Sarasota
Trip Start
Sep 03, 2007
1
51
219
Trip End
Jun 17, 2009
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Sarasota,
Florida,
United States
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
We spent so long chasing 'gators yesterday that we had to miss out a coastal loop on the way back. Refuelled and checked the tyres - yes, they were all low. So much for car rental preparation checks!! Return on Hwy 41 and go down towards 'Marco Island', a small community on the coast. We pass a straggly nest perched on top of a power line pole and the bird flies off before we can identify it. Several of these poles have a small platform fitted to encourage nesting. On either side of the road is a creek and the low tide reveals mangrove tree roots exposed on top of the muddy soil. At the end of the creek where it meets the sea there is a sign warning boaters to slow down and be careful of manatees.
The main town on Marco Island is Collier and it wasn't small at all. Very smart houses, many of them closed up, were based on a series of canals. This appeared to be quite an affluent area. Many houses had manatee statues holding mailboxes and lots of houses were already dressed up for Christmas. We continued the loop and returned to the mainland by a second modern bridge and pulled in just as we had crossed it. More creeks led into the bay and as we watched herons, egrets and vultures in the bushes beyond, we were treated to a low flyby from an osprey. I saw my first one yesterday briefly and now it was Norah's turn to get a good view of this gorgeous bird of prey. He flew past us at eye level and onto the bridge, where he perched on top of one of the street lights.
Northwards on Hwy 41, rather than the main interstate 75. I said the birds were everywher and we could always see vultures wheeling in the sky. Passing back through Naples we saw 3 vultures perched on top of a street light and it was a case of ' Come on, somebody run something over. We're hungry up here'!! Through 'Fort Myers' where we stopped for lunch. It was time to try a 'Taco Bell', which is a fast food Mexican eatery. The young guy who served us looked just like the kid in the old 'MAD' comics and spoke with a southern drawl. I'm sure that what we ordered and what we received were not the same. It did not pass the Crocodile Dundee specification - 'You could live on it but......'
Onwards through Venice and we tried to find the back road to 'Siesta Key' but couldn't find it. We did drive to this gorgeous, long, flat, white sandy beach at the top of Siesta Key to have a look. A very pretty spot and there were rabbits amongst the shrubbery that backed onto the beach. We then found a hotel in Sarasota that had a swimming pool and we had a refreshing dip in the afternoon sun.
Distance driven 134 miles
