March 4 - 6, 2012 Bradenton and Fort De Soto

On Sunday we watched the Jays defeat the Pirates again by a score of 8 - 5. This game was played in Bradenton, the spring training home of the Pirates. At first we were glad to see that our seats were in the shade, however, that soon changed as the wind came up and the temperature dropped to the low 60's. Luckily we brought socks in our bag and were the envy of those sitting next to us as we pulled out heavy socks to put on with our sandals.

After the game we drove about 30 minutes to Lake Manatee State Park where we had a reservation for the night. Florida's state parks are great; very clean, lots of room on the camp sites, electricity and water at each site, hot showers and even hiking trails.  We walked one of the trails at Lake Manatee and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the park.

Awesome site at Fort De Soto Park

On Monday we headed to Fort De Soto park, a beautiful Pinellas County Park consisting of four Keys jutting out into the Gulf of Mexico. Our camp site is facing the water and affords a view of seabirds, fish jumping and people, as well as pelicans, trying to catch them. It has been a relaxing two days here. As I look at a map of the area I am reminded of the many winters my parents spent in St. Pete's Beach and the fun times spent with them on March Breaks.

Today we head south again and will spend few days in the Sarasota/Venice area.