Wednesday January 11th 2017

Today’s weather was similar to yesterday. It started out sunny and ended cloudy with a high in the mid 70s. The TV weather talkers call this a typical winter pattern. OK, but I don’t have to like it. Just when I’m getting moving the weather is getting worst.

The colder weather last weekend and too much late night TV have changed my sleep pattern. I’m going to bed later and getting up later. Instead of getting up at the normal time in the morning, I let the cold drive me back under the covers. It’s warmer in the morning again, but I’m still sleeping in. Then I don’t go to sleep quickly at night because I’m not tired. Recognition is the first step in changing the pattern.

Pelican joining the five already on the boat lift. The wind span is impressive.

I used the day today to research my travels when I leave here at the end of the month. My next commitment is in Arizona on March 1st. I’ve made reservations for the month of March in Arizona so I can tour and see Cactus League MLB Spring Training Games. I have four weeks to travel the two thousand miles between here and there.

I can comfortably travel up to 300 miles a day when I know where I’m stopping for the night. If I don’t know, I plan on only 200 miles. This is one of the issues of solo travel. I can’t check the directories and Internet for places to stay while driving. I either have to stop at a rest area and conduct my search or rely on roadside advertisements. Without reservations I try to stop around two or three in the afternoon. This gives me time to move on to the next option. So far I’ve had one night that I had two failed attempts before I found a stop for the night. One of the things I’ve been doing today is identifying possible overnight locations.

I also try not to travel more than two days in a row. I’ve found that stopping for an extra day or two keeps me rested and allows me to see some of the area I’m traveling through. So a couple of questions need to be answered: What is going on along my route and what do I want to see?

My route this time of year will be Interstate 10 most of the way. The weather along I10 will have to be monitored, but further north would be much more of an issue. The major cities and attractions along that route are New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso. Mardi Gras is at the end of February so I will be west of New Orleans long before that becomes an issue. The Super Bowl is in Houston on the 5th of February. While it might be nice to be there if the Patriots are in the game, I’m sure the area will be a zoo. I need to treat Houston as an area to avoid at the beginning of February.

I don’t have enough time to see everything as I cross the country. I plan to pass through the area a few more times on my Rambling Road Trip. So I need to choose where I’m going to spend my tourist time. There is enough to do in Southeast Texas to support a dedicated trip so I could just travel through that area on this trip.

I will have 8 travel days and 20 non-travel days. To account for probable weather issues I will plan on having at least five of the non-travel days at the end of the trip in Arizona between New Mexico and Tuscon. Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States. If I’m not going to spend time in the area, I’d prefer to drive through the city on a Sunday morning when traffic should be low. That means February 12th because the Super Bowl is the 5th.

Houston is just short of the halfway point in the trip. It looks like a good option is to spend a week in Louisiana and Mississippi followed by a two or three day stop in San Antonio and another one in New Mexico. I’d like to make reservations for the longer stops.

Another Hibiscus decorating the RV Resort.

That is a summary of my current thinking about my February travel. It obviously needs more details, but I have to leave enough fluidity to handle the unexpected. Weather is almost certainly going to be an issue and traffic issues could also slow me down. So stay with the blog as I document the Rambling Road Trip crossing the country in February.

Tuesday January 10th 2017

Today started out in the high 40s and peaked in the mid 70s. It was full sunshine in the morning and cloud covered in the afternoon. In general a very nice day.

While running errands around midday I was up north near the Manatee Viewing Area at the Tampa Electric Company. Since it has been cold recently, I thought it would be a good day to check how many manatees were enjoying the warmth of the exit canal. Quite a few others had a similar idea. I got one of the last spots in the main parking lot.

Once again I didn’t find any manatees in the prime viewing area. The last two years I’ve had success see several manatees right below the viewing area and many others out in the canal. This is the third time I’ve stopped by this year. Each time the manatees have been out in the middle of the canal away from the viewing areas. Today, at first I didn’t see any animals out in the middle either.

Believe it or not the dark area in the middle of he picture is the best Manatee picture I got today.

When I walked out on the tidal viewing boardwalk that parallels the canal I found the manatees. They were in the middle and far side of the canal. It wasn’t really possible to see them in the water. You had to wait for their noses to break the surface to take a breath. If you were lucky you’d get to see their back or tail flipper when then dove back down. I tried to get a few pictures but ended up with the sun reflecting on the wind blown waves most of the time.

While watching for the manatee many other examples of sea life made appearances. Schools of fish swam by the boardwalk on a regular bases. Out in the canal the water would occasionally boil with smaller fish breaking the surface. It was apparent that some predator was below them forcing them to flee. Later a dorsal fin could be seen in the canal. I’m guessing Black Tipped Shark from the identification board, but it could have been another good size predator fish.

Snowy Egret

The birds were also putting on a good show today. A Snowy Egret was in the main viewing area poking around in the shallows for lunch. Out in the inlet area a Brown Pelican was swimming around near the mangrove line. Both of these birds were drawing the attention of the people with cameras like me.

Brown Pelican

On each of my previous visits I’ve noticed an observation tower on the other side of the inlet. Today I found the nature trails that went out to the tower. It is about three quarters of a mile out to the observation tower. I went out one way and came back another. Along the trail and boardwalk there are placards identifying some of the plants and palm trees. It appears the electric company has put a few dollars into restoring the natural habitat and creating the nature trails. Should I applaud the action or dismiss it as a drop in the ecological bucket compared to the emissions from the power plant? I think I fall on the it’s better than nothing and we need power side of the issue.

Observation Tower

The view from the tower was disappointing. It had clouded over by the time I got out there. I really didn’t see anything from the tower I hadn’t already seen from ground level. Nothing inspired me to take a picture either.

Monday January 9th 2017

At sunrise this morning it was in the 40s. This is an improvement from yesterday’s 30s. I was also prepared for a cold morning. The electric heater was out of storage and ready to use. I turned it on about 7:30 and went back to bed. It was nice and comfortable when I finally got out of bed. By the end of the day the temperature was in the mid 60s. This cold snap is over.

The snowbird season is in full swing. When I went to the grocery store today, every other car was from a northern state or Canadian province. The volume of cars on the road in shopping areas is near capacity. I’ve taken to looking at license plates and the age of the driver if I can. It gives me an additional clue about what kind of strange driving behavior I might see.

It isn’t necessarily bad driving that I’m concerned with. It is the unpredictable behavior like cutting across 3 lanes of traffic to make a left hand turn at the next intersection or slowing down to a crawl because you don’t know where your turn is located. My approach to similar situations is to continue past the location and make a U-turn up the road. Someone is probably watching my U-turn and making similar comments.

Other than grocery shopping and driving around the area, I didn’t do much today. Walking around the campground I noticed that a couple of sites in the long term area are now open. I suspect they may actually be rented to people that are taking a few day side trip. The long term area has electric meters and the shorter term area doesn’t. My one month stay is considered short term, but two would be long term. The short term sites were all full for the weekend, but a couple of those are open now as well.

Pelicans on the boat lift.

I continue to check the river during my walks for interesting wildlife. Today all that was visible were a couple of Pelicans that like to hang out on one of the boat lifts. All of the pilings are capped with cones to prevent them from roosting so they hang out on the aluminum boat lift. I suspect it needs to be washed down regularly. I wonder if these are snowbirds or natives?

Sunday January 8th 2017

It was in the thirties when I got up this morning. That’s my new low for this winter so far. I experienced a couple of similar starts to the day last year here in Florida. Of course, my electric heater was still in one of the outside storage compartments. I turned on the electric fireplace and when back under the covers. The fireplace is gives off heat, but not a huge amount. If I needed in warm in a hurry the propane furnace was always an option. The bright sunshine eventually brought the outside temperature up to the mid 50s and the inside into the 70s. The electric heater is now inside the RV available for later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Since it was so cold, I went out for breakfast at McDonalds on the way to the Manatee viewing area at the Tampa Electric Company. My theory was cold morning, lots of manatees trying to keep warm in the outflow from the power plant. I was wrong. For some reason the water level was very low, the wind was blowing and sea foam was all over the viewing side of the canal. If there were manatees or fish to see the conditions didn’t make it possible.

I can and will return to the visiting area another time. Unfortunately, the visitors to the area for the College Football Championship game tomorrow night don’t have that luxury. There were three or four cars with Clemson colors flying and at least one Alabama family. One Clemson family was asking the staff for directions to other places to see manatees. It didn’t sound like they got much help.

Empty tanker leaving Tampa Bay.

Huddled people in heavy coats on the bow of the cruiser.

Fishermen in kayaks.

Kite surfers on Fort De Soto County Park.

Later in the day I checked out the boating action in Tampa Bay. It was too cold for usual bathing suit clad speed boat revelers. Instead I found different kinds of water craft. In the center of the Bay was a steady line of ocean going tankers leveling the port empty. I’m guessing they were separated by about a mile. One was entering the gulf, another was passing under the Sunshine Skyway bridge and the third one I could see was back in the middle of Tampa Bay.

The next category of boat down the food change was a cruiser with several heavily dressed people on the bow. I’m guessing they people huddled on the bow would have been stretched out on the deck in bathing suits on a much warmer day. Instead they just looked out of place. Continuing down the boat food chain were fishermen wearing wet suits in kayaks and many wet suit clad kite surfers.

Hibiscus photo 1

Hibiscus photo 2

Hibiscus photo 3

Tomorrow it is forecast to be about fifteen degrees warmer. That will bring the temperature into the 60s.

Saturday January 7th 2017

Winter has arrived at my location South of Tampa Florida. It rained for about eighteen hours at varying intensities. As the rain ended early this afternoon a strong wind arrived. Awnings are flapping and the wind is howling tonight. The temperature at 7PM is in the 40s and going down. I’ve had other brief periods of cold weather this winter, but not accompanied by rain and strong winds. Full sunshine is slated to return tomorrow, but the high temperature won’t be out of the sixties until Tuesday or Wednesday.

Tampa South RV Resort after the rain let up.

For the second day in a row, I didn’t leave the campground. Today, I blame the weather. It was shortly before sunset when the sun broke through the clouds for a minute or two. I was comfortable outside with a sweatshirt, but many people had winter coats, hats and gloves. At the other end of the spectrum were people still in shirtsleeves and shorts. Crazy snowbirds that won’t let a little cold weather get them down.

In addition to the usual TV entertainment, I also got to watch my neighbors take a big couch out of their fifth-wheel trailer. The two guys were huffing, puffing and cursing to squeeze it out the door. Later in the day, I saw it in the dumpster. It might have been easier to cut it up to get it out of the trailer. I wonder what they will be replacing the couch with.

My neighbors are road construction workers or something similar. They leave every weekday morning before I get up and return around four in the afternoon. Their uniforms are florescent green shirts. Judging by the trucks that stop by to drop off or pickup stuff, there are several of their coworkers staying here too. I don’t have any issue with working neighbors, but some people do. To give management an excuse to exclude similar residents some parks become 55 plus parks. I’m told, it is a far more common reason than to exclude families with kids. This is of particular concern in oil drilling areas like Texas and North Dakota. Most parks just want money until it becomes an issue for some reason.

Friday January 6th 2017

It was a sunny day with high temperatures in the mid 70s. As night approached so did the weather front. The same line of storms that is bringing freezing rain and snow from Atlanta to New England is here as heavy rain tonight.

Campground laundry

This was a domestic duties day. I didn’t leave the campground today. The holding tanks got dumped, the campground laundry got a visit and the RV interior got cleaned up a little. About the time I was ready to get the car and leave the park, I got caught up in the TV coverage of the airport shooting in Fort Lauderdale.

Like the coverage of many similar events, it was over done. The reporters and anchors don’t know how to fill time waiting for new information to develop. They end up repeating things, often incorrectly, or speculating about aspects of the situation. Often the anchors don’t have time to watch their own coverage or listen to the reporters reports. A couple of times during this coverage video that was being repeated for the Nth time was declared new video “just in” by the anchor. On another occasion after it was determined the suspect came in on a plane from Alaska, the “analysts” were discussing the need and problems associated with airport screening at the perimeter of the airport property. If they were paying attention they’d have known it would not have impacted this situation. Most likely they just needed to fill time or present a controversial point.

Dolphin in the Little Manatee River

The campground has hibiscus plants on every corner.

The most exciting thing today occurred during one of my walks around the resort. At the overlook of the Little Manatee River I was treated to the passage of a couple of dolphins. The park is located less than a mile from the mouth of the river into Tampa Bay. I knew it often had manatees in passing by, but it also has dolphins swimming in the river. Today I saw a pair heading up river. They passed by close enough that I could hear them clear their blow holes every time they came up for air. Now I have more one more thing to watch for in the river.

Thursday January 5th 2017

Today was a sunny day a little cooler than the last few. I used the good weather to return to Sanibel Island near Fort Meyers FL.

Back in November I went to Sanibel Island to find shells. The island is known for its shells, but I didn’t find anything remarkable. I wrote about it in the blog entry “Visit to Sanibel Island”. I heard from several people that thought I missed an opportunity. Today I went to a bigger beach further north on the island.

Crowd on Bowman’s Beach Sanibel Island Florida.

The number of people on the beach was much greater than in November. The beach was full of sunbathers, a few swimmers and shell hunters. Most of the shells I found were the same run of the mill shells I found on my first trip in November. There is no question that there are lots of shells. The high water line is several inches thick and a foot wide with shells. As a poked through the piles of shells a few little more unique shells came to me attention. They are about three quarters of an inch in size, brownish and fluted. Once I knew what to look for, I could find these shells mixed with the others in all the shell collection areas.

Some small more unique shells.

I tried to gather shells from the waterline, but you really need a basket with a long handle. My attempts just got me wet as the water splashed up onto my shorts and even my shirt. Thankfully, my shoes and socks were high and dry on the beach. At least the water wasn’t cold and the sun dried out my cloths in short order.

Seagull watching the beach goers at play.

Even with all the people on the beach, the shore birds were there too. The seagulls stood at the back of the beach and watched the human’s antics. I think they were puzzled by the behaviors they were watching. For example, why would anybody carefully sculpt a 20 foot Alligator out of the sand only to watch the incoming tide wash it away. Seagulls have no appreciation for art. I, on the other hand, was impressed with the sand sculptor. It even had shells for teeth and eyes.

Wading bird waiting for food from the surf.

The wading birds were not having much success with finding food in the breaking waves. For the most part, they stood patiently watching and waiting while the water broke around them and the people walked by behind them. It was easy to get within three or four feet of them before they showed any sign of concern.

I enjoyed the trip to Sanibel Island. I got a chance to see more of the island, but I still hold the same opinion about the shell hunting. There is a high volume of shells, just not a high variety. Maybe it’s different at different times of year or associated with storms. I doubt that I’ll ever know. I don’t plan to return again.

Wednesday January 4th 2016

Today started foggy and progressed to cloudy followed by sunshine. A cold front went through overnight to cause the wide variation in today’s weather. The temperature still peaked in the mid 70s slightly above the average for this time of year.

Once the weather cleared I went touring in the local area. The major accomplishment was finding the beach in Apollo Beach FL. For the most part it is expensive houses on one little spit of land that juts out into Tampa Bay. However, at one end of the “T” shaped land mass is the Apollo Beach Nature Preserve and Beach. This park recently opened or re-opened after a long building period. They have added breakwaters of rock and concrete parallel to the shore. Additional sand has been brought in and some land has been prepared for grass.

KC135 approaching MacDill AFB over Tampa Bay

It is not really setup for bathing but a few kids were in the water protected by one of the breakwaters. There is plenty of sand for playing or sunbathing. The main use the area was getting was fishing. This beach area is on Tampa Bay where the cooling canal from the power company that has the Manatee Viewing Area is located. The fisherman may be hopping to catch some of the fish that feed in the warmer waters of the canal.

I found the view the most interesting part of the beach experience. Across the bay to the west the skyline of St Petersburg is visible, to the north is the skyline of Tampa. To the northwest the point of land holding MacDill Airforce Base is prominent.

When I arrived at the beach area a KC135 tanker aircraft seem to be practicing approaches to MacDill AFB. It would come in across the bay toward MacDill then bank and climb to the west then repeat the process. I watched it make 2 full circuits and the start of the third. The next time I looked it was nowhere to be seen. It either landed or flew out of the area.

Cargo Ship in Tampa Bay

The shore of Tampa bay is lined with docks. Large cargo ships and tankers are visible in every direction. Some are underway in the bay and others are docked at some of the Port of Tampa piers to the north. With a set of binoculars and a comfortable chair I could watch the shipping all day. There is just lots of activity.

Tuesday January 3rd 2017

Today’s adventure was a trip to the De Soto National Memorial in Bredenton FL. The site commemorates the 1539 landing of Hernando de Soto with an Army to conquer Florida for Spain. There is nothing at the location of historical significance. The national parks service has created mockups dwellings that deSoto’s people may have created. On certain days characters in historical dress inhabit the dwellings.

Mock up of a deSoto era fort

Example of a period building

Around a half century ago, when I was in school learning about the early explorers of the new world, the history books presented leaders like de Soto as brave altruistic men. The signs and material at this memorial paint a different picture. Their mission was primarily to seize the gold and other riches they believed the indigenous population possessed. To do that they were to either convert them to Christianity, after which they would willingly give their riches to God, or kill them. When de Soto didn’t find riches like in South and Central America, he was primarily in the kill the people mode. I wonder which message today’s school history books and curriculum present.

The park is located on the shore of Tampa Bay at the mouth of the Manatee River. There is a nature trail along the shore of the river. It passes through a mangrove swamp to rocky and shell covered beaches. The primary wildlife on the trail was the little geckos scurrying out of the way as you approach. I didn’t see any bird activity.

View of Tampa Bay

Sailboat entering the Manatee River

At one point of land, the trail is very close to the channel in the river. I watched two sailboats coming in with the wind. The wind direction allowed them to build up a good pace.

I enjoyed the nature trail and the view of Tampa Bay. Some of the people visiting the memorial seem to be there just to watch the action in the bay. They had brought chairs to sit by the shore. The historical significance of the location and the message delivered were secondary to me. I couldn’t help thinking with the low accuracy of the historical record and the amount of change to the rivers path over nearly 500 years the location representing the landing could be off my miles.

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.