Today was our last day of vacation. We did not want to get moving too quickly so we took our time packing up the car. We somehow managed to fit every last piece of luggage. It was a bit cramped for Nana and Karen in the back. We wanted Nana and Papa to see some wildlife indicative to Florida so we went down to Boca Raton to check out Gumbo Limbo Nature Centre.
The centre is completely run by volunteers. There is no admittance fee, they just ask for a donation. The first thing we did was walk along the boardwalk trail that took you through the preserved Hardwood Hammock. About half way along the trail, there is a forty foot observation tower. At the top, you have a view of the ocean to one side and the intercostal waterway to the other side. The views were spectacular. We continued along the trail back to the nature centre.
Next stop were the tanks that simulate what it is like in the ocean. There were two tanks and in them were various fish, hammerhead sharks and stingrays. The one stingray kept coming up to the surface for air. We then headed over to the sea turtle rehabilitation facility. There were seven different pods that each had a turtle. Each turtle had a different story as to why it was there … hit by a boat, shark attack, etc. The goal is to fix the turtles and then release them back to the wild. Our last stop was the Florida Atlantic University Research Gallery which had dozens of baby turtles that were getting ready to be released.
We left Gumbo Limbo and headed back to Singer Island along A1A. What Nana liked best about this ride was seeing all of the huge homes along the ocean. We even saw Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago.
We picked up a late lunch from NY Bagels and Deli and took it back to Nana’s cousin Stan’s condo. We did not have much time to visit but we did manage to squeeze in one final walk along the beach. We said our goodbyes to Stan, his wife Anna and son Philip and then headed to the Palm Beach Airport.
I dropped Karen, Nana and Papa while I took the car back. I thought for sure that I would not see them until I got to the gate. I was surprised when I got I to the check in line and there they were. The line was moving extremely slow with computer problems. In the end, it took almost 45 minutes before we got our boarding passes and were making our way to the gate.
The flight home was quick and we were greeted by a cold wind and snow on the ground. We rang the New Year somewhere on the 401.
Be First to Comment