RobynPrincess
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- Nov 14, 2010
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The Trip on a Budget (ish) Day 6, Merrit Island Nature Reserve
After a relaxing but tiring day yesterday at DC were taking it easy today with a trip to Merrit Island Nature reserve over by KSC. Last year when Sy, Anne and Cliff went to KSC they drove a little way through the reserve and so wanted to go back to explore it more & to see the wild animals
We got up and had a leisurely breakfast in the condo before heading out in the car. It was a VERY hot day, we had the air-con up full all the way there! I didnt actually have anything for breakfast as I was having a bad day so didnt want to eat anything and then have to sit in the car for a few hours.
When we got there we headed for the nature reserve centre to get a map and some advice of where to go. Once Sy got back to the car with the maps we headed onto one of the wildlife drives. We saw lots of wild birds so Anne was really pleased, if Im honest I didnt really enjoy this bit that much as it was an unpaved road and when I have a bad tummy ache the bumps in the road hurt. Plus it was such a hot day to be stuck in the car. I hopefully didnt let it show though I was helping look for the birds, we even saw another endangered bird it was pink but not a flamingo lol. We then went on another drive to hopefully see a few wild alligators, this road must have been 5 miles or so long, and again unpaved but this time so much worst, it was all holes in the road 
so I was very uncomfortable, and we didnt see any gators! Ah well
After that we went to look for wild manatee. We went to the viewing area but there werent any there, luckily though Sy was told in the reserve centre that they sometimes go somewhere else, so we went to check it out and there must have been at least a dozen of them there!
Here are a few pictures of them
After seeing them we went for a drive to Cocoa Beach as wed never been there before. On the road leaving the reserve there was something crossing, it was very strange, it looked like a strange dog, or an alligator on stilts as we got closer we realized it was in fact an alligator! We didnt realize they could stand on their legs like that! I took 2 pictures, hopefully you can see them in these pictures I took them fron inside the car as we were driving
It was lovely having a drive round there, we only got out of the car for about 5 mins to go on the beach and have a little wander, but it was so hot we couldnt bare to be out of the air-conditioned car for longer than that!
While driving around we got me a taco bell as I was starting to feel sick where I hadnt eaten, it was definitely not the right thing that I should have been eating but it was all we could find. It didnt make me feel any worse than I already felt, thats the main thing. (cost $7).
We then headed home as we were meeting a work friend of Simon and Cliff for dinner in Tony Romas. We stopped to put petrol in on the way ($30 total, $15 each).
Once we got back to the Condo we quickly showered and changed as we were going to be late to meet Gary and his wife (whos name escapes me!). They got there only a little bit before us and got a table just as we arrived. Anne has met them a few times but I hadnt met them before. They were lovely I ended up sitting next to Gary and we talked about our shared love of Florida (he has been many times before too), he was out there looking at villas to buy which was pretty exciting, he did decide after coming home though that he was going to wait a couple of years more before buying. Must remember to stay good friends with him 
Dinner was lovely and we had a lovely waitress called Michelle that stood and talked with us for a long time. She had moved from California to Florida with her husband and 2 babies as they couldnt afford to buy a place over there and it was much cheaper to live in Orlando. We all had a cocktail each (other than me cause of tummy) and at least another drink each and it cost $75 per couple including tip. We said goodbye outside and got back in the car to make our way back to the condo.
Total spends for the day $97
Tomorrow EPCOT!
After a relaxing but tiring day yesterday at DC were taking it easy today with a trip to Merrit Island Nature reserve over by KSC. Last year when Sy, Anne and Cliff went to KSC they drove a little way through the reserve and so wanted to go back to explore it more & to see the wild animals
We got up and had a leisurely breakfast in the condo before heading out in the car. It was a VERY hot day, we had the air-con up full all the way there! I didnt actually have anything for breakfast as I was having a bad day so didnt want to eat anything and then have to sit in the car for a few hours.
When we got there we headed for the nature reserve centre to get a map and some advice of where to go. Once Sy got back to the car with the maps we headed onto one of the wildlife drives. We saw lots of wild birds so Anne was really pleased, if Im honest I didnt really enjoy this bit that much as it was an unpaved road and when I have a bad tummy ache the bumps in the road hurt. Plus it was such a hot day to be stuck in the car. I hopefully didnt let it show though
I was helping look for the birds, we even saw another endangered bird it was pink but not a flamingo lol. We then went on another drive to hopefully see a few wild alligators, this road must have been 5 miles or so long, and again unpaved but this time so much worst, it was all holes in the road so I was very uncomfortable, and we didnt see any gators! Ah well
After that we went to look for wild manatee. We went to the viewing area but there werent any there, luckily though Sy was told in the reserve centre that they sometimes go somewhere else, so we went to check it out and there must have been at least a dozen of them there!
Here are a few pictures of them
After seeing them we went for a drive to Cocoa Beach as wed never been there before. On the road leaving the reserve there was something crossing, it was very strange, it looked like a strange dog, or an alligator on stilts as we got closer we realized it was in fact an alligator! We didnt realize they could stand on their legs like that! I took 2 pictures, hopefully you can see them in these pictures I took them fron inside the car as we were driving
It was lovely having a drive round there, we only got out of the car for about 5 mins to go on the beach and have a little wander, but it was so hot we couldnt bare to be out of the air-conditioned car for longer than that!
While driving around we got me a taco bell as I was starting to feel sick where I hadnt eaten, it was definitely not the right thing that I should have been eating but it was all we could find. It didnt make me feel any worse than I already felt, thats the main thing. (cost $7).
We then headed home as we were meeting a work friend of Simon and Cliff for dinner in Tony Romas. We stopped to put petrol in on the way ($30 total, $15 each).
Once we got back to the Condo we quickly showered and changed as we were going to be late to meet Gary and his wife (whos name escapes me!). They got there only a little bit before us and got a table just as we arrived. Anne has met them a few times but I hadnt met them before. They were lovely
I ended up sitting next to Gary and we talked about our shared love of Florida (he has been many times before too), he was out there looking at villas to buy which was pretty exciting, he did decide after coming home though that he was going to wait a couple of years more before buying. Must remember to stay good friends with him Dinner was lovely and we had a lovely waitress called Michelle that stood and talked with us for a long time. She had moved from California to Florida with her husband and 2 babies as they couldnt afford to buy a place over there and it was much cheaper to live in Orlando. We all had a cocktail each (other than me cause of tummy) and at least another drink each and it cost $75 per couple including tip. We said goodbye outside and got back in the car to make our way back to the condo.
Total spends for the day $97
Tomorrow EPCOT!
