Day 2 of Florida Road Trip, Feb. 2025

Woke up in the Four Points by Sheraton in Punta Gorda. Waited for Husband to wake, then went for a run. It was still dark, and I worried about crocodiles and snakes and criminals. Some of the walkways were well-lit, with fairy lights wound up the palm trees (very pretty). But the main cycle path, which was attractively placed next to the water, was very dark and I was too nervous to run that way. So we had a not-great run mainly next to the main road. Arrived back at the hotel without being murdered/eaten, which I considered a success.

Breakfast in the hotel. We had a voucher, which covered everything we ordered except a $2.75 order of extra toast. I was interested that they charged us for this (Usually Husband’s  loyalty card means breakfast is included—even the toast.) Very nice hotel though, with no broken ice-machine roaring outside our door all night, so no complaints.

We packed and left. I really dislike constantly having to rummage through a suitcase when we travel, and I find I waste a lot of time looking for things. I therefore organised everything into smaller bags: A bag of everything I need at bedtime, a bag of electricals, a bag for when we go out for the day, a bag of running clothes, etc. Not everything fitted back in the suitcase, but I decided it didn’t matter if I needed to do a couple of trips to unload at the next hotel.

We set off for Babcock’s Range, East of Punta Gorda—a find in the guidebook. (We are old, we still use guidebooks.) It was a ranch in the middle of nowhere, but they advertised ‘eco-tours’ which Husband decided would be worth doing (I wasn’t so sure—we don’t usually like tours because it’s impossible to make the guide stop talking and they are usually very irritating). We arrived, drove down the long driveway, and parked. There was a gift shop (with a rude woman serving, who did not pause her phone call to serve me, but I spotted a mug and a fridge magnet that I fancied, so I bought them). There were also washrooms (always welcome after a long drive). We were directed onto a school bus, which had been painted green and had the windows and side supports removed. One of the other tourists remarked that this made the bus structurally unsound should it roll, which was not reassuring when combined with a big sign stating that under Florida law, eco-tours were not liable in the case of death or injury. We sat at the back (I don’t like being breathed on.)

The driver/tourguide was a fairly cynical ex-fireman, and I liked his style. He drove us round the ranch, pausing to show us various features, and described the natural world that we were seeing. It was actually very interesting (I am much more interested in the life-cycle of an alligator than the history of the rich ranch owner.) It’s dry season here, and we drove through swamps that had no water, looking at the stubbs of cypress trees which form sort of ‘tent pegs’ to secure the underground roots in the wet soil when the swamp is flooded. We passed marshes, with alligators sleeping while water birds walked between them. (A swamp is standing water, so dries up. A marsh is moving water, so lasts unless the stream dries up.) 

Apparently the alligators and great blue herons cohabitate areas, each allowing the other to eat their young. Most young alligators are eaten by herons, and the herons will toss a couple of chicks to the alligators because they hatch more than they can find food for. In return, the adults ignore each other. Nature is a grisly affair, even without human intervention. But we didn’t see this, we saw peaceful ponds where gators and birds slept and fished side by side. It was lovely (though we weren’t tempted to go paddling).

The ranch also has ‘cracker’ herds, which are cows introduced by the Spanish. Most cattle died due to the heat in Florida, but this herd survived. They are small and thin, and no good for beef, but they are bred today as an historical herd and sold for rodeos (where cowboys show their skills at catching cows—which is still necessary on the vast ranches). I like the idea that some cows are bred today not for beef. We also saw wild pigs, which are common in Florida, and from the bus they were cute and funny (but I understand that pigs are way more vicious than alligators if you encounter them in the wild).

We heard that humans have tried introducing crocodiles in Florida (crocodiles are salt water animals). Crocodiles live much longer than alligators and grow much larger. Alligators are not generally a threat to humans because they never grow to be big enough for humans to be easy prey—they prefer small mammals like racoons and dogs and baby pigs. But recently there have been cases of hybrid alligator/crocodiles found in the everglades, which is very worrying because a huge alligator would definitely see humans as prey—and alligators are everywhere in Florida (we even saw one in a pool at a motorway rest area). There is now a reward for anyone who hunts the hybrid species, as they hope to stop it reproducing. Which is yet another example of humans interfering and messing up the natural order of the world and then trying to put it right when they realise how it negatively impacts them. Humans seems to constantly mess things up. Frustrating.

After the eco tour (as we were still alive) we drove to Arcadia, a nearby ‘cowboy town.’ Didn’t see any cowboys, though several shops sold hats and boots and saddles. We ate in Myshelly’s Kitchen, which was clean and friendly. The menu included things like ‘Bison Burger’ and ‘Gator Bites’ and ‘Boars Head Pastrami.’

Drove to St.Petersburg. Checked into the Hilton. They insisted on valet parking, so my multiple small bags instead of a single large suitcase proved rather embarrassing as we hurried to unload everything we would need before the car was whisked away. Room was nice, and we could see the waterfront from the window. Dinner in a nearby Italian restaurant (Gratzzi Italian Grille). Another good day. Went to bed about 8pm, so gradually converting to US time. Slept well.

Hope you stay safe today. Thanks for reading.
Take care.
Love, Anne x