More Manatee

This guy was every bit as big as my kayak. His nose is in the air here and he is directly in front of me. Ron got the pictures.

Manatee Intro

We are staying at Pete's Pier in Crystal River. Crystal River is a national wildlife refuge. Manatee may come to you, but many places prohibit you going to them! This was an open area. This manatee went under Ron's Kayak for a good back rub and than pushed him around in a circle for a while and then came up to say thank you!

And he moves in for a Closer Look!

I'm sorry to say, Gilligan missed this whole adventure! We certainly got a kick out of it. Hope you will too.

Great Egret

Did you ever go to the zoo and peek inside the cages to see what animal lives there? Well, sitting with my brother and wife having lunch, Ron looked up and saw this guy peeking in. We got up very slowly and reached for the camera in order to send him home to all of you! Isn't this great! Yeah, Great Egret!

Red Skies When?

Remember the ole adage: Red skies at night, sailors delight; red skies in the morning, sailors take warning? Yeah, don't listen to that anymore! This was the evening prior to that nasty crossing you'll see as you scroll down!

Entering Crystal River

We had another full day from Steinhatchee to Crystal River. My brother lives here and we plan on being here at least two weeks. This is also the manatee capital of the Florida Gulf. All along the river were signs "Idle Speed, Manatee Zone." So we'll try to get some pictures of those "mermaids!"

Carrabelle to Steinhatchee

This was a nasty day. We reviewed the weather as best we could and then checked with the locals! That was our big mistake. While Ron felt it would be a better crossing the following day, the fisherman (three of them) swore this to be a better crossing. It was 78 miles and 8 hours. Four of those eight hours brought us into 6-8 foot seas. The second picture was the result AFTER everything had been "secured." This was truly a nasty crossing. And by the time we neared Steinhatchee, the natural lay of the land blocked some of this nasty stuff, and the last four hours were like glass (well, the last three actually).