Hi
I hope you all enjoy it..
My Fun Trip to Florida
My trip to Sarasota, Florida began at the Rhinelander/Oneida County Airport on a clear and very cold morning in February. I flew with my eldest sister Erin on a Saab turboprop to Minneapolis, Minnesota and then switched to an Airbus. Our flight arrived at the Tampa International Airport at 2:30 in the afternoon. After we got settled in our condo we met our hosts Dan and Joanne O’Connor for supper. Then Dan left for a men’s Bible study and we girls went for a walk.
The next day we went to Myakka State Park. It was very windy and I got a wind burn on my exposed face. We visited the gift shop and purchased some souvenirs for our family. While touring the park we saw alligators, birds and other wildlife. We went on a self-guided tour that taught us about the animal’s lives, habitats and characteristics. There was an alligator there named Hillary. She had three sets of babies and most of the time she was submersed in the water. We also saw an armadillo that was ugly and could hop about two feet in the air.
The trees at Myakka State Park were covered with Spanish moss. I learned that Spanish moss is not moss but a type of vine that grows on the trees near the water. It is used in flower gardens and as a background plant for landscaping. In the old days settlers used the moss to stuff mattresses.
On our second day of vacation we went to Turtle Beach. It was a beautiful breezy day and was about 60 degrees. We walked the beach barefoot and got a natural pedicure from the fine white sand. I also got a sun burn on top of my wind burn from the previous day.
On the third day of our vacation we toured an art museum. I found it quite boring until we got to return outdoors to sit on a porch overlooking the water. We went back to our condo, visited, and ordered pizza. That evening we turned in early to rest up for another day of adventure.
On our fourth day of vacation we first went to Peace River Wildlife Center in Punta Gordo, Florida where injured birds are treated and then released back into wild. Then we went to Fort Myers, Florida to tour the Edison Ford Museum Complex. Our group toured the museum and the gift shop. We made sure that we got some informational pamphlets to show our family and friends back home. We took a detour down the street and attended a car show. Afterwards we toured the Henry Ford Mansion.
On Sunday, the fifth day, we attended church in the morning. In the early afternoon we ate lunch and rested up for our planned afternoon trip. Later we went to a reserve to watch brown pelicans eating fish and wading in a large algae green colored pond. My sister Erin and I took many pictures so that our family could share this natural scene of God’s wonderful creation.
On Monday, the sixth day, we toured the Gamble Plantation in Ellenton, Florida. This was the home of Major Robert Gamble and a large sugar plantation. It is the only surviving sugar plantation in South Florida today. It is believed that Confederate Secretary of State, Judah P. Benjamin, took refuge there after the fall of the Confederacy, until his safe passage to England could be secured. In 1925, the house and 16 acres were saved by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and donated to the state. The mansion itself is a very large white house with huge pillars on the front porch. The tour guide led us though the mansion and the grounds for about an hour and half. It is a very worthwhile attraction to visit.
On our final day we toured the USCGC Blackthorn Memorial, It is a ship moored in the Tampa Bay and serves as an artificial reef for diving and recreational use. Then we drove to Tampa International Airport for our departure home. At the airport we went to Starbucks and got orange juice and coffee to drink. We entered airport security and found out that our flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota was delayed because the flight crew was over-scheduled for flight hours. Because of that we ended up staying at the airport Marriott overnight for free. We also got twenty-five dollars worth of vouchers for free meals and twenty-five dollars off our next plane tickets and a five hundred mile bonus was added to our perks cards.
Our flight finally left Florida at 7:30 on Wednesday morning. Then we flew Minneapolis, Minnesota and had to wait a good three hours for our connecting flight back to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. We arrived at home tired but refreshed at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Since our flight was delayed in Tampa our luggage ended up not meeting us at the airport and it was delivered to our house at about 10:00 in the evening. I am looking forward to another vacation in Florida next year.
Hope you alll have a great weekend .. Take care.
~~ Abigail~~
