Room with a View, Fort de Soto, Florida

We had a later start than usual this morning, but eventually were on our way further moseying along the coast. We eventually left the unpopulated rural area of the forgotten coast and began driving along strip mall after strip mall. We decided to take an alternate path and opted instead for the touristy towns whose highlights were pastel colored condos and tshirt shops. As we got closer to the St. Petersburg area, we began island hopping, criss-crossing over various bridges until finally reaching Indian Rock Beach. Today's eating adventure was at Keegan's, another DDD special. We got there about mid afternoon and couldn't wait to chow down. I had the grilled blackened grouper sandwich, and Ned had the Parmesan encrusted grouper cheek sandwich with chili aioli sauce. Check out today's eats. Our camping destination for the night was at Fort de Soto County Park. We usually stay at State or National Parks, so I didn't know what to expect. Well this place is over the top wonderful. It's huge, has miles and miles of beaches, lots of cool history, and great bike paths. The added bonus is that we got a secluded campsite at the end of the point, right on the water. Check out today's pic. We hung out at the beach for several hours, playing around with our snorkel gear and swimming in the warm water. Ned, aka Mr. Science, bought a thermometer so that he could test the temp at various locations on our trip. You gotta love that guy! After getting cleaned up from all the salt and sand, we took a 6 mile bike ride around the island, checking out the fort, pier and enjoying the wildlife. We finished up the day with cocktails and snacks at the campsite, watching the sunset. It was so cool watching an egret, silhouetted in the dusk, catching fish. today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Fort de Soto, Florida

Snorkeling at Manatee Springs

We continued our journey along the Gulf driving through "The Forgotten Coast" most of the day. This part of Florida is definitely off the beaten path and not touristy or populated by people or kitsch. We drove through towns with names such as Panacea, which were anything but. Ironically, I really enjoyed this stretch. The well worn rustic houses built on stilts abutting a cypress laden coast line seemed timeless. The temperature was not only hotter, but the air was thick with humidity. At 8 am the temperature read a scooch higher than 80. We stopped at a roadside BBQ joint for lunch and enjoyed the usual southern plate of a meat with two sides. Mercifully, I actually managed to get steamed broccoli for one of the sides, unheard of, but a nice break from the usual coleslaw, fried something or other, and mac n cheese. Today's destination was Manatee Springs, one of Florida's fresh water springs. It feeds into the Suwannee River and is the winter refuge for West Indian Manatees. After setting up camp in a Magnolia and Palmetto grove, we couldn't wait to check out the springs. We heard it was a great place to snorkel, so were well prepared with suits and snorkel gear. What we weren't prepared for was how stunningly beautiful it was. The deep part of the spring is 22 feet and it's a vivid turquoise color. Before we began swimming we saw snakes and turtles in the water. Really! And yet we still swam. The water is 72 degrees year round, which seems cold, but because it was so darn hot and humid it felt refreshing. We had the springs to ourselves for awhile and then were joined by scuba divers and a couple of families. We spent most of the afternoon swimming, snorkeling and floating around. After a late afternoon nap in the hammock, we took a walk along the boardwalk out to the Suwannee River and watched huge sturgeon jump into the air and smack into the water. It was quite the sight to see. Ned wanted to cool off again so he took a dip in the springs. Quite the way to end the day, having a swim all to yourself in these exotic springs. Today is our 7th Anniversary and I can't think of a more romantic setting than camping under Magnolias along the Suwannee River. What a lucky girl I am to be sharing this journey with my Ned. today's pics - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Manatee Springs State Park, FL