Sometimes the best getaway is closer than you think!

Sometimes the best getaway is closer than you think!

This past month Carolyn and I had a small window of opportunity to get away for a short vacation. We started thinking of cruises and all inclusives just because it sounded easy. But we weren’t super excited about it either. We knew it would be fun once we got to our destination but we were less than thrilled. Carolyn even made several attempts to book a cruise, but for whatever reason technical difficulties kept getting in the way. One evening while checking out Facebook, someone posted a link (http://www.bkadventure.com/package/bioluminescence-kayaking-night-tour/) for a bioluminescence kayak tour. It sounded really cool so we checked into it and ended up booking the tour. This little excursion had nothing to do with our vacation, it was just something fun to do. So still trying to decide what and where to go, nothing was getting it for us. As we thought about our kayak trip, that actually excited us! So we thought, why not just find some more cool things to do in Florida and make that our vacation? That sounded like fun! With that my travel agent, Carolyn, started scouring the state for fun adventures.

 The planning was done, seedy motels booked, a different adventure each day and we were off. First we drove up to Cape Caneveral which is where our bioluminescence kayak trip would be. It was a rainy day but the forecast looked like it would clear up by evening. Our trip would begin at 10:30 pm. We checked into our hotel that afternoon and just hung out and relaxed. Carolyn found us a hotel that was literally a 5 minute drive to the river where we would launch the kayaks. When we arrived we were greeted by 20 or so smiling faces all there for the tour. Most everyone was from around the state. We were all given some brief safety and paddling instructions, life vests, lights a lead guide and one pulling up the rear. The kayaks were launched in the river and we were off.

 Fortunately it was a dark night, clear skies and a sliver of moon. Which lucky for us is the best time. If the moon is too bright, it’s harder to see the luminescence. To give you a visual, the color in the water is that of a fire fly, the look is like oil and water only it still feels like water. It’s a combination of a certain algae and billions of micro jelly fish. As you paddle through the water, everything lights up and the fish go crazy! Thousands of fish, large and small, darting in every direction, jumping out of the water and leaving a bio-luminescence trail of 3-4 feet behind them. We were only in 1-3 feet of water most of the time. In one lagoon we got out and stood in probably a foot of water and just watched the show. The trip lasted about 2 hours. We had the best time, absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it!

 Next adventure, off to Silver Springs! All the years we have been in Florida we had never visited one of the thousands of springs (http://www.silversprings.com/).  The town of Silver Spring itself is struggling. It looks like it was hit hard during the downturn and is having difficulty recovering. Silver Springs Park itself is now federally owned. Which I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I’m assuming it was taken over because of financial reasons, not really sure. But it looks like it is a little underfunded. The park is beautiful, but some of the facilities and structures need some repairs. The staff and service are great! Carolyn found us a cool little motel, The Sun Plaza Motel. It was a really cute place. It was recently rehabbed and on a shoestring budget. Probably a do it your-selfer. But they did a good job and it was very clean, awesome beds, fresh paint and a great place. Definitely the best place in Silver Springs. The motel is pretty much across the street from the park entrance. The first thing we did was head to the park for a glass bottom boat tour. Touristy I know, but when in Rome. It was actually a lot of fun. The springs are beautiful! I didn’t imagine it would be that impressive. The boat takes you through the waterway and hovers over each one of the springs. The boat captain tells you the history and facts about each spring.

 After our tour, we just walked the park, which is really pretty. Later, we took our bikes out for a tour of Silver Springs and a little section of Ocala to check out the local fare. Honestly, not much going on in that town, but we did find a great restaurant, The Mojo Grill in Ocala, right next door to Silver Springs. Later that night we drove back to The Mojo Grill for dinner and had a great time.

 Rise and shine. The morning was wet and rainy but we headed back to the park for some kayaking in Silver Springs. We had a really nice time just paddling through the springs. Visibiliy wasn’t great, only because the rain drops add ripples to the water so you can’t see through the clear blue water. But still a great time and beautiful. The rain let up for a while so we could see well. And we had an alligator friend join us for part of the kayak tour also.

 We packed up late that morning and headed to Ocala for some horseback riding! We hadn’t ridden a horse in years but were really looking forward to it. Our drive was about 2 hours. Our destination was a state park with stables ran by a local company. The weather was looking a little dicey. A band of bad weather was threatening to roll through. But the guide felt if we left right away, we might miss it. So we saddled up and were off. It was just the guide, me and Carolyn. The ride was about an hour and a half long and we loved it! So peaceful and the woods and trails were beautiful!

 The next plan was to drive to Tarpon Springs and see the sponge docks and all the Greek restaurants. Tarpon Springs apparently was heavily settled by Greek immigrants back in the day where they dove for sponges and sold them from the docks. That may not be entirely accurate, but it’s close. First thing when we arrived in Tarpon Springs was to check into our motel. Carolyn was a little worried about this one because it was only $50 a night. But hey, were adventurous and it was just for the night. As we drove through the town, it looked pretty nice and as we approached our Motel, it looked ok, and as we pulled into the parking lot, we started to worry. Upon walking up to the lobby, you ring a bell and they buzz you in and the door locks behind you again. I forgot to mention, you can rent by the hour or weekly as well. It wasn’t feeling so good. But, and I can’t believe I’m admitting this, we paid for our room, took the key and drove around to the door. As soon as we opened the door, we immediately knew we were not unpacking. We walked back to the office and informed them of our departure. Because we used booking.com, we would have to go through them to get our refund. At that point, we didn’t care about the $50. We did take a quick drive through the town looking for a restaurant, but parking is difficult, every lot is $3-$5 to park and as far as we could tell, one souvenir sponge shop after another. With that, we had our fill of Tarpon Springs and decided to chalk that one up as a slight misdirection and drive an hour to Clearwater.

 Clearwater ended up being a great decision. We found a great, inexpensive motel for the night and right on the beach. We unpacked, made a cocktail, and hit the Clearwater strip. It had been about 16 years since we had been there and it has grown a lot! It was nice just walking the streets, hitting a couple of watering holes and checking out the scenery. After a great dinner and more walking around, we were ready to be done. But what a great time! We hit the beach the next morning for an awesome beach run and walk. It was flat and beautiful! After our run and breakfast, it was pack up time and hit the road for Pass-a-Grille!

 Pass-a-Grille is at the southern end of St Pete Beach on the Gulf Coast. It got the name, so we’re told, because fisherman would grille fish at the end of the beach and if anyone was looking for the place, locals would say “Just pass-a-grille and you’ll be there”. A good story even if it’s not accurate, but I think it’s mostly accurate. This is such a beautiful town! You can tell the real-estate market here has really exploded and not cheap. Carolyn booked a few nights at a really beautiful place called the Coconut Inn. Very nice, spotless and an efficiency. It’s right across from the beach and right in the downtown area. The beaches are spectacular and the town and people really nice! I was surprised it was as busy as it was for this time of year. I can’t imagine how busy it is in season. There aren’t a ton of restaurants or shops but it didn’t matter it’s such a great place! Most nights we walked across the street and sat on the beach to watch the sunset. After that we walked across the street to one of the restaurants for dinner and drinks. One day we jumped on a water taxi that took us to a little island for the day. It’s only about a ten minute ride. We really were able to unwind at Pass-a-Grille, loved it there, just a super relaxing place.

 And that was the end of our 6 day vacation! It accomplished all the things we hoped it would. Only one slight setback which actually led to a nicer venue. Carolyn works really hard at planning these awesome vacations. This wasn’t so much about running, even though I did manage to get in a fair amount of beach running, but it’s about getting out and exploring beautiful, exciting places close to home. This was a great vacation and I hope you get the opportunity to explore some awesome places also!

 Stay safe, happy and healthy, we’ll see you out there!

 Edgar