Florida Keys & Cocoa Beach Spring 2013

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Yesterday was a great day. We went on a Kayak nature tour by Big Pine Kayak Adventures. It turned out to be a private tour, just the guide, Dennis and myself. After paddling across the channel to No Name Key we went on the trail through the mangroves. It felt a bit other-worldly, very mysterious deep in the mangroves. We saw a huge heron, many fish, a small barracuda, crabs, colorful spiders and, thankfully no snakes. We came out into a shallow pond containing thousands of jelly fish. It was a unique adventure that I highly recommend. In the evening we went to Mangrove Mama's where I enjoyed some excellent snapper and Dennis tried a lobster Reuben which had been recommended by our kayak guide, Cris. It sounds strange, but was actually quite tasty. The band was Sean Chambers, advertised as one of the 50 top blues guitarists in the country. Very good, catch them if you can if you enjoy Blues music. I love the Keys. Life is laid back. Open air bars allow smoking and leashed dogs. The people are friendly and easy going. We really enjoyed our time here. Our next stop is Cocoa Beach which we've been going to for over 30 years. Since we're so familiar with it, I'll probably have less to report. You know how it is - when one knows a place well, one takes the sights for granted.

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