Day 2 and manatees

 

It was not warm in Florida. We drove east from Orlando to Palm Bay for most of the seven days of our trip. We got the rental car right as night set in. We traveled over an hour on a  quiet dark toll road, they are not well lit, and it was kind of eerie. I wanted to see what was out there. Oh well.

The next morning we grabbed the sweatshirts and took the first road that led to the water. It wasn't the ocean, it was the Indian river. I felt like I was holding my breath as we got out of the car. 

I thought we would have to go to the other side of Florida to see manatees! We went to the first dock and saw wonderful big birds like pelicans and herons and others that I want to get to know better. The second dock could be seen from the first dock, and we could see manatee wakes out there, which was cool. They were a couple hundred feet out there with a nose popping up here and there. We found three people to talk to who were all incredibly nice. The last two guys said that the manatees would often come right under the tiny dock we were on. I was delighted! I went to the end and called out: "Here manatee manatee, here manatee!" If it works for cats, why not give it a shot. I kid you not, within a minute two swam towards us. It was terrific! You can see them coming by their wake, they like to stay near the surface. I didn't realize how round their tails are, this one has his head under the dock. It was so amazing. Several sets of them came, the most that we saw swim together was four. There were two big ones and two younger looking ones. Florida is so full of magic.

                                        The view from one of the short docks.

The birds were SO fun! They were everywhere, and I love them. Some of them are quite elegant creatures. It was more fun than any zoo I have ever gone to.

Do you see the bridge in the background? When we left this small park we drove across that bridge to get to the ocean. This whole area is full of parks, it was excellent. Small parks with different playground areas, some were just a place to park to to to the beach.

Maybe it's just me, but the pelicans here are bigger and cuter than in other places like Costa Rica and Mexico. There were at least three different kinds, too. This one was the most fun. The picture does no justice to the crown on it's head and the colors. Some pastel yellow and dusty blue. 

The river water was calm and an orange brown color.

On to the Atlantic ocean. I am happy that I didn't see any flags up. The water was cold, my toes rebelled.  It wasn't warm, but it was warm enough to take my sandals off and test the water.

Such a tease to get a glimpse before we got to the other side of the steps to the ocean.

Short beach, light sand, and beautiful blue water. This beach was full of shells too. I started a collection, I am drawn to them like they are amulets for my journey. Each one has a story to tell. I can't get enough of them.