Memorial Day, 2014, Cedar Key, Florida

The day began with little birds at low tide.

On Sunday, I went back inside the cottage before the sun came over the mangroves.  Today, I sat back and waited.

 

 

 

 6:52 back to bed

7:14 back on the porch.  How can I sleep with so much to see and do?

After a hearty breakfast of Florida stone crab and seafood pasta, it was off to the Gulf.  I got the coveted first parking space.  Which is the second closest space to the water.  The first is for loading and unloading only.  A person was in the second space as I unloaded in the first.  She moved, I took the spot.  She probably thought, as I did until I asked the rental concessionaire, that both spaces are loading only. It pays to read Dave's Yak Tales.

Underway at 9:10.  I wanted to go the Seahorse Key. But waves were fairly large, and I would be paddling into them on the way back.  So, I rode them to the Number 2 Channel

And found spoonbills on the oyster bars near the wreck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I saw a few birds on a few disappearing oyster bars on the way to Scale Key. And, a sea turtle. Kemp's Ridley is my guess.  Smallish, Thanksgiving turkey platter sized.

 

I took a different route to the Gulf outlet of the Number 3 Channel. Don't ask me to lead you there. I followed the fastest flow. Into the tide.

I saw just two other kayakers.  When I did, I went the other way.

The Gulf was rough, so instead of paddling it from the Number 3 Channel to the beach, I took the back route to the Number 2 Channel, then made the run to the beach.

Landed about 10 past 12.  Biked to the cottage so not to lose my parking space

Had a grilled salami, swiss, and clam on rye.  I call it, the Yakwich.

Left at 3 to go kayaking

But not from the cottage, tide was in, kayak out at the beach

 On the water at 3:20

 

 Saw another turtle. The entire body, not just the head this time.  And a dolphin at the sandbar marker

 

 

And, a tri colored heron

 

 

 

 Spoonbills, and more at the oyster bar extending from the wreck

 

 

 

video

 

 

 

 If  the spoonbill would move a bit to the left I'd have a nice Valentine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cemetery Point overlook. At the point there are two main directions.  I had gone to the Number 3 Bridge all weekend long.  Tonight, and it was after 5,  I continued paddling in more of a westerly direction.

Ospreys

 Went into the cove that has the Cardwell Cottage, a place a friend and I stayed at in October.  Could not too close.  Oyster shells being exposed as the tide went out.

 

I began to paddle back.

 

 Awesome clouds.

Or maybe the famous Cedar Key retractable dome mentioned in a previous Tale

 

 

 

Mermaid's Landing.  Where I stayed the last two Cedar Key visits

 

 In the same tide dependent cove as Pirate's Cove

 My dock

 

As I had taken pictures of three places I have stayed in Cedar Key, I figured I'd take photos of the other 3.  Nature's Landing.  Like Cardwell Cottage, Mermaid's Landing, and Pirate's Cove, tide dependent for kayaking.

Old Fennimore Mill.  The best place to stay. Sandy beach to launch into the Number 2 Channel.  No oyster shells, even at low tide.

 

 

 

 

 

OFM also has Gulf frontage.  So two places to launch.  Two bedrooms.  Too pricey. 140-160. I stayed here twice.  To do again, I need a friend to share the expense. Then, its cheap.

 

 

Lodging number 6 on the Yak Dave Trail, Park Place. Across the street from the City Beach. Reasonable, especially June-January when rates in the third floor are 85 for weekends and 65 during the week. Feb,-May, 115 and 95.  My Pirate's Cove Cottage is 79 all week.

Landed at 6:08

Loaded the kayak on the car, back on the porch at 6:40

Sunset across the street from the Number 2 bridge and the marina

 

 

 The "NO" sign is blocked by my kayak

Views from the dock

 

Barilla vegetable rotini, black grouper, Cedar Key clams, garlic, Penzey's black pepper, orange pepper, Classico Mushroom Pasta Sauce. Seafood ala Dave to end the day.