Vacation recap
I know I will leave details out because I wasn't blogging along the way. But I thought I'd try to share some of the highlights of my vacation.
We left an hour after I got off work on Memorial Day. We drove the quickest route we could, and made it to West Virginia to sleep. I was able to get a geocache in every state along the way.
Blythe and Jolene didn't want to geocache, so I tried to keep my caching limited. The quick stops in each state weren't too much bother because I would only look when we were already stopped for another reason.
We made it to Florida before sunset Tuesday, so we headed for a beach. We had a pleasant meal at the South Beach Grill in Crescent Beach. We went to the water and stood in the waves after dinner. That was some spontaneous fun!
We got into Orlando Tuesday night (6/1) and checked into Motel 6. Wednesday we took the I-Trolley to Seaworld. Despite the fact that Motel 6 was further up International Drive than a bunch of other places, taking the I-trolley made avoiding traffic easy. And we didn't have to worry about parking.
Seaworld was great. Saw most of the shows, and all of the exhibits. Makes for a long day! We saw a dolphin show, sea lion show, Shamu show, and Pets Ahoy! The exhibits were all interesting too. We really liked petting the stingrays. We rode multiple rides. We started out with the Kraaken, then the Journey to Atlantis. We all loved that one, it gets you wet. (we rode multiple times) I really wanted to ride the Manta, and Blythe was no longer in a rollercoaster mood. It was awesome! Jolene rode with me even though she is scared of heights. We went to go see Shamu Rocks, a night show, but a lightning storm canceled that. Rode the I-trolley back to the motel and crashed for the night. There was an IHOP a block from the hotel, so that made dining easy.
Thursday we packed up, and J & B took a dip in the Motel 6 pool before we headed out. We were headed to the Tampa Bay area, and weren't in a rush. J decided she needed new Birkenstocks, so we found a retailer and stopped for some sandals. We then went to the Gamble Plantation State Park. It was interesting (and had a geocache). J & I took the tour while B watched Disney movies on my iPhone. (hard to believe she's 17)
From there we went to the Fort DeSoto Beach. It was fun! I stalked a pelican in the water. I got pretty close before it flew off. There were wild stingrays there, but we didn't see them initially. We saw quite a few once we knew what to look for. They were sand colored, after all. Spent the night in Bradenton Thursday night.
Friday we headed across the Everglades on the Tamiami trail. First time I've ever seen a panther crossing sign! We stopped at Shark Valley Visitors center and rode the bike path. The full path is a 15 mile loop, but we didn't have the time for that. We rode about 3 miles in, then back. We saw a baby alligator and two adults. And various birds and turtles. I would love to do the trail again when I had time to do it all. And the heat index wasn't 110. We made it out before they closed the gates (at 6p, so early!)
Friday evening we got to the condo to check in, and there was a problem with our reservation. I called my brother who booked it for us, and he was standing on a mountain geocaching on his own vacation. We decided to go have dinner while the details got worked out (El Mariachi). He got the problem straightened out, so we went to check in. Somehow our reservation had been canceled, then when it was fixed, it was for a Saturday check in. I asked if we could move it back to Friday, and they were fine with that. By the time we settled in, we were in a different condo than the original and the "fixed" reservations had us in. It was still fine. Weston, Florida, is a little suburbia, and the condos weren't even that far apart.
Saturday we wanted to take it easy. We swam in the pool, then went to Hollywood Beach, then swam in the pool again. We even cooked our own dinner at the condo!
Sunday we went to Billie Swamp Safari and took an airboat ride in the Everglades. Certainly worth doing once. Then back to the condo for lunch. Sunday afternoon/evening J and I drove around different parts of Miami. B didn't want to go. We saw the Coral Castle, Venetian Pool, and Little Havana. We ate in Little Havana for dinner. I wanted to see the Spanish Monastery also, but the fence/hedges around it made it impossible to see in the dark. J tried to tame some feral cats that were in the parking area though, so it was still an interesting stop.
Monday it was off to the keys. We started by going directly to Theater of the Sea. Blythe swam with a dolphin and we all swam with stingrays. They had some exhibits and shows, but we didn't get to see them all because we wanted to go to a beach! And eat some lunch. We had lunch at a place called Boondocks, which was 100% outdoor seating. They let us order seafood off the dinner menu even though it was mid afternoon. From there we went to Key West. We started by going to the southernmost point in the U.S. for a photo op. Then to the Zachary Taylor State Park for the beach. The beach was amazing, with some awesome snorkeling just off shore. I'm hooked on snorkeling now, because of that beach.
Just before sunset, we headed for Mallory Square. Lots of buskers there! We had a pina colada with the sunset, although clouds had interfered with the magnificence we had hoped for. Then we had the LONG drive back to the condo.
Tuesday we went back to the Everglades, this time in the southern tip. We rented a canoe and paddled in a few miles. We were on a mangrove lined canal, and saw a little bit of wildlife, but not a lot. At the beginning of our paddle, we saw two manatees in the water, but didn't get a very good look. We also saw a crocodile, but he wouldn't stay still for me to get a photo.
Wednesday we headed for the John Pennekamp State Park. There we paid to be taken out to the coral reef for snorkeling (5 miles offshore). It was awesome. I didn't get to see as much as I would have liked because the waves and current were hard to swim against. And I'm not yet an experienced snorkeler. Still worth the time and money, and I would do it again!
Thursday was a "free" day, and I dropped J & B at a beach and went out geocaching solo. I only got a few, when I got a message that there was no shade at their beach. All my geocaches that day were from puzzles that I had solved prior to vacation. I picked J & B up, and they were hot and grumpy. They didn't know what they wanted to do, so I kept geocaching until they told me where to drop them off. (It was a toss-up between another beach or back to the condo). I dropped them off at the condo, and went out for more geocaching. I had only one DNF for the day. I totally forgot to get one, so I didn't actually complete a series I had intended to complete. When I got back to the condo, they were ready for dinner, so we went to Flanigan's and had the best service ever! Food was good too, and because it was late, my beer was half price!
Friday we had to check out of the condo and start our way back home. We made a stop at Cocoa Beach and played in the waves. It was the busiest beach we saw on this vacation. We left that beach and went further up the coast to Crescent Beach, where we had started the "vacation" portion of our trip more than a week prior. The waves there were more powerful, and the water was colder. But the sand was so soft!
Friday night we got tired by the time we got to Georgia. Too much beach time, I suppose. So we stayed in GA, then drove the remainder of the way home on Saturday.
Photos are up on Facebook, I'm putting video on youtube. Just search for puddlediving.
We left an hour after I got off work on Memorial Day. We drove the quickest route we could, and made it to West Virginia to sleep. I was able to get a geocache in every state along the way.
Blythe and Jolene didn't want to geocache, so I tried to keep my caching limited. The quick stops in each state weren't too much bother because I would only look when we were already stopped for another reason.
We made it to Florida before sunset Tuesday, so we headed for a beach. We had a pleasant meal at the South Beach Grill in Crescent Beach. We went to the water and stood in the waves after dinner. That was some spontaneous fun!
We got into Orlando Tuesday night (6/1) and checked into Motel 6. Wednesday we took the I-Trolley to Seaworld. Despite the fact that Motel 6 was further up International Drive than a bunch of other places, taking the I-trolley made avoiding traffic easy. And we didn't have to worry about parking.
Seaworld was great. Saw most of the shows, and all of the exhibits. Makes for a long day! We saw a dolphin show, sea lion show, Shamu show, and Pets Ahoy! The exhibits were all interesting too. We really liked petting the stingrays. We rode multiple rides. We started out with the Kraaken, then the Journey to Atlantis. We all loved that one, it gets you wet. (we rode multiple times) I really wanted to ride the Manta, and Blythe was no longer in a rollercoaster mood. It was awesome! Jolene rode with me even though she is scared of heights. We went to go see Shamu Rocks, a night show, but a lightning storm canceled that. Rode the I-trolley back to the motel and crashed for the night. There was an IHOP a block from the hotel, so that made dining easy.
Thursday we packed up, and J & B took a dip in the Motel 6 pool before we headed out. We were headed to the Tampa Bay area, and weren't in a rush. J decided she needed new Birkenstocks, so we found a retailer and stopped for some sandals. We then went to the Gamble Plantation State Park. It was interesting (and had a geocache). J & I took the tour while B watched Disney movies on my iPhone. (hard to believe she's 17)
From there we went to the Fort DeSoto Beach. It was fun! I stalked a pelican in the water. I got pretty close before it flew off. There were wild stingrays there, but we didn't see them initially. We saw quite a few once we knew what to look for. They were sand colored, after all. Spent the night in Bradenton Thursday night.
Friday we headed across the Everglades on the Tamiami trail. First time I've ever seen a panther crossing sign! We stopped at Shark Valley Visitors center and rode the bike path. The full path is a 15 mile loop, but we didn't have the time for that. We rode about 3 miles in, then back. We saw a baby alligator and two adults. And various birds and turtles. I would love to do the trail again when I had time to do it all. And the heat index wasn't 110. We made it out before they closed the gates (at 6p, so early!)
Friday evening we got to the condo to check in, and there was a problem with our reservation. I called my brother who booked it for us, and he was standing on a mountain geocaching on his own vacation. We decided to go have dinner while the details got worked out (El Mariachi). He got the problem straightened out, so we went to check in. Somehow our reservation had been canceled, then when it was fixed, it was for a Saturday check in. I asked if we could move it back to Friday, and they were fine with that. By the time we settled in, we were in a different condo than the original and the "fixed" reservations had us in. It was still fine. Weston, Florida, is a little suburbia, and the condos weren't even that far apart.
Saturday we wanted to take it easy. We swam in the pool, then went to Hollywood Beach, then swam in the pool again. We even cooked our own dinner at the condo!
Sunday we went to Billie Swamp Safari and took an airboat ride in the Everglades. Certainly worth doing once. Then back to the condo for lunch. Sunday afternoon/evening J and I drove around different parts of Miami. B didn't want to go. We saw the Coral Castle, Venetian Pool, and Little Havana. We ate in Little Havana for dinner. I wanted to see the Spanish Monastery also, but the fence/hedges around it made it impossible to see in the dark. J tried to tame some feral cats that were in the parking area though, so it was still an interesting stop.
Monday it was off to the keys. We started by going directly to Theater of the Sea. Blythe swam with a dolphin and we all swam with stingrays. They had some exhibits and shows, but we didn't get to see them all because we wanted to go to a beach! And eat some lunch. We had lunch at a place called Boondocks, which was 100% outdoor seating. They let us order seafood off the dinner menu even though it was mid afternoon. From there we went to Key West. We started by going to the southernmost point in the U.S. for a photo op. Then to the Zachary Taylor State Park for the beach. The beach was amazing, with some awesome snorkeling just off shore. I'm hooked on snorkeling now, because of that beach.
Just before sunset, we headed for Mallory Square. Lots of buskers there! We had a pina colada with the sunset, although clouds had interfered with the magnificence we had hoped for. Then we had the LONG drive back to the condo.
Tuesday we went back to the Everglades, this time in the southern tip. We rented a canoe and paddled in a few miles. We were on a mangrove lined canal, and saw a little bit of wildlife, but not a lot. At the beginning of our paddle, we saw two manatees in the water, but didn't get a very good look. We also saw a crocodile, but he wouldn't stay still for me to get a photo.
Wednesday we headed for the John Pennekamp State Park. There we paid to be taken out to the coral reef for snorkeling (5 miles offshore). It was awesome. I didn't get to see as much as I would have liked because the waves and current were hard to swim against. And I'm not yet an experienced snorkeler. Still worth the time and money, and I would do it again!
Thursday was a "free" day, and I dropped J & B at a beach and went out geocaching solo. I only got a few, when I got a message that there was no shade at their beach. All my geocaches that day were from puzzles that I had solved prior to vacation. I picked J & B up, and they were hot and grumpy. They didn't know what they wanted to do, so I kept geocaching until they told me where to drop them off. (It was a toss-up between another beach or back to the condo). I dropped them off at the condo, and went out for more geocaching. I had only one DNF for the day. I totally forgot to get one, so I didn't actually complete a series I had intended to complete. When I got back to the condo, they were ready for dinner, so we went to Flanigan's and had the best service ever! Food was good too, and because it was late, my beer was half price!
Friday we had to check out of the condo and start our way back home. We made a stop at Cocoa Beach and played in the waves. It was the busiest beach we saw on this vacation. We left that beach and went further up the coast to Crescent Beach, where we had started the "vacation" portion of our trip more than a week prior. The waves there were more powerful, and the water was colder. But the sand was so soft!
Friday night we got tired by the time we got to Georgia. Too much beach time, I suppose. So we stayed in GA, then drove the remainder of the way home on Saturday.
Photos are up on Facebook, I'm putting video on youtube. Just search for puddlediving.