Cedar Key and Rainbow River

On the beach at 6:56

I have not been spending as many weekends in Cedar Key as I once did. Not that I have lost my love for it. It's just there are so many places to paddle. So, it had been a while, June 1, 2020 that I did a last day walk through downtown Cedar Key.

Spotted Cow Beer  is not distributed outside of Wisconsin.

Community Garden

Unit 328, Park Place

On the Gulf at 10:17

Cormorant taking off.

Atsena Otie Key

Seahorse Key, my destination

Snake Key

North Key

Dolphins

An easy 3 mile paddle on smooth seas, Light breeze at my back. I  saw sea turtles, in addition to, dolphins.

                      

Seahorse Key Lighthouse

Seahorse Key Lighthouse.  The public is only allowed access on special occasions.   I have been to 3 or 4 of them.

Ibis

A few years ago, all the birds left Seahorse Key.  It is good to see some are coming back.

I had a hard time figuring out what the bird below was.

Not a bird,  two, cormorants.

Steps to the Lighthouse

I landed, walked the empty beach, ate a sandwich.

A brick. From Atsena Otie Key, perhaps. Which was home to Faber mills to convert cedar trees into wood planks which became pencils. 

Seahorse Key is the highest point on the west coast of Florida. 52 feer.

Back in the kayak

I thought  this might be the huge ship that had cut apart a ship, loaded with autos, that sank off the South Carolina coast.  It is just a large fishing boat  

The fishing boat, again.

Eagle at the edge of Seahorse Key

The wind picked up on the paddle back to Cedar Key.  Very few photos, as I had to keep paddling.  The waves were coming from my left, so I had to go on an angle to cut through them.  Taking me a bit ouff course.  Later thy were at my back, so I gained time, surfing.

All in all, it was a 10 minute longer paddle on the return.

Landed at 2:56

4:54 PM, on the Rainbow River from Blue Run of Dunnellon Park

The spring fed Rainbow was good to get the saltwater and sand off the kayak

Landed at 5:44