March 18-20, 2013

March 18th - The staff prepared breakfast for the group but Carl and I missed it. We did domestic stuff all day and then went to "Capone's Dinner Theater".  It was a buffet dinner and all you could drink too.  Lot's of laughs at the show.  Fun!!

March 19th was a travel day from Orlando to Titusville.  About  57 miles.  Easy uneventful drive.  After arriving we took the car to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and then watched an Atlas V rocket launch from the beach north of the launch. The Hall of fame had more information on astronauts than anyone could digest in one day. Much interesting stuff.  At the wildlife refuge we finally saw the elusive manatee.  (we did see 2 in a tank at Epcot) We saw 1 in one location and 2 in another.  I was quite happy.  The rocket launch just happened to be the day we arrived.  We were as close as we could be but did not have the telephoto lens or binoculars.  Still exciting to be there.

Sorry about no telephoto but that really is a rocket taking off.

 

March 20th - We went to the Kennedy Space Center and spent the whole day.  They have a Shuttle launch simulator.  Kind of like an amusement park ride.  Fun and educational.  I most enjoyed the IMAX film on the space station.  We went there when our kids were small, so say 28 years ago, it has changed quite a bit.  Very well done.  More kid friendly and a little more touristy.

Saturn V rocket.  Larges rocket ever made.  Sent Apollo astronauts to the moon.

This is where we watched the rocket launch but I can't move the photo to the previous day.?

 

 

They are building a place for shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center similar to what we have for Shuttle Discovery in Los Angeles.  Was scheduled to be open in March but not open till June 2013.

March 16-17, 2013

March 16th - 

March 17th - Happy Saint Patrick's day!  We spent the whole day at Epcot, a theme park and part of the Disney complex.  We had a great time, from open to close. 

Carl was being so silly I was silly back. Just happened to be when they took the photo.

March 15, 2013

A travel day from Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando, our trip log says 224 miles.  We chose to take the Turnpike instead of following the log.  It cost us $24. But Carl was happy we did not travel on any small/bad roads.

I added photos to previous days.

March 13-14, 2013

A guided bus tour of the Ft. Lauderdale and Miami areas.  Then a narrated sightseeing cruise aboard the Island Queen in Miami.  We saw homes on the water of rich and famous. 

Above ground cemetery where some of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was filmed.

Our tour included Downtown, South Beach, Art Deco District, Miami Beach, Ocean Drive, Coconut Grove, Miracle Mile, Coral Gables and Little Havana.

 

March 14, 2013 - Mostly a free day, we filled it with housekeeping items.  In the evening we went on a “Jungle Queen Riverboat Sightseeing and Dinner Show Cruise.”

March 12, 2013

Travel day from Key West to to Ft. Lauderdale.  192 miles.  A long travel day to begin with but we also were stuck on the 7 mile bridge for 45 minutes due to an accident.  It was quite windy on the bridge.  People were out of their cars talking to neighbors watching the traffic backup farther and farther.   After arriving in Ft. Lauderdale the Adventure Caravans staff prepared us a Jambalaya dinner.

March 11, 2013

A free day to enjoy the Florida Keys.  We drove north to Big Pine Key to see the miniature deer.  These deer are only found on Big Pine Key and No Name key.  After that we did a little more biking around Key West and had dinner out at Hogfish Bar and Grille.  We recommend you try hogfish if you have the chance.  Quite delicious.  They feed on shellfish so it makes them quite tasty.  They are caught with spears.

Chickens are everywhere in Key West. When Cock fighting was outlawed they were released in the city.  Key West is a bird sanctuary so it is illegal to harm them.

Thought these birds were funny watching the popcorn pop.

March 8-10, 2013

March 8^th was a free day in Homestead.  Carl and I went to the Everglades National Park. We cruised around on our bikes and took a short hike on Bay Loop trail.  We saw several Ospreys and three of their nests.  We took several short boardwalks to lakes and ponds and watched lots of birds.  We saw a couple flamingos in flight.  We were able to follow them with binoculars but did not get photos.  We need a better lens.  Then we drove to Biscayne National Park Visitor Center.  Most of the Park is water.  We were too late for a boat ride.  We walked around the harbor and out on the jetty.  Still in search of the elusive Manatee.  Everywhere we go near the water they say “They were right here yesterday”.  We’re still looking.

 

 

March 9^th was a travel day from Homestead to Key West.  About 137 miles.  It was a beautiful sunny day to travel over Islands and bridges.   Carl and I stopped for a couple hours at Bahia Honda State Park on Bahia Honda Key.  This was said to be the best sandy beach in the Keys.  It fit the bill.  We rode bikes the length of the island and walked on a defunct portion of an old railroad bridge. Got our feet wet before continuing our journey.

 

 

March 10^th 2013
Happy Birthday Mom!  Today started with a Trolly ride around Key West to give us the lay of the land.  We drove back into town and parked at the beach then rode our bikes around down town.  Carl was in search of craft beer but mostly just getting the feel of the area.  Tonight we went on a sunset dinner cruise that included dinner and all you could drink.  There was a D J on the upper deck.  A good time was had by all.