Homeward Bound

All good things must end.....leaving only a roughly twenty hour drive back to Canada.  We opted for the scenic route, taking Interstate 95 north from Florida, through Georgia and South Carolina, then diagonally across to North Carolina before passing through scenic stretches of Virginia and West Virginia.

The weather was good, albeit windy.....the scenery was great....but the traffic was frequently terrible. Between volume, construction and accidents....well, it was at times a stressful end to a relaxing time away. Ah well, this is the life we chose.

Rather than arriving home to spring, as anticipated, Ontario was being ravaged with winter storms. Thankfully Wheatley was spared the snow that scourged much of the province, but the bitter winds and cold were in decidedly stark contrast to the heat of Florida. At least the border crossing was quick and painless, and we were home in daylight to a house full of needy felines.

The more scenic and peaceful parts of the drive!

Light at the end of the tunnel

Welcome to the Swamp!

We could not visit Florida without an airboat tour of a swamp. While not as far south as the Everglades, the headwaters of these famous swamps reside just south of Orlando, in the Kissimmee area. We made the trek down to the bottom end of Lake Tohopekaliga, for a memorable ride with Boggy Creek Tours.

Captain Andy took us along the southern edge of the lake, where we glimpsed gators, deer, bathing cattle, and a plethora of indigenous bird species. On top of the scenery, it's just plain fun to buzz around the swamp at top speed with a knowledgeable guide!

Lake Tohopekaliga

More cool trees!

Heading out

Keeping the cattle on their toes....er...hooves!

Hang onto your hats!

Into the weeds

Captain Andy banks left

Baby gator sunbathing

I'm a big Fan of the Airboat

Later, gator!

Baseball Fever

In the heart of the Grapefruit League, I also took time out to catch a spring training ballgame. Unable to coordinate a Blue Jays game, I "settled" for the Yankees and Tigers at Detroit's complex in Lakeland, Florida.

Arriving quite early, I bought a cheap seat....which was not a seat at all but space on the hilly lawn past the outfield wall. This way I could TRY to move around and hide in the shade as much as possible. It also meant that I got to watch the Yankees take batting practice on the main field in front of me, while the Tigers took theirs on a practice field behind me.

I spent the game hiding in the shadow provided by a pillar, slowly moving around it as the sun moved throughout the afternoon. I'm surprised security never appeared to question the creepy lurker in the outfield, leering out from the shadows.....but I digress.

The Tigers won a barn-burner by a score of 10-6, owing in part to strong winds blowing out to center field. The breeze kept things quite pleasant.....but I still got too much sun!

Bring on the regular season.....GO JAYS!!!

Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland

Old Glory blowing straight out to center field

The Tigers warming up

The Yankees getting game ready

Ballpark fare!

Game on!

Play ball!

Sunshine State of Affairs

After some great times in the Great Smokies, we continued south for a date with Florida. Rather than the "fastest" route, we took the road less travelled, through western North Carolina and across rural Georgia, before ending late in the day in the Tampa area. Here we would spend a few days in Zephyrhills, to help ready the Cox home in Shady Oaks for sale and gather some belongings.

But it was still a vacation, and we still needed to see some sights. The next morning, we headed to nearby Plant City, where we walked the quaint downtown Historic District, sampled the local cuisine, and patronized a local establishment for some great tunes and real culture.

We also toured the Tampa area, albeit in the rain, as thunderstorms greeted us. Undeterred, we visited another establishment recommended by Triple D - the Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Great food and delicious microbrews all in one place.....sign me up!

Of course, a visit to Zephyrhills requires a meal at Manolo's, for simple yet succulent Italian food and drink, at a great price!

From Tampa we moved on to three days in Orlando, amidst the mouse-eared chaos of International Drive, another Strip of hotels, retail, dining and amusement. Here the state truly earned it's name, as we fair folk were veritably pummeled with three straight days of sunny and hot (30-33 C) weather. Our room at the Rosen Inn was quite lovely.....and easy walking distance to many venues, including Pizzeria Uno and their delicious deep dish pizza.

On our last night in town, we were able to meet up with a resident and friend we made exactly a year ago, during a river cruise in eastern Europe. Last time, she left us a surprise bottle of champagne in Budapest.....the least we could do was buy her a few glasses of wine in return!

Plant City, Florida

Big Dog's Patio Bar

Cool tree moss!

Our courtyard view in Orlando

Deep dish from Pizzeria Uno

Old Town in Kissimmee

The Orlando Eye

Beer Sampler at Tampa Bay Brewing Company

Tampa's Sunshine Skyway Bridge....sans sunshine!

Delicious dinner at Manolo's in Zephyrhills

Cheers to good friends in Orlando!

Clingmans Dome

Now to get to what we REALLY came here to see......the Great Smoky Mountains. We started the day off early, to get out ahead of the rest of the crowds. Nothing worse than a traffic jam up twisty mountain roads!

The highlight of the day was the hike up Clingmans Dome, to the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains and perched atop the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina. It was a little chilly, with frost still clinging in the shaded areas, and a bitter little wind at the observatory at the summit. Well worth the views, all the same.

Not many pictures of the drive itself - too busy negotiating hairpin turns under rock faces with a cliff on the other side - but this piece of road is one of the most fun I have ever driven......and where the agile and spirited Juke can really show off!

Many great hikes remain to be explored when we return to this stunning National Park. Caves and camping too.....but also Bear Country!

A haze on the hills

Smokin' hot!

Clouds hang low in the valley

The curving walk up to the observatory

The view from the top!

And the bottom!