Monday January 2nd 2017

I’m still getting used to the new year. I had to go back and edit the date line on yesterday’s blog to read January 1st 2017. The number of times I heard 2017 as I watched the Rose Parade on TV should help get the year into my head. I think every other statement the announcers used included the year. I could have used it as a “coffee” drinking game.

This afternoon I left the campground to check out the area around the southeast shore of Tampa Bay. I found the important things like the grocery stores and Walmart although I didn’t stop today. Groceries will probably be one of tomorrows tasks. Today I decided to go in search of Manatees.

Manatee backs and noses in the middle of the canal.

The Tampa Electric Company maintains a Manatee viewing area beside one of their power plants. The sea mammals come into the outflow canals to bask in the warmer water. When the water temperature gets below 68 degrees Fahrenheit the Manatees can go into shock and die. The outflow canals often have water in the 80s.

Today wasn’t the best day to visit the Manatee viewing center. I was there at low tide and the general water temperature in the gulf was warm enough to support the Manatees. There were only a few Manatee noses and backs visible out in the middle of the canal. When I visited this facility last year the water level was higher and the overall water temperature in the gulf was lower so there were many Manatee visible right beside and under the boardwalk. I will come back later in the month when the temperature has dropped for a few days.

One of many large fish visible from the boardwalk. These are probably Tarpon.

Instead of Manatee there were many big fish visible in the water in front of the boardwalk. Some of the fish appeared to be more than 3 feet long. Based on the posted identification guide, these appear to be Tarpon. Viewing them from above it is difficult to be certain, but none of the other species listed matched the size of these fish.

The big attraction at the Manatee Viewing Center this weekend is the “Touch the Rays” exhibit that opened last week. Fifteen stingrays that spend their summers in a tank at Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, spend their winters at this new facility. Children of all ages have the opportunity to touch the fish as they swim around the 10,000 gallon tank. Naturalists from the Florida Aquarium control access to the stingrays and answer questions.

One editorial note about the blog. Yesterday I made a change to the configuration settings to automatically make a Facebook post every time I post a blog. This shouldn’t impact reading the blog in anyway. It is just one more way to remind people that I’m writing about my Rambling Road trip everyday. The content isn’t always earth shattering, but it keeps me engaged and serves as a record of my life on the road. So if you are new to reading the blog welcome.