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.