Retired and Trippin

Due to the Chiefs vs Steelers game last night our bedtime was much later than usual. We slept in a little longer this morning and then we went on a walk with Tom & Joyce. At ten minutes after noon we thanked Tom and Joyce for their hospitality, said goodbye and took off for Cedar Key, FL. It was partly cloudy and 65 degrees. Our route was I-75 north; I-275 west and north through St. Petersburg to Tampa; 589 north; 98 north to Otter Creek and 24 southwest to Cedar Key. I had a minor heart attack when we stopped for a bathroom break at a convenience store, bought some peanuts and realized my credit card was NOT in my wallet. The last time I used it was the day before at a restaurant in Lakewood Ranch, FL. I called them and eventually learned that they had my card. I called Tom and he was kind enough to pick up my card from the restaurant and he'll mail it home for me. In Homosassa Springs we ate a late lunch at Two Guys From Italy. At 4:25 we arrived at the bed and breakfast in C...

It was raining when we woke up this morning, our first day of less than ideal weather. The day started with breakfast followed by church with Tom and Joyce. We walked to lunch at the Main Street Trattoria. On the way back to Tom and Joyce's I grabbed a couple phone pics of fairly common birds here in Florida. The American White Ibis, pictured below, is very common near Florida waters. I did some internet research to come up with the name. This next bird is funny to watch. When it hunts for fish it is completely underwater. When it surfaces you only see it's head and neck and it looks very much like a snake. When it dries on shore it stands there with wings spread, like it is here. I believe the bird is an Anhinga, which is also called a snakebird. Later in the day we watched some NFL playoff football while enjoying tasty snacks. We saw the Tampa Bay Bucs beat the Eagles and the 49ers beat the Cowboys. As I write this we are watching the KC Chiefs play the Steelers. GO CHIEFS! I...

We spent today in the Lakewood Ranch, St. Pete, Clearwater area with friends Tom and Joyce. Tom drove us to Clearwater Beach, where enjoyed lunch at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill on the beach. After lunch we walked down the road, hung around the marina (taking photos of pelicans!)and hopped on the Mega Bite dolphin viewing tour on the intercoastal waterway. We saw no dolphins but we enjoyed the sights, including two different flying dinghys. On the way back to Tom and Joyce's house we stopped to watch some wind surfers. Clearwater Beach lunch on Clearwater Beach Joyce & Chris (two hotties) on the dolphin tour boat our first dolphin sighting of the day Back at Tom and Joyce's Tom whipped up some of his award winning chicken chili and Joyce baked us some fresh bread for a delicious dinner. A tasty finish to an enjoyable day. The Tamale stayed in the garage so I did not keep track of mileage. It was sunny all day and temperatures reached 75 or close to it. To see all the photos...

At 7:25AM it was still dawn, 42 degrees and mostly clear when we left our hotel in Quincy, FL. As we drove south on Hwy 267 it actually got cooler. The route today was 267 south and east; 98 east; Lighthouse Road south into St Marks National Wildlife Refuge to St Marks Lighthouse; back out to 98; east to Perry; Alt 27 south and east to Williston; 27 south and east almost to Ocala; I-75 south to exit 213 (University Parkway) where we made our way to our friend's house in Lakewood Ranch. Along the way Tamale rolled over 18,000 miles. On the way to St. Marks Lighthouse, in the national wildlife refuge, we stopped a couple times to photograph deer and birds.  The lighthouse was closed but we walked around the area and took a few photos. It was cool enough that jackets were required. On the way back north through the wildlife refuge we saw an otter crossing the road and then saw it swimming around in the water but I did not get a picture of it. There were numerous ducks and we saw a pel...

This was a short mileage day spent exploring Tallahassee, Florida. We departed our hotel in Quincy at 8:50AM under blue clear skies with a temperature of 42 degrees. It was less than 30 miles to Tallahassee. The first stop was at the Florida State Capitol and the old historic capitol. (in this photo the historic capitol is on the left and the current capitol is the tall building in the center) Behind the old historic capitol we found the FOP Law Enforcement Memorial and an "officer down" sculpture. We drove by the Florida State University campus. Last but not least, we visited the Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park. (I originally thought this turtle was a sculpture. When Chris went to check it out I was surprised to see it move!) Back in Quincy we enjoyed lunch at Big Papa's Chop House on the town square. At 2:25PM we were back in our hotel in Quincy for a short nap before I put a clean on Tamale. We drove 76 miles today and our high temperature was 64 degrees. A beautif...

No frost on the pumpkin this morning. We must have gone far enough south. The trip resumed at 9:00AM when we drove away from our hotel in Daphne, AL. It was partly cloudy and 46 degrees. The route today was I-10 east into Florida to exit 56; 85 south to Niceville; 20 east to Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park; 20 east to Bristol; 12 north to I-10; I-10 east to exit 181 and Quincy, FL. At Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park near Niceville we enjoyed a break and a walk in the woods on the Red Cedar Trail and the Rocky Bayou Trail. The park is on the shore of Choctawatchee Bay. We enjoyed lunch at Cafe 20 in Freeport before stopping for the day in Quincy, FL at 4:40PM having driven 228 miles. Today we drove into the eastern time zone. Our high temperature today was 58. Tomorrow we plan to visit Tallahassee and then return to our hotel in Quincy. Click here to see all the photos taken today -  Day 4 Photos

Another chilly morning with frost on the pumpkin in Monroe, LA! We need to go farther south.  We departed our hotel at 8:45AM under clear skies with a temperature of 33 degrees. Our route was I-20 east from Monroe, LA into Mississippi, through Vicksburg to Jackson; 49 south; I-59 south around Hattiesburg; 49 south to Paul B Johnson State Park; 49 south; 67 east and south to Biloxi; I-10 east into Alabama and through Mobile to Daphne on the east side of Mobile Bay. In Vicksburg, MS we stopped at a scenic overlook to grab a photo of the Mississippi River. The bridge on the left is for automobiles and the bridge on the right is for trains. For lunch we enjoyed burgers and tots at a Sonic in Hattiesburg and then we stopped at the Paul Johnson State Park for a walk. We were all alone on the nature trail and we had a good time but this trail needs some TLC. The wood bridges and walkways were in bad shape. In fact, signs warned us not to use them but we decided to live on the wild side. (...