Day 2 of our reconnaissance research for our upcoming Florida Circumnavigational Trail (CT) paddling trip took us pass Manatee Springs State Park, where John got to see his first Manatees. It also took us to the remote tiny village of Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend section of Florida. We’re camped at a tiny public campground with restrooms and cold showers but no drinkable water, right on the water, which was really nice and wasn’t mentioned in the guide book as anything more than a rest stop (if in fact the rest stop they mention is one and the same …

Let the Planning Get Real! For our upcoming next grand adventure that is: paddling the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail (referred to in the future as the CT)! Yes, finally after an unusually cold December and January the weather trend here in Florida is warming. And our logistical planning for this trip we’d originally hoped to begin in late December after Cliff’s graduation and our Christmas family reunion kicks into higher gear.   The full 1,515 mile circumnavigation from the Alabama border on the Gulf to the Georgia border on the Atlantic takes at least 4 months. The prime paddling …