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Published: February 12th 2015
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Boy, was it cold last night. It got down to 43 but it was a warm 49 in the camper. The heater warmed us up quickly after our wonderful coffee the temps outsidehad risen to a very pleasant 58 with abundant sunshine. We had to move around a little because we had a trip planned for the day and we needed to get to it. Make lunch, walk Oscar, get the water jugs filled, apply sunscreen, and don our water shoes. It was a canoe trip down the Little Manatee River that awaited us. It took about 40 min to get to the launch point and after instructions and signing our lives away, we were off. The river is high from all the rain lately and the proprieter wouldn't let inexperienced canoeist take the trip until the river went down. But since both Pat and I are canoe instructors we felt certain we could handle it. We could, but there was a learning curve. The current adds a whole different demention to how you are able to manover the canoe and with the river so high there were a lot of overhanging branches and trees. It was a test of our
skills, but we rose to the challenge and only had 2 mishaps. None that resulted in a dunking but close. The first was a near miss for Pat with an overhanging branch resulting in a direct hit for me. I was laid flat against the back of the canoe, knocked my hat off, almost my glasses and bloodied my face and arm. Thought for sure I was going in the drink but somehow survived that fate. The next miscue was a submerged log that caught the canoe a little sideways near Pat, but she managed to maintain her balance and again we missed a bath.
The river was very narrow to start so there was not much manovering room. We would avoid an overhanging branch on the left only to have to turn quickly to the right to go around a fallen tree. It was a test, but a great one. We do still have it!
To meet the bus to pick us up we had to go down a channel on the left side of the river but we were a little premature
turning left and ended up in a very small channel with sunning allegators. They were not happy to be disturbed and entered the water with discust. One even swam right under us, was glad he didn't come up. So Pat was able to see and encounter her first wild allegators, an experience she would have been happy to miss. We met Brian at our designated spot, we were thrilled to see him. The trip had all the earmarks of the" Deliverance", complete with hillbillies in trailers along the way. And me without my mace!
We found a Public's grocery store and bought fish and green beans for dinner and cookies for dessert, which we HAD to sample on the way home. Couldn't find an ice cream cone, boo.
Back at camp we had a sit in the sun, Pat had a shower and just relaxed after our busy day. Oscar got another walk so he was happy and we settled in for a quiet night.
Hope we can star gaze later, if the bugs aren't bad.
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