A trip with my Mom. This was the weekend of my Dad's would be birthday. Mom really needed this and so did I.
5/22- Worked a full day then drove to Atlanta. I took my time due to a flight delay but arrived about 20 minutes before Mom landed. I booked a hotel connected to the airport and just took the sky train to baggage claim, where I met Mom right on time. We went to the lounge for a drink then hit the sack.
5/23- 10 AM flight and a 45 minute line at security but we had plenty of time. I am not a fan of Frontier Airlines but this was the only flight with a reasonable arrival time. It looks like a great deal but because of the outrageous bag fees, it's really not. They said that they would hold the plane for 20 minutes to accommodate passengers who were delayed on a prior flight. That turned into more than an hour.
Lunch was fast food at the airport then we got the rental car and did not arrive at the hotel in Clearwater until after 3. I took a dip then we got some delicious Grouper at a restaurant on the beach. We then saw a beautiful sunset over the water then went out for a drink.
I didn't bring my board because the surf forecast showed 0-1 foot waves all week. Bad call there. Surf was surprisingly decent and better than expected. 3 out of 4 sessions had rideable waves. I still enjoyed it even if I was only body surfing.
As far as the weather, it turned out pretty good. We are right at the transition between the dry season and the rainy season. That means a guaranteed high temperature in the low 90s but a risk of scattered storms in the afternoon and evening. We got some thunder but no significant rainfall. Water temp was about 82. Just about perfect.
5/24- Morning beach session then checked out and attended church. From Clearwater, it was a little over an hour south to Bradenton. Our first stop was Pirates City, the Spring Training site of the Pittsburgh Pirates. There was no museum but we did get to tour their practice fields and took a walk around the bases.
From Bradenton, it was about 20 minutes to Anna Maria Island, specifically Holmes Beach. We chose to stay inland because beach hotels are outrageously expensive ($600+ per night). Parking can be hard to come by but because we arrived late, it wasn't too hard. Dinner was nice but the beach session was cut short due to a threat of storms that never came.
5/25- Another 30 minutes south to Siesta Key. Despite a 9:30 arrival, parking was a nightmare. Fortunately, we got lucky at a small public lot with no bathroom. We had to sneak in a hotel but it was a success. This was the most beautiful beach with the best surf. It is often ranked as the number 1 beach in the country and I can see why.
From Siesta Key, it was about an hour and 15 minutes north to Tampa. We spent about an hour touring the Aquarium then checked into our hotel in Ybor City. This is the party section of Tampa. I just wanted to check it out. Dinner was a steak at a Spanish restaurant then I went out for an uneventful drink at the bar. Nevertheless, I found Ybor City to be interesting and worth a visit.
5/26- Uneventful. Smooth ride to the Tampa airport. On time flight to Atlanta and the drive back to Birmingham wasn't too bad.
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