A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.
Laura Gilpin
I imagine I should no longer consider myself a novice kayaker, as I have been paddling Florida rivers for over ten years and have paddled over fifty rivers to date. I set a goal way back when to paddle all the Florida rivers, and this blog was my way of tracking my progress. Although paddling all rivers may be impossible for more reasons than one, it sure has been fun trying!
Strangely, I don’t own a kayak; I live in a condo with no place to store one. However, I have managed by using the outfitters along the rivers. I don’t know what I would have done without them! I have tried to include current outfitter information in all my posts.
A preview of my posts…
Countdown to Retirement!
“You’ll be bored.” “You’ll be back to work in no time.” “What will you do to keep busy?” I have begun my countdown to retirement! Five months to go from today—and these are the questions and comments I get. I am excited—and scared! However, I will never be bored. So, what will I do? In […]
Naked Ed
Ed Watts, known affectionately as Naked Ed in the High Springs area, has lived on the Santa Fe River for 24 years. He is the caretaker of the piece of property that surrounds Lily Springs, and he doesn’t wear clothes. I was warned of him at the Santa Fe Outfitters where I rented my kayak, […]
The Rhesus Monkeys
A common greeting among yakers on my Silver River trip was, “Have you seen any monkeys?” Everyone seemed to be looking for the elusive rhesus monkeys. I heard stories of large groups (bands? herds?) of these monkeys jumping from tree to tree or lining the river, staring (daring?) at the paddlers. However, I saw nary a one. […]
Footprints and Ripples 