Bobby, Denny & me

We're leaving the villa today for climes new i.e. a Travelodge in Homestead. To make up for this sad state of affairs, we decided to go via the Waffle House for breakfast.

As Mr F made sarnies of our remaining bagels and salami, I started the first of many trips to the recycling bin. As I threw the 8th 2 litre juice bottle in, I was surprised that you couldn't hear us slosh as we moved. Did we really drink all that much liquid in 7 days?

With the car finally packed, we said our goodbyes to my friends, the pool lizards, and set off. The Waffle House was busy today but not being proud, we grabbed a couple of empty seats at the counter. To be honest, I preferred sitting there anyway as you got a better view of the griddle action and twice as many coffee top ups. I had thought to have biscuits, grits and gravy but the lure of the pecan waffles won through yet again I'm afraid. Mr F pushed the boat out though and went for the full American breakfast with sausage patties and proper hash browns. The two girls sitting to our left were not quite so enthusiastic with their order - one ordered a cheese omelette made only with egg whites and no cheese. I kid you not.

I made one last attempt to photograph the panther road sign on the way out of town - as you'll see, it's not much of an improvement. Mr F was under strict instructions to stop for another photo opportunity I'd spotted the day before - a white van with an amusing advert painted on the side. Stop, he dutifully did but the advert to 'hold and hug a gator' was too much for him and I suddenly found myself in possession of more than just the photo I was after.

Why is it always me and not him that gets pushed forward for these damn things? I have decided this will be addressed, however, at the next available photographic opportunity.

At a paltry $5 a pop for 3 poses, it was the bargain of the century. Bobby, the 4 year old gator was quite sweet really, with warm scales and wide, unblinking eyes. As she was handed to me and gently propped on my shoulder, I didn't comment that the elastic band round her snout had seen better days. This guy, running a roadside gator shack, knew what he's doing, right?

I'd done 3 weeks work experience in a reptile house whilst at school, so I consider myself relatively at home with scaly beasties. Of course, that doesn't mean the odd worry doesn't cross my mind in certain situations. When I handed my new friend back, she flailed like a rampant tiger that hadn't eaten in a week. I took this to mean that either she'd found my warmth so comforting she was rebelling against being moved or I had been seconds away from a holiday disaster involving sharp teeth. Need I remind you again at this point, that this was all my darling husband's idea? No, I thought not.

We'd opted to leave the interstate behind today and drive the great Tamiami road - the only road to cut straight through a National Park. The animals must just love it.

This decision was mainly so Mr F could have a last crack at seeing a Snail Kite. He would have to go without however, as a state trooper blocked the road. Turned out there had been an accident and if we wanted to get to Homestead before the ice caps melted we'd have to divert back to the good ol' I-75.

The satnav made good though and took us straight to the door of the Travelodge. I went to check-in and was duly informed where and when for breakfast. I was then surprised to be given along with our room keys, a book of money-off coupons and some microwave popcorn. All we needed now was a microwave. I had of course, forgotten this was the US of A. Our room was resplendent with not only a microwave but also a fridge and coffee machine. You're not in Yorkshire now, Toto!

We dumped our stuff, scoffed our lovingly prepared bagels and headed out to explore the Everglades. Now, you remember those lovebugs? Well, forget them. Here we found a whole different kettle of flying insect. Not sure what they are yet, but we're amazed they can actually take off with such massive body size. More investigation is needed...

We'd decided to go straight to the Anhinga trail and walk the boardwalk. I was only mildly perturbed by the signs telling visitors to avoid parking near large groups of vultures. Luckily, there were none present when we arrived which afforded us unobstructed parking opportunities. What was present however, was a conveniently placed ye olde gift shoppe. I made note of this for later.

The Anhinga trail was touted as the best boardwalk for birders. We found a couple of the trail's namesakes and tracked down where all the vultures were hiding but that was about it. Oh, and gators. Lots and lots of gators. And noisy small children. We wondered if there was a link? We left via the gift shop after only a quick browse but with 2 tubs of unexpected ice cream in tow.

Back at Travelodge, we trawled through our coupons. Aha, 20% off at Denny's which just happened to be right next door. And so began our tour of American diners.

Denny's was as expected - a heart attack on a plate. Well, several actually, on several plates. Our 'Sampler' starter included all the things on the planet you could fry, quickly followed by 2 orders of Grand Slam burgers - a preposterous mix of fried egg, bacon, hash brown & cheese atop the ubiquitous burger. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy all this, in fact sadly, I enjoyed it all too well. I could hear my arteries complaining already. It was only a shame I was too stuffed to try their new Baconalia ice cream sundae!

No. of dolphins seen: 0
No. of manatees seen by Mrs W: 1 stuffed toy in gift shop
No. of gators hugged by Mrs W: 1 for $5 for 3 poses
No. of coronaries in the offing: 4 each (at least)