Tag Archives: ocean

Florida Road Trip: Day 4 (Everglades and Gulf Coast)

Posted on by
Reply

Watch out! This baby gator could bite a finger off!

Today we made our way over to the Gulf coast and then inland to Orlando.  The day began with another stop in the Everglades.  We drove into the northern section of the park, and stopped at the Shark Valley visitor center.  We walked part of the tram tour road, and saw a variety of alligators and birds – little blue herons, more annhingas (and babies!), a baby gator, a Limpkin, and a white ibis.  At some point, we realized we had no idea how long the road was, and that we were so excited about seeing more gators and birds that we left the water in the car, so we retraced our steps.  This was a fortunate decision, because at this time Tony spotted a baby gator on a rock a foot or two off the path.

Palm trees are the norm in Florida.

After our hike through the Everglades, we continued our drive to the Gulf and Naples, FL.  We reached Naples around lunchtime, and soon remembered that we dislike large cities with lots of traffic.  However, we did stop to eat at Bravo!’s, and enjoyed our food and chance to relax.

This heron actually stayed put until the sun went down.

Following an enjoyable lunch, we continued our drive toward Sanibel Island.  We made the mistake of driving through Fort Meyer’s Beach… an extra 30 minutes was added to our trip due a two-lane road with a traffic cop but no traffic light.  Anyone remember the opening scene to Office Space?  Kind of like that, in miniature.  However, we eventually made it through the traffic, up the bridge, and onto Sanibel Island.  This island was pretty crowded (it was maybe an hour before sunset), so we continued driving to the end of the island.  We found a small beach, parked our car, and wandered out to enjoy the sunset.  There were about 2 dozen other people on the beach, as well as a very tall great blue heron.  We watched the sunset; the heron also watched the sunset with us.

Then, we began our trek to Orlando.

Florida Road Trip: Day 3 (Keys)

Posted on by
Reply

Sunrise over the Atlantic

This morning we got up early and headed out in search of the sunrise.  Tony found a great state park… unfortunately, it didn’t open until sunrise.  Louisa did not think they would open early, so we left and drove in a different direction; that direction led us to a power plant, which was closed to the public.  (Some power plants have viewing stations for visitors set up along the water.)  It was not yet sunrise, so we drove back to the park; it was open and we found a parking lot with an overlook , and some palm trees, along the Atlantic.  We enjoyed watching the sun rise, it was a perfect morning.

Probably the clearest water we've ever seen.

Our next destination was Key West.  The road through the Keys is mostly 2 lanes, which means you’re along for the drive with all the slow-moving traffic.  As we were driving through a work zone, we saw a nesting bald eagle.  We also stopped for a nice breakfast at Doc’s Diner near Key Largo.  Another highlight of the drive was finding a little beach on the left (Gulf) side of the road.  There were only about 12 parking spaces, but several were open… it was sunny, warm, and we needed a break from the traffic.  There was a board walk with individual picnic tables, shelters, and beach access built into the boardwalk; it would have been a nice spot to picnic, had that been our goal.  However, we wanted to play in the water.  Another guy wading through the water showed us a mini crab he caught; it was about the size of a thumb nail.  He carried it around before releasing it again.

Fierce. Be afraid little minnows... Be very afraid.

The water itself was very clear, warm, and the area was sandy – perfect for wading.  We also saw some tadpoles swim by.  Louisa decided to try to catch some.  A reddish egret flying by swooped in and landed about 15 feet away.  The bird proceeded to fish for the tadpoles, in much the same fashion that Louisa was.  Tony managed to catch the bird on video, before it flew off.

After those adventures, we continued on our way along the keys.  We drove over a lot of smaller, less populated keys.  We also did a U-turn to go look at some osprey nesting about 1/4 mile off the road.

The beginning of the Keys Highway.

Once we reached Key West, we parked in a parking garage near the edge of town, and went in search of lunch.  We walked down the main tourist street; most people were not Spring breakers, but after lunch we did see two tour trolleys, full of Spring breakers, including one guy go running to catch his trolley.

This chicken was delicious... I mean friendly. :)

For lunch we went to Blue Heaven.  The food was great; Tony had a lobster sandwich, and Louisa had a shrimp sandwich with Gulf shrimp.  Louisa also greatly enjoyed the potato salad.  We ate outside, under large trees.  On a side note, chickens roam around Key West, including inside the courtyard where we were eating.  It was quite interesting.  One of the roosters was talkative.  For dessert we split a slice of Key Lime pie.  The meringue topping was literally 3″ high, and the filling was tart and good.

Cool house in Key West.

After lunch we wandered around downtown; we found the rundown section, and decided to go get coffee rather than being in that area.  In our defense, we were attempting to get to the water, but decided that coffee sounded good.  We walked by some historic buildings, some “interesting” buildings (nudist bar, anyone?) and arrived at Coffee Plantation, a really cool little coffee place with some great coffee.  We got a coffee and a mocha, relaxed for awhile, and then continued on our exploration of Key West.

By now it was getting closer to sunset, so we walked over to the pier by the waterfront.  We were less than thrilled to see three huge cruise ships blocking our view.  However, they eventually chugged out of port before the (slightly cloudy) sunset began.  There were a few other people, including some Spring breakers, by the pier with us.  Two were playing with a soccer ball – it bounced off the pier and under a boat.  We greatly enjoyed watching one of the guys use a mooring line to lasso the ball and safely retrieve it.

Pelican at sunset.

The sunset itself was cloudy but very pretty.  We really enjoyed getting to watch the sun sink behind the clouds.  After watching the sun set, we walked a few blocks over to the Rooftop Cafe.  We were given a table on the outside balcony, overlooking the hustle and bustle of the street below.  There was also a large tree that appeared to have grown around the restaurant; it had been decorated with white lights.  The food was excellent.  They served some great crusty french bread with butter, and we began with some drinks – a coco-mango mojito (good) and a key lime colada (great).  Tony ordered the scallops special, and Louisa had mahi with chutney, seasoned rice, and other good things.  We split a key lime pie for dessert – it was wonderful, with a slightly tart interior, a thick and buttery crumb crust, and a light and fluffy meringue topping.

Delicious.

After dinner, we walked back to our car via the pier, and watched the boats’ reflections in the still water.  The drive back to the hotel was not too crowded by this time, and we enjoyed our drive back through the keys under the black sky.

Southern Trip, Day 2: Fort Sumter and Driving to Savannah

Posted on by
2

A lot of cannons make for a good day.

Sunday morning we got breakfast at the hotel, then headed back to Sullivan’s Island for an early lunch/brunch.  We decided to go to to Hometeam BBQ; we both enjoyed the smoked chicken wings, however, Tony did not like the vinegar base on the pulled pork.  Actually, it was even a little strong for Louisa, but she liked it with BBQ sauce and coleslaw.  The ribs, fries, and hushpuppies also received good reviews.

Charleston was a good birding spot.

After lunch we went back to Patriot’s Point so we could catch the ferry to Fort Sumter.  We were waiting for the ferry to leave, and decided to snap some bird photos.  We saw an immature white ibis, as well as a tri-colored heron.  We also saw a great blue heron keeping tabs on the other two birds.

There were still a few artillery shells in the outer wall of the fort.

Once the ferry was underway, we had a nice view of the USS Yorktown and the bridge going into Charleston.  Once we got to the fort, we had one hour to explore before we were due back at the boat.  We listened to an interesting 25 minute ranger talk about the battle for the fort, and then wandered around the (small) fort and island area.  We especially liked looking at the canons, and scouting for cannon balls still lodged in the walls of the fort.

After the cold ferry ride, we drove once more to Sullivan’s Island, and went to Poe’s Tavern for an early dinner.  The restaurant itself is dedicated to Edgar Allen Poe; even the bathrooms are papered with (shellacked) pages from Poe’s works.  The burgers themselves were delicious, as were the fries.  Tony tried the Tell-Tale Heart burger, and Louisa had the Gold-Bug Plus burger, with a generous chunk of melted pimento cheese.

The wetlands made for fun driving along the coast.

After dinner, we began our drive further south, to Savannah.  That’s when our plans changed a bit.  We originally decided to stay two nights at our hotel, but then we realized that it was still going to be cold(er) in Georgia.  However, Florida was only a few hours away, and it would be a bit warmer.  So, we canceled our second night’s reservation, and checked out hotels in St. Augustine.

Photos can be found here.

Virginia Beach Weekend

Posted on by
2

This Willet is out for a stroll.

As much as we enjoy the mountains, we missed the ocean.  So, we decided to take a weekend trip to Virginia Beach.  We drove up Friday night, and stayed at a nice hotel about 10 miles from the ocean.  On Saturday we got breakfast at Doc Taylor’s.  After breakfast, we headed over to the boardwalk.  We began our walk in the middle of the boardwalk, and heading away from the Neptune Statue.

These Sanderlings hunt in packs... like Raptors. Tiny Raptors.

We saw a variety of little birds playing in the waves (I think they were called Sanderlings), as well as a brown pelican take off from the sand.  We eventually made it to the end of the path, and in the process passed a variety of people dressed up (it was Halloween, after all) and resting after some type of race.  The Christmas lights were beginning to be put up, but they weren’t finished or lit yet.  There were also quite a few waves, and people were surfing or jet skiing.  One guy with a jet ski was doing flips off the waves.  We also found sculptures of sea turtles.

We stopped for lunch at the Raven Restaurant.  The scallops and crab cake sandwich were very good, and the thick cut Raven fries were excellent.  After lunch, we resumed our trek down the boardwalk and through the sand.

That night we got dinner at Fire and Vine.  Words cannot describe this meal.  It’s a splurge, and worth every penny.  From the lobster gnocchi to the steak, pan fried fish with potato apple hash, creme brule and cheesecake, the meal was delicious.

Neptune was not pleased about the weather.

The next morning we went to Rockafeller’s Restaurant for brunch.  The food was excellent (especially the shrimp and cheesy grits special).  After breakfast we found parking, and walked over to the beach.  It was a bit colder today, and windy, and rainy.  We parked near the middle of the boardwalk, and quickly headed over to the Neptune statue.  Louisa got distracted by some giant smiley face sculptures, but Tony eventually bribed her away with promises of Starbucks.  We wound up going twice today; hey, it was cold, and Starbucks was warm.  ;)

This hill was garbage.

After playing in the water, we drove over and went up Mt. Trashmore.  Just because it’s there.  We ended the day with lunch at Rockafeller’s, did some cormorant watching, and then drove back to Blacksburg.