Key West, Day Two

Key West International from the Salt Ponds.  Having never flown to Key West, I've not seen the sign from a plane, only from my kayak.

 I brought both kayaks down, and since my sister offered the hospitality of her home to me, I offered my spare kayak to her. We launched a block away, at a pond like opening of the Salt Run Channel, at about 9:20.

A left turn takes you into a narrow canal, under a pedestrian bridge, under Flagler Ave., to the Riviera Canal.

Actually, iguanas and other exotic lizards have overrun south Florida, including the Keys.

The Riviera Canal is a residential water way, not much wildlife this Sunday morning.  Monica said she saw some ducks as she turned to head back home.  All I saw were four kayakers.  I continued, looking for a gap in the mangroves. After a while, only the north side of the canal has residences.

I found the gap and paddled through a mangrove tunnel to the Salt Ponds.

I was glad to see some one had tied pink ribbons in strategic places.   On other visits to the Salt Ponds, I've spent more time in the mangroves than planned.  Today, the only birds I saw were planes at the airport.

Back through the mangroves, to the Riviera Canal.  I wanted to find the home of my nephew, Evan, and his family.  Monica said it was on the left side, just before the Roosevelt Ave. bridge.  There is a little canal off the main canal.  When I saw Lil' Raskell, I knew I was in the right place.

 I knew Evan was at work, and later learned that Camila and Phineas weren't home when I paddled by.  Neither were the manatees that have visited on occasion. I left, paddled under Roosevelt Ave, into the area between Key West and Stock Island,  than turned back.

 Stand up paddle boarding is big in Key West.  I saw more Sunday morning than I've seen combined before.

The ibis that had been on a seawall had flown across the Canal to a dock at Little Hamaca Park.

To bad I did not catch this plane before it went into the mangroves.

Had the water in the Salt Run Channel risen another 1/2 inch, I would have had to portage Flagler Ave.

Plenty of room under the Seidenberg Ave. bike bridge.

Horseshoe crab at the launch.  Landed at 11:50.   Although the pond is a block from Monica's we drove, as the kayaks were on the car.  I had given Monica the car keys, and told her how to get the kayak on the cart to wheel it home.  I did not tell her to leave the keys under the mat with the door unlocked.  She had locked all the doors.  I walked to her house, it was locked.  So I lay in the hammock until she came home from church.  I knew she'd be back because we were going to take her and Bill's boat-they own 1/5 of a boat, and the Lil' Raskell to some keys for an afternoon of sun, snorkeling, and kayaking,   But Evan called, and said the weather was too rough to take the babies out, so we'd just hang out at his and Camila's.  I am an expert hanger outer. 

Before we left, I heard a scream from Monica.  I figured the cat did something.  Nope, an iguana on the handlebars of her bike.

If you are reading this for kayaking stuff, you may want to scroll over the next section. But then you'll miss the lovely Olivia Snell and the handsome Phineas Haskell.

 Olivia turns one at the end of the month, Phin is 9 months old.

 My great niece and nephew.

I last these two in December on Sanibel.  Olivia is now mobile, Phin just starting to get a little forward movement on his crawls.

After all the activity, it was time to eat.

Before long, they'll be eating the dolphin Dad/Uncle Evan prepared on the stove. We also had bbq pork and watermelon, courtesy of Monica. 

Back to play.

Of course, "play" in Key West involves water.

A well deserved rest with Mom/Aunt Elena.

Crab and cormorant in the canal.

Camila said there are lobsters in the seawall.  The kids signaled it was time to go.

Time for Uncle Dave to see if he could do a sunset paddle.  Wheeled the yak to the pond.

Here is a Map from the Florida Dept of Greenways and Traisl.  See the blue near MM 2? That's what I call the pond.  The gray line is the Salt Run Channel, heading south it connects to the other gray line, the Riviera Canal. The green area to the south is the Salt Ponds.  For the evening, I paddled north.  Into the mangroves, into another pond where this boat may soon be covered in green.

Into another mangrove tunnel back to where I started from.  I've done this before, the main channel is at the western edge of the pond.

Seeing a bridge, I knew I was headed the right way.

Windy and with dark coming, I did not go out into the open water beyond Dredgers Key.  I paddled back, turning around every so often to record the sunset.

The end.