Paddling around Homosassa

After waking up a little late, we had a cold cereal breakfast then took the dogs on a walk around “the cube” but because of the heat and humidity we wished we had walked them earlier.

The kayaks and gear were already loaded on Marks pickup so we drove the 16 miles to Ozello where we found the boat launch on John Brown Road. We were able to launch a little after 9:30 am. There was a strong wind blowing in our faces making progress paddling very difficult. In addition, we crossed several bays and other large bodies of water.

We paddled around many of the islands, oyster bars and mangrove growths as we made our way north back to Whittington’s house. As we paddled, we saw ospreys, young bald eagles, some herons and egrets. Several brown pelicans were diving for fish.

By the time we arrived back to the dock behind Whittingtons house, we were exhausted, and arms were sore from paddling against the wind. The time was close to 2 pm by the time we pulled the kayaks up on the dock.

Mark and I drove back to Ozello to get the pickup and see some of what was in the small town of Ozello.

Back at the house, Mark and I modified the door to the new corner cabinet to better accommodate the swing out shelving. It was a fairly straightforward job changing the direction that the door opened.

We all showered, changed and got ready to go out to the Marguerita Grill for dinner. We met neighbors, Kenny and Jody from Minnesota. We ordered three pitchers of Margaritas for the six of us. I ordered the Captain’s platter and Mary had the Aspen crab cakes then helped me with the platter. The owner, Sam, came around to tables welcoming everyone and checking that everything was good. Flags were passed our as Lee Greenwood sang “God Bless the USA” and veterans were recognized.

Back at the house, we refrigerated our leftovers and relaxed before bed.

Kayaking Cedar Key

Preparing to kayak to Cedar Key

We woke at 6 am and did our language lessons before going down to take the dogs on a 40 minute walk through the neighborhood. When we got back to the house, we had a breakfast of oatmeal and bagels. Mark & I loaded the kayaks and gear on the pickup, and we left for Cedar Key a little before 9 am. The drive to Cedar Key was about 90 minutes, but we made a quick stop at Gulf to Lake Marine so Mark could pay for the new boat.


As we drove into the town of Cedar Key, it was apparent that the area had been hit hard by last August’s Hurricane Idalia. Several buildings had lines indicating the high-water mark. It appeared that most homes and businesses had made a quick recovery, and the town was ready to greet visitors.

Taking a break on Cedar Key

We were able to park right at the beach and unloaded the kayaks quickly a little before 11 am. We paddled the half mile over to Cedar Key in the shallow water. While paddling around the island, we watched an osprey diving for fish near our boats. The bird didn’t have any success while we were watching but seeing the beautiful bird in action was a treat. We paddled to the back side of the island, sometimes against strong currents watching the different birds and even a raccoon on the beach. We floated through a canal that cut through the island and came out near where we started. We ate some snacks on the beach and chatted with a couple visiting from Minnesota. 

 Ruins of the Eberhard Faber pencil factory

While walking around and saw some structures on the other side of the island, so we started paddling around the island in the opposite direction. We stopped near the destroyed dock by the ruins of the Eberhard Faber factory, which made the wooden slabs for pencils in the 1860s. There were some bricks scattered as well as a few iron parts. We walked about a quarter of a mile into the island’s interior where we saw a cemetery with graves from the late 1800s and the first decade of the 20th century. We returned to the kayaks and paddled from the island to the area where parked. We loaded the kayaks quickly and started driving back south toward Homosassa.

The lunch choice was at Robinson’s Seafood Restaurant. I felt bad because I tracked a lot of sand into the restaurant on my water shoes.  I had tried to get the sand off before I came in but still made a mess.  Cindy and I had the platter which included grouper, shrimp, oysters and a crab cake. I had fries as my side while Cindy had chowder. Mark had the shrimp dinner and Mary had grouper. Only Mark was able to finish his meal, so we brought grouper filets back for leftovers. 

Sunset from Standish Drive

We were back at the house by 5 pm and took the dogs on a short walk before walking across the road to watch the sunset.

We made popcorn while we watched an episode of Astrid and an episode of Vienna Blood on PBS after doing our evening language lessons.

Paddling in Morris Creek

We woke at 5:30, had our morning drinks, did language lessons and ate a slice of toast before taking the dogs on a 90-minute walk in the neighborhood and up to the nearby wildlife observation tower. When we returned to the house, we had scrambled eggs and bacon for a late breakfast.

Mark and I took off in a kayak to check the pinfish trap and to try fishing in Mason Creek. The wind was a lot calmer than when we were out yesterday evening, so it was easy to reach the trap which had no baitfish. We paddled around and fished a little but did not catch anything. Mark had a large fish follow his lure to the boat.

We got back to the house around noon, ate quesadillas from leftover chicken, and then Mark and Cindy left for the boat dealership. They took a test drive of the 20’ Xpress SX20 boat, which they purchased at the end of the test drive. The boat will be ready for pickup on Tuesday after the Bimini top and power poles are installed. The boat will be great for Mark to fish in the near shore areas around Homosassa. It will be outfitted to be able to comfortable fish 10 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico.

Sage sunbathing on the dock

Mary & I stayed at the house since a mattress for the Murphy bed was delivered by UPS this afternoon, and we did a little laundry. Mary knitted while I showered then basked in the warm sun. It was nice to just relax a bit this afternoon. I called Steve Minor and planned a visit to Sebring for lunch on Saturday. It will be good to see him and Marcia.

Mark & Cindy returned after purchasing the boat around 5 pm so Mark, Mary and I removed the mattress from the box but not from the shrink wrap and got it up the spiral staircase. Once the mattress was on the Murphy bed, we opened the vacuum bag holding the mattress and were shocked to see it grow from an inch thick to a firm mattress over 12 inches thick. We were impressed with the quality of the mattress and the fit of the queen-sized mattress on the Murphy bed.

We took the dogs on a shorter walk in the neighborhood then came back to the house for dinner. Cindy made beef and broccoli over rice, which was delicious, and we all had seconds. After dinner we did our evening language lessons, watched an episode of Serpent Invasion on Sling TV then an episode of Astrid on PBS. Everyone but Mary slept through a good bit of the hour-long Astrid episode. We planned an all-day kayaking trip to Cedar Key for tomorrow, which should be a lot of fun. Cindy watched a little more television, but Mark went out to the patio for a sauna while Mary & I turned in.

Shopping for a boat

After waking at 5 am we had our morning beverages, did our language lessons then took the dogs out for a 90-minute walk through the neighborhood. We had a cold cereal breakfast when we returned to the house.

After breakfast we went to the neighbor’s house to help move some things. The house next to them has been vacant since Whittingtons bought this house. The owner, Jimmy, is 90 years old and is giving the property to his two daughters. The three of them were in the house cleaning, replacing the flooring with vinyl planks and making repairs. They needed Mark and me to take a washer, dryer and dishwasher down to load in their pickup. The house is built on tall stilts in the flood prone part of the state. The area under the house is a place to park cars. Getting the appliances down was easier than we feared since Jimmy had built an elevator powered by a large electric winch. He had welded the elevator’s cage from angle iron and steel mesh. It was impressive for a homemade job. Jimmy and his daughters were very pleasant, and he is as sharp as a tack.

When we finished, we drove toward the nearby town of Lecanto, near Inverness, where Mark wanted to revisit Gulf to Lake Marine, a boat dealership where he had shopped previously. After looking at a number of fishing boats, he and Cindy selected a 20’ Xpress SW20 boat with a 115 horsepower Yamaha Vmax outboard motor. He liked that the boat is all aluminum with a tunnel hull allowing travel into very shallow water. The boat can seat six people and has two livewells, lots of storage, a hydraulic jack plate to raise and lower the motor in varying water depths, and a Bimini top can be installed. The trolling motor has a built-in GPS that can hold the boat in any position regardless of current or wind. Two “Power-Pole” hydraulic anchors will be installed on the transom that will hold the boat steady in shallow water. The boat is an impressive craft. Mark plans to take it on a test drive on Wednesday.

Once back at the house, Mark and I launched a kayak to place a pinfish trap in order to see if we could catch some baitfish. The wind was pretty strong, so it was difficult to stay in the position we wanted for placing the trap. While we were moving the kayak along the water’s edge, a school of large fish began feeding all around our kayak. Mark rigged a fishing rod quickly and started casting, but the school has started moving away. He hooked a large sea trout that was able to get off the hook before he landed it. We fished a while longer with no bites, so we paddled back to the house.

Mark had made chicken enchiladas earlier today, and Mary baked them while we were out as well as making a mixed greens salad and warming some refried beans. Everything was very tasty.

After dinner Mark and I installed lighting on the new Murphy bed. He bought two wired LED puck lights that would be positioned over the bed, and we prepared to install a larger LED light that would shine up, reflecting from the ceiling brightening the otherwise poorly lit room. Running the wires took longer than we anticipated but we think the result looked very attractive. A power strip is out of sight on top the Murphy bed with its power cord hidden behind the shelving as it runs to an outlet behind the bed. The two downward pointing reading lights and the upward pointing light were plugged into remote controlled outlets on the power strip. A small remote can turn the lights on individually or all at once.

While we were cleaning up and putting tools away Cindy had an online meeting with the scholarship group in Oregon that she helps support. When we all had finished, we watched an episode of Vienna Blood on PBS then turned in.

Three Sisters Springs

We were awake a little after 5 but waited until close to 6 so we wouldn’t wake Mark and Cindy. The temperature was in the 50s and cooler than the previous days. We had a snack of bagels then took the dogs on a walk around the Mason Creek neighborhood for a little over an hour. There was no wind, and the sun was warming the area up by the time we returned from the walk.

The kayaks and gear were loaded into the pickup to drive the short distance to Hunter Springs Park in Crystal River. The launch area was a nice sand ramp, and we were able to get into the water quickly. Many people were in rental kayaks and paddleboards, and there were also pontoon boats with tour groups in the area. Since the air has been cooler, we saw hundreds of manatees of all sizes that have come inland to springs. We especially enjoyed seeing the mothers and calves. We paddled from the park where we launched towards Three Sisters Springs. In addition, we saw several large fish and some turtles as we paddled. The area was very crowded with kayakers, paddleboarders, snorkelers and tourists on tour boats to see manatees. Once we paddled upstream from the swimming area, there were far fewer people. There weren’t as many manatees either but we saw more fish and other life in the crystal clear water. Like at Rainbow River, it is impossible to judge the depth of the water since it is so clear. We could see several places where water was pushing up into the river from high volume springs below. As we were starting back to the truck, Cindy had a call from the girl who will be dog sitting while we are on the Atlantic Coast tomorrow and Friday. We left Three Sisters around 1:30 and met the dog sitter at the house at 2 pm.

Once at the house, the kayaks were unloaded and put out on the dock to rinse the sand away. We ate a sandwich and chips lunch before relaxing a bit, then Mark and I set a pinfish trap off the dock in the backyard and hoped to catch some baitfish to go out fishing next week. I practiced throwing the cast net into the canal. I think if we toss some crackers in the water, we may be able to attract some mullet or other baitfish to catch in the cast net.

The dogs enjoyed their usual walk through the neighborhood. Mark says that huskies like to have a job with a routine. At home in Idaho, Jade does a perimeter check of the property every morning and evening. Here in Florida, she likes to have a walk around the Mason Creek area as her route. Mark and Cindy carry biodegradable bags for the doggie waste to put in the garbage can once back at the house.

Dinner was lasagna rolls with a garden salad and garlic all of which were very good. We watched an episode of Monsieur Spade on Acorn TV then went up to bed.

Kayaking Rainbow River

As usual, we awoke between 5 and 6 am. We enjoyed hearing the barred owl in a tree near the canal. We would look for the small flock of ibis that parades through yards in the neighborhood later in the day.

We had a quick bagel and breakfast beverages before taking the dogs on their walk through the Mason Creek neighborhood. The walk was uneventful until a dog aggressively ran toward us putting Jade into a very defensive position. It was all I could do to hold her back since she would have seriously injured the dog. The owner came out and quickly removed his dog, apologizing for the incident. As we continued our walk, the dog owner’s wife saw us and apologized again for the dog’s behavior. While we walked, Cindy pointed out a powder puff tree that looks like a mimosa and a Chinese perfume tree that is reputed to cure any number of ailments and afflictions.

We returned to the house for a breakfast of assorted cereals and yogurt then we started preparing for kayaking on the Rainbow River. It took Mark and me a good while to get the kayaks and gear loaded since we had used the other pickup last year. We were able to get the two Cresent kayaks, four seats, paddles, life jackets, water bottles and lunch packed in the pickup. The drive to Dunnellon was short, and we were able to get the gear unloaded quickly at the drop-off point. Like last year, we started at the river access at the bridge across from Swampy’s Restaurant. When we were here last year, we paddled upstream on the Rainbow River as far as the KP Hole, which is about 3.5 miles from put-in spot. We decided to try to reach the head spring where the river started about 1.5 miles beyond the KP Hole for a trip that was to be 5 miles each way. We knew that we would be paddling upstream for the first half of the trip, but we felt up to it.

Wood ducks on the Rainbow River

We were pleased that there were no other boats launching when we arrived at the put-in area around 10:30. We installed the seats, assembled the paddles, and stowed the gear on the boats quickly. Packaged snacks and disposable drink bottles and cans are not permitted on the river, so we packed our snacks in reusable containers and filled our Nalgene type water bottles. We paddled under the bridge, past Swampy’s Restaurant and the huge inflatable rubber duck as we traveled upstream. We were fighting the current and looking forward to the return trip downstream. We passed several other canoes, paddleboards and kayaks of all kinds as we went up the Rainbow River. We saw hundreds of turtles of several species many of which were over 24 inches in length. We saw at least six otters in the river and lots of wood ducks, moorhens, egrets and herons. We were able to get very close to everything since we were floating quietly in the kayaks and were not perceived as a threat to the wildlife. We took a 30-minute break at the KP Hole Park where it was nice to stretch our legs and have a snack. Our arms were getting pretty tired from the 3.5-mile upstream paddle.

After the break we continued upstream for 1.5 miles to the springs where the Rainbow River begins, arriving at 1:30 pm. We paddled around the swimming area then started downstream. Our happiness to be floating downstream was very short lived since a strong wind had picked up blowing upstream. The paddling back downstream was much more difficult than fighting the current going upstream. We passed KP Hole Park without stopping, continuing on toward the ramp where we put in this morning. By the time we neared the launch the wind was very strong. When we paddled under the Rt. 484 bridge, the wind was blowing us backward despite our furious paddling. We finally caught a lull in the wind and made it to the ramp where we loaded the boats on the pickup and stowed the gear in the bed and cab.

We drove the short distance to Swampy’s Restaurant where we were able to get a table right away. Mary had water and Cindy had an Arnold Palmer. Mark and I ordered draft beers, but both of them were almost room temperature. Mark reordered a bottled beer, and I stayed with water. Mary’s dinner was fish & chips, Cindy had a reuben with sweet potato fries, Mark had red beans and rice with andouille sausage. My dinner was shrimp etouffee but was more like sauteed shrimp over white rice. There was none of the sauce that is part of etouffee, but the meal was good none the less.

We made a quick stop at Harbor Freight on the way home to get gloves to use on the next kayaking trip. After paddling for 10 miles, all of us had sore hands and wished for gloves.

When we returned to the house we unloaded the kayaks, stacking them beside the garage rather than putting them away since we guessed that we would be out in them later in the week. For dessert we ate the buckeyes that we brought from Rural King and found our way to bed early since we were very tired from our day.

Kayaking the Chassahowitzka River

After waking and doing our morning German lessons, we took the dogs on a long walk around the neighborhood. When we returned to the house, we had oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, and brown sugar for breakfast.

After breakfast we loaded the kayaks and gear for a day of paddling. This time we loaded the boats into Cindy’s new Ram pickup. We drove a short distance south to the Chassahowitzka River, where we launched quickly and paddled toward some of the springs. The first springs have interconnected tunnels allowing swimmers to snorkel through from one spot to another. Cool water was gushing from the tunnels feeding the stream.

We went into a small inlet where we saw a cow and calf manatee. They were swimming under the kayaks but would surface to breathe from time to time. Not many other visitors knew about the manatees, so we were able to see them without interruption.

We went up Baird Creek toward The Crack, where a large spring produces a steady flow of saltwater fed by the Gulf of Mexico. We paddled up the narrow stream that had many shallow places, as well as submerged logs and rocks. Fighting the current was difficult in the narrow stream. When we it as far as we could navigate, we beached the kayaks on a sandbar and walked up the streambed. The large break in the coral stone is where the saltwater spring emerges. Along the way, I stepped in a pit of mud and broke both of my sandals getting out of the sticky mud. At The Crack, I waded into the deep water to wash the mud from my legs up to my shorts. By the time we were leaving the spring, many kayakers had gathered at the sandbar. We had a snack lunch of corn nuts, jerky and fruit before paddling back down the narrow channel.

On our way back to the boat launch, we saw the two manatees again but didn’t stop to take photos or watch them for long. The launch was busier than in the morning. We were able to get the kayaks loaded quickly and get on the road for the short drive back to Homosassa.

When we pulled into Standish Drive, we thought we heard something falling out of the pickup. After checking the road carefully and inventorying the contents of the truck, we decided that nothing had fallen out.

Unloading and packing things away went quickly, and we came in to clean up before dinner. Mark fixed some of the sea trout and redfish that we caught on Thursday. We had them as fish tacos along with white rice. Everything was very good.

After dinner we relaxed and watched an episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries on Acorn before turning in for the night.

Kayaking the Estuary at Lover's Key State Park

Mary and I were up by 5:30 and got the tea and oatmeal ready. Mary was a little congested and didn’t sleep especially well, but the house is very quiet and our room is plenty dark for sound sleeping. After breakfast we loaded up to go back to the Lover’s Key State Park in Ft. Myers. We had hiked here on Monday and enjoyed it.

A line of cars was waiting to pay the $8 day use fee when we arrived, but it moved quickly. To our surprise, the park was not crowded, although it was busy. We rented two double sea kayaks at the visitor center for $63 each. The friendly lady at the counter gave us information about the kayak routes through the mangrove estuary and places where manatees and other wildlife have been sighted recently.

Mark, Cindy & Mark prepare the kayaks

I suppose we were comical boarding double kayaks while trying to not flip over, but we launched successfully with no one getting more than their feet wet. The park placed buoys along the five mile route every ¼ mile, making it easier to stay on course. There were a number of additional places to kayak into coves and side channels, but we always returned to the marked route.

Steve & Mary paddling in the estuary

We went up one channel under a footbridge where the kayak rental lady mentioned and saw at least four manatees, two large adults and two smaller juveniles. The two adults surfaced within a few feet of our kayaks and stayed around us as we drifted in the slack water. We headed back toward the main path and saw two kayaks watching something in the water. We paddled nearer and saw two large manatees playing in the water, so we stopped to watch. They were within ten feet of us when they submerged, then surfaced directly under our kayak! I can imagine the expression on our faces as our boat was lifted several inches above the water, nearly tipping over. Mark and Cindy were nearby laughing and wishing that the had been taking photos.

Mark & Cindy kayaking

We continued on the route, stopping near the midway point to get out and stretch before returning to the boat livery to return the kayaks, pfds and seats around 2 pm. Although we didn’t see any birds or wildlife on the trip that we hadn’t already seen, we were able to get close to many birds while on the water. There were lots of herons, egrets and ospreys that didn’t seem threatened by us in the kayaks.

We had a late lunch at the picnic area near the nature center with the peanut butter and crackers, dried and fresh fruit and nuts. Many people were leaving the park as we were having lunch so we decided to walk over to the beach area. Because the tide was lower, we were able to walk along the beach in both directions and past the point where we had to turn around on Monday. Lots of shells were exposed, many of them intact. The beach isn’t very wide on this key, but a fair number of people were sunbathing, reading, wading or fishing as we walked. It felt good to be walking around after sitting in a kayak for so long.

We had a restaurant recommendation from a local for The Fish House in Bonita Springs. We were looking for a place with good seafood but a relaxed atmosphere since we were still in beach attire. We had no trouble finding The Fish House, but the main the parking lot was full. However, the overflow lot just 100 yards away had plenty of spaces available. We were able to get seated quickly and ordered our meals. Mark had coconut shrimp, Cindy had crab cakes, Mary did the broiled, stuffed grouper, and I had the seafood platter with oysters, shrimp, clams and cod. Everyone enjoyed the meal.

We returned to the rental house and had mojitos as we relaxed. Mary and Cindy played a few games of cribbage, but I turned in around 9 o’clock.

Kayaking at Lido Key

After waking at our AirBnB apartment, we had our raisin bran and yogurt breakfast then prepared for a trip to Lido Key Beach. On the short 20 minute drive we noticed the number of Amish and Mennonites living in the area. We had seen them before riding bicycles, especially the three-wheel cycles, shopping at area stores and eating in local restaurants. As we drove, we observed houses with bicycle racks but no cars in the driveway.

Kayaking at Lido Key

After arriving at Ted Sperling Park at Lido Beach, we reserved a tandem kayak from Kayaking SRQ for three hours. We reviewed the map of the area while the liveryman brought our kayak to the water’s edge. The kayak was surprisingly maneuverable even with our lack of experience. The area is well known for the mangrove tunnels, dense growths of the mangrove trees that cover the narrow channels through the area. We made our way easily through the mangroves viewing ibis, herons, egrets, anhingas and a raccoon. The birds had little fear of us in the kayak, so it was easy to get a good view. 

Green Heron in the mangroves

The kayak bottomed out in a few places since it was near low tide. At one place, we had to get out of the kayak and push it through the shallow area. In another mangrove tunnel that was not much wider than the kayak, we were fighting the current from the incoming tide.  problem was made worse because the channel was not wide enough for us to paddle the kayak. We ended up using the paddles as poles to get us back into open water. 

We stopped at a small beach area where we could pull the kayak up onto the sand and rest our arms. We met a pair of kayakers from Boston who were disoriented so we pointed them in the direction of the launch site for kayak rentals. As noon approached and the kayak was due back, we made our way to the drop off point and returned it to the Kayaking SRQ employee.

Great Blue Heron at Lido Key Beach

We had our peanut butter and crackers lunch near the launch site then had the bananas and apples as we drove to the parking for the beach area of the park. After parking, we kicked our shoes off and walked the length of the beach all the way to the small beach where we stopped in the kayak. There were several groups swimming, fishing and sunbathing at Lido Beach. We noticed several Amish families fishing, although we didn’t see many fish being caught. 

The thing that really impressed us was the texture of the sand. It was softer and finer than flour, almost like walking in corn starch. It was very white and loose. We took a few snapshots of shorebirds as we walked and enjoyed the beautiful 80-degree weather. We were happy that we had kayaked earlier while the temperatures were still in the 70s.

We left the Lido Beach area around 3 pm and returned to the apartment to get dry clothes and prepare to go to another park. We decided on Oscar Scherer State Park that has excellent hiking trails. We found a few geocaches and walked parts of the legacy, blue, red and green trails and found several caches. We left the park and went across the Tamiami Trail highway to find a geocache in Shoreland Park.

By then we were tired and starting to get hungry, so we returned to the apartment to shower, change clothes and prepare for dinner. We decided on J. R.’s Old Packinghouse since we had enjoyed such a good meal a few evenings ago. Although the restaurant was very busy and the parking lot was overflowing, we were seated outside immediately upon arrival. Our table had a palm tree growing up through the middle of the table. As before, J. R. greeted us warmly and the waitress took our orders. Mary had the Cuban roast pork with beans and rice and chicharrons on the side. I had the shrimp Po-boy with fries and coleslaw on the side. Like our previous visit, the food arrived quickly after we ordered. Both of us were very happy with our meals and were somewhat disappointed that they were out of key lime pie. It is probably for the best since we were both really full.

We returned to the apartment where we relaxed and took care of the things that we needed to do before bed.