It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, mainly because I had been laying low in Florida, waiting for Old Man Winter to pass. I had left Washington DC in early December and stopped near Titusville to check out the nighttime Space Shuttle launch. It was pretty cool to see...literally turning night into day! Here's a shot right at liftoff.
From there, I traveled south and stayed near Key West for several weeks. The weather there was perfect, around 80 degrees everyday, while the rest of the country was freezing.
Thought this was pretty funny...on my way to Key West
After Key West, I traveled around the southern tip of Florida, driving Hwy 41 (the "Tamiamy Highway" which borders the Everglades. A very cool drive. I saw many, many different types of birds, lots of aligators, and beautiful scenery. A really great drive! I arrived in Naples and then took a "fan boat" tour in the Everglades.
This guy almost jumped into our boat! Our boat operator dangled a small fish in front of him (you can see the fish in the aligator's mouth)
After Naples and the Everglades, I traveled north and stayed in Ft. Myers Beach for about a week, just hanging out. Really nice white-sand beaches there.
After that, I traveled a little further north, this time staying near Sarisota, which is about 50 miles south of Tampa. Again, didn't do a whole lot 'cause there's not a whole lot of natural beauty to see in Florida.
Finally, about mid-February, I began driving north again, this time headed for my first Mardi Gras in New Orleans...
