Ahhh… the Sunshine state. The magical land of oranges and most likely, if I took the time to flip through the ‘ol scrap book and count, the state I have vacationed in more than any other. I’ve flown. I’ve drove. I’ve slept in tents, backseats, hotels, condos, and houses. I’ve gone to beaches, theme parks, forests, marshes, museums, out to sea, and more.
Unsurprisingly I have a rather detailed a map of Florida. And on that map are markers showing all the places I’ve been… and lots of places I’d like to go. One of those places, for quite awhile now, had been the Devil’s Millhopper. Which sounds rather ominous I admit, but I mean, what adventurous person in their right mind could see “Devil’s Millhopper” on a map and NOT want to go see it?
I know I did. Though unfortunately, for the longest time, I kept seeing online that the parks boardwalk was closed and in need of repair. Meaning a detour to go see it would be a wasted endeavor. But while planning my last trip I was seeing conflicting info. Maybe it was fixed? Partially fixed? Whats a transplant patient wanting to see as much of the world as possible on his borrowed time to do?
Once I found myself on I-75, I was really tempted to take the appropriate exit east toward the park. Of course the mind set of, “I just want to get where I’m going,” is an easy one to give into too. Especially on an already thousand mile lone trip. When you’re not sure you’ll be able to see the thing you’re hoping to see… Marin and I took the exit.
And I’m glad we did. The small visitors center slash museum was closed for refurbishing. Bummer. But thankfully, the boardwalk and trail was completely open for exploration. Hoorah! And though I wasn’t able to partake in the learning opportunity of the visitors center, I lucked out.
I ran into a retired geologist who lived in the area and volunteered as a tour guide at the park. He wasn’t there in any official capacity. Just out walking his dog. But we struck up a conversation and he ended up giving me the entire spiel about the place. Which was extremely nice of him to have done.
Florida, compared to a lot of places, is pretty darn flat. So when you go for a walk or hike there tends to not be much change in elevation. And an abundance of stairs typically is not a concern. But the Devil’s Millhopper is a sink hole. A huge divot in the earth caused by erosion. Meaning there are some optional stairs.
If your supplemental oxygen needs are high, be prepared to take some breaks and crank up your liters per minute. Especially on the way back up. The stairs are not overly steep, but there are quite a few of them to contend with.
If you’re feeling winded don’t force your self to make the trek all the way down and back up. The view is pretty from any point along the stairs. And there is also the sinkhole rim trail which is less than a mile in length. With several benches to stop and catch your breath on.
Part of the trail is paved cement, part of it is lose gravel, and part of it is packed Florida sand. With a few short rough patches covered in roots one must contend with. Which will slow you down quite annoyingly if you rely on a rollator or a wheelchair. But if you can manage it, the walk is a nice little way to spend some time out of the car on a long haul.
The Devils Millhopper isn’t exactly a tourist destination. I am sure most of it’s visitors are locals simply going for their daily walks. It’s one of the millions of places in this world that most people will never know exists. And never think about going out of there way to see even if they do happen to hear about it. We’ve only got so much time in this world after all and it takes quite a bit of it to push one’s way through the crowds at the true tourist meccas.
But for me, I like looking at all the empty space between the “must see places” on the map. Wondering what might be hidden away there that is worth seeing. It only takes one dot on the map to show I’ve been to a place, but a couple dozen makes me feel like I’ve really explored a place. I hope to cover my maps with as many as possible with the extra time I’ve been blessed with. And Devil’s Millhopper was a worthy addition.
Borrowed Breaths 
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