The Sunny South # 2: Where in Florida is That?

Florida has a well-earned reputation as Canada South during the winter, with tourists from all parts of Eastern Canada flocking to the beaches, the cities, and the theme parks.  All the same, it sometimes surprises me how little grasp many of my family and friends have of Florida's geography, or even of where this or that community is located.  This even applies to people who've been to Florida.

That's why I decided to do this general blog post.  I got tired of explaining exactly where I was going to everyone who asked!  Stick around a geography teacher long enough, even a retired one, and you're gonna get a geography lesson.

The map below is to show the locale in which I'm travelling, so it only includes the southern third of the state, as far north as Orlando.

My first week is in the Doubletree Resort on North Redington Beach.  That's on the west or Gulf Coast, in between Clearwater and St. Petersburg.  I landed at Tampa Airport, and the resort was about 40 minutes away by rental car (it can take longer in heavy traffic).  And yes, the highway really does run right across the shallow waters of Tampa Bay west of Tampa Airport -- the Howard Frankland Bridge is almost 17 kilometres long including approach causeways, but feels a lot longer when you are driving across it.  I call it the Eveready Bridge because it just keeps going and going and going.....

You can skip the long drive across the Eveready if you get a flight into St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport, which is located near the west end of the bridge.  That way you start driving from a point that's 20 minutes closer to the beaches!

My resort is located on one of the barrier islands which lie all around the shores of Florida.  These islands were originally a mixture of mangrove marshes and sandbars, plus a few more substantial islands.  They have been built up through the years by incredible amounts of dredging to provide a stable foundation for thousands upon thousands of homes, condos, hotels, shops, and restaurants.  Virtually all beaches in Florida are found on these semi-artificial barrier islands. The many islands are connected to each other and to the mainland by dozens of bridges.

After I leave this beachfront resort next week, I'll be driving south to spend a few days in Fort Myers.  My hotel there is right next to the I-75 freeway, but my real point of interest is Sanibel Island and its immediate neighbour, Captiva Island.

From Fort Myers, I'm driving across the Everglades to Fort Lauderdale -- but not on the toll highway known as "Alligator Alley" (I-75).  I'm taking the older road, past Everglades City, known as the "Tamiami Trail" (short for "Tampa-Miami").  Yes, it's a bit slower, but cheaper and far less heavily travelled, which makes for a more relaxing drive.

Here endeth the lesson of the day.  The test will be held at the end of tomorrow's class!  (hee hee). 

With that, here's a photo gallery of my resort at North Redington Beach and some of my favourite spots in the near neighbourhood.

Early morning view from the balcony.

Beach view on a sunny day -- New Year's Eve, to be precise.  With no wind, even 19°C (66°F) feels warm and toasty, but the ocean water in December certainly does not.  I haven't seen anyone get in over their knees except with a wetsuit.

Shrubs and trees still flowering in December. 

Quintessential Florida -- lunch in sunshine on a dock over the water (the food was coming!).  This is at Sea Critters Café, a favourite eatery in Pass a Grille, south of St. Pete Beach.  A number of local restaurants have "parking lots" like this for boats as well as the more usual paved kind for cars.

The boardwalk and drawbridge at John's Pass, just a few minutes south of my hotel.  John's Pass is an active commercial fishing port, but also a tourist attraction with numerous shops and restaurants, many of them on the waterfront boardwalk.  This channel is the "pass" itself, an open waterway between two of the barrier islands, which allows boats to travel between the inland waterways and the open Gulf of Mexico.

Numerous pelicans and a few egrets are easy to spot, perching, preening, and doing stretches on the boat docks.  These birds know where to find the fish -- and the boat docks at John's Pass are a great place to hang around while hoping for snacks.

Those who have followed my blog since early days will recognize some of these places as spots I have visited before.  But there's always some place new to see, and here it is.  The nature sanctuary up the coast at Indian Rocks Beach preserves a slice of the island as it was before development began.  A wooden boardwalk threads its way through a tangled mangrove swamp to the shores of Boca Ciega Bay, between the island and the mainland.  Fortunately it was a cool morning, so there weren't any mosquitoes around.

And to wrap up this blog post, the most spectacular sunset I've ever seen in all my visits to the Gulf Coast.