We were told to pack for three days, two nights and to bring casual clothes. I did bring one dress and a pair of dressy shoes in case.

Our day started at 6:30 AM. We boarded a Small World Tours bus and picked up a total of 27 adventurers. We made our first coffee stop at Buc-ee’s.

We continued driving until about 11:30 AM when we stopped in Cocoa Beach, an acquaint historical town that was hosting a crafts market.

As we walked through the different kiosks, since I  had forgotten my hat, Bobby bought me a lovely hat that will go nicely with the coat that I bought in Saudi Arabia. We were telling the proprietor of the store about our mystery trip and that we didn’t know where we were going. She gave us her business card and asked us to tell Starr, our Tour Leader, to put her on the mailing list because she wants to go on mystery trips.

We went into a restaurant called American pub where I had a delicious bison burger. My side of broccoli was deliciously seasoned. It was one of the most flavorful broccoli dishes I have ever had. It was flavored with garlic, but unfortunately too much salt. However, it still tasted delicious.

We still did not know where we were going next. Our next stop was Westgate River Ranch & Rodeo, 188 acres of wilderness — the way Florida looked before Disney World was built on swamp land.

We took a boat ride on the Kissimmee river, the second largest river in Florida after the St. John’s River, which is the largest. The St. John’s River is near where Bobby and I live.

The boat ride was delightful. We saw beautiful wildlife but unfortunately the day was cloudy so there were no alligators sunning themselves. We did see several but not the normal hundreds.

After our boat ride we took a swamp buggy ride. The swamp buggy had the largest tires I have ever seen in my life. I’m 5 foot 1 inch and those tires were taller than I am. We had to wear seatbelts because the ride gets rough. We rode around and saw what Florida looked like before it was developed. Florida is the original cowboy state. Ponce de Leon brought 25 heads of cattle and 50 horses to Florida.

We rode through swamp mud and large ponds. Bobby was afraid the buggy was going to enter a sinkhole and I was going to have to rescue him. Fortunately for Bobby, I was trained in CPR. (Editor’s note: which really helps after you’ve disappeared into a sinkhole ;).

After our buggy ride, we had dinner in the restaurant. I had a half rack of ribs with brussels sprouts — a strange side dish I must say. Bobby had a beef brisket sandwich with french fries. 

We finished our evening at a rodeo. What I especially liked about the rodeo was the emcee first said a prayer thanking God for this great country and asking God to bless everyone who was in attendance and that all would arrive home safely. The emcee then honored veterans and finally, we all sang the national anthem. I have to say I’ve heard better renditions of our national anthem. However, our heart and soul was in it when we were singing.

I was so thrilled to see all these young children running around wearing cowboy boots and hats and they really seemed to be enjoying themselves. I saw more fathers with their children than mothers. Hooray for fathers and fatherhood.

We finally arrived at our hotel after 10 PM. It is a lovely hotel. It is not a major chain — Inn on the Lakes. 

Day two of the mystery tour will remain a mystery for now.