Soon I will be on the road to one of my favorite Florida destinations: Cedar Key. One of my favorite things about traveling to Cedar Key, FL is the drive to and from. There’s a saying in Florida that in order “to go South, you gotta go North.”
There’s a pretty noticeable difference when traveling North of Orlando. The scenery indeed becomes more Southern mere moments after heading North of Orlando. As a city girl who spends about 45 – 50 hours a week in the middle of the busiest vacation destination in the country, a place that constantly competes against Las Vegas and New York City for that title, it is nice to get away to the calm.
The journey to Cedar Key is made all the more enjoyable as I alternate between country music and tropical rock on Radio Margaritaville. I love enjoying the moment and the drive. On my most recent trip, I had no need to make a quick drive back home, so I took my time and made stops whenever I pleased.
One of the highlights of the drive is passing through horse country in Ocala. A major claim to fame for Ocala is that it is home to the massive Ocala National Forest. You’ll also find wide open spaces with charming horse farms scattered throughout the land. It is a lovely sight to see in the Spring when all the newborn fillies and colts are out for the world to see.
As I passed by one of the larger horse farms I noticed how close a few of the horses were to the fence. Traffic was light, so I decided to pull over and snap a few pictures. What I didn’t expect was one of the horses to immediately approach me. It was a moment of calm and connection. The beauty came right up to the fence and let me pet her muzzle and forehead. I attempted to take a few “selfies” to show just how close I was able to get, but most of the shots were not the most flattering, shall we say.
After a few peaceful moments, I knew I needed to get back on the road. When I climbed back into Blue Jean Baby, the sweetest thing happened. The horse followed my every step along the fence and stood still facing my car while I started Blue Jean back up and packed up my camera. As I drove away, she continued to follow as far as the fence would lead. It was another moment that made me fall in love all over again with ThisFloridaLife.
Related articles
- First day of Summer at Cedar Key (sdmorren301.wordpress.com)
- Weekend in Ocala at Farmers Market (hjohnson144.wordpress.com)
- A Salty Cedar Key Saturday (thisfloridalife.com)
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Great story! I’ve never ventured off the beaten path through Ocala, but you give me a reason to do so!
It really is a beautiful drive, Jody. Very relaxing