The focus of this week's episode, John Muir, was well-known for getting outside. Taking long walks. Communing with nature. In a recent column, Craig Pittman encouraged state education officials and teachers to get kids in Florida outside, introduce them to the natural places around this state so they can better understand them, more deeply care about them, and, ultimately, more passionately protect them.

One of the fathers of the conservation movement, John Muir, set out on a nearly 1,000 mile trek across the South in 1867. He started in Indiana, entered Florida at Fernandina Beach, and concluded his adventure in Cedar Key.

Dan Chapman has lived in Atlanta since 2000, covering environmental issues for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution." He decided to follow in Muir's footsteps to personally experience the ravaged ecological condition of the region. His book detailing the experience is titled, "A Road Running Southward: Following John Muir's Journey Through an Endangered Land."

"Welcome to Florida," as always, is sponsored by Visit Sarasota and there's no better place to get outside in Florida than Sarasota. From Myakka River State Park to the world's best beaches, nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts have endless options for exploration in Sarasota.