After three wonderful days visiting friends in Tampa, FL, we’re back on the road again, this time heading up the Florida coast to the gulf town of Crystal River, Florida, famous for their manatee tours.  A manatee (also known as a sea cow), is a gentle mammal found in the warm clear waters along the gulf coast of Florida.  They move up into the warmer waters of the natural springs during cool weather, so this is the perfect time of year to see these gentle giants.

A few images taken from our kayaks while paddling in Three Sisters Spring:

Also in Crystal River, FL, is the Manatee Education Center.  This is a “must see” if you’re in the area.  It includes a boat ride through a protected watershed, to an area where endangered and rescued animals from the Florida habitat are on display.  A few (and I do mean only a few) of the animals we observed and enjoyed on our visit:

River ecosystem:

Swans and egrets:

Alligator:

Bobcat:

Birds of prey:

Endangered Red Wolf:

After our day of encounter with wildlife, we watched a wonderful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico:

Moon over Miami (almost):

Our campsite at Crystal River, AdventureDavid’s truck camper and our pop-up at Crystal Isle RV Resort:

And so, it’s time we split up and head our separate ways home.  Our route takes us up the gulf coast of Florida to the town of Port St. Joe, Florida.  This is one of the best-kept secrets of the gulf coast.  The beaches are spectacular, as are the sunsets:

Too bad it was 47 degrees…we wanted to go for a swim!