06 Chickees
Trip Start
Nov 06, 2008
1
6
Trip End
Apr 30, 2009
Lane Bay, Florida
Sunday, April 5, 2009
When needing a ride, I've been frequenting Alabama Jack's, which has great food, beer and scenery; this is an old biker hangout on the old road to Key Largo that has now hit the tourist "must see" list.
Although many of the migratory birds are leaving, I happened upon a Painted Bunting which is definitely the prettiest wild bird I've encountered in North America - the pictures are surreal.
The endangered crocodiles are doing well in the Everglades (except for a couple that decided to be speed bumps at night along the highway to the keys) - a gorgeous five plus foot pre-adult has been hanging out beside Eco pond.
Erik, my kayak, had his camping test and passed with flying colours; the extra load makes him a lot more stable; I can carry up to one hundred and thirty-five pounds of gear. I spent three nights out in the mangroves at Hell's Bay and Pearl Bay camping on Chickees, which are platforms on stilts high enough to keep the crocodiles off. I saw lots of large sea life like dolphins and night-time tarpons with glowing red eyes. I also had two cases of dolphins swimming within five feet of Erik - they can leave a phenomenal wake. The constant, almost full, nightly moon wrecked any star gazing opportunity but the sunrises where spectacular; the sunsets always seem to be behind the mangroves as the Chickees all point east in order to get wind to lessen mosquito and "no-see-um" damage. Once the wind drops around sunset, retiring to read in the tent for an hour (no fly required due to Chickee roof) is almost mandatory until they disappear.
Bucky and Dagger finally arrived from Buffalo - so I've been helping him fish out of Flamingo in his big blue Gheenoo -- got a warning from a Ranger (with a boat and gun) for no whistle on the boat and tying up to a buoy. One day, maybe next year, Bucky will catch something I can eat :).
Took a hike in a coastal prairie to see how the old Cow-Horn Orchid was doing this year; it is pretty impressive to see and I hope it survives many more hundred years (the dead support tree is likely the limiting factor). Too bad that most of the orchids had not yet flowered and my goal of capturing a Ghost Orchid on film was for naught since they do not bloom until at least mid-June.
Erik has opened a new door for me in the Everglades; I did a couple more nights out on the Chickees - getting to Lane Bay and Pearl Bay where the water is so clear. Perhaps next year I can paddle to Everglade City (again, I did it in a canoe back in 1972-73); carrying enough water is always the limiting factor.
Well, the tax man (Revenue Canada) is after me so I have returned slightly earlier than expected. The weather was no fun while driving through rain and snow after leaving pleasant 90F days. My next wanderings will be exploring up to Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake (with Erik) with a focus on national parks that I have yet to visit (like Riding Mountain, Prince Albert, Wood Buffalo, Waterton and Grasslands) - I expect a late April or more likely a mid-May start to this next adventure.
Hopefully I will be able to see all my family and Toronto friends before hitting the road again
Tidbits
- Drivers are pretty bad in Florida; too many tailgate and over half don't signal lane changes or turns.
- My new Garmin hand-held supplants detailed charts, even deep in mangrove territory (although I still carry a backup compass). Outside of common canoe-trails, like at Lane Bay, there are no markers.
- The rebuilt Pearl Bay chickee uses stainless steel Robinson screws (rare in the USA since this was a Canadian invention).
Comments
Awesome!
Glad you're liking your new kayak, and the pictures are fantastic. Thanks for that.
Louise Brown
TravelPod Community Manager