Florida Trip Day 7

I was disappointed to not paddle today either, but W is still not feeling well.  I was reluctant to go kayaking by myself; too many tales of manatees flipping boats.  So I went on a boat tour just so I could get out on the water.  There were lots of pelicans around, since a fishing boat had just come in.

The boat tour was nothing special but we did see some manatees.  It is starting to warm up so they are leaving the springs.

I had forgotten how built up it is along the river here.  I had hoped to paddle to the Halls River, which I remember as being neat with lots of springs.  But the beginning of the paddle wouldn't be very nice, so I guess we won't be coming back here again.

Florida Trip Day 6

W was not feeling well today so we didn’t paddle.  I relaxed and took photos of the “wild” birds hanging around the docks and the lawn in front of our unit at the Riverside Resort.  This great blue heron spent most of the day claiming this boat.

This one caught a fish that seemed too large for it to handle.

There are lots of pelicans around, especially when a fishing boat shows up.

And this great egret spent quite a while wandering the lawn in front of the unit.  I wonder if it expects to be fed.

Florida Trip Day 5

We paddled on the Silver River today before heading for Homosassa for the night, and our friends joined us on the paddle.  We saw many of the same sights as we did when we paddled it on 2010, and enjoyed it just as much.

We didn’t see many alligators and the ones we did see were fairly small.

This one had its snout resting on the back of a turtle.

And of course we saw lots of other turtles.

I didn’t take many bird photos.  The current was so strong it was hard to hold the boat steady long enough.

Anhinga

Black crowned night heron

And of course you have to photograph the many monkeys.

I was surprised to find lots of cardinal flowers.  I am used to seeing them in the Adirondacks.

Florida Trip Day 4

The four of us paddled the Wekiva River today, putting in at Katie’s Landing.  We paddled to the spot where the Blackwater Creek flows in and then turned around, for a total of about 8.5 miles of paddling.  At first glance it might seem as though the river is not that much different from the ones we paddle in the Adirondacks.

But the vegetation along the banks is very different.

And then there are the numerous turtles.

Later in the afternoon we had a nice walk around Mount Dora, including on the boardwalk along the lake.

Florida Trip Day 3

This morning we drove to meet our friends from Mount Dora.  We met at the put in for Blackwater Creek and had a wonderful paddle along the creek

and saw several nesting great egrets

Then we paddled among the cypress along the shore of Lake Norris, which was really neat, before paddling back to our starting point.

Then we drove to Mount Dora where we spent the night with our friends.

Florida Trip Day 2

We completed our drive today, ending at the Best Western right on the beach in New Smyrna Beach.  We had planned to stay 2 nights but had to eliminate one due to the delayed start of the trip.  That was too bad since the suite we stayed in was very nice and the beach was great as usual.

Florida Trip Day 1

We started on our drive to Florida today.  We were supposed to go yesterday, but a line of severe storms hit all along the coast, so we waited a day.  What we didn’t realize is that there were still very high winds.  We had a lot of trouble with the boats getting blown around on top of the car and had to stop frequently to tighten them.  It was a relief to get to our first stop at a Fairfield Inn in Smithfield, NC.