Canaveral National Seashore

I had not been in the kayak since Monday. Needed to get on the water. But, I had to work. To 1, a change from the noon quitting time that has always been the rule on Saturday. Which stinks. One hour closer to the afternoon rain.   Somehow,  I had worked a bit more during the week than 36 hours, so I left at 12:40.  A lousy weather forecast. I like to go to Haulover Canal on these work Saturday's  as it is a straight shot from the salt mine.  But, it had a very rainy forecast. To the north, New Smyrna Beach and the Canaveral National Seashore had merely a  rainy forecast. I went there.

Rain falling hard at the Parking Lot 7 kayak launch at 2:09.  Not to mention, thunder and lightning.  I did not get on the water. Walked to the fishing dock.

 Back to the car, and drove to the Eldora House parking lot.

A  wet walk.

 Nice to rock out on a covered patio.

 Even dryer inside.  Killed 30 minutes talking to a volunteer, viewing exhibits, and watching a video about the turn of the 20th century community of Eldora.

Still raining.

Dolphin from the Eldora dock. There were several.  Saw some jumps.

 

 Lagoon from the car as I drove to the end of the road.

End of the road

 Ocean on one side

Lagoon on the other

 Closer look at the beach

 Rain ha it empty on a June Saturday

 

The rain stopped, and I was finally on the water at 4:30

Which did not give me a lot of time. Thanks, or no thanks, to sequestration, the Seashore closes at 6, instead of 8 during daylight savings.

 

 

 

I was paddling north, until I heard a dolphin behind me. 

 

Taking pictures of dolphins from a kayak is hard.  At least for me. Having a third hand would help. Every time I put the camera down to paddle, a dolphin surfaced.

 Finally got  few.

 

First saw this split dorsal fin in 2003.  Two years before I had a kayak. From the fishing dock.

 

There were 6, 8, maybe more dolphin.  The area off Eldora is a good spot as you have the main north-south run of the Lagoon intersecting an east west channel between some islands going to the mainland.  Probably why a settlement was established here.

The Eldora House being the only survivor. During the rain delay, I asked the volunteer about the other houses and buildings in Eldora.  She said most were turn down in the 1950's with the arrival of the Space Center. Tropical jungle has erased any evidence of settlement.

Saw one manatee, unable to get a picture.  One other boat in the water. 2 guys in a canoe.  Out of the canoe, tossing a bait net.  They had been sitting in Parking Lot 6, waiting for the rain to end

Landed at 5:30

 

 

Stopped at Bethune Park, the Lagoon side, to see if there were any manatees.  Did not see any, but from some kayakers doing the stupid pat the water with their hand thing, some were there.