance by the City of Dunedin Pipe Band, followed by a tree lighting ceremony. As for the rest, well. I’ll let the photos tell the story.

The award winning Dunedin Scottish Pipe Band

Kids can ride the miniature train or hop on wagons drawn by giant Clydesdale horses

At the craft area, kids can decorate paper ornaments with glitter, color a Christmas scene in crayon, make a snowflake cutout, decorate a cookie, or participate in any number of other holiday craft activities

Creating wreaths from paper plates and holly leaf cutouts

Kids loved Santa Puppet!

Not only did this guy ride his bike around Dunedin last night, he rode it across America in 1984

Luminaries lign the sidewalks throughout the small downtown and stores go all out with their holiday decorating

The Salvation Army Band plays on Broadway Street. Live acts performed between 6-10 p.m at various venues throughout the business center.

Of course, there were visits with Santa

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...during the day, 80 degree temps and sunning on the beach. At night, snowflakes! The snow came from a snow-making machine, but that didn't lessen its fairy-like effect

I’m sticking around for the Holiday Boat Parade tonight, before heading north tomorrow. My ultimate destination is Illinois, to spend the holidays with my family, but I’ll be checking out some interesting spots along the way, so stay tuned.

You might also like: