Florida, Part 3: The Gulf coast

We headed to Everglades National Park for a boat tour.  We excitedly climbed into the little 6 person boat.  We went out through the mangrove bordered waterway into the park itself.  There were all kinds of birds along the way, including ibis, herons, egrets, kingfishers, and birds of prey.  The tide was a low-low tide, so there were mud flats and sandbars full of oysters, but our captain knew the way around them all.  We found out after the ride that sometimes there are snakes hanging from the trees we were traveling under, luckily we didn't see any!



Roseate Spoonbill

an osprey






an alligator peeking at us in the brackish water

a pelican



a Great Blue Heron

We headed north from the grassy, swampy area full of alligators in the canal alongside the road, into a more forested area.  It was just as eerie with all the panther signs.

 

  

We stopped for lunch and had the famous batter fried hot dogs in Sarasota.  Very different and very delicious with the crunchy coating.

 

one plain and one with chili cheese

 We reached Crystal River where we swam with the manatees there.  We got up early and headed to the Dive Center.  We put on wetsuits, and climbed aboard the boat which took us to the manatee area.  We put on our fins (which were cumbersome and difficult for us), snorkels ( I didn't use mine), and masks, and climbed down into the 70 degree water.   The boat anchored a short distance from the viewing area, so we had to swim.  When we got into the viewing area manatees came right up to us and we could touch them.  It was really cool.  They are protected and there was a huge area where we weren't allowed to go, but it was really neat to see and touch them in the water.  I brought along a waterproof camera, so we'll post those pictures when we get them developed.  When we were tired, we headed back to the boat, climbed on board, and watched some manatees swimming right up to the boat.  It was a really exciting adventure! 

 

It was my birthday next, so Rebekah made my favorite, Pineapple Upside Down cake, in a microwave!  It was wonderful!

 

that's just my piece!

 We drove up to White Springs and visited the Stephen Foster center next.  It was an old plantation mansion filled with pianos that he had played, displays about his life, and dioramas with moving parts, of his most famous hits.  They also had a unique tubular carillon that played some of his songs that we were able to hear.  Afterwards, we walked down to the Suwanee River and looked into the black water surrounded by trees covered in Spanish moss. 

 

 



We camped one last night in Florida . . .

 

 

 then headed into Georgia.