Cruising News - Destinations North America

Jan 24, 2010. After getting one daughter squared away at college in Massachusetts we were off to Florida After getting one daughter squared away at college in Massachusetts we were off to Florida to check on our other daughter who recently transferred there. Florida is hot, very hot in September. People say June, July and August are very hot in Florida, well, you can add September to that list. I had never been to the gulf coast before and I really enjoyed it. We flew to Tampa and drove directly to Sarasota. It was a beautiful sunset drive along the water as seen in the photo above. Sarasota is a city by the sea. It's a combination of high rise buildings, small shops, galleries and restaurants. A very charming place. There are several keys or islands directly off the coast of Sarasota with lovely beaches. The gulf coast beaches are flat, shallow for quite a distance and the water is warm. Siesta key is a younger, funkier place, with a lively rock' n 'roll night life. While Lido key is more groomed, subdued and upscale. Both have a lot to enjoy. I almost forgot to mention about the sand on Siesta key. It's so white and soft, that no matter how hot the sun, your feet never burn. We left Sarasota and drove across Alligator Alley to the east coast. Now mind you, I did think I was going to see big alligators or crocks sunning themselves in the marshes along the way. Well, not a one. Still, I wouldn't have wanted a car break-down, especially at night. I should mention that the marshes are fenced off the entire way. Some Floridians say one should be careful making the crossing at night. We made it to Delray, a beautiful little resort town that extends west from the Atlantic Ocean. We explored the area from Lighthouse point to Hobe Sound. It's all very nice. A colorful mix of private homes, condos, seasonal apartments and hotels. Of course we did all this off season. People informed us that the population swells in season to approximately triple its size. The peak season runs from just after Christmas until March, but the "snow birds" as they're called, start to arrive as early as November and stay until April. It rained hardly at all and when it did it was usually at night. We were lucky. One major draw back was the environmental issues concerning the sea. It seems that between serious jelly fish, sea lice, and other maritime phenomena, the sea is off limits a good deal of the time. That's not good. I also heard tales of Burmese boa constrictors in the everglades and deadly fish from the south pacific in-crouching on Florida waters. When aquarium fish become too big people and some shop keepers throw them into the sea. These animals are introduced into environments in which they do not belong upsetting the delicate eco systems. People should be made more aware of the danger of their actions.. By Constance Hobbs - http://chobbsphoto.blogspot.com Jan 20, 2010