Tourist Attractions – Wandering Dawgs

Birds, Manatees, and Mermaids on the Florida Gulf Coast

February 16, 2023Posted in Birds, Florida, Nature, Sunrise, Sunset, Tourist AttractionsTagged American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Crystal River, Florida Birding, Great Blue Heron, Manatees, tri colored heron, Weeki Wachee 75th anniversary, Weeki Wachee Mermaids, Weeki Wachee Springs12 Comments

Our home away from home for our recent getaway to Florida’s Gulf Coast was a cute Airbnb in a quiet neighborhood near Crystal River. It was our first Airbnb experience and it was exactly what we were looking for. When we weren’t out exploring the area we enjoyed just relaxing on the large screened porch or walking around the neighborhood in search of wildlife.

I started each day with a walk. The sunrises were glorious and I enjoyed seeing the many birds each day.

Brown pelicans stand by while an American White Pelican scratches an itch

A fisherman tossed a fish to this Great Blue Heron who enjoyed a free breakfast

Weeki Wachee Springs

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park was just a 45 minute drive south so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the famous mermaid show there. The park is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary this year. In addition to the mermaid shows there is a swimming beach, Ranger led wildlife talks, picnic areas, kayaking and a nature cruise on the Weeki Wachee River. Mermaid statues around the park are part of the 75th anniversary celebration.

We took the nature cruise where we saw Martha, one half of the resident Bald Eagle pair George and Martha, and a Tri-Colored Heron in the mangroves.

The highlight of our visit was attending the mermaid show. We arrived early for the show and while we waited for the main show we were entertained with videos of the history of the park and highlights of some of the old mermaid shows. My favorites were the old black and white videos with the mermaids in their old style swimsuits.

Swimming with Manatees

One of my bucket list items was to swim with the manatees in Crystal River. We had done this back in the 1990’s and I’ve been wanting to do it again ever since. We booked an early morning tour with Fun2Dive in Crystal River. Before we left home we watched a manatee manners video which explained what was acceptable and what was not when in the water with these gentle giants.

I donned a wetsuit and met our guide at the dive shop before riding a bus to the dock where we boarded our boat, the Manatee Life for a tour through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. There are several springs which are protected Manatee sanctuaries in the refuge. Henry stayed on the boat with the captain to watch the manatees from above the water. I was one of four guests who got in the water with our guide. As soon as we hit the water we watched a small female chewing on the anchor line of another boat.

Two manatees enter the sanctuary while we humans watched from outside the roped off area

Following our guide outside the sanctuary in search of manatees

Our guide led us in our search and showed us where to look. We spotted several manatees and stayed in the water for about an hour before getting back on the boat. Our captain then took us on a boat ride around the bay to a second location. The highlight of the day was observing a huge female moving along the bottom grazing on the grass as we watched. She weighed about 1500 pounds and ignored us.

We watched her for a while before it was time to head back to the boat. While we were in the water Henry and the captain spotted a mating herd in the water near us.

Scenic Drive on Fort Island Trail

Another day we took a drive along the Fort Island Trail. We stopped to walk out on a fishing pier on the Gulf and watched a manatee swim under the pier. We took a walk on a beautiful white sand beach near the pier and stopped at another smaller fishing pier before returning home.

View from fishing pier at Citrus County Fort Island Trail Park

Sunset

Watching the sunset on Florida’s Gulf Coast was a great way to end each day.

2022 Alaska and the Inside Passage – Part 1 – Anchorage and Seward

September 10, 2022September 26, 2022Posted in Alaska, Tourist Attractions, WildlifeTagged Alaska and the Inside Passage, Alaska Sea Life Center, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Anchorage, Seward, Viking Cruise, Viking Ocean Cruise, Viking Orion15 Comments

August 19, 2022 – Our latest Alaska adventure began when we flew from Savannah to Atlanta and then to Anchorage for a two night stay in Anchorage. We made it to Atlanta on time but sadly the flight to Anchorage was delayed for 7 hours. We landed at the Anchorage airport about 2:00 am, took an Uber to our hotel and tried to get some sleep.

*View of Anchorage from our hotel room on the 13th floor*

August 20, 2022 – After a few hours sleep we spent our day in Anchorage exploring the downtown area and enjoying two delicious meals of fresh Alaska seafood. The Aurora Show with fantastic photographs and narration about Aaska’s Great Northern Lights was wonderful. There was a park with a beautiful garden nearby. A grilled cheese and King Crab sandwich at 49th Street Brewery and dinner of Alaskan halibut and chips at Humpy’s satisfied our longing for some fresh Alaska seafood. Alaskan beer went great with both meals. Did I mention it was raining most of the day and night?

August 21, 2022 – We woke up to another rainy day. After breakfast we boarded a tour bus for the scenic drive to Seward where we would board our ship the Viking Orion.

Along the way we stopped to see some bears, musk ox, and other wildlife at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Seward. From their website: “The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) is a sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through conservation, education, research and quality animal care.”

Once aboard the ship in Seward we enjoyed the first of many delicious meals, unpacked and wandered around the ship before dinner.

August 22, 2022 – After a leisurely breakfast we sat on our balcony enjoying the scenery. A bald eagle was perched on a light post close by. If you look closely at the header photo at the top of the page you can see the eagle on top of the light pole.

*Bald Eagle perched on lamp post in Seward Harbor*

Later we rode a shuttle bus to the Alaska Sea Life Center, a nonprofit organization that has an aquarium and also does marine research, education, and marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation. This stellar sea lion was as interested in us as we were of him.

*Stellar Sea Lion – Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward*

If you are interested in reading about our 2013 stay in Seward please visit Glaciers and Wildlife in Seward.

Next up – exploring another port and a day of scenic sailing.

Staycation in Savannah

February 14, 2020Posted in Georgia, Tourist AttractionsTagged Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room, Old Town Trolley Tour, Savannah, Staycation, Willie Nelson19 Comments

For the past 40 years we have lived less than 30 minutes from Savannah’s beautiful historic district and until this week, we had never spent any time really touring the city. Last year our Christmas present to each other was tickets to see Willie Nelson in concert and a two night stay in a hotel where we could walk to the concert and be tourists for a couple of days.

The concert was the highlight of our getaway. Once Willie started playing his guitar you would have never known he is 86 years old. Opening the show with “Whiskey River” he played and sang for over an hour and a half. We loved every minute of it and so did everyone else in the audience.

202002-Willie-Nelson-(3) — Willie Nelson in Savannah, Georgia

Savannah has been featured in many movies, books, and television shows and is frequently listed as one of the most popular cities to visit in the United States. A popular way to see the city and learn a little of its history is to take a Trolley Tour

The day after the concert was our day to be tourists and do some things we’ve never done before. We started by enjoying a fantastic southern lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room. We were seated family style at a table for 8 and enjoyed talking to the other guests while we enjoyed the wonderful food.

Next up was a tour with Old Town Trolley, one of several tour companies in the city. Our guide Lillie Belle was entertaining and we learned things about Savannah’s history we had never heard before. Here’s a little show with a few of the highlights from the tour.

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Having a little get away in the middle of the week was a fun way to start off Valentine’s week. Tonight we’ll celebrate at home with grilled steaks and all the trimmings.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lens-Artists #72: Waiting

November 19, 2019Posted in Photography, Sporting Events, Tourist Attractions, TravelTagged Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge, Waiting19 Comments

This week, Amy has challenged us to explore waiting. It seems I spend a lot of my life waiting. Even when traveling or doing something fun we can’t get away from having to wait.

Whenever we attend a football game, waiting in line to go through security and have our ticket scanned is a normal thing. The photo above was taken after we got through the line and had entered the stadium for a Georgia/Florida football game in Jacksonville, Florida.

Theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios have come up with great ways to keep the crowds entertained while they wait.

20090627Magic-Kingdom-(4) — At Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, we saw a show while waiting for the gates to open

20180624Universal-Studios-(24) — I wish all train stations were as much fun as the one at Universal Studios Orlando where we boarded the Hogwarts Express

When traveling, waiting to get in a major attraction is part of the experience.

20190522-Day-22-Edinburgh-Castle-Royal-Mile-Sony-(9) — Waiting to enter Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

There have been many times in our RV travels where we have waited in line to board a ferry or travel through a tunnel.

20130625Day-41Top-of-the-World-to-Chicken-(9) — Waiting in line to pull our RV onto the ferry to cross the Yukon River in Dawson City, Yukon

20130618Day-34Ferry-to-Haines-(27) — Waiting to pull our camper onto the Alaska Ferry in Skagway, Alaska

20070531At-Zion-(7) — Waiting our turn to go through the Zion Tunnel in Utah

Many thanks to Amy for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Waiting

Throwback Thursday #4 – August 22, 2009

August 22, 2019August 20, 2019Posted in RVing, Tourist Attractions, WisconsinTagged brewery, Good Old Potosi Beer, National Brewery Museum and Library, Potosi Brewery, Potosi Brewfest11 Comments

Welcome to #4 in my Throwback Thursday series of flashbacks to memorable days from our past RV trips.

Flashback to ten years ago, August 22, 2009. We were camping at Grant River Corps of Engineers park in Potosi, Wisconsin, across the Mississippi River from Iowa.

Potosi, Wisconsin side of the MIssissippi River looking toward Dubuque, Iowa

After spending the previous day exploring across the Mississippi River in Iowa, we stayed close to our campsite and enjoyed lunch in the outdoor beer garden at the Potosi Brewery in Potosi, Wisconsin (population 711 in 2009). The National Brewery Museum is located at the brewery.

20090822Potosi — Outdoor beer garden in front of the brewery

20090822Potosi-(7) — Springs at the Potosi Brewery

20090822Potosi-(3) — Natural Spring Water used to brew Potosi Beer

20090822Potosi-(5) — Good Old Potosi Beer

They were having their first annual Brewfest that day which brought lots of people into town.

20090822Potosi-(10) — The town was set up for the The First Annual Brewfest

20090822Potosi-(13) — The town was set up for the The First Annual Brewfest

We enjoyed a Good Old Potosi beer with lunch and bought a Growler to take with us. Sadly, the bottle is long gone and I never even took a picture of it!