Across Florida for the 5th and Final Time

Monday, March 21st – Tampa to Orlando to St. Augustin, Florida – Day 42

 We are continuing our escape from Florida very slowly. We want to go up the east coast, but we are on the west coast so time to cross the State. Fortunate for us, Caley and Andrew were still in Florida at a resort, halfway between St. Augustine and Tampa, in Orlando. They invited us for a beautiful spaghetti dinner. We had some time before we had to arrive and decided to check out the trails in Little Manatee River State Park. 

 I think Little Manatee River was one of my favourite parks so far and I wish we had more time here. The sites were big, spread out and had grown vegetation, so you were blocked from your neighbour. It was a five-minute drive to get to the campsite, so it was in the middle of the bush which allowed a very quiet environment. The songbirds in the morning were lyrical and boisterous. It was peaceful and relaxing. 

 We stopped at the trails where there happened to be a play structure. I tried to convince everyone to take a walk, but Mary was the only one who took me up on it. There was a small loop that went along the river. It was serene. The river reminded me of the Humber back in Nashville. Shallow and a bit murky with a raised bank slowly eroding. The Humber doesn’t have a baby alligator sunning at its edge though. 

The hike was so nice that I convinced everyone else to take a quick stroll back to see the baby alligator. The alligator was gone but we got a small walk in. Gen continued to run the trail to get some exercise while I took the kids back to the play structure. We ate and got on the road. Caley and Andrew were staying at the Grove resort. We went in and it was a bit mazelike. We eventually found their place and were welcomed with open arms and small screams by Brinley and Peyton. We ate a delicious dinner and decided to head to the pool for a swim. John was obsessed by the hot tub. The girls were obsessed playing with Brinley. Peyton was the cutest little thing; she had a lifejacket on and for the first time she floated on her back and was happy to just kick herself all around the pool. We closed down the pool and said our good-byes. Our biggest challenge right now is getting Charlotte and John to buckle themselves into the car. It takes a mixture of bribery, threats, and physical intervention to make it happen. John is the worst offender. Even when John does get buckled, he occasionally unbuckles himself which leads to a sudden stop and much angst. It was late by the time we left, and John did not want to buckle. Finally, he did and we had another hour and a half drive that turned into a 2 and a half hour drive due to construction and an accident before arriving in St. Augustine. We were staying in the parking lot of a golf course. After a wrong turn and finding ourselves driving along the 1st hole, we backed up, found our spot and set-up.