Days 192 - 194

Maderia Beach FL - St Petersburg FL

• Start 9:45 AM
• End 12:25 PM
• Underway 2:40 Hours
• Distance 20 Miles
• Total Miles on Trip 4131
• Av Speed 7.3 knots
• Weather Partly Cloudy , 72 Degrees, Wind 3 Knts ENE

Leaving Maderia Beach we got a much later start than we have been used to. There were two reasons one Mark (Kay Dee) has left us, and more importantly it was low tide and we were waiting for more water in the cove before we left. Also we our stops are much closer together than they have been in a long time.

We are still torn between liking the small towns and being back in more populated areas. The views are very different than the last couple of months. The waterways are still beautiful but very developed. The houses range from small modest cottages to grand estates. One of the interesting sights was the condominiums with docks under the buildings. One of the advantages of having Matt & Ilene with us, is I get to sight see while Matt drives the boat. I would say I get to relax while Matt drives, but anyone that knows me, knows I do not relax well when someone else is driving!

The Municipal Marina is giant marina but not in the best of shape. The best part is the prices are much more reasonable than the private marinas. St Petersburg is a great town to spend time in. In three days we did not even scratch the surface of things to do or places to see.

We started our exploration on The Pier at St Pete's. The pier is the focal point of the water front. In addition to the many street vendors and performers there are restaurants, bars and an educational center on the pier.

One of the reasons Matt & Ilene can spend two weeks with us, is they both work remotely. It is amusing to watch them sit in the salon and work. (I kinda remember what work is like) I did bring back memories of me sitting in the exact same spot Matt sits in, having Zoom meetings.

One thing we do not like about St. Pete's is the system they have for rental scooters. In most towns you pick the scooters up anywhere and drop them off anywhere. In St Pete's you must return the scooters to a very designated place, and if you try to stop your ride anywhere else, it will not let you, and they will charge your credit card $120. I would be ok with that but the app did not recognize that we were in the "spot" and would not let us stop our trip. We ended up spending more time trying to return the scooters then we did riding them. It took so long to return them, we did not have time to go to the Dali Museum that day.

A must see, is the Sunken Gardens. The Sunken Gardens started as a roadside attraction that is now the states oldest living museum with over 50,000 tropical plants and flowers. After walking there (No more scooters for us!) we decided that it would be much better to Uber to the Dali Museum.

The Dali Museum is another must see why you are in St Pete's. The museum houses more the 2,500 pieces from Dali. Even if you are not into art museum's it is worth the visit. If you are into art museum's there are also several more in town that you can visit.

I would have to say the highlight of our stop was the Tiki Boat sunset tour. (Great Idea Matt!!!) It is supposed to be a two hour tour along St Petersburg bay to watch the sunset. Ours turn into a tour dolphin cruise. As we went around the pier Captain Dave spotted some dolphins out in the bay, and headed towards them. Since it was just the Matt, Ilene, Angel and I, Captain Dave asked if we minded hanging out in the bay instead of touring around. We spent the next hour following them and watching them play. It was amazing.

Our next stop is Tampa.