Second day paddling (8.5 nm yesterday) but first day officially paddling on Florida’s Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail! Woohoo!
We woke to wind, fog and drizzle at Big Lagoon State Park where we camped at their CT kayak camp spot with neighboring flush toilets and sinks (read: water source). It was a sharp contrast to yesterday’s gorgeous weather and night sky. But oh well, here we go! At some point Florida will surely start living up to its name as the Sunshine State.
Today’s destination was to a primitive campsite on Perdido Key, just a 4 nm (nautical mile) paddle. It took us two hours with the wind in our face. But no boat traffic to contend with, although, Dad, we did see a long oil tanker barge like you’d mentioned, go by after we’d landed at camp. Glad we weren’t trying to jockey for position near that guy!
The birds were sweet though. Flotillas of Buffleheads and Cormorants and another waterfowl group which took off in huge orchestrated sky dances before we could get close enough to identify them.
We paddled east along Big Lagoon, following the northern shoreline of Perdido Key and pulled over to camp at a break in the sand dunes.
We have a routine when we get to camp. Besides changing into dry clothes (I’m paddling with wetsuit shorts and booties and a long-sleeve rash guard top), setting up our nest, eating, and making a cup of tea, it includes feeding our devices. The sun started breaking through the clouds so our solar lantern and solar panels immediately were set up.
Between living in Nicaragua where power outages are routine and frequent, living in our truck camper, and living for months at a timeout of our sea kayaks, we know the value of electricity!
Our phones, which also serve as our cameras, gps, wind predictor, tide tables, maps, messenger, email and now used for my blog posting, need lots of daily juice.
And our Kindles. How cool is it that we can travel the world with a skinny little book that holds thousands of books inside!? I’m a bookaholic so it means a lot to me.
Yep, the world is our oyster (what a weird saying!) but ya gotta have juice!
And, as an aside, to think that our son Cliff, who just graduated and started his career in Durango, CO, works as an Engineer for the local Electric Utility Association. Now, that’s job security! Because now, more than ever, we humanoids demand electricity.
Yep, even in the great outdoors! Especially when it gets dark by 6:30pm and stays dark till 6:30am. I mean I LOVE to sleep, but 12 hours a night is even too much for me.
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