I arrived at Bill Frederick Park in Orlando around midnight, where I settled into the cabin I reserved. The last time I reserved this cabin, it turned into a disaster. Luckily, I was able to get the key to get inside this time. The cool thing about this cabin is it’s right on the disc golf course, so it was great waking up and ready to play. I also got some help from the early morning announcements at the park, as I was unaware of the high school crew competition that had to have boasted about 500 teenagers and a couple hundred boats. Since the boats were all spread out along the water, where the front 9 of the first course plays (there are two 18-hole courses at this park), I wasn’t able to play most of the front nine, but did manage to get most of the back nine in. I then played the the second, and much harder course, where 16 of the 18 holes were playable. I also stopped by the Children’s Animal Farm that runs along the course for some pictures.

Since I was by myself, I had to change my plans, which now involved my bike. And that’s exactly what I used next, as I biked along the West Orange Trail in Winter Garden, which is just west of Orlando. This is one of my favorite bike trails in Florida, and I could have spent all day biking along it. Instead, I just did 10 miles, including a stop at the Oakland Nature Preserve in Oakland for a nice hike that overlooked Lake Apopka. After enjoying the Farmer’s Market in downtown Winter Garden, I then headed to Apopka to play the two courses at the old executive ball-golf courses. These courses have some nice elevation changes and also a bunch of not-so-nice sand burrs, that seemed to keep getting stuck in my shoes and socks…and in my hands too! Ouch! After a round at each course, I headed back down to Orlando, where I went over to Disney’s Boardwalk. I have so many great memories here, and it’s a great place to hang out. After getting a bunch of pictures before the sun went down, I met my nephew there. He moved to Winter Park last year, but had never been to the boardwalk, so it was really cool showing him around it. After a couple hours together, I headed back to my cabin to rest up for another fun-filled day.

It was so nice to wake up and not see a single boat or person on the course. Or so I thought. As I hit the first course around 7:30am, I thought I heard basket chains, and sure enough, another golfer was right behind me. We ended up playing both of the courses together, and he just happens to be really good friends with my buddy who moved out to Phoenix a few years back. I then drove to downtown Orlando and Church Street Station for a nice walk around town. I knew of a lake in downtown but had never been there before, so I went to check out Lake Eola, and was amazed how nice it was, along with the park that surrounded it. I got some great pictures here as I spent a couple hours exploring the area. It was then back to more disc golf, as I hit the 2 fun courses at Gordon Barnett Park.

As I started to make my way out of Orlando, I stopped by another great biking trail (the Little Econ Greenway) at Blanchard Park. I got in another 10 miles here, and again, had to pull myself away from going farther, as the trail goes on and on. My last stop was at F. Burton Smith Park in Cocoa, where I attempted to play the water-logged course there. I got about 10 holes in, but I wasn’t able to leave dry, as a few of my shots landed right in the middle of some pretty big puddles. Although, the trip turned out to be nothing as I had originally planned with my friends, I still ended up having a great time, and even got to see new sites in Orlando.

I then drove into Sarasota where I hit one of my favorite courses in all of Florida, North Water Tower Park. I got in 2 rounds here, and even parred the long and difficult hole 9 for the first time ever. I then drove over to a nearby RV resort that has a brand new course, but they wouldn’t ket me in to play since tyhe course is only open to the public in the summer. It might have been the middle of November, but the mid-80′s temps sure made it feel like summer to me. A little bummed out by this, I then headed over to Oscar Scherrer Park to check into my campsite. After pitching my tent and hiking on a few of the trails, I drove over to Siesta Key to watch a beautiful sunset amongst some of the whitest sand in all of Florida. I next had dinner at O’Leary’s at Bayfront before walking around St. Armand’s Circle on Longboat Key. I knew the night would be a bit chilly, so I bundled up appropriately for the mid-50′s temp. I was nice and cozy but the deer rustling in the trees near me kept waking me up.

After checking out Sunday morning, I drove down to Venice to play the fun Pinebrook Park course. I then headed into Ft. Myers, where I stopped at the Calusa Nature Center. Unbeknownst to me, I was a couple hours early before they opened, so I drove just down the road to the Edison Ford Estates. I loved this place the last time I was here a few years ago, and was really looking forward to going back. Back in the early 1900′s, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford became good friends and even had houses right next to each other. The houses are beautiful yet surprising modest summer homes, and the museum is fascinating, detailing their friendship and particularly Edison and all his amazing inventions. It really makes you realize what a genius he was.

After a few hours there, I headed back over to Calusa, where I toured the nature center and walked along the several hiking trails. I then continued a bit south to the Myerlee Country Club, where I was hoping to play the new disc golf course there. Unfortunately, there were about 150 ball golfers out on the course, and i wasn’t allowed to play because of this. Yet denied at another possible new course. I then drove over to Ft. Myers Beach to play the fun but confusing 18-hole course at the rec center. My camera battery was starting to die, so I was looking around for an outlet to recharge while I played. I met an elderly man there who couldn’t figure out what I was searching for, and seemed puzzled when I explained my camera battery situation. I eventually found an outlet and proceeded to play the confusing course. I got lost a couple times, but for the most part was able to find all the holes. Ironically, I took a break after the 16th hole to play a little tennis with the elderly man I met earlier. I then finished up my round, and took a walk along the trails at the Matanzas Pass Preserve, right next to the rec center. I then walked along the street towards the beach shops, where I got some great views of the river from the Sky Bridge. Afterwards, I headed onto the beach and the pier, where I was treated to another beautiful sunset.

Since it was daylight savings time, I got up a little earlier than I expected, and was out on the disc golf course there in town around 7 am. I was shocked at how many people were at the park on the nice balmy morning. All I had on the agenda was disc golf, and proceeded to drive all over just south of Houston, playing courses in Seabrook, Hitchcock, Pearland and South Houston. Nine courses in all for the day, which ended up getting rather windy in the afternoon, making the golfing a bit tough. It didn’t help that I got bitten by a thousand mosquitoes too. Though it was cool to say I finally played disc golf in Texas, which boasts over 250 courses, I wasn’t too impressed with most of the courses, and I definitely was expecting the areas I went to to be prettier. At least I got to see a couple lighthouses in two different states. I’ll go back next year, but more over towards the Corpus Christi area, where I was the last time I was in Texas.

We woke up to a crisp mid-30′s morning, where we were back on the links, hitting the course on the beautiful campus of the Purdue North Central campus. We then drove over to Rogers Lakewood Park in Valparaiso to play the fun 24-hole championship course. After two big courses, we enjoyed the short 9-holer at Hawthorne Park in Porter. Our last Indiana course was another 9-holer at Creek Ridge County Park in Michigan City. We then stayed in the city to view the two lighthouses, where we were able to go up inside the Old Michigan City one. We then crossed back over the Michigan border to play the Lake Township Park course in Bridgman before ending our two-state disc golf adventure at the picturesque campus of Andrews University in Berrien Springs. We pretty ran out of daylight and dry weather, as we battled the darkness and rain before parting ways. It was great seeing him again, and we can add another disc golf adventure to our many travels together.

The waves were a bit rough getting through off the shore before I finally hopped up on the board and went for a nice hour-long surf ride. I met a couple other surfers, with one of them hipping me to the hot spot – where the sharks hang out! Luckily, I didn’t see any but did come across a stingray and jellyfish. A good friend and her family then met me on the beach, and I showed her how to paddle surf. It took her a little bit to get it, but once she found her balance, she was like a pro. We then took a walk on the fishing pier and got some ice cream before calling it a day. I’m now looking forward to the next time I can go paddle surfing again.

I began my Saturday morning with a round at Bellevue State Park in Wilmington, where I used to always play the 9-hole course there. They have since extended it to 18 holes, and this was my second time on the new layout, the last time being in 1997. It was great to visit this beautiful park again. When I was last here in 97, I drove up to New Jersey to play a tournament but had the wrong directions to the course, and never made the tourney. As I drove back towards Virginia rather disappointed, I stopped at Bellevue for a round, and it helped me deal with the blown NJ trip. I was looking most forward to my next course at Brandywine Creek State Park, as it such a beautiful and tough course, with great elevation changes atop picturesque hillsides. The howling wind killed my game, but it was just as fun as I last remember playing it, back in 1996. My next course was in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania at Anson B. Nixon Park. I have only played here once, also back in 1997, and only remembered a few of the holes, but I forgot how enjoyable of a course it was.

After hitting some old courses, my next one at Carousel Park in Marshallton, Delaware was a new one. And the course was as hard as the park was beautiful. I shot one of my worst scores ever, but didn’t really care, as I couldn’t stop taking pictures during my round. It was then back to another old course at White Clay Creek Park in Newark. Except the course has changed so much from the last time I was there 15 years ago, I didn’t recognize a single hole. I definitely enjoyed the new layout, but didn’t feel like I was at the same park as back in the day. My last course of the day was at my most-played course in Delaware, Lum’s Pond Park in Kirkwood. I was last here back in 2004, and I have many great memories here, particularly of the few tournaments I played here back in the mid-90′s.

After staying the night in Smyrna, Delaware, I started off Sunday morning visiting lighthouses along the Delaware River. They all had the same skeletal frame style, and I felt like I was looking at the same lighthouse each time I came across a new one. One of the lighthouses I wasn’t able to find, and another was impossible to get a picture of, so I took video of it as I drove across the bridge on 495. I then headed into New Jersey to play the 9-hole course at Riverview Beach Park in Pennsville before heading just down the road to view the Finn’s Point lighthouse. This weekend was also the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge, where many of the lighthouses around the state are open to the public, but unfortunately, Finn’s Point wasn’t, due to renovations. I then went another mile down the road to Fort Mott Park. I was hoping to find a cool fort there from the early 1800′s but instead it was a more modern one, minus the big fort walls and moat. My next stop was at the Tinicum Range lighthouse in Billingsport. I was able to climb to the top of this one, as I found it rather odd that it was located in the middle of a baseball complex. I then made my way towards Haddon Heights, where I tried to find my next golf course, but wasn’t able to locate the park, and continued on to the 4-hole course in Medford.

I then drove back into Pennsylvania and over to Philadelphia, where I came across Boathouse Row in Fairmount Park to view the cool-looking Turtle Rock lighthouse. I was amazed at how neat the waterfront area along the Schuylkill River was, and enjoyed a nice walk along the bike path. I also thoroughly enjoyed the art museum area, where I almost felt like I was in Greece, with the interesting buildings and landscaping along the river. I concluded my trip with a round of golf at the course in the park that I hadn’t played in 16 years. Definitely a great way to end my little nostalgia trip that included some new sites too.

My last day at my dad’s old place began with a walk around the neighborhood, where I took some pictures and relived some memories of going there over the last 20 years. We then drove down to Waldorf to meet my sister, her husband and their daughter for lunch. It was so great seeing them again, as it’s been almost a year and a half since I last saw them. As we headed back home, I stopped for some more pictures around the Annapolis area, realizing I won’t be up here again for quite some time. At least I’ll now get to explore more of Georgia when I visit my dad. He’ll be a lot closer too.

Sunday morning was off to another sunny, but cold start, as I battled the cold while playing some great 18-hole courses. I then drove over to the North Point Lighthouse, right along the Milwaukee waterfront, where I got to go the top for some great views of Lake Michigan. After checking out a couple more lights in Milwaukee, I drove south to Wind Point, where I climbed to the top of the white beacon. I felt very fortunate to get to the top of the light, as I was 15 minutes late for the 2:30 scheduled climb and thought for sure I missed my chance. I then continued south to Racine, where I viewed the two harbor lights there. I had planned to play one more course near the airport before heading back home, but I enjoyed the waterfront so much in Racine, I just stayed there instead until my flight left.

Amazingly, I made the boat by 5 minutes, but it was a bit disappointing to learn the cruise was shortened by an hour due to the heavy fog out at sea. We were supposed to go by 10 lighthouses, but only ended up only seeing 6 of them. The cloudy, foggy conditions made for some unique pictures, but I was really hoping the sun was going to come out. Unfortunately, it never did, but at least it didn’t rain. I then headed a little further east to Edgecomb to play the private disc golf course there. It was a fun and enjoyable course, even though I didn’t play so good. As I made my way back west, I decided to try to get a better view of a couple of lights I saw earlier, but wasn’t able to find them, despite having directions on exactly where they were. I then drove over to Auburn, where I had a nice dinner at Fish Bones before settling in for the night at the Penley House Bed & Breakfast.

I took a nice walk around the historic section on Sunday morning, including checking out the Lewistown Falls across the bridge in Lewiston. It took a little while for the sun to come out, but it finally did, which really made me happy after Saturday’s cloudiness. I then played 4 great disc golf courses in a row, all private and tough but fun courses. And after the disappointing courses I last played in Detroit, these courses stood out even more.

I then went to South Portland, where I got some great close-up views of the Spring Point and Portland Breakwater lighthouses. I then went over to Fort Williams Park, where I visited one of the most famous lighthouses in the US, Portland Head. I didn’t get a chance to go to the top, but I got some incredible views and photos of the light. I next drove up the road to the Portland Harbor, where I boarded another lighthouse cruise that passed by the three Portland lights I just viewed, plus a couple extra ones. I also got to view some old forts out in the water. I had originally planned to play one more course after the boat ride, but had a hankering for some Maine lobster, and ended up having an early dinner at DiMillo’s, where I enjoyed a couple lobsters, the first lobster I’ve eaten in the state of Maine in 25 years. The trip may have started off a cloudy and rushed, but ended sunny and satisfied.

I then viewed a couple lighthouses, the second one on Belle Isle, which I found beautiful, especially compared to what I had just seen earlier. They were some great views of the Detroit skyline, and many interesting features on the island, including the lighthouse, which is strictly an ornamental lighthouse commemorating William Livingstone.

With a couple hours of sunlight to spare, I then headed over into Canada, where I had a surprisingly hard time getting across the border. The guards were not to happy with me coming over, and couldn’t understand why I’d come over just to look at lighthouses. For a while, I didn’t think I’d make it over, but they amazingly let me across, and compared to what I had just viewed on the Detroit side, it was stunningly gorgeous in Windsor, Ontario. It was an absolutely breath-taking drive along Lake St. Clair as I made my way to the Pelee Passage lighthouse. I got to witness a great sunset on the lake, and it made for some “golden hour” pictures of the lighthouse. I then drove due south towards Lake Erie and Kingsville, where I checked in at the Old Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast, a beautifully restored farmhouse from the mid-1800′s.

I awoke Sunday morning to more rain, and it didn’t make for the nicest photos of the lighthouses in Kingsville and nearby Leamington. I then drove back across the border (was given a little bit of a hard time, but nothing like the interrogation on the Canuck side), and proceeded to play another course in Wyandotte before heading over to Grosse Ile. The lighthouse on this beautiful island is private, and is only open once a year to the public (hence the reason for this weekend to go to the Detroit area). And it was so worth it, especially since the sun broke through while at the light, which made for some great views from the top. I then played a couple more courses, the second one at the cool Willow Metropark in Belleville. The course itself was fantastic, and easily the best course of the trip, and one of the best courses I’ve ever played. The park was also amazing to explore, and I wish I had more time to not only check out the rest of it but the other nearby Metroparks too. As I flew back home, I was treated to a great sunset with the full moon in the background – fitting as there were some dark and wet parts of the trip, but some very cool ‘bright spots’ too.