Downtown Boca Grande

Puffin has reluctantly left St. Petersburg to start back south along the Florida's west coast. The first stop was an anchorage in the Manatee River recommended in Randy Pickelmann's cruising notes (see previous post). Puffin dropped the hook in early afternoon at de Soto Pt. allowing time to explore a State Park that celebrates Hernando De Soto who reportedly passed through this area during his explorations of the southeastern United States in the 16th century.

If we barely remembered de Soto from our high school history, this visit was a reminder that explorations in the days of the conquistador were often suffused with violence and deprivation. De Soto was no exception and was, in fact, noted for his brutality. A favored tactic was to kidnap a tribal chieftain and hold him for ransom. Gold and silver was plundered from the natives and de Soto often enslaved natives he encountered. His explorations are believed to be a causative factor in the hostile relationships that developed between native tribes and the Europeans. Additionally, some native tribes were badly decimated by diseases that Europeans brought, including smallpox, measles and chicken pox. By the end of De Soto's second exploration, nearly half of the 700 men from his party died or were killed in numerous skirmishes along the way before finally reaching a Spanish outpost in Mexico. De Soto, himself, died of a fever, reportedly on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Fortunately Puffin's explorations are significantly more benign - native populations are usually quite happy to have explorers (tourists) visit since amounts of silver are deposited wherever we travel and regular visits to Publix keep scurvy at bay.

The next stop was Boca Grande Marina. Unlike de Soto, we didn't have to explore this posh island by foot - we rented a golf cart to visit a small, but interesting old museum and fomer lighthouse at the south end of the island. It had a few artifacts but lots of pictures of island life as it was during the early part of the 20th century and before the notion of fine homes arrived at the little island.

In the middle of the island was a small, bustling town where carts nearly outnumbered the cars and posh items were sold to the posh people.

A later walk out on some of the streets was perhaps the most enjoyable; an opportunity to see close at some of the most beautifully designed landscaped yards we've ever seen.