You couldn’t have thought we’d come all the way to Florida and not spend at least some time visiting the ocean, did you?

Our last day in Florida started with a drive down the Atlantic coast and some shell collecting along the way.

Not exactly beach attire but we didn’t come to Florida to hang out at the ocean. This part of our trip is just a fringe benefit of having some extra time because we decided we didn’t need another day at Disney World or visit Universal Studios.

Cutting inland to see Lake Okeechobee, it was this sign for the Pahokee Church of God of Prophecy that caught our attention. I wonder when David Lynch will make a movie here.

Further south, we turned west to pass over Alligator Alley through the Big Cypress National Preserve. On the way, we passed the smallest Post Office in America, roadside in Ochopee.

The road took us through Naples on the Gulf Coast and our first encounter with the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We’re just 72 hours into Caroline’s 32nd year, and she’s already stepped into two major bodies of water. What surprises and great adventures await us in the new year? That is, of course, if we survive Y2K.