Swamp people

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

DUNEDIN, FL – Even though it looked a bit grey and damp this morning, we decided to go ahead with our plan to go kayaking in a state park north of here. From my point of view, an overcast sky was much more appealing for a day on the water than one that would bake us to a crisp anyway.
We packed a lunch, camera, hats, sunscreen and a change of clothing. Fawn had been once before to this spot and saw a couple go overboard, so it seemed prudent. John decided not to come with us, as his back can’t take a long spell in a backless kayak seat.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is north of Dunedin along the Gulf coast, at Spring Hill. It took about an hour to get there, during which a fine rain misted the windshield. Happily, when we arrived at the kayak place, the rain had stopped, and we virtually had the place to ourselves.
In short order, we were assigned flotation devices and paddles and headed to the water where our kayaks awaited. Fawn took a single, and Val and I were in a tandem kayak. We set off on the Weeki Wachee, a winding stream of crystal clear water with a smooth, sandy bottom where small fish darted out of the way as we approached.
The stream flowed with a steady current that made paddling practically optional. It meandered through dense bush with vines, ferns and palm trees that grew right up to the shore. We passed tall trees that had waded into the water with exposed, long, finger-like roots, and reeds that grew up from the bottom with round leaves, looking like green lollipops clustered along the shore.
Several times we saw herons, egrets and cranes, wading in the shallows or swooping overhead with huge outspread wings. Around one bend, we came upon a tree where half a dozen vultures were brooding with their hunched shoulders and wrinkled, black faces and hooked beaks.
Fawn told us that on her last paddle they had seen a manatee. These walrus-like creatures have been designated as endangered, so we saw lots of signs asking that we protect them. We even saw a couple of concrete manatees on some peoples’ properties in the more populated areas we passed through, but unfortunately the real McCoy declined to show itself today. Likewise, the only alligators we spotted were plaster ones!
In the clear water schools of silvery fish with pale blue heads flitted past, as well as other smaller fish with vertical stripes. Fawn spotted a needle-nose fish and alerted us to a large box turtle swimming under us.
After paddling for a couple of hours, we decided to pull over on a sandy shore and eat the lunches we had brought along. That’s when we discovered how wet our backsides were! The kayaks were molded plastic, and floated like corks, but they were not designed to be water tight. In fact, Fawn’s kayak actually had holes in it as part of the design! We had fun getting back into them after our lunch, and launching them from the sand bars, but soon we were on our way again. The total length of the trip was five and a half miles, at which point we were met by the paddling company’s van, to take us back to our departure point.
We were glad to get on our feet again, although our butts were pretty soaked. That’s when the wisdom of having brought a change of clothes really became evident! It was nice to be in dry clothes again for the ride home. Our venture into Florida’s swamp land was delightful.