Ziplining a life experience. Who knew?

Our brave group of travel writers.

There’s something terrifying about climbing high above treetops and jumping off. It’s not the worry about falling to my death. Because I understand that two levels of ziplining cables, the trolleys and the double carabiners will protect me. What I feared most was having to brake myself at the other end.

My first ziplining experience was in North Carolina where a group of us zipped through several lines as snow softly fell. It was both exhilarating and horrifying, because as much as I enjoyed flying through the winter air and viewing the gorgeous mountain scenery I kept spinning and forgetting how to brake at the other end. The guides assured me they would catch me if I failed, but the first time I screwed up my brake and rammed into the guy. Which was enough to scare anyone off the sport.

Bill and Erin, our trusted guides

Later, I would zipline without the need to self-brake and loved that so much better. I started gaining confidence and would gladly raise my hand when the offer to zipline emerged.

Until last month. 

A group of travel writers — me included — were invited to zip through the canopy of Adventures Unlimited near Milton, Florida, in Santa Rosa County, an attraction that also offers cabin accommodations and paddling down Coldwater Creek, one of the most pristine waterways in the state — and one that I highly recommend enjoying. As we walked to our first run, I was told that self-braking was in store, but no worries, they would explain and all would be fine. Guess what? After listening intently to the instructions, I stuck my hand in front of the trolley to brake — it goes behind — and screwed up my brake on the first run. I ended up stumbling horribly, then stopping before the platform, having to turn and pull myself in.

Are you kidding me?

“I don’t worry about you,” our guide Bill told me. “I can tell you have no fear so you’ll be fine.”

Was he blind?

Our next run was a LONG climb up, so my second attempt was frighteningly high, as in seeing magnolia blooms at the TOP of trees. I couldn’t imagine stepping off that platform. I asked to go last — as if that would help. And then I stood there like a zombie, staring off into the trees hiding the next platform where Bill waited, a man who believed I had no fear.

“You can do it,” said Erin, the other guide who waited patiently behind me.

“No, I can’t,” I thought, but I walked off anyway, flying through the air like a fool but not spinning and remembering to brake the cable above my head, but this time behind me. I actually slowed the dang thing down and slipped into my guide’s arms without a problem. I don’t know who was more excited, that man or me.

Me finally learning to zip.

It took a few more attempts before I felt confident, but by the seventh run, a long, delicious stretch that veers over Coldwater Creek, I actually enjoyed the run, stopped thinking too much about my braking and started relishing the scenery. As we walked back to the outpost with our gear beating against our legs and our bandanas glued to our humid foreheads, I was a new woman.

I came. I ziplined. I braked!

Want to see Bill easily flying over Coldwater Creek? Click here for my Facebook post.

  

For more information on Adventures Unlimited, visit http://www.adventuresunlimited.com/. Be sure and stay the night, enjoy the cabins and paddle the that gorgeous creek.

Coldwater Creek at Adventures Unlimited

We're actually happy at the end. We did it!

Cheré Dastugue Coen is a travel and food writer from South Louisiana who appreciates the weird and wild side of life. She actually ziplined over alligators near Shreveport (read about it here), but the braking there was easier. Write to her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Amelia Island wants you to take a 'PokeBreak'

            You would be living on a remote island if you missed the Pokemon Go craze with all those people running around staring at their phones as if in a trance. To tap into that mass frenzy over the Pokemon Go gaming app, Amelia Island — not a remote island but a beautiful destination isle in Florida — will host a “PokeBreak” weekend. Over the weekend of Aug. 5-7 there will be a variety of events, activities, packages and attractions along miles of Amelia Island’s beaches, trails and waterways.

            “We’ve seen plenty of visitors exploring the island in pursuit of Pokemon, but we want to make sure they don’t miss all the real-world experiences you can only have on Amelia,” said Gil Langley, managing director of the AITDC, in a recent press release. “The PokeBreak weekend will be a great chance to stop fretting over drained batteries and crashed servers and try to catch some lasting summer memories before the kids head back to school.”

            If you’ve never been to Amelia Island, you’re in for a blow-away treat. The barrier island off the coast of Florida near Jacksonville offers gorgeous pristine beaches where visitors can discover fossil shark teeth and shells, wetlands full of wildlife you can access by kayak or canoe and lush live oil tree canopies. There’s also a quaint downtown that offers boutique shopping, ghost tours and local entertainment.

            Travelers can start their PokeBreak weekend on Friday, Aug. 5, with Sounds on Centre, an outdoor evening performance in downtown Fernandina Beach; a Ghost Tour of Amelia Island, leading guests in the footsteps of the island’s haunted past; or a performance at the Amelia Musical Playhouse. Other weekend events include the Shrimping Eco Tour with Amelia River Cruises, an interactive exploration of the St. Marys River Basin that includes using locally made shrimp nets to catch, display and identify local sea life in an onboard aquarium before releasing them.

Packages and offers include:
•       The Amelia Island Williams House is offering a 15 percent discount on a two-night stay over the Aug. 5-7 Weekend for travelers mentioning PokeBreak when making a reservation.
•       The Fairbanks House PokeBreak for Two package includes daily gourmet breakfasts, evening beverages and hors d’oeuvres, complimentary use of bikes, pool and beach equipment as well as a choice of a private downtown carriage tour or two tickets aboard Amelia River Cruises with the code PokeBreak when booking two or more nights the weekend of Aug. 5-7.
•       Located in downtown Fernandina Beach and offering fun accessories for women and home, Bijoux Amelia is offering a 25 percent discount on all purchases when customers mention PokeBreak Aug. 5-7.
•       The Book Loft will be offering a 10 percent discount on young adult books during the weekend and on Saturday, Aug. 6, there will be a release of a new book by local author, Nancy Blanton, complete with Irish music and food at 3 p.m.
•       Located in the historic district, Timoti’s Seafood Shak is offering customers a free fountain beverage with the purchase of a Tuna Poke Bowl as park of the promotion.
•       The popular children’s store, Villa Villekula, is offering a 20 percent discount on the purchase of any item with the mention of PokeBreak for customers and visitors can relive a classic school recess with sidewalk neighborhood fun from 2–5 pm outside at 5 South 2nd Street with jump rope, double-dutch, hopscotch and sidewalk chalk.
•       The Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort is offering 10 percent off Nature Center Tours (Includes: kayak, paddleboarding, naturalist segway, and Birds of Amelia tours). To reserve, call 904-321-5082 and mention PokeBreak; pricing varies per tour.
            To plan your PokeBreak weekend getaway, visit www.PokeBreakAmelia.com.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is currently on Level 11 of Pokemon Go but working hard to advance. She is also the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire and “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Shell Yeah! Inaugural event planned June 20 in Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, Florida

            There’s a national day for everything, it seems, so why not National Seashell Day?

The 50 miles along the pristine beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, Florida, is among the best places to find seashells in the country, if not the world. So it only makes sense that they would proclaim a nice summer day — June 20, 2016 — as the inaugural National Seashell Day. In addition to beachcombing for shells, there will be special travel deals, seashell attractions, shelling lectures and tours, workshops with local shell artists and much more.

Some hotels, vacation rentals, beachfront accommodations and vintage RV parks are offering the fourth night free during this time. Certain properties are also offering add-ons, such as free shelling cruises to barrier islands, shell guides and bags, free breakfast and more. Visit www.nationalseashellday.com for a full list of properties participating in the fourth night free deal and to check out special events.

Don’t miss out on the chance to enter the Shell Yeah! Sweepstakes to win a three-night stay at Sanibel Inn with a Captiva Cruises shelling excursion to Cayo Costa.

Here’s some shelling tips from tourism folks:

“The best shelling locations are on Sanibel Island (Bowman's Beach and Lighthouse Beach), named the best shelling beach in the U.S., and also in less populated areas such as the uninhabited Cayo Costa, Big Hickory Island and Lovers Key State Park.  Peak shelling season in the Fort Myers/Sanibel area is May–September and shelling is best an hour before and after low tide, or high tide after storms. Walk the high tide shell line where the highest waves stop, as this is where groups of shells arrive. Another good spot is the slight drop in the surf line, where gentle waves break before rolling to the beach. It's prohibited to collect any shell with a living mollusk or creature inside. Beachcombers work to preserve this natural resource and protect live shells from being over-harvested and endangered.”
            For weather information, web cams and shelling news, visit Sanibel Island artist and ‘shell-ebrity’ Pam Rambo at www.iloveshelling.com.

The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

Taking music underground — or rather underwater: The Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival

            Diving down to enjoy the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States is reason enough to visit the Florida Keys, but on July 11, 2015, you can do it to music.

            From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Looe Key Reef, an area of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary approximately six miles south of Big Pine Key, the Lower Keys Underwater Music Festival will take place. Staged by Keys radio station WWUS 104.1 FM, music will be piped underwater via Lubell Laboratory speakers suspended beneath boats above the reef. Swimming among colorful tropical fish and coral formations, participants can sway to a sea-focused playlist that typically includes humpback whale songs and melodies like the Beatles' “Yellow Submarine” and Jimmy Buffett's “Fins.”

            The festival began to encourage coral reef protection and environmentally responsible diving. Now in its 31st year, it typically draws several hundred divers and snorkelers annually to enjoy the sound of music along the Keys' reef — the third largest in the world.

            Can’t quite get your mind around this? Check out the video.

Those planning to submerge themselves in the festival can stop by Looe Key Reef Resort, 27340 Overseas Highway on Ramrod Key, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, for a free dive clinic that consists of buoyancy tests and equipment checks. All divers and snorkelers participating in are encouraged to wear costumes and compete for prizes such as “best dressed.” Some might even pretend to play “underwater instruments” sculpted by Lower Keys artist August Powers, whose creations blend elements of oceanic creatures and whimsical musical instruments.

For more information on the festival or diving the Lower Keys, visit www.lowerkeyschamber.com. For Lower Keys visitor information, visit www.fla-keys.com/lowerkeys or call (305) 872-2411.

Cheré Coen is an award-winning travel writer specializing in the Deep South. She is the author of "Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History," "Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana" and "Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana" and co-author of "Magic's in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets." She also writes Louisiana romances under Cherie Claire, including "A Cajun Dream" and "The Letter." Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.