Monday, April 02, 2012

We Got Our Wish

Florida Keys (high 83, low 72)

We finally got our wish yesterday.  The winds subsided, the seas laid down, and it was a perfect day for kayaking.  I guess the “March winds” knew it was April 1st.

We decided to launch right from Sunshine Key.

We put the kayaks in under the bridge.  There were quite a few people enjoying the beach and water, so we had to maneuver through them.  No English spoke here.

We started out on the Bay side and paddled around in front of some of the waterfront sites.

view of sunshine key from water

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There was a pretty little sand bar right off shore.  The water looks so pretty when there is a white sand bottom.  The area in front of Al is not any deeper, but there is some grass on the bottom.

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We paddled around towards the Marina and Al decided to run back to the house to get some rope he forgot.   (one nice thing about paddling at home)

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

I paddled and photographed around the marina while he ran home.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

The Marina has really cleared out of boats.  Many snowbirds left yesterday, but the park is by no means empty.   We saw quite a few new arrivals coming in all through out the day.  We figured that now since the low season rates are in effect, lots of people will take advantage of that.  I guess this park is always going to be pretty busy.  I can certainly understand why.  This is a great place to be.

We left the marina, paddled around some mangroves and saw lots of small barracuda and Mangrove Snapper.  Mangroves are the fish nursery area.

We headed towards the bridge dividing the Atlantic from the bay side of the island.

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Here we are now under the old bridge and heading towards the new bridge.  They have kept the old bridges for fishing bridges.  I love the style of the old bridges.  Much more interesting architecturally, I think.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

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Once we came out from under the bridges, we went from the “bay” side to the “Atlantic” side.  We are now officially in the Atlantic ocean.

As we rounded the corner we saw a few small islands with several boats anchored just offshore.

We found our own little sandy beach in the shade.   We parked the boats, got out and walked through the water in search of gold doubloons and sunken treasure!   Unfortunately,the only things we found were some sponges and a few small shells.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

Back in the kayaks to continue our trip around our island.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

I wish my pictures could show how incredibly beautiful the water was.  It looked so much prettier in person.

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Al decided to get out and snorkel and see what he could find.   Lobster season officially ended yesterday.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

He had a rope attached to his kayak and he kept the kayak with him.  The water was shallow and I don’t think he ever got in water above his head.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

We found an area with some rock on the bottom.  This is where you’ll find the fish and lobster.  They won’t be on the sandy flat areas.

Al no sooner stuck his head down then he popped back up and said he saw two legal sized lobsters!  Of course since lobster season ended the day before, he was out of luck!  Oh well, at least he saw something.

He didn’t see much else except for this cute little lettuce slug that he brought up for a quick picture.

lettuce slug while circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

He snorkeled quite a while and I paddled along with him.

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It was so beautiful.

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strange sea life.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

He finally decided he had enough snorkeling….now to see if he could get back into the kayak.  Some of you might remember his last attempt at snorkeling and he had a tough time getting back in the boat.

Well, it wasn’t pretty

 

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

but finally, success

 

ta da!

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We paddled around some more, but we were starting to get tired.  We had been out for hours.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

The bottom changed from sand to grass, and it was very shallow.

circumnavigating Sunshine Key Rv Park by kayak

We finally arrived back at Sunshine Key….

We were pooped. 

We ordered pizza delivery, did our chores and I was in bed by 7:30!   Al stayed up a while to “watch tv” in his recliner.  Smile   I think we may have over did it a bit because we had some tired/sore muscles. 

Today will be a “day of rest.”  We’re going geo-caching.

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful paddle! Thanks for taking us along. :)

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  2. I'm taking notes since we will be there in May...

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  3. Wow! Great day and great pictures. The water looks so pretty and inviting!!

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  4. Photos never do justice to such a gorgeous place. You did a great job capturing the beauty. Do you guys carry a GPS or is there even such a thing? I would get lost out there on the water. Maybe you just look at landmarks to guide your way back. Enjoy your week. ~wheresweaver

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  5. Just beautiful. Love the pics of Al getting back in the kayak. I can't even imagine trying to accomplish that.

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  6. Paul and Marsha
    We do have a small handheld GPS that we use when we could get lost. It shows our tracks and we can navigate back the same way we came.

    On our trip yesterday, we just circled around the island....no way to get lost and we could almost always see the huge flag that is in the front of the campground.

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  7. great day for a paddle!..thanks for taking us all along!

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  8. Oh I can tell just how beautiful it is!!! That water is majestic and once you see it I don't think you ever forget how it looks!

    Do you keep any shells? I'd love to see some photo's of the bottom and beach findings!!! Those are the things that make my heart sing...

    Have a great day of rest!

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  9. Looks like a great way to spend your day doing what you love to do. Your pictures certainly told the story. Have fun geo-caching!

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  10. What a great way to spend the day! You sure know how to have a wonderful adventure on (and under) the water.

    You documented the day beautifully with your pictures, even if they are not as good as real life, they show that we need to be there with you NOW! ;c)

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  11. Wonderful place to be!! The water there is certainly looking a lot better than our water here in Oregon right now. We were out yesterday, and the rivers are way high, really brown, and very swift...many are over their banks in some places. Sure enjoy seeing where you are.

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  12. Looks like you had a terrific day - thanks for all the beautiful photos! I liked the ones of Al getting back in the kayak!

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  13. Looks like you had a good, LONG day out on the water. The water looks beautiful even in the pictures.

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  14. What a great way to spend the day! Water was gorgeous!!! Thx for sharing.

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  15. Just beautiful! Can't imagine what you actually saw if it was better than your pictures. Good for Al. Not sure I could get back in the boat.
    What GPS (waterproof I assume) do you use when you kayak and need one?? Sounds like it has way points and that's what I need.

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  16. I think your pictures capture it very well! That sparkling turquoise water looks soooo inviting!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  17. Can'at imagine the water being any more beautiful than it is in your pictures. What gorgeous scenery and the kayaks seem to be a great way to enjoy your area - as long as you can get back in!!

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  18. what a great day, well worth the sore muscles :)....great pictures...the water is gorgeous...have a good rest today..you deserve it...

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