Hillsborough River

With the Kaprelians.  Mark, lead, and Lydia.  Lydia's friend, Anna, is behind me. Mark has appeared in these Tales before.  He is one of a group that met 35 years ago at the University of Wisconsin.  We try to get together every summer.  Mark and Lydia were visiting Marks parents at their winter home in Venice.  Florida, not Italy.   Venice is near the Myakka River.  I called, asked about water levels. OK in the lake, low in the river.  People have to drag their canoes.  What about kayaks? I asked.  I do not have any the concessionaire replied.  What do you mean?  I know the State Park has kayaks.  They all have holes from people dragging them.  So, we decided to met at John Sargeant Park and paddle the Hillsborough River, near Tampa

 I brought an extra kayak, Mark rented two more from the good folks at Canoe Escape and we paid another 25 bucks each to haul back the two kayaks I brought. We were under way at 9:30.   I said we would see 40 alligators. We might have, had we gone up the Flint River first, which is usually a good place to see numerous alligators.  But, as an armada was preparing to embark from Sargeant Park, I suggested we head down River to get out ahead of them.

Juvenile black crowned night heron

Great egret

 Adult black crowned night heron

Limpkin

 Anhinga

Turtle

 Pileated woodpecker

Lydia, Anna, Mark

Blue heron

 Juvenile ibis

Tri colored heron

Barred owl

 Great blue heron

Woodstork.  Great egret taking off, behind.

Snowy egret

Took and hour to see the first alligator of the day.  My prediction of 40 looked to be optimistic.

 Better owl pics

Female anhinga.  They have white feathers on neck and breast.  Males are all dark.

Belted kingfisher

We saw one other kayaker and one jon boat before we stopped at Morris Bridge Park for a lunch break at 11:45.  I told my companions that 75 percent of paddlers end their trip here.  I was thinking it is more like 90 percent.

 Our kayaks.  Nothing like a sandwich made by somebodies Mom.  I get to save the one I made for where ever I go Sunday.    The armada that was at Sargeant Park landed as we were dining.   Some of them thought we were part of the group.  "Can we have some grapes?" Generous Mark said, sure.  We were done, I suggested we get back on the River, as the 7th Fleet was, like us, just taking a break.

The landing at 12:15, when we got back on the water.

 At first, I thought I saw a huge gator.  Then, a gator in front of a log.  Pictures don't lie. Gator in front of a HUGE alligator

 Yellow crowned night heron

My compadres. Or, compaddles.

The flotilla began to come down River. It was a meetup group.  I suggested we pull over and let them pass.  They kept coming, and coming. 35 in all   For self described slackers, they hurried through their lunch break.  To each their own.  I thought I was in big group with four people. (Insert winking smiley face here)

Mark takes over guide duties from me.

Other than the mob, we saw a few more paddlers, a couple fishing from a small motor boat, and a family of three in a canoe powered by an electric motor.

To my fellow paddlers, this is the alligator on the other side of the island just before we landed.  I think the final gator count was 26.

I hoped we would see roseate spoonbills, we did not.  Seen, but not shown here, green heron, osprey, wood ducks, vultures, assorted small song birds, including the first prothonotary warbler I have seen this spring.

Landed at 2:45.  The Canoe Escape bus was waiting.  They do a great job.  Carry the kayaks, rinse them off back at John Sargeant, carry them to the car.  Even offered to help put them on the car. Heck, I'm too poor for a proper tip for all that.  I gave them 5 bucks.

Mark and the rest headed back to Venice.  I considered going for a bike ride, or maybe even heading to Honeymoon Island for some more paddling.  But, it had been ten years since Marquette was last in a regional final, so I headed home.