Sebastian Clambake

Day 6 "I will buy you" - Everclear
What a day! - we awoke to clear weather, so expectantly people started staking their spots out on the river front for the launch (I now realise it isn't the sea, but the "Indian River Lagoon" - as nice as it sounds). About 10am I went on the NASA website to see how we were looking, but again there was a problem. When they began to fuel the rocket they found there was a leak, so they are going to have to drain the tank, wait a day for it to warm up, and then check it out... The next launch window in on Monday (it's Friday, and I'm not going to be here then). Didn't leave me in the happiest mood, but I soon remembered where I was and that I had much better things to do than mope about, so I headed over to Merritt Island to got for a bit of a walk to clear my head.

I went on a 1 mile train around some scrub land and saw a Red Bellied Woodpecker (I know this because it has a white belly and a red head *doh*) then drove over to the Manatee Viewing Platform one last time to see if I could catch a glimpse of them. After half an hour, disappointed I went just round the corner to the boat platform, and hey presto, a whole family of manatees playing in the dock! Accompanied by a school of dolphins! I was about an hour watching and taking photos, it was so tranquil, warm and lovely.

When I left I saw a little thing scuttling about in the car park. It was an armadillo! Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside ARMADILLOS! - I think he was real old and deaf and blind. Either that or just plain stupid, he let me get within 5 foot of him to take his photo!

Quite chuffed, I drove over to another trail on this island (took about 3 hours) and walked through the woods. I have discovered that "Interpretive Trail in the Hammock" really means "Footpath in the woods". It was awesome to see, this forest was half palm (palmetto also, I think they are the same things) and oak, but all the oak trees have all this Spanish Moss hanging from them, all fluffy and like clouds. Saw a few little lizards and some proper dock-off spiders.

My feet were killing by the time I got back to the car, but my next destination was an hour and a half drive a way, so no time for dordling I set off.

My lovely sat-nav took me on the interstate, which was an experience., all the way down to a place called "Sebastian" where they were having a "Clam Bake". This was like a nice little town faire, only all the food was clam-related. The entertainment was a little more suspicious. They had a "Sweet-pea beauty pageant" and then a lot of little girls appears and did some gymnastics!?

So the food: I had Clam Chowder, which is all creamy and really nice, and then I had linguini with red clam sauce (tasted a lot like spaghetti bolognese to me, but still very nice).

I sat and watched the band play old blues standards as the sun set, then I drove back home.

There was a sign at the clambake saying "No Smoking In The Park". I asked a nearby police man "If I can't smoke in the park, where can I smoke" to which he answered "You want me to tell you where you can smoke Pot!?" - I think he hadn't got get accent quite figured out for the word "Park" :)

While cruising down Easy Street (because I literally did have my cruise control on while driving down "Easy St." :) ) I figured out that I have learned quite a few things about driving in america:

1. American roads are that wide because they have to be because everyone's cars are mahoosive!
2. The speed limit is there for... Oh, whatever!
3. A school bus is allowed to stop all the traffic in all lanes whenever it wants, whether it is appropriate or not.
4. Your lane may end at any time, without warning, and plonk you on cross hatchings so be on edge.
5. A constant flashing orange traffic light means "Everything is OK" (got knows what happens when it isn't)
6. And if anyone can tell me what a single blue cats eye in the middle of a lane means, I might just be a better driver.