Saturday, March 4, 2017

Day 1: Spring Break 2017

Our Spring Break offically started in the early hours as we arrived at the Tampa airport.  Our flight was late departing DFW so we arrived just after midnight.  The luggage took forever.  The computers were down at the rental car pick up.  Thankfully the hotel was near by and we were buzzed in since it was so late.  I told Colin if our room was not there then we should just catch the first flight home.  He didn't get it.  Our room was ready and very large . . . of course it was because we would only be there for about 10 hours.  We were both so tired that we walked in and went right to bed!  We finally settled into bed at 2:30am.  Thankfully we did not have any early morning plans so we could wake up late . . . late we did.  I rolled over and looked at the clock and it said 10:45am.  Wow, didn't feel that late but of course I jumped into let's get moving mode.  One thing about Florida I do like is the toll road system.  Of course, I forgot to ask about it with the rental car agent but last year they just billed us and the extra convenience fee wasn't too bad.  So on the road we headed towards Crystal River.  As we were driving I started thinking about all the things I forgot to pack and really needed to stop.  We finally found a Target so I could get a watch . . . I can't stand not having a watch especially since we would be boarding a boat in a few days and the phone would be shut off for the week.  I made a quick stop and also asked about food.  Just an exit up the road was a Chick-fil-a and anything else you might need because I then realized I did not have my nail clippers when I went to take my watch out of the case because it was zip tied in there.  I swear the little things really add extra to a trip.  Our day was quickly ticking away but I knew in order for me to be satisfied on our first day that I must stop somewhere.  So we stopped at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.  It was crowded so it must be good, right?  I really did not know what to expect but thought why not.  I had read that it used to be one of those road side touristy animal parks and then the state took it over and made it into a preserve.  Anyway, you had to either take a boat or tram or walk to get to the entrance.  We took the boat there since it was late and they told us it was scenic.  We had to wait about 25 minutes which was fine . . . it was shaded and we watched a gator and fish swimming below us.  The boat ride was nice with the guide giving a history of the area and how the state took it over.  It was hard to believe we were in the middle of a populated area with all the trees and water.
I would have never paid to visit this place if it was just a touristy attraction but since it seemed like a rescue/rehab zoo then I thought it was justified.  It was a short walk to the entrance . . .
 . . . and honestly it felt like a zoo.  We wandered around looking at the animals and stopping to watch them too.  We loved watching the birds.  Apparently it was feeding time.
One of the famous residents is Lu the Hippo.  She was made an honorary citizen of the State of Florida when they took over the park.
Apparently she is very shy because we waited to see her and she never surfaced completely.  The main reason we are in this part of Florida was to see the manatees.  It has been on my to do list for a long time so tomorrow we are crossing that off!  There was a nice viewing area to watch them from above . . .
. . . there were a lot of them just hanging out enjoying the beautiful sunny day!  I can not wait until tomorrow!  We had seen what we needed to see so headed back to the car on the tram.  Our hotel wasn't too far down the road.  We did a quick drive on the main street and headed to the hotel for an unexpected late nap.  We finally decided to head out for dinner.  We had a choice of steak or seafood and of course we all know that Colin picked steak . . . so we headed to Cody's Original Roadhouse.  It was very crowded but looked like a fun place to eat and instead of them calling your name or giving you a buzzer you got a card . . . you really had to pay attention and every time they called a number I had to check our card.
I must admit the steak was excellent and cooked just perfect!  I guess Colin made a good choice!  Now back to the hotel for the big event very early tomorrow morning.

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