As I write this I look out on to our bright white landscape of snow and ice. I am wearing this sheepskin hat the Lorax made for me. I am cold, my shoulders, hands, and arms ache. I may need to put on a third layer. It is supposed to snow more today...
Let's go back to the Keys!!!
Thursday dawned rainy but not too windy. We went nearby on the Gulf side to explore several small Keys, including Horseshoe Key. This Key doesn't appear to have any land, just mangroves. It is amazing, the color of the water and the birds on this Key are incredible. I think the lack of land keeps the pest species like raccoon, iguanas, and rats from harassing the birds.
My knee was seriously a bloody mess but I was able to paddle. I kept it bandaged and wore tights or light wet suit pants over the bandages for the rest of the trip.
My camera was seriously fogging inside so please forgive the slightly flurry spots on the photos. I am going to have to work hard to keep it dry on my next Florida trip.
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| Mary |
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| Marilyn |
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| Greg |
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| Cindy |
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| Yoga queen Jean! |
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| Brian |
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| Mary, Jean, and Mike |
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| Dick and Brian |
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| Brian fools around in his boat constantly. It's a good habit and one I am trying to emulate. |
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| Cindy and Greg. That's the "free board" I mentioned earlier. |
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| Peter, approaching Horseshoe Key |
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| Our tour group, courtesy Mike Aronoff 2014 inside Horseshoe Key. The water was the color of a swimming pool. Unbelievable! |
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| More incredible color |
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| Watch out for that osprey! She was pissed and screaming bloody murder at us. |
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| I handed Brian my camera so there'd be a couple of shots of me. Here I am sitting on the deck balancing. It is frankly one of my favorite things to monkey around with. |
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| Me, courtesy Brian, back in the mangroves |
I told Mike that the Shell Key/Horseshoe Key tour was my favorite of the group events. I meant it. The birds, I am running out of adjectives here. My camera, oi! Oh my First World Problems!!
Friday, I could barely walk by now. The leg was giving me all kinds of heck. Therefore: more paddling!
We did Indian Key this day. We put in from the same launch as Lignum Vitae, and Horseshoe Keys. We paddled under the bridge to the Atlantic side and out to Indian Key.
Indian Key is well marked with many interpretive signs. It was a lovely walk.
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| Following Mike out |
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| Atlantic side, we came under the bridge to get to this side |
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| Jean |
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| Cindy and Greg |
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| Taking out on the tiny launch we tied our boats together. There was a was a second tour group coming up behind us. Brian knew some of the paddlers in the second group! |
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| Look at that water! |
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| Greg, Cindy, and Brian |
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| Me, again with the water! |
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| Poison Wood Tree with good signage |
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| Leaving Indian Key |
Leaving the Key Peter, Marilyn, Brian, and I turned left and ran into the surf on the ocean side of the island. Woohoo! We circuited the island meeting back up with the group on the lee side. We got to play around in the gulf side in the warm blue water for about an hour before we needed to take some of the group back to the hotel so they could get on their planes and trains.
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| Greg and Cindy |
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| Brian borrowed Mike's boat |
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| Marilyn really has beautiful form |
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| The group just monkeying around |
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| I convinced Greg to paddle my Sirocco for a bit. It is quite different than his little boat. "She" can be a handful but is such a rewarding ride. |
Now it was just Peter and Marilyn, Mike, Brian, and I.
Sweet!
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