Crawfordville - rest day

Nancy, Victoria, and I went kayaking on the Wakulla River and had a terrific time.  Four hours for $25--wish I could bring those prices back to the DC area. When we first went out we were the only ones and it was very peaceful.  We saw osprey building a nest and two different owls. As the morning wore on more people joined us on the river, including a number in boats with motors as the river is lined with private docks and houses/cottages.  I saw a manatee come up for air, but just then a boat went by and there was no further sighting of manatee until much later in the trip.  When we were just about back to the place to take out, a couple fellows who spotted a manatee swimming around waved us over.  We got to see it swimming right by our kayaks and watched it come up for air before swimming around some more.  I got some photos which I hope will look good on my computer screen.  We also saw a number of herons, several great white egrets, another owl, moorhens, alligators (small ones), turtles, and lots of fish, some of which jumped more than a foot in the air pursuing bugs, I presume.  The sun was hot, but there was a nice breeze and some shade. While my shoulders are a bit sore, not having had much exercise for the last 2 months, it really was quite relaxing to be out there on the river and exploring nature.

The afternoon was spent eating, reading, and eating.