Bel13ve- Day Five- Little Toot and more.

**walt4it** · 1 Dec 13, 01:51 AM

Previously

INDEX if you have missed all of what has gone before

It's the 31st of July 2013, and you wake up at silly O'Clock again, yet there is a real awareness that this has been a memorable trip to the coast. Stayed in St Petes Beach last year and this trip continued the beach part of our trips. The West Coast of Florida continues to intrigue - probably due to the temperature of the water

Beautiful - simply does not do it justice.

We woke, we breakfasted (with Voucher and in allotted area

)
and we got in the car for a drive.

We simplydrove

, looking at how the coast had evolved in respect of development .

Lots to see,yet the joy of car air con and warmth means the pics taken have that misty glow around the edges

I will avoid adding them!

We did a big U shaped turn and found a Mall close to Clearwater -
JC Penney store qand others were considerably cheaper than the main Orlando area.
Sad moment was I bought shirts for work

on my holiday!
amazing bargains - $8 a piece!

Lunch,was Taco Bell for Josh and I,whilst Joe and Al headed for subway.

We headed back to the beach

If in Clearwater there is simply one thing you MUST do - Dolphin boat trip

So, having spent the last couple of days thinking of the options and simply looking from the Beach at what the trips involve - we headed to our personal winner...

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We booked, and then had a chilled out hour - we actually picked up some free wifi in the boathouse which created a massive conundrum.
Tampa Bay Rays baseball - having subscribed to their website prior to the trip I knew this moment would arise

Kids for free night! and a total cost that would put even a non -league football ticket to shame...
Tempted?
Oh yes... we could :do boat trip, pick up a hot dog at Tropicana Field, watch the game that started at 8, head back to hotel and have a good sleep.

The phone (with wifi

)was hovering over a book ticket NOW button,
Temptation ( months of prior thinking - we could slot this in

)

3.30 in the afternoon, a boat trip ahead of you and we could go after this...

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Leg of Joe explained it all!
Yet he was totally unaware that his day may result in another trip in the car and a few hours spent watching a game only his Dad tries to understand!

We fell in love with Little Toot, have to thank every one on the Dibb who has posted about this boat, it was as special as you all said it was going to be, and then some more!
We waited for the dolphin experience, but when it happened it simply underlined so much of what we had seen and done in the past few days.
To see dolphins in the wild and experience their interaction with us was amazing
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By the time we saw dry land again it was beyond 5pm - the conundrum was becoming more and more obvious.

Planning conversation went like this...

"Last night in Clearwater, do we want to be here or Tropicana Field?"
" We are off to Disney in the morning , so will a late baseball finish help that?"
" we can watch the end of the baseball on the tv"
" Dad - can we go body boarding on the beach?
Thi sconverstation was had on a top floor overlookingthe pier - great bar and position, not sure of the name but you can't miss it- highest point in the area!

So what happened next...

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We went to the beach and stayed 'till sunset, it is why we came here and we knew that it is the one reason we came here - we live on the east coast and never get the chance to see the sun setting over the sea.
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And headed ...

**walt4it** · 1 Dec 13, 01:52 AM

After a quick wash and change, we headed back to the restaurant we spent on our DAY 3 evening. Gondoliers

To be honest, I could give the same food review,the service was just as good and the quality of food was as good too

It was superb,we missed the evening rain, walked back and knew we would miss being here.
It was such a great way to end our beach trip and the knowledge that we would be heading to Orlando filled us with such excitement.

Our Next stop was to be Saratoga Springs

Disney here we come...

Click here for day 6

BRUCE -SONG OF THE DAY - Waiting on a sunny day

joanna23 · 1 Dec 13, 08:50 AM

Aah beautiful pictures of the sunset! SSR here you come - it almost feels like reliving the a Summer all over again ...

mossyflossy · 2 Dec 13, 11:43 PM

never tire of clearwater and the beaches along that coastline, the water is like stepping into a warm bath. and little toot (or sea screamer) are both excellent too. I can understand the dilemma with the ball game, hopefully youll be back another time to catch that. Beautiful sunset, wish I was there right now.

**walt4it** · 5 Dec 13, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by joanna23

Aah beautiful pictures of the sunset! SSR here you come - it almost feels like reliving the a Summer all over again ...

Originally Posted by mossyflossy

never tire of clearwater and the beaches along that coastline, the water is like stepping into a warm bath. and little toot (or sea screamer) are both excellent too. I can understand the dilemma with the ball game, hopefully youll be back another time to catch that. Beautiful sunset, wish I was there right now.

Thank you both for your comments- I too wish I was there right now

and looking back, this trip report is becoming a wonderful reflection of last summer - I just wish I could get the time to post more regularly the upcoming days

Determined to do so, as I have never shared trips previously.

As for the ball game - aware of the time involved - minor league at Lakeland Flying Tigers with free food. beer etc is a good alternative for anyone wanting to avoid the expense of major league.

Have to admit I was within seconds of pressing the book now button for the baseball

Am so glad I didn't, we enjoyed every last minute of daylight on the beach and enjoyed the restaurant once again. Unforgettable days at the beach

( even lookking back in December!)

Reetser · 28 Dec 13, 10:36 AM

A wise choice I feel not taking in the baseball and enjoying those last few hours together relaxing in the moment.

All too often on these trips we all tend to rush and pack so much in that these little moments become stand outs in their own right!

Looking forward to Disney now!

summersun · 28 Dec 13, 01:10 PM

great day and fab pics

Helen & LittleD · 15 Jun 14, 10:51 AM

another great day, im loving the trip report, such a great holiday you all had

juliab · 15 Jun 14, 05:09 PM

More photo's of the beautiful sunsets and of course of the dolphins! Great day.

**walt4it** · 7 Sep 14, 12:59 AM

Thank you so much for reading - dolphins were amazing to see in the wild.