Kissimmee River

I slept very well in Sebring since the drive down to Florida on Saturday took a lot out of me.  Fifteen hours of driving is more than an old geezer like me is used to these days.  When we were in our 20s we would easily drive from our home in West Virginia to western Kansas in one day on our way to see Mary’s parents in Utah.  While that was 16 hours of driving it didn’t seem as long since my bones (and brain) were much younger then.

After waking, I learned to use Marcia’s Kuerig machine to make tea.  The caffeine was welcome after the good night’s sleep.  I read some, did my German lesson, showered and got dressed for the day.  Marcia said that there had been trains passing in the night that were very noisy but I didn’t hear a thing.  A truckload of dynamite could have driven through the room and gone unnoticed by me last night.

Once everyone was up and dressed we took Marcia’s “hippy bus” into town.  The 1977 Volkswagen bus is beautifully restored inside and out with peace signs and psychedelic art.  Everything in the bus is clean and neat.  There isn’t a speck of dirt on the rear mounted VW engine.  The flooring and headliner were bamboo mats and Marcia has a hula girl on the dashboard to dance as she drives.  Everyone in town gawks and waves as she goes by.  People are always wanting to take photos with the bus and talk to her about it.  

She drove us to a nearby flea market where a vendor that Steve knows sells locally grown vegetables.  Having lived in the snow belt, the thought of buying locally grown tomatoes in late January amazed me but the tomatoes were quite good.  The drive back to their home had people waving and flashing peace signs as we make our way through Sebring’s streets.

Marcia made ham, egg and tomato sandwiches on whole wheat for our breakfast.  They were really good and had us ready to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather.  We went out and prepared Steve’s aluminum fishing boat for a day on the river.  Since the temperature was already in the 80s we wore shorts and t-shirts.  We considered taking fishing gear but decided that we would just enjoy the boat ride today.

We put the boat in the water near the town of Lorida where there is a public boat slip on the Istokpoga Canal.  Launching was fast and simple on the boat ramps although the water in the canal was only two feet deep at times.  This canal was part of a larger waterway that was constructed in the 1920s to drain the swamps of Florida, make the land more suitable for agriculture and to provide a navigable waterway between Lake Kissimmee and Lake Okeechobee. The environmental consequences to these projects were unforeseen and there are currently projects underway to restore the watershed to a more natural configuration.  

We saw several other watercraft including a good many fan propelled air boats and several small aluminum boats called “mud boats” with long motor shafts that extend well beyond the boat’s transom.  We have seen these boats on television being used in shallow waters in the Louisiana bayous.  We also saw locals using these mud boats in shallow areas on the Yangtze River in China.  

We made our way slowly in the canal until we came to the Kissimmee River where we continued north toward Lake Kissimmee. Along the way we saw dozens of alligators, some basking the warmth of the Florida sun and some swimming with the eyes and backs visible as the moved through the water.  The Kissimmee River was much deeper (10 to 15 feet) than the canal in most places but we still had to exercise caution because of the numerous sand bars and sunken tree snags in the river.  

We found a wide spot in the stream and enjoyed our lunch of peanut butter sandwiches, apples and potato chips.  We were happy that Tyler called to check in while we were out and had good news about the possibility of selling Jackie’s former house in Huntington.  After our lunch we started back toward the boat launch enjoying the warm sunny day.

We made the short drive back to Sebring and got the boat and truck parked then went for a walk along Lake Jackson.  There is a good sidewalk near the lakefront so we walked 1.5 miles to a public water fountain and bench where we turned and returned back to Steve and Marcia’s house. We stopped at a small public beach on the lake then continued our brisk walk breaking a sweat in the warmth of the day.

Marcia made a beef roast with mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy for dinner.  Everything was excellent and we all enjoyed our meal.  Marcia is an excellent cook and made sure that we were well fed.   

After dinner, Steve and I enjoyed a sip of John J. Bowman bourbon and watched a Netflix movie, Hell or High Water with Jeff Bridges.  The movie was good and we enjoyed sitting and watching.  We both turned in a little after 10 pm.