Coupon Bight and Salt Run Channel

Coupon Bight above. Salt Run below

.Friday, November 26, 2010. The day after Thanksgiving.  Instead of catching the grey men as  they dive from the fourteenth floor, I went kayaking.  Coupon Bight, off the north end of Big Pine Key.  A place I have seen Key deer on 4 prior visits.  Saw one crossing Long Beach Road on the way in.  At the end of the road, a new, unwelcome sign.

As no one has warned me, yet, I launched the yak into the Atlantic.  Like Thursday, it was windy.  Paddled into the wind, along the shore for a while, then turned back.

Into the channel linking the ocean to Coupon Bight.

Saw a couple small sharks in the clear, shallow water.

 Hey, hey, hey, it's Fat Albert.

I did not see any Key deer from the yak.

On the other hand, I only saw two people.  Fishermen in a boat.

In addition to the birds shown, magnificent frigate birds circled high overhead.  Too high for a picture.

Landed at 11:30.   Thirty miles back to Key West.  Got my stuff from my nephew's house, and headed to my sister's where I spent the next two nights. Perfect timing, arriving at lunch time.  My Mom getting to dote on her two new great grandchildren.  And grand children. And children.   Mom was heading home, that's why I was moving into Monica's office/guest room for the duration of the holiday. When my sister took my Mom to Key West International, I took the kayak to a wide spot of the Salt Run Channel for a quick paddle.

The Salt Run Channel links the Ocean to the Riviera Canal, and the Salt Ponds.  I wanted to head to the big water in the limited time I had before dark.  Entered a gap in the mangroves, dead end.  Came back to the pond. Entered the next gap.  Ended back in  the pond.   Forget it, I'll head south to the Riviera Canal.

There seemed to be lot of coconuts in the water. The result of two windy days?

Ibis at the Hamaca Park dock.  My turn around point.  No time to find the gap in the mangroves that leads to the Salt Ponds.  Back in Salt Run Channel.

Back to the pond, I had a d'oh! moment.  As the Salt Run Channel went south from the west end of the pond, it also went north from the same side.  Soon I was under North Roosevelt and in the Ocean.

5:35 too dark for good photos.

The osprey made quite a splash when it dove from the power pole.  My position, on the north side of the Island, was no good for seeing the sunset.  I did see two pair of mating horseshoe crabs in the Salt Run Channel.

Dinner was, of course, leftovers, at a friends of Monica and Bill.