Sunrise to Sunset, Conclusion

Immediately after snapping a picture of Vincent snapping a picture, the skies opened and it began to pour. It seems as if there were no warning! One minute we were debating on whether we should get into the water, the next minute we were grabbing everything off the beach and sprinting toward the Jeep!

Is it just my imagination, or is the back seat of a Jeep doubly cramped when it's raining?






The kite surfers were also packing up, but probably because of the lightning, not the rain.



Since it was still another hour until sunset, we couldn't see sitting in the Jeep the entire time.

It looked like the clouds were broken up to the north, so we whipped out the Garmin and tried to find another destination.


Our last attempt at a sunset was at Anclote pier. We gave up any pretense of trying to swim at this point. Here, Glenna carries a key item.



The tide was low and we walked onto the pier to a place where we wouldn't disturb the anglers.


This is a really cool weather station, placed by the University of South Florida.



This was probably the best shot I got of the sunset. Again, the actual orb was hidden by clouds.


We had each selected a goodie from the bakery at the Greek restaurant to enjoy while watching the sunset. Even though we were completely stuffed (and Vincent said he didn't need to eat again for two days), we managed to find room for bakery goods.

While Glenna and I chose something sensible like Baklava or an almond cookie, Kelly and Vincent chose these cookies that were as big as their faces.



See?


The entire time we were there, the rain kept threatening. We'd huddle under the huge beach umbrella with our Greek pastries, then emerge to take photos, then duck back under the umbrella.

We couldn't stop laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation!



This was the last, parting shot, taken from beneath my towel.


The drive home seemed incredibly long. We discovered that while a convertible Jeep may be cool for a beach cruise, it's definitely NOT cool for a road trip! There are no arm rests in the back, for one, and it's hard to fall asleep with a roll bar in the way.

Thankfully, Himself had had the earlier mentioned Cuban coffee, plus a Greek coffee, plus a coke. I couldn't possibly have done this trip without him! His knowledge of Florida from all his driving was invaluable. I was able to focus on other things and not stress about how to get there. I'm so glad he was with us, and we missed Ty terribly (he was at work).

Though we had our mishaps, that's part of the adventure! If you're waiting for [insert excuse] to do a sunrise to sunset trip, don't wait any longer. Get out there and enjoy!