East bound (again...)

Monday morning  found us in Ft Meyers Florida... We were visiting Tina's Step Mom and Dad, but we they don't get up until near 10:00 and we needed to be on the road earlier, so we said our goodbyes the evening before...

Yesterday we had taken I-75 the freeway east bound, so today wanted to take Hwy 41, the old road, aka the Tamiami Trail, back ( we have to catch our ship on Tuesday morning...)   The Tamaimi trail crosses Everglades National Park, and the Big Cyprus Preserve...  Collectively they represent a giant swamp... infested with alligators and other wonderful things...  We has seen alligators the day before from the air boat, and even one from shore, but we wanted more..  more gators, more birds, and more of whatever was interesting... 

Initially  we drove through the streets of Ft Meyers and Naples Florida for some miles before we broke free onto the two lane across the glades... Once in the swamp, we turned south at Hwy 92 to visit Everglade City... the one time end of Plant's Seaboard Coast Line, Florida's west coast railroad... the railroad is long gone leaving a town, with a court house and fishing dock,  an alligator petting zoo, lots of places offering airboat rides and beach houses some on high ground and some on stilts... and a National Park Visitor's center...  There were likely tee shirts and post cards for sale... 

Along with Alligators, we wanted to eat, but not at anywhere... we wanted to eat in a old school Florida water bar... we identified two possible places  near the fishing docks... we spoke to the ranger at the National park visitor center...  we mentioned the two places... he said they were both good but he could not recommend one over the other, described both (one more take out and picnic, the other more sit down), then mentioned  there was a third between the two as well..  We checked them all out, and chose the one in the middle, the Camellia Street Grill...

It was good... Tina had barbeque pork sandwich, I had fresh stone crab claws...  (There may have been beer as well) followed by Key lime pie... we sat outside on the patio, watching local airboats giving tours and a crabber pulling and checking his pots for stone crab...  We were eating crab less than 200' from where it was being caught... this may define fresh...  I noted one negative review on Trip Advisor... they didn't like having to wait while the food was cooked fresh and to order?!   Having lunched, we headed back out to the main road and continued east... (we did stop at Capt Irv's Airboat Tours to take a picture with a giant alligator stature) 

We were now in alligator hunter mode...stopping at each of the interpretive sites and pull outs... many with board walks out over the water...  we saw an single  alligator sunning himself... then we saw 6 or 8, then we saw more... and more... and more... as the day got hotter they were hauling out into sunny places to get warm... one was laying next to a sign warning you to "stay 15' away from Alligators"   We stopped at a couple more National Park Visitor Centers... saw more alligators (and birds... and more birds)  At Shark Valley we had to step around a couple of alligators who were not respecting the visitor pathways...

We considered the outing and the hunt a success...

We passed but did not stop at the Seminole (Miccosukee) Casino, the airboat rides and souvenir stands along the eastern boundary of the park... they did not speak to us...

Eventually we reached the outskirts of Tampa... and after some miles (about 120 city blocks) mostly through a Cuban neighborhood (Peru and Brazil were also well represented)  turned south towards Coconut Grove... and the Mutiny Hotel... a very good choice...  We are definitely not in the swamp anymore...  a hotel rather than a motel... a water view... valet parking and a door man...  It feels expensive but not snooty and fussy (and it wasn't that expensive). 

We  walked through town Coconut Grove to Dinner (Lulu's... an American tapas resterant ) then back to the hotel... I posted yesterday's blog, then worked on this one...  we will likely be in bed early...

Tomorrow we will make our way to the Cruise pier in search of a ship... a particular ship... and a music festival...