Florida, Day 8. Final Day

    Well, we knew this day would come. The vacation is over. It's not all bad, though. The way I see it, vacations end three ways: 1) You're ready to come home 2) You wish it were longer 3) You need another vacation. Today, we end ours like #1. We feel fulfilled, refreshed, upbuilt, and we are looking forward to getting back into a regular routine with all of its familiarity. I think that's the best way to end a vacation, because that means the vacation did its job.
    We went to Toula's for breakfast while the Scullys went out in service for a little bit. One last vacation breakfast. Meg got french toast and I got buscuits and gravy (sorry Mom). So good... If only we had a little more time this morning, as there was a really nice car show right outside the restaurant. Tons of cars.

    Then it was time to fly home. We got dropped off at the airport, said our final goodbyes to a wonderful family, the Scullys, and flew home.

    See you next trip!

Florida, Day 7

    There's no denying it, Florida beat us on Wednesday. Our efforts to kayak and see a manatee were fruitless. But that didn't mean we weren't gonna try again. This time, we won. I think we conquered. Seriously, we did so much today that I can't really relate it all as well as I'd like to without this post being overly long.
    We wasted no time today getting to the boat rental place. After we made a quick breakfast stop at Starbucks, we were on our way. This time, we had a good address. The travel time, though, was still a good hour. Even with a good plan and address, Florida still tried to beat us. We first arrived at a boat rental place that I think was more of a bar that rented boats. This place was the bottom of the pit, as far as "dives" go. There was a help wanted sign for "Drinkers, apply within." Meg and I thought, "This can't be the place." But futher down the road needed a vehicle pass to proceed. I decided to go to the internet, and I found a phone number. Thankfully this was the wrong place and weren't going to die today. The road with the needed pass was correct. We'd get our pass at the rental place. So we drove down, rented a two-seater kayak, and hit the water in search for a manatee.
    What an awesome river. So much wildlife. Hawks, cranes, ducks, turtles, fish, otters, manatees... all living together. It's so cool to be able to see it from inside a boat, and Kayaks are so stealthy, so you can get closer to these animals than you think. We could have stayed out there all day. It was peaceful, but so much fun.

    We searched the waters for about 2 hrs, trying to find a manatee. We never did. Eventually, the sun was getting hotter and we were getting more tired. We also needed lunch. As much as we wanted to, we weren't gonna see a manatee in these waters today. But Meg wasn't giving up yet! She suggested that we head back to the Nature Park that disappointed us on Wednesday. We weren't too far, and the had manatees. So that's where we went. It was a good idea.

    After this, it was time for lunch. BBQ sounded good, and there was a spot nearby called Fat Daddy's. Need I say more?

    We got back to the house and took a nap. We needed to rest because the day wasn't over. We still had a whole night planned in St. Petersburg. This is a cool city, and I recommend that, if you're ever planning on seeing this city, make a day out of it. There's just so much to see. Lot's of shops and restaurants and a great ocean view; it can keep you busy with all there is to see. We went to a restaurant called Red Mesa Cantina, and we had some yummy mexican food.

Only really cool people wear the same shirt in a group like dorks

    After that, we walked by the water and through the city.

    We stopped for drinks at a nice bar with live music. Only after we were there did we realize they are a cigar bar... So we couldn't stay. After that, we got a popsicle, yes, a popsicle, and headed home.

    What a full day. Needless to say, we had a great time. What a great last full day. See you tomorrow.

Florida, Day 6

    When people go on a vacation, they tend to arrive at their destination with a "to-do list" of sights to see, or activities to do. Maybe it's the beach, a museum, some monument or natural wonder. When Meg and I learned about a bicycle trail that had micro breweries along the way, there was no question that it was going on our list. Today we got to check it off.
    The goal was to ride the 7.4 miles from Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor to a restaurant in Dunedin called Kelly's. Along the way and then nearby the restaurant, I counted 6 micro breweries to check out. We rode straight to Kelly's... well mostly. Megan, Keeley and I were on bikes. Jeff was on roller blades. Awesome. We started in the morning, so it was too early for a brewery. We wanted to eat brunch at Kelly's see the waterfront there, and then ride back, stopping at a few of the breweries. It was a great ride.

    Kelly's was a great choice. Meg said that they made her the best Bloody Mary that she's ever had. My pancakes were good enough, but I loved the grits and homefries.

    We checked out the local area...

    And then we began our ride back to the cars at Wall Springs Park, making some stops, of course. The great thing about these breweries is that they're setup for you to go to more than one. They all are setup to let you only have smaller tastes of the beers, as little as 4 oz. This really lets you pace yourself and space the drinks further apart. It really worked out great. Each stop was a short, refreshing break from the heat, as the sun was now high and hot. Plus, Meg and I love sampling local beers from wherever we are visiting.

    We stopped at 3 breweries in total: 7venth Sun, Dunedin Brewery, and DeBine Brewing Company. Suffice to say, all three had some really unique and delicious beers, and I liked that there seems to be a strong German and English influence at all three when it comes to the beer styles. My personal favorite was DeBine.

    Believe me, we needed every stop that we took. If for nothing else, to just rest. Poor Jeff must have been dying on blades, but he did great. In total, we covered more than 17 miles today. For some, that may not be a lot. This blog is not for those people.

    When we got home, we had well-deserved pizza for dinner, and then Meg and I got to sit in with the Scullys for their Family Worship. We watched the JW Broadcast, and sang a few songs. It was a great end to a tiring, but great day. We all need sleep now... See you tomorrow!