Florida 2020: Midway Airboat Rides

Visiting Florida in the summer of 2020 was a strange experience. Due to Covid, many attractions were either closed or significantly altered. It was simply not possible to be spontaneous, as places like Disney World, required advanced reservations and had capacity limitations. When we couldn’t manage to book a day at the theme parks, we shifted gear and went on an airboat excursion.

An airboat ride has long been on my Florida bucket list and I was thrilled to have the chance to experience it. We booked with a company called Midway Airboats, located in central Florida. It wasn't exactly the Everglades, but it was close enough.

The tour cost us just under eighty dollars (total, not each) and lasted over an hour. While waiting for our excursion to begin, we went out on the large screened porch to meet Coco the parrot and Park Chop the pig. Coco kept lifting her foot, desperate to climb on Dan. We realized that she often gets treats when people hold her, and since we didn’t have treats, she wanted back in her cage. We were dead to her. Pork Chop was so sleepy, he didn’t even open his eyes when we petted his tummy.

The airboats have four rows, and although the tour was completely outside, it was not exactly socially distanced. We were seated on the top row, next to our boat captain, there was a family of four adults and a toddler in front of us, and an older couple in the very front row. This said, being outdoors with the wind whipping around us as we flew through the water at high speeds, made me feel generally safe.

We all had headsets, so that we could hear our captain’s narration. She kept an eye out for gators and points of interest. One Covid change was we did not have microphones on our headsets to communicate with her and the tour guides did sanitize the headsets between tours- we saw them cleaning!

Selfie of Dan and I.

The tour was more amazing than I could have imagined. The speed was thrilling and the views were magnificent. We visited on a perfect blue-sky day with fluffy clouds. It was serene.

I couldn’t have anticipated that we would see more cows than gators. We learned that summer is not the best time to see gators. Since they have to regulate their own body temperature, they often stay under water and in the shade to keep cool in the heat of the day. It also doesn’t help that they are nocturnal hunters.

Cows were everywhere. Naturally, this caused us to wonder about the cow/gator situation. Apparently, they mostly live in harmony, with gators hanging out near the cows feet. The cows really being too big to be seen as prey for the gators.

Can you see the gator? This is one of three gator sightings of the trip.

My favorite part is when we slowed down and coasted through a heavy thicket of trees. It was exactly what I imagined the Everglades or a bayou in Louisiana ( where I’ve never been) would look like.

On the way back to the docks, we went under a very low bridge, saw some palm trees in the swamp, and enjoyed plenty more cows!

After our ride, we had the opportunity to hold a baby gator. The gator’s snout was strapped for safety reasons, but we saw our boat captain handle her without the strap and she was very gentle. She allowed the boat captain to hold her, much like we hold our cats. The skin on her belly was unbelievably soft, but she was heavy. I could only hold her for a few minutes.

Of course, as we were leaving, we noticed these warning signs.

An airboat ride is the quintessential Florida tourist activity and it didn’t disappoint. We look forward to taking the kids on our next trip to the sunshine state.

Social Distancing in Littleton: Weeks 28 & 29

It is less than a month before the presidential election and I’ve never felt so unsure about the United States. I’m eagerly checking the mail box for my ballot, as I’m ready to cast my vote. I’ve always taken my responsibility to vote seriously, but it has never felt like such a desperate and somber decision. I voted for Clinton four years ago, but to be perfectly honest, I never imagined that Trump would turn out to be such a destructive president. Other people knew and those people were out protesting in 2016. It took me a little longer to realize the severity of the situation.

Trump is not a leader. He does not care about the United States or its citizens. He only cares about winning. Last Friday, ( or earlier, who knows as the medical updates are confusing) he tested positive for Covid. I sincerely hoped that he might have a change of attitude similar to Boris Johnson. Not Trump. He reacted in the worst and most predictable way possible. He went for a photo op ride around the hospital, so that he could wave at supporters, while the endangering secret service officers that were with him in close proximity. He whipped off his mask when he returned to the White House and he reiterated his thoughts on how Covid isn’t a big deal. His behavior makes me sick.

Several people in the White House tested positive. Pence is pushing back against safety precautions for the vice-presidential debate. I think Pence is scared to debate Harris and it is his way of diverting attention. I think Trump is also causing a diversion, because he knows that he doesn’t have a clear path to victory. It doesn’t matter the reason, his actions are endangering lives and further hurting our economy.

I don’t doubt that no matter which president had been in power during Covid, that we would have lost lives and jobs. It still would have been a difficult 2020. However, if we had a true leader, I believe the losses would have been significantly less. I’m worried about these coming months.

In the last few days, I’ve heard of former coworkers/friends who have lost jobs in the theme park industry. The cuts are massive. It’s heartbreaking, because I know that this was more than simply a paycheck to them. I’ve heard of one acquaintance who has died due to Covid. This person was my age and healthy. Even though we are doing well, this weights on me. I feel tremors of stress.

The wildfires that are devastating the west coast are impacting our air quality. I know we are lucky compared to many, but when my eyes sting and my chest hurts from the smoke, I’m reminded that this year has been impossible to escape. Here is a picture of our neighborhood from a few days ago.

Our neighborhood is becoming filled with political signs. Many supporting Trump, but even more supporting Biden. On the happy side, we have more houses decorated for Halloween, than we do stating political preferences. Some of the Halloween decorates are fantastic. My favorite is a family that has a whole pirate ship with skeletons climbing on ropes and on the roof.

Other happy news… we went to Top Golf with our friend’s Julie and Ryan. It was my first time and I did okay. We had our own “bay” with plexiglass separating us from other guests, so it seemed a bit safe. We wore masks when walking through the building. I had a lot of fun and I’m eager to go back. My aunt would be so proud that I’m giving her favorite hobby a try. Next step is a real game of golf.

We also went to an outdoor gathering at a neighbors house. It was Oktoberfest themed and also a lot of fun. We met some great “new-to-us” neighbors that we really liked. Generally, it was just wonderful to socialize and laugh. Afterwards, I did feel that there was probably a bit too many people there for Covid safety, but we sat on the outskirts of the party and mostly kept our distance. We stayed outdoors, even when the temperatures dropped. It wasn’t without risk, but I think the risk was minimized.

We’ve booked the kids holiday with us for Christmas. Please send good vibes that this doesn’t get canceled and that it is safe enough to happen. We miss Zoe and Felix so much and it would be devastating to have yet another trip canceled. We haven’t seen them since the summer of 2019.

One last happy thing…we are 1/2 way though the final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” I’m going to miss the Rose family!

And finally, cute cat pictures!

Florida 2020: North Redington Beach, Clearwater Beach, and Tampa

In contrast with many of our vacations, we didn’t plan our getaway to North Redington Beach. It was a somewhat spur of the moment, surprise trip for my birthday. Mostly, we thought that we would just park ourselves on the beach and enjoy umbrella drinks.

However, I could have predicted that we would get bored and feel the need to explore. In fact, the lure of Orlando was too tempting, and we left our beach hotel after two nights: less that forty-eight hours!

In this post, I’m going to share where we dined and what we explored during our brief time on the gulf coast.

The first meal of the vacation was at “The Conch Republic Grill and Raw Bar.”

We arrived late on a Thursday night and Conch Republic was pretty much the only non-fast food option that was still open. It came highly recommended from the front desk staff at our hotel and was just a short drive down the street. If it had been daylight, we could have walked.

The theming at Conch Republic is fabulous, with giant sharks suspended overhead and heavy theming throughout. A really fun atmosphere to kick off our vacation. The staff was friendly too. I ordered my favorite umbrella drink: Mai Tai.

We started with a delicious crispy walnut shrimp appetizer to share.

Although I normally wouldn’t miss an opportunity to order fish, especially in a fish restaurant, I wasn’t feeling very hungry, and went with a tropical chicken salad. It was good, but if we visited again, I’d order fish.

Dan ordered crab legs, which although not shown, came with a large helping of mashed potatoes. He was disappointed. It wasn't that his food wasn’t tasty, but that over the summer, he has become a master of grilling crab legs. Now that we can make them at home, it just seems unnecessarily expensive and less of a treat to order them while dining out. This has been a covid-related revelation!

We shared a Florida classic dessert: Key Lime pie. I’m a huge fan of key lime pie. This particular slice was the perfect blend of sweet, tart, and tangy. Don’t skimp on the dessert at Conch Republic.

Dan felt that Conch Republic was over-priced and would not likely return, but I would happily give it a second chance. I think we ordered wrong, and would likely have a better experience on the next visit. On the way out a member of the waitstaff offered to take our picture with the parrot.

The following day, after spending about six hours baking on the beach, we took our rental car out for a bit of an adventure. We had no idea of where to go, which actually ended up being a bad thing, as we drove around and got stuck in traffic, plus we hit a bunch of toll roads. Florida, with its many toll roads, is not made for exploring.

Our first little stop was St. Pete’s Beach. Our friend Jaime used to live here and raved about it, so we wanted to check it out for future vacations. I definitely think that we will be returning to the gulf beaches when my step-kids visit in 2021. This entire area is a gorgeous vacation spot. I believe their claim of having the top rated beaches in the United States.

We drove through downtown Tampa, which was jammed with traffic, but otherwise had little going on

We also drove through the historic Ybor City. I would have loved to stop here to eat, especially to try a Cuban sandwich, but it also had a funny vibe, I suspect mostly due to Covid, so we just drove down the Main Street.

We headed back to the beach in search of a dinner spot with sunset views. It was crowded on a Friday night, but we manage to snag a table at “Seabreeze Island Grill and Raw Bar.”

We were seated on the enormous back patio with a perfect view of the sun setting over the water.

Seabreeze wins for excellent service, great views, and reasonable prices. They had drink specials that included three dollar margaritas. If you want to get hammered in a tropical paradise, this is your place. However, although cheap and strong, the drinks were not particularly good. On a future visit, I’d skip the specials and pay for something a bit better.

Dinner was also hit and miss. The clam chowder starter was excellent, probably best enjoyed on a cooler night, but it was still a treat. We both ordered the same entree: coconut shrimp served with roasted potatoes and green beans. The shrimp was great, but the sides were uninspired. I absolutely love vegetables, but these were hard to eat, soggy and over-seasoned. On a future visit, we’d probably order the coconut shrimp appetizer ( skipping the sides) and have a burger for a main. We would definitely return for the atmosphere.

After dinner, it was time for mini golf at Smugglers Cove. Smugglers Cove with its outrageous theming caught our eye, but they are also famous for being home to baby alligators…which you can feed! Mini golf is fun, but feeding gators was my primary objective.

I was given five pellets that looked similar to Milk Bone dog biscuits. Outside of the heavily fortified gator pen, was a long pole with a soft clip on the end, where you attach the biscuit. As soon as I dropped the pole over the side, the baby gators came for the treat. They clearly love the biscuits. I think due to their long snouts and position of their eyes, it was a bit hard for them to grab the treat, so there was a lot of attempts before a gator managed to grab it. They were quite gentle as they tried to get the treat, although they definitely all wanted the opportunity.

I could have fed gators all day, but we had some golf to play. The course was fun and well-themed. I liked all of the “pirate” touches, like the parrot skeleton.

And the pirate name chart. Pegleg Stinkbreath Stinkalot here, which seems excessive, but I did have garlic potatoes for dinner!

It was miserably hot and humid. We were getting bit by mosquitos and dripping in sweat, so we bailed at the half-way point. I would have liked to finish the course, but it just wasn’t in the cards that night.

I do love this nod to covid. The golf course, as well as the other restaurants and activities, all had plenty of covid precautions that made us feel somewhat safe, while we vacationed.