Last day of November! After passing fruit stand after fruit stand, we rolled into the Everglades and passed gator after gator. I had no idea there would be so many roadside. When I spotted the first one, I was so excited I made Ben turn the bus around so I could get a picture, but 5 miles later they were a dime a dozen. I stopped counting aloud at 100.
We decided to take an airboat tour through the mangroves. Mistake. Ben had suggested kayaks for an up close and tour of the area, but I had my heart set on the quintessential swamp boat tour. It was a loud experience with little wildlife sightings. The only promised encounter was with a raccoon family- our captain lured them over with cheetos. We lucked out with the only alligator sighting of the day. The boat ride itself was a thrill and the captain was a nice kid, but next time we will opt for an eco tour.
On a side note, there was a ridiculous abundance of men missing limbs in the area. Seriously, we heard stories of gator attacks and witnessed the aftermath.
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| Avocado the size of Ben's melon. |
After a stop in Fort Meyers to witness the police diffuse a dog park confrontation (what is it with Florida?), we took to the beach for some late night star gazing and Cuban cigar smoking.
The first day of December was spent on beautiful Sanibel Island.
This is, by far, my favorite stop in Florida so far. The beaches were a sea of perfect shells. It was gloriously warm. Benny beach-combed while I practiced yoga in the sand.
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| Dinner bus-style |
We took a break from parking lots and stayed in a fancy campground complete with a hot tub and pool. Luxury.
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| We met my aunt Sarah near Tampa for lunch at a crab shack. She was on tour with Yanni and happened to be in the same area. |
Ruskin's Family Drive In
Ben had his dream of taking the FreedomWagen to a drive in actualized when we popped the top and watched a double feature. We even turned our roadside avocado into some mean guacamole.
We journeyed back inland to Orlando for a quick visit with Ben's dear friends
Erin, Jeannie, and family. We felt right at home.
We spent the day at Busch Gardens. Not our favorite amusement park, but more affordable than Disney.
Our last Florida hang was Pensacola. Ben braved the jellyfish to swim in the ocean and I hunted for sand dollars.
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| Gulf Coast |
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| Our last day at the beach. Bittersweet. |
Adios, Florida
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