Well it was quite an adventure getting to Florida. Dean and I left Midpines and drove 3 hours to San Francisco on Saturday 1/15 where we watched the days football games before he dropped me at the airport the next morning.
Both of us are Greenbay Packer fans so it was a great day for us, except for maybe the $4 beers at the bar. We opted to watch most of the game at the hotel before heading out for one of the local bars and to dinner so it wasn’t too bad.
And here is where the adventure begins. I was flying standby and was already onboard the plane at 10 am when I got bumped from my flight to Tampa Bay. I ended up catching a flight to Denver where I found my connection 2 hours later had only one seat available. To make a long story short I was lucky to get on the plane.
I next found myself in Kansas City where instead of a 45-minute layover it turned out to be 3 hours. Well I just downloaded a movie, Salt, and watched it while I waited for my flight to Tampa where I eventually arrived at 1am. I rented a car and rolled into my moms place in Clearwater an hour later. This was suppose to be a 7 hour trip but ended up being closer to 13 hours...oh well life is an adventure and you roll with the punches.
The next day my mom and I took a road trip south along the coast towards St. Petersburg to see the sights as she remarked how much she loved Florida where she has been living for the last year.
On Tuesday we drove north to the Greek fishing village of Tarpon Springs for lunch at one of the waterside cafes. Next we stopped at a favorite place of hers Safety Harbor and walked the pier out into Tampa Bay. It was a beautiful day, warm and only a slight breeze.
Mom at Dimitri's in Tarpon Springs
Wednesday was another day trip an hour south to Apollo Beach to see the manatees. I’ve never seen these graceful mammals of the sea. They are very beautiful in their own right. We also saw number of fish including mullet, jack carvalle and a tarpon jumping out of the water. There was also a small lemon shark chasing fish trying to have lunch.
Female manatee and her calf
Manatee going solo
It is now Friday evening and I am at the Radisson at the Port in Cape Canaveral after driving 3 hours and 150 miles from Clearwater. Tonight I will relax and go over my presentation as tomorrow morning I board the Dream where it will be non-stop from the get go.
Pool and bar area of the Radisson at the Port, Cape Canaveral
Well I’ll be back next Friday or Saturday with my next update and after catching my breath from my first week at sea. I will be visiting Cozumel, Belize, Isla Roatan and Costa Maya.
See ya then…
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