Cedar Key Birthday Weekend, Day One

I will be two days older, Monday, than I am today.  I'll be one short of a full deck, Jokers included. Decided to spend the holiday, or Holiday, there is no mail service Monday, after all, the same place as last year, Cedar Key. Not the same lodging, Old Fennimore Mill, last year.  When I was flush, so 140.00 a night was no problem.  $156.97, including tax, for two nights at Park Place is more in my budget these days.  I'm in the same unit I stayed at Labor Day. I booked when I left that Wednesday.

 Made the usual first stop on the Wacasassa River, 7:14 am.  An airboat launched as I was driving in.  Several more put in at the private ramp next door to the Levy County ramp.  All went down River.

I went up, to the Wacasassa, Wekiva  River confluence.  Proceeded up the Wekiva, right.

 Great blue heron in the morning mist.  On the Wacasassa, as I entered the Wekiva. Steam means the water is warmer than the air. I wore a windbreaker  for the first time since.... March?  Legs remained uncovered.

 

 

 

Good think I took the picture of the fog shrouded great blue heron.  I was unable to get any other wildlife photo on the way up stream.  Another great blue kept eluding me. As well as belted kingfishers, eastern phoebes, and other small song birds I can't ID.

Or photo.

 I turned back here, at 9:26. My kayak is leaking, Duct tape was working, bit going over the log may have removed it.  Not to mention, Cedar Key was calling.

 

 

 

 A father and son were fishing on the bank just out of the photo.  The only people I saw past the boat ramp.

 

 

Belted kingfisher

 

 

I saw a deer, in the trees to my right.  Unable to get a photo.

 

Back to the confluence, I paddled up the Wacasassa.  

 

 

 

 

 Missed a monarch here.  And lots of robins flitting about.

Blue wing teal.

Landed at 11:30.  Not a car in the lot. Pickups. American pickups.  My Nissan with a kayak on top was easy to find. I brought both kayaks as the Tsunami was leaking Wednesday.  Duct tape did the trick this morning.

I stopped to take this picture on Levy County Road 326. I did not stop for the locomotive photo on U.S. 19.

Thought I'd take a brief water in the Cedar Key Scrub Preserve.

Maybe some other time.

Crossing the Number 4 Bridge

It was 11:21 when I took the pic of the Welcome sign. Arrived at Park Place a few minute later.  Paid for the room, which as expected, was not ready. wheeled the kayak across the street to City Park Beach, and was on the Gulf at 11:50.

Into the Number 2 Channel

 

Not sure what is going on  in the cove behind Old Fennimore Mill.

Seeing just the prow, mostly, meant I could take the scenic route, out of Channel 2. I should say, more scenic.

 

Well, usually more scenic.  Rosette spoonbills are summer residents of Cedar Key. Or so I thought. I did see some, Sunday.

A large white object in the distance.  Make that objects.  I paddled a long way before taking the first photo of the white pelicans.

 

 

 

 

I was almost to the Number 4 Bridge.  I turned around.

 

 

Number 3 Bridge.

 

 

My favorite house

 

 

 

Oyster catcher

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Number 2 Bridge

 

 

 

 

Water level had dropped a couple fee since I first passed this wreck.

 

Back to the Gulf of Mexico

I was about to land when I saw a dolphin.  Lots of water pics, none including a dolphin. 

 

Landed at1:49.

Views from my accommodations, 2:21

 

I say a half hour to land, cross the street, put the kayak on the car, carry as much as I could carry up 3 flights of stairs, load the fridge, then take a photo, is pretty good.

 

 

A tale held an envelope with my name.  Not the housekeeping tip envelope. I opened it.

A Birthday card

I have written before how friendly people are in Cedar Key.  When I landed, the guy who runs the kayak concession, said "Hey, Stranger" As in, "Nice to see you again" We talked about the Santa Fe and Ichnetucknee Rivers.

This may look idyllic, but there is a problem.  It is too bright to see the computer screen at 1 PM Sunday. So I am inside.  The windows and glass door span almost the entire width of the unit.

On the water again at 4:30

 

 

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Paddled to the Atsena Otie Key dock.

 

Snake Key, left, Seahorse Key, right

 

Saw a turtle. I think.  A rounded shape broke the surface.  Manatee, or turtle?  I think manatees have gone further south as it gets cooler.  Of course, I had thought that about spoonbills. Whatever it was surfaced again. No exhale sound 

 

 

 

The pelicans were eastbound.  My interest was west.

I think I found the spot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So ends day one of my birthday weekend. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. The only drawback was I had water coming into the yak during the sunset cruise. When I landed, I saw the duct tape was peeled back.  Probably happened pulling the kayak into flotable water at the start. Tide was out.