Segway Segue to Naples

Ahhhhh, this felt like Florida! We ordered our breakfast in Spanish, but the lady handing out the (actually well-cooked and recognizable) hotel breakfast was very cheerful. She laughed when Graysen's French toast stick request was "Muchos, por favor!" We ate by the pool as the sunshine crept up the sides of the hotel, and wondered what we were going to do that day. One day to see the Gulf of Mexico from a Floridian angle, along stretches of white, sandy beaches.

Buck really wanted to look into Segway tours (there was a coupon in the hotel lobby). I loved my Segway tour for my birthday celebration in San Diego, and all our kids are old enough now to qualify to operate . . . but it's expensive, and we'd done some expensive things so far on our adventure. The kids gladly offered to chip in half, so we packed the van, bid one of the best hotels ever farewell, and drove to the old, wealthy section of Naples for our tour. We got a little lost and arrived after the rest of the tour group had already watched the safety video, had gathered their gear, and were heading outside to learn the machines. The tour leader said, "Show them the short version." So we sat in chairs, and the second guy turned on the t.v., we saw a glimpse of people riding Segways up a hill, and then he turned it off. "That concludes your safety video, please follow me to get your helmets and ear-packs, and take those masks off--you're in Florida now!"

It takes about five minutes to feel comfortable operating a Segway, and after 15 minutes you feel like you've been riding them all your life. This time, my feet were falling asleep from standing still so long--Buck and Graysen had similar issues. But when you get comfortable enough to shift your weight around while still flying down the street with your peeps, it hardly becomes noticeable--especially while gawking at billion dollar mansions, stunning landscaping, rows of swaying palm trees, and bursts of colorful flowers blooming all around!

To our surprise, halfway through the tour, we rolled right up to Naples Pier. This historic destination was on our to do list for the day, but parking near a pier is crazy and we weren't sure when to fit it in--then viola! We were there, wandering the planks, soaking in the clear, clear waters, and watching a dolphin play around the pilings!

No one wanted our tour to end, but all good things, right? So we went in search of more good things, this time for lunch. We landed at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant which was good, as Buck knew it would be :) Then we made our way to Clam Pass Park--a public beach, set on the grounds of an exclusive hotel. We waited a long while for a tram to pick us up to drive us down the half mile wooden boardwalk to the beach drop-off point. Then we walked past all the resort umbrellas and chairs until we found a place to sit with our Key Largo towels.

The sun was warm, the water was crystal clear, the sand was soft, and the shells were plentiful (Brennen found one with a slimy inhabitant who requested to be returned to the sea :) Buck and Caelan caught some rays, while Brennen found a bored kid who wanted to play catch with a baseball. Someday, we're going to book rooms at a fancy beach resort hotel where we can wander back and forth to the water as many times a day as we want. One afternoon was just a taste of how nice resort living could be for a few days. The gulf side of Florida is really beautiful!

We had a super early flight to catch at one of the busiest airports in the nation (because everybody is going to Florida right now). So, we packed into the rental van, drove the three hours to Orlando, Buck got gas near the hotel (which was near the airport and Disney) and it was $6/gallon!!! Thankfully, he only had to top off what we'd recently filled, in order to return the rental car. Insane prices, either way. So we settled into our fifth hotel of the vacation in order to reorganize our luggage and get some quick sleep. 

Originally I thought our flight left at 8 a.m., but sometimes things are squirrelly with time changes and reservations. It's not helpful when they translate to your current location without your permission. The flight actually left at 9, so we didn't have to be up at 5 to get to the airport two hours early. We we were still a little bleary-eyed and for sure hungry when we hit our final destination. Buck asked me for the van keys, so he could go get our car out of long term parking and I was like, "Oh. Right. Keys. Ummm, I didn't think about that. They are packed in the luggage." So then we had an anxious minute or two hoping our luggage (which has been lost before at this airport) actually arrived--even if it was just the one bag with the key, which was in an outside pocket, so I was super hoping it didn't get crushed and that that pocket was zipped tightly!! All was well, it all arrived, and we walked into the freezing weather to wait for a bus to take us to the parking lot.

As soon as we could, we stopped for breakfast, and boy did we find a winner! Brennen ordered the "Three Car Pile up" for $18 and completely eradicated it. The waitress said, "I've never seen anybody finish that before!" I guess he got his (our) money's worth, ha!

We are thankful to have this opportunity to rest and explore and "brain wipe" as my Cali girl friends put it. We just needed a break from all the stress Buck experiences at work and from the cold and the gloom of early spring. Buck was told he was a different person when he got back to the office and was asked to compare arm skin tones with several people who sport his current color, genetically :) I think they were ready to run away to Florida, too. 

I could go back; we all could go back. We all should go back! Let's go back!! :)