Soccer stars, Manatees, Dolphins and...
Day 5:
We had been looking forward to a boat tour on Saturday afternoon of some of the waterways of the Everglades which link to the Gulf of Mexico. That is why we skipped the Epcott center in Orlando and drove down to Naples on Friday. Didn't want to miss that wonderful "manatee" tour.
It just so happened that there was a state-wide youth soccer tournament going on near Naples and there must have been fifty little soccer stars with their coaches and families staying at the hotel who showed up for the complimentary breakfast at the same time we did. Quite a zoo! I felt right at home after teaching 2nd and 3rd grade for so many years. :)
The drive to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife refuge from Naples took about thirty minutes, through miles of undeveloped land. Our boat tour began at 12:30 with a safety talk and introductions of the captain and his "assistant" who was a specialist in marine biology. There were only about thirteen of us in all, with plenty of space to walk around the deck of the covered boat.
We were told to keep our eyes open and to be on the watch especially for the manatee, which was described as a baked potato with a nose! The boat had to go on idle speed through the waterways close to the docks, for the safety of the "herds" of manatee which make their home in the area. It was also nice for the passengers too!
We spotted two alligators, a raccoon feeding among the mangroves, several dolphins (especially as we got nearer to the Gulf), pelicans, storks, osprey sitting on their nests, Ibis, Great Blue Herons, and many other species of bird...oh and a couple of manatee noses!
The manatee were very hard to see, as they only stick their noses out to breathe and then sink down to the bottom again, leaving a "footprint" on the surface of the water. The best view we got was a of picture that our biologist passed around. Al took a picture of the picture!
It was really a wonderful, peaceful and inspiring afternoon. I loved seeing the wildlife in their natural habitats. The pilot of the boat recommended a great Seafood restaurant in his hometown, which was near the resort. So, we ended the day with a great dinner of Stone Crab--a first for me, I think.--and a beautiful sunset! Awesome! Thank you, Lord!
We had been looking forward to a boat tour on Saturday afternoon of some of the waterways of the Everglades which link to the Gulf of Mexico. That is why we skipped the Epcott center in Orlando and drove down to Naples on Friday. Didn't want to miss that wonderful "manatee" tour.
It just so happened that there was a state-wide youth soccer tournament going on near Naples and there must have been fifty little soccer stars with their coaches and families staying at the hotel who showed up for the complimentary breakfast at the same time we did. Quite a zoo! I felt right at home after teaching 2nd and 3rd grade for so many years. :)
The drive to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife refuge from Naples took about thirty minutes, through miles of undeveloped land. Our boat tour began at 12:30 with a safety talk and introductions of the captain and his "assistant" who was a specialist in marine biology. There were only about thirteen of us in all, with plenty of space to walk around the deck of the covered boat.
We were told to keep our eyes open and to be on the watch especially for the manatee, which was described as a baked potato with a nose! The boat had to go on idle speed through the waterways close to the docks, for the safety of the "herds" of manatee which make their home in the area. It was also nice for the passengers too!
We spotted two alligators, a raccoon feeding among the mangroves, several dolphins (especially as we got nearer to the Gulf), pelicans, storks, osprey sitting on their nests, Ibis, Great Blue Herons, and many other species of bird...oh and a couple of manatee noses!
The manatee were very hard to see, as they only stick their noses out to breathe and then sink down to the bottom again, leaving a "footprint" on the surface of the water. The best view we got was a of picture that our biologist passed around. Al took a picture of the picture!
It was really a wonderful, peaceful and inspiring afternoon. I loved seeing the wildlife in their natural habitats. The pilot of the boat recommended a great Seafood restaurant in his hometown, which was near the resort. So, we ended the day with a great dinner of Stone Crab--a first for me, I think.--and a beautiful sunset! Awesome! Thank you, Lord!
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