Off the rivers and back to Florida again! While the Tennessee River and the Tenn-Tom waterway were beautiful and had a lot of opportunities to anchor in secluded creeks and some small and quirky southern towns with lots of fried foods (good, but not so exciting or healthy), we were looking forward to warmer weather, tiki bars, and a little more civilization.
So we made our way along the Florida panhandle, across the Gulf of Mexico, and down the west coast to the Everglades. There was a lot to see.
This section of the loop took almost 2 months…. Thanksgiving to mid January. I can’t possibly cover it all, but here is a short recap:
Let’s start with Thanksgiving…. A traditional home cooked meal, with our good friends on See Level. It was wonderful! We were definitely very thankful for the food, our friends (new and old), family, and life in general.
From there, we went along the panhandle to Florabama for oysters and drinks. The water was so shallow getting there, that we followed a police boat (happy accident) to make sure we didn’t run aground!
Pensacola was a great stopover. The local yacht club hosted us, and we stayed for a couple of days. We toured the city on Segways. What a blast!
We also biked to Joe Patti’s seafood for supplies. It had everything related to seafood and more! We bought fresh fish, frozen crawfish pies, and fresh baked bread. It is a local institution. Their lurid family history can be found here: Frank Patti
The next few nights were spent in Appalachicola and Carabelle, feasting on local oysters. Yummmmmmm…..
And then there was the legendary trip across the Gulf of Mexico. Most loopers anticipate this trip with a lot of planning and some trepidation. The trip is 80+ miles across the open ocean and the weather can get rough. We waited for a good weather window and spent an uneventful, but slightly foggy 4 hours crossing from Carabelle to Steinhatchee. Whew!
We had a nice stop in Cedar Key, despite anchoring on top of an abandoned oyster trap and having to figure out how to release it!
At Crystal River, we hoped to snorkel with a manatee or two. Despite gearing up, dinghying around, and trying several times… no luck!
This was the only manatee we saw in Crystal Springs….
We did however find a place to watch the Army/Navy game, and enjoy another first, a smoked Manhattan. Interesting, and delicious! Guess what Gary got for Christmas….
We really loved Tarpon Springs, “The Sponge Capital of the World”. We stayed for a few nights and explored in and around the town.
Tarpon Springs has a strong Greek presence, and we enjoyed some great food, including a slab of flaming cheese, feta/spinach covered lamb shank and grilled octopus!
And we tried something I was (very) reluctant to do…. I mean, what could go wrong when you mix beer drinking and axe throwing? Totally safe. Really?
It was actually fun. Neither Gary nor I were “naturals”. Lots of axes on the floor. Luckily no axes in body parts.
The next stop was one of our favorites, St Petersburg! The dockside park was full of energy and people and things to do. Huge banyan trees and public art were everywhere. We were too busy having fun to take many pictures. Dang it.
We also went to the Dali Museum. Fantastic! Worth a trip to St Pete for that alone.
Sarasota was a quick but memorable stop, purely because, of all things, the Ringling Museum! Yes, the circus people. The extensive grounds held the mansion of John and Mable Ringling, two buildings covering the history of the circus, and a very large art museum which housed the Ringlings’ private collection of paintings and sculpture. Again, worth a trip just for this attraction!
This is a VERY SMALL part of the largest and most detailed diorama we have ever seen. It entailed all of the workings that had to occur when the circus came to town. The people figurines are about 1” tall. Fascinating!
A few days later we were nearing the Everglades! We spent a night alongside the iconic Rod & Gun Club. It’s a little worn these days, but still very cool! Presidents and other celebrities have visited over the years. Here is some more info if you like: Rod & Gun
An airboat ride was a must-do for us. So much fun! We saw a family of manatees and toured through mangroves and saw many different birds. But no alligators. Sigh. Wrong time of the year apparently. Too cold, as you might guess from our outfits!
Then a night anchored out on the coastline of the Everglades…. Peaceful and gorgeous. We hitched a ride on See Level’s dinghy and took a walk on the beach. Still no alligators. Thankful this time!
Next up is the Florida Keys and Bahamas!
To see our current voyage path with Gary’s photos, click on this: G&P Voyage Map