On the way south

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On the road again..

As we had packed most of the stuff last night it was quite simple to get up have some breakfast (finish of the Ice Cream) and hit the road. Jim phoned and came over with our deposit, thanks Jim. We have had an excellent time and would recommend the property to others. I'll update our visit at www.VRBO.com when I get home.

During the night the edges of Ernesto had hit and it had been very wet and windy. Everything was gray as we left and headed southwards. Our first stop was at Venice to see if we could get some fossilised sharks teeth. We picked up quite a few using our Floridian "Snow Shovel" which we had bought on a previous visit at Caspersen beach - see http://venice-fla.com/beaches.htm

Then on to Sharky's on the beach (see http://www.sharkysonthepier.com). Excellent Grouper and chips for about $9. We then got back on the I75 and headed southwards with the intention of stopping in Naples. We hadn't booked anywhere but at this time of year you can just turn up and get an excellent deal. I drove for a bit and then Catherine took over just as we went through the edges of Ernesto (I fell asleep to the patter of rain on the windshield).

We arrived in Naples and stopped at one of those Courtyard Marriots which gave us a room with 2 double beds and a roll away bed for $79 @ £45 not bad for a hotel with breakfast, gym, pool, whirlpool, cable and 1/2 a mile from the beach. You can't get a Travelodge in the UK for that. It was very windy and the surf was up so we all went in and jumped some waves - think Sennen in Cornwall with a water temerature of 88 degrees farenheit. In fact the water is warmed than the air - a bizarre experience.

Cane back to the hotel and had a few snacks - after the Sharky's meal I don't think I'll want to eat anything until tomorrow. The wireless internet is also included in the price - Embassy Suites take note.

Tomorrow we could blast along the I75 to Miami or take the TaMiami trail. We'll take the slower route and hopefully get some great pictures. Here alligator...

Everyone here says hello to Deryn and Caoilin see you at the weekend.

To see our journey so far have a look at http://www.travelblog.org/gmaps/map_1QI.html or click on the Route Map link above.

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Photos

Thats a Blowfish
Not a sharks tooth!

Sharkys on the pier
Whats for pudding?

Run its windy
on the pier

Dont jump!
we're going home soon

That last fish we caught
was this big honest

Funny looking bird
which ran away pretty quickly

Sharkys
the wind is blowing the trees

Naples pier
The wind was picking up

Lovely
Nice goggles