Flying…it is always an adventure! Miami TSA folks are decidedly terse and unorganized.  They just herd folks around and stand in the way talking to one another.  We make it though in plenty of time and the flight is uneventful.  So far, ok.  We are on the ground in St Thomas; that’s a unique airport.  We deplane through open-air roll around steps and traipse the length of the terminal outdoors before we enter the steamy crowded baggage claim area.  Car rental pickup is our first taste of “Island time” customer service but it goes fairly smoothly and we are on our way.

The drive was short but not uneventful. My navigating via a marginal rental car map led us to a tour of town on amazingly narrow curvy city streets.  We had to concede defeat and stop to ask a local for directions.  “Oh, you are not even close.”  He proceeded to draw a great map that led us right there.  We still had to contend with the street in front of the hotel changing to one way against us but we figured it out.  About this time Kent figures out that our Garmin mostly works here so navigating got much simpler for the rest of the trip.

It is a fun little place to say. It seems to grow organically up the steep slopes with a couple guestrooms or the restaurant or pool on each level so there are steps no matter which way you want to go.

We had dinner on property at the Sugar cane Grill. Drinks were tasty; Rum Punch, Pina Colada, and a daiquiri.  We start with some delicious jerk chicken then go all seafood, a seafood medley for Kent a grilled octopus salad for me.  A slice of key lime pie tops it off nicely.

We walk Main Street; can you say Cruise Ship Shopping Mecca.  I don’t think I have ever seen this many jewelry stores per block anywhere else.  A relaxing walk back along the shoreline was a better part of the stroll for me.  Wednesday morning we check out Blackbeard’s Castle and 99 steps as part of a walk through the historic district.  The views a beautiful.

The Lower Suwannee NWR protects a huge swath of coastal wetlands and marsh along the Florida Gulf Coast.  Inky black water pools in the bogs.  Winter paints the cypress groves a golden brown.  Thick understory creates impenetrable tangles that make seeing into the area difficult let alone walking there.  The wildlife drive offers a good look at the diversity of habitats but offers up no actual wildlife for us to see.  All are well hidden today.

From a viewing tower out on the open marshland the cord grass sways in the breeze for nearly as far as the eye can see. Flocks of birds rise from the hidden pools, swirl about then disappear again from vies.  There are pelicans, ibis, yellowlegs, ducks of various kinds and others that I can’t quite identify.  It is an ok place to relax for a few.

It could have been a stick; but, it wasn’t. The trail in Manatee Springs State Park winds its way through wetlands filled with graceful cypress draped in moss, around ponds, and across long stretches of sandy soil.  It is chilly as we get started and only the woodpeckers and flickers are out and about.  Soon bright sunlight warms things up along the open sections of trail.  That’s where we find our little buddy. Kent is leading as we make our way along a fence line.  I hear, “stop”.  I did of course. Kent has stepped right over a rat snake lying perfectly still in the middle of the trail.  We get a pretty good look before it gives up on the freeze- and-they-won’t-see-me tactic and slithers off into the brush.

It was 40F when we got up this morning and won’t get out of the 50s all day. Tonight they expect a frost. I’ll take it. We are heading further south today.

Don’t do it. It wasn’t a bad place but the gal at the check in just randomly raised the price as I was checking in. “I have to add $3 for you. You’re really big.” They advertise “any sized rig”. We fit in the space without disrupting traffic or otherwise affecting others. I should have checked the reviews ahead of time. It turns out that there are other complaints of creative rate adjustment. It is more the principle than the actual dollars but it is irritating.