Greetings from Homosassas FL!

We're in Florida! After 18 hours on the road, we're in Homosassa Fl. We left a day early to avoid the snow storm that has now dumped several inches of snow in Virginia and the Carolinas. We saw several ominous electronic signs that read things like " WINTER STORM WARNING -TAKE SHELTER" and "MAJOR WINTER STORM MAKE OTHER PLANS UNTIL MONDAY." We saw some light snow in Charlotte but it cleared and we rolled into Savannah around 11pm.

Because we left a day early, we gained an extra day to explore. We made the decision to travel to the Gulf coast of Florida and break the second half of our trip into two smaller chunks. This has given us the opportunity to visit a manatee sanctuary tomorrow morning.

The state park has a sanctuary for manatees that visitors can explore and meet several manatees and a resident hippo, oh and of course a slew of 'gators. We'll visit the park in the morning before heading down the west coast of Florida and arriving at Flamingo.

The weather has been rainy but things should improve tomorrow. We stopped at the Florida visitors center and it was Winter Fest. We drank orange juice and popcorn in our T-shirts while Braedon had a palm tree painted on his face by a local artist. All of the guys are loving the warm (65 degree) weather. They were all amazed to see oranges on trees, in backyards!
Several of the guys are convinced that the palm trees in the parks can't be real. We had a late lunch at a really good BBQ restaurant, we're the guys learned that Carolina BBQ sauce is made with vinegar.

As I write this the guys are finishing science homework. Since lunch was late we'll grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to our rooms and finishing up for the day.

In a few minutes I'll post a video blog entry from Layton and DJ. Layton has given us several memorable qoutes that I've been writing down and I'll post them near the end of the trip.

Don't forget to comment or ask questions. I'll have the guys (or me) respond.

-Lane