Five days in Florida

After our western Caribbean cruise, we had another 5 days in Florida before flying home. We spent most of this time on the west coast of Florida, staying with Nathan's grandparents - Levi and Ruth - in a town called Venice (3 hours north-west of Miami). Venice's claim to fame is that it is the shark tooth capital of the world!

Ruth and Levi (many thanks!)

One day we drove half an hour north to the town of Sarasota, FL. We went shopping, ate cupcakes, admired the scenic beaches, and hunted down a Costco to buy some mangoes that we thought might be nearly as good as Australia's Bowen mangoes (they weren't though). Sarasota looked like a great town for a family vacation... lots of kid-friendly attractions and a laid-back beach vibe. We'll have to return someday!

The only photo we took in Sarasota was of this fantastic piece of work...

Another day, Finley and I went to the beach in Venice while Ben had his first experience with the American health system (don't worry, he's fine)...

The most interesting thing we did during our stay in Venice was go to the Myakka River State Park and take a narrated tour on the world's largest airboat to see some alligators. We saw lots! Did you know that you can tell how many feet long an alligator is by judging how many inches from its snout to its eyes?

Myakka River State Park

The airboat

Our tour guide and airboat captain

Gators!

Yikes

Keeping an eye on the tourists

The day before our flight back to Seattle, we drove back to Miami in our rental car and stayed overnight at the same motel we'd used before our cruise.

The next day, we passed the time before our flight by relaxing in a quiet park near the airport.

Then, it was two flights back to Seattle (again via Charlotte, NC), and a 3 hour drive back to Canada (via Trader Joe's and Wee Ones Reruns in Bellingham, of course).

In his own seat for the first time as the plane wasn't full

From my window seat, I saw another plane overtake us in the distance!

It was a fun and relaxing holiday!

Caribbean cruise, Post 2: Grand Cayman

On Day 3, Tuesday, our first port of call was Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands. As a British Overseas Territory, the Cayman Islands didn't count as a new country for Ben and I (see our rules for counting countries in this post)... but it DID count as a new country for Finley, since he hasn't been to the UK. This meant it was Finley's 10th country!

During our few hours on Grand Cayman (which we accessed via tender, as our ship was docked a little way from the shore), we strolled the island's back streets, getting out of the tourist zone. It was a hot day and we didn't find too much of interest in the area, except for a few chooks...

On the tender

View of the Conquest from the tender

Taking a break on shore

An island resident

Street art

Our two priorities were finding a barber shop and a pharmacy. We achieved both!

Ben got a very thorough haircut for $10

Soon it was time to take the tender back to the ship.

Tourist zone

Immigration office at the dock

A tender

View from the tender

On the tender

Back at the Conquest

I can't remember too much else about Grand Cayman, but we've always said that visiting somewhere for a few hours off a cruise ship isn't the way to really get to know a place. :) At least Ben got a haircut!

To be continued...

USA road trip, Post 4: Northern California

On Wednesday, September 18th, we drove north from Alameda to Loleta, a 430 km (270 mile) drive. Here are some sights from the drive... I don't remember precisely where any of these roadside photos were taken, but I think we can agree that California has some picture perfect views!

Enjoying a DELICIOUS lunch in a small town in California

One of many roadside photo-taking stops

The road we took, Highway 101, had lots of interesting-looking tourist attractions along the way. The only one we stopped at was the Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree, so we can now say we've driven our 7-seater minivan THROUGH a tree. The hole in the tree was made in 1937... can't imagine this kind of thing being given the go-ahead these days!!

Dad photographing our trip through the tree

After a yummy Italian dinner in a small town with an alternative vibe and a big bunch of blissed out backpackers, we arrived at our night's accommodation in Loleta. We didn't see anything of the surrounding area; this stop was pretty much just to sleep!

The next morning, Thursday, we hit the road again en route to Yachats, Oregon. Before leaving California, we stopped at a Redwood State Park and took a walk amongst the towering trees. They were very impressive, and it was a treat to be out of the car and walking through the cool forest.

A bull elk in a field beside the road

Ready for a redwood hike

Very tall trees!

To be continued...