Here’s Florida

Monday we were waiting for a check to come in, so it didn’t get there and we didn’t depart until after noon.  Kaylee’s friends M & E stayed at our house all weekend, and we just went out to the airport around 11:45 am or so.  I packed up the plane, put in the fuel, and when Steve got there, we headed out.  It was about a 4 hour flight.  We had a pretty decent tailwind for awhile, we were doing like 225 kts.  Then it turned to a crosswind, and for awhile a head wind.  I had some turbulence, and IMC, and then small line of thunderstorms that were RIGHT in our way, like dead center.  I asked to go around the shortest way and they said no, because of a hot restricted area. Going around them all the way to the west was waaay out of the way.  I went to the west, but there was a gap in the weather.  The controller saw it too, but I didn’t have on-board radar, just ADS-B, and only on the Avidyne, not my iPad, so it’s a less than ideal time to pick your way through cells.  So I did it the old fashioned way, looked out the window and weaved my way in and out based on my eyeballs with the ADS-B as a big picture look to let me know where the meanest stuff was and which way it was headed.  Worked out well, though it was unexpected. There wasn’t a forecast for a set of storms over there.  So it goes.  We had rough enough air once I came down a couple thousand feet.  IMC for awhile.  But then we hit Florida, and the clouds were below us, and then they were gone when we got to St. Petersburg.  Clear blue skies and 80 degrees.  You can’t complain about that.

We landed at Albert Whitted airport, because they have much cheaper fuel and ramp fees than the other airport in this area.  Like save you $300 cheaper.  The catch?  This airport has two small runways, one with 2800’, the other with 3100’ available for landing.  That’s not super long in a twin, which is why the other airport gets most of that business.  The Aerostar can get in and out of there though, even at gross weight, numbers we looked up before we left and verified on takeoff roll out of Kokomo when we didn’t even have a headwind to help.  The girls got a kick out of us doing an approach and landing right over the water, over boats, etc.  Kaylee complimented me on the landing, right on the numbers, worked out nicely.  :)

We got our SUV, found our hotel, and checked in.  The hotel had made a mistake. We had paid for an ocean front room, not an ocean view room.  Difference being, instead of being on the west side where you could watch the sun set, and look out just over water, we were looking at other hotels, and could still SEE the water over there, but...not a great view.  The hotel admitted they made a mistake, and took money off our bill, because they couldn’t fix it and get us the appropriate room at this point.  So that was a minor bummer, but at least we got a discount for it.  We’re on the 4th floor, decent view still.  Three bedrooms, three bathrooms, fully stocked kitchen (as far as tools, not food), a washer and dryer and dishwasher, just about anything you could use. Oh, and a jacuzzi in our room.  lol

We ate out at a nearby restaurant where Kaylee had King Crab legs, which were really good.  When we got back, Steve fell asleep on the couch at like 9 pm and went into bed, and I got there about 10:30.  Early sleeping for us, but it had been a busy day of traveling and getting stuff done and ready and here and such.

This morning Steve and I went down to the cafe at the hotel, sat outside and ate.  Decent view out there, palm trees and fountains.  We dropped the girls off for a paddleboarding day, and they spent two hours doing that, while Steve and I went to John’s Pass, an area in Treasure Island that has a bunch of shops and stuff.  We went and got the girls when they were done, then took them to John’s Pass, and we had lunch there sitting out on a dock by the water. And it was good.  Then they went jet skiing for two hours out in the Gulf.  They were kind of nervous, none of them having driven a jet ski before, but they were out of there and did great.  Came back, and we stopped at the hotel long enough to change clothes, and go back out to dinner. 

Everyone has had.a good time this first full day here.  It’s been good. Steve and I went for a walk on the beach, the girls did the same the day before.  It’s been nice.  Tomorrow it will rain in the morning, then be good in the afternoon.   Thursday we’re all going parasailing.  I’ve never done it, so I’m looking forward to trying it.  Steve’s going on the boat to “observe” but isn’t interested in doing it.  So it’ll be us four ladies giving that a try.  I told him no terrible pictures of me hanging up there.  :p

So anyway, we’re here, everyone is safe, everyone is having a good time so far.  :)