Cedar Key

I'm looking at the rules for Royal Orleans and see I was supposed to take out the trash and wash dishes. I thought I was on vacation. What did I pay a $20 "resort fee" for. Certainly not for service.  They should pay me for going out of my way to return the keys.  Why can't there be an on site key drop? Things to investigate once the current Yak Tales are done.
According to my GPS, Cedar Key is 152 miles from the rental office in Maderia Beach, just south of Johns Pass.  From my house 150. I think is was about 8:20 when I got on the road.  A stop for gas and I was launching on the Wacasassa River at 10:50.

 

Confluence, Wacasassa River left, Wekiva River right.

I thought I went right.

The Wekiva is running high and fast.  A newcomer might not realize it is spring fed.  Unless they did the required researxh and read Dave's Yak Tales.

I turned back short of my usual spot with the downed tree.  At this dock. Just past noon.

Palmedies swallowtail I believe.

There are a few occupied properties on the River but the abandoned ones are more photogenic.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of fiddler crabs scuttled about the banks.

Kareem.

I think there was one great blue heron on the Wekiva. Kept landing and taking off.

I almost did not go up the Wacasassa from the confluence.  Good thing I did or I would not have seen an alligator all weekend.

 

Landed at 1:30.

Next stop, Cedar Key.  Specificly, Park Place.  Where the woman in the office said, "Hello, Mr. Cannon". I told her I was pleasantly surprised she remember me. "Oh, you're a regular"  A check of the archives shows this was my seventh visit to Park Place since Labor Day weekend 2010.  Even the housekeeping staff knows my habits.  The first six times, there was one coffee and one decaf packet in the room.  This time, 2 coffees.  For the first time, I got one of the larger, 3rd floor units.  On weekends they are  bucks more than the units on the 1st and second floors. During the week all units are the same price. $58 with AAA. Would have been 105.00 on the Holiday weekend which is why I stayed in Redington Beach. And also because that is a lot closer to Myakka River State Park where I had a cabin reservation.  Flooded out.  I am supposed to get all of my money back. One of the many nice things about Park Place is that you can view all of the units on the website.  To be, 331 appeared to have everything I need.  Here are my photos.

Entry hall.

Bathroom about 2x the size at Royal Orleans

 

 

The sofa is a hide a bed, the chair rocks with a foot rest. Not that I ever sit in it. When in the unit I'm at the kitchen table, doing this, or sleeping.

One thing that sold me on this unit is the TV.  Other units have TVs inside multilevel shelves.  This I can turn so I can see this screen, the TV screen, and the view. Only drawback is it does not get Sun Sports or Fox Sports Florida. I hoped to catch the Brewers playing the Marlins.

Decorative paddles, and functional ones, one the staircase, sealed the deal.

View

 

The third floor units have a loft bedroom.

Gotta love the paddle railings. Speaking of which, I got on the water at 4 pm

As usual flat at the City Park Beach launch, rougher once out in the open water. I headed to the shelter of Channel Number 2.

Just the prow of the ship/oyster bar visible. Plenty of water to look for roosting spoonbills.

 

 

 

 

A blue heron gets into the act.

 

 

Saw lots of "tailing" fish as I headed towards the Number 3 Bridge.

 

 

 

 

This is a new wreck.

 

Cedar Key Cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Landed at 5 past 6. Figured if things worked out, I could eat, and bike to where I know I would get a good view of the sunset.

 Dinner was yellow rice, black beans, Italian sausage, and corn on the cob.

I made it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And so ends Day 1 in Cedar Key.  It is now Wednesday morning. And I saw I was wrong about the coffee. 2 packs of decaf were buried behind the 2 packs of coffee. It was nice to think I was a big shot for a few days.