Wekiva River

Happy Mother's Day, Mom, Monica, Anne, Eileen, Clare, and all moms. Too bad I don't have an animal mother and offspring picture from today's paddle on the Wekiva. I wanted a relatively easy paddle after Saturday's Weeki Wachee trip, so I did the upstream downstream Katie's Landing paddle.

Half a dozen kayakers were in, or getting in the River when I arrived at 9:20. They headed downstream. I got in the yak and pushed off, thinking, I should have asked them how they found out about Katie's. I am able to see what pages of Dave's Yak Tales folks are looking at, and how they got there. "Katie's Landing" is one of the more popular searches. If anyone who put in at Katie's on May 11, 2008 is reading this, I had a yellow yak on a blue Chevy.

I paddled against the current, and wind. Blowing hard, and got harder. 25 mph with 35 mph gusts in the afternoon. Not that hard in the morning, maybe 15-20. Still, in the open section of River, which was a hour of paddling, it was tough.

I paddled upstream for just under two hours. Saw a few anglers, rentals from Wekiva Falls, the Wekiva Falls tour pontoon. Three idiots in powerboats, going too fast as they entered the run into Wekiva Falls. One cut the line of a guy fishing from the bank. The angler took it better then I would have. But, justice was served. The boater lifted his engine out of the water, as it he hit something. Serves him right, jacka@@.

The bird variety was fantastic. Ibis, limpkin, swallowtail kite, moorhens, osprey, great egret, anhinga, hawk, wood ducks, mottled ducks, blue, great blue, green, tri colored and black crowned night herons. Too bad I only have pictures of the usual suspects, ibis above,

Great blue heron, blue heron, anhinga.









and mottled ducks.



I expected to see alligators on this hot day, but only saw two. No. 2 was even smaller.




I spent 4.5 hours on the Wekiva, then took a 20 minute walk in the nearby Lower Wekiva State Preserve, before coming home. When I got home, the yak was pushed over to the left side of the roof. The wind was nasty.

Weeki Wachee

Returned to the Weeki Wachee River Saturday, May 10, 2008. Air temperature 50 degrees higher than my last visit in January. Spring fed water temperature, 72, as always. I launched from Rogers Park shortly before 9 am, and headed upstream. Paused at the "Fish Hospital" where I swam with manatees last visit. None present today, no reason for manatees to seek warmer water. Perhaps this hawk was also looking for manatees.

If the hawk saw any manatees in the River from Rogers Park to the Spring area, it has better eyes then I. Very few people, a fisherman or two, folks having coffee on their docks, were seen until I was past the halfway point. The downstream traffic became heavy, 25 or so canoes and kayaks. Several people asked if I had seen any manatees. My response "Not yet".

It took just over two hours to arrive at the "No Boats Beyond This Point" sign. Turned around, and as soon as I found a good spot to land, I did. Well, a good spot once I got past the area where swimming is not allowed. I snorkeled downstream for a while. The River was stirred up by all the paddlers, so I only took two pictures. No fish, underwater turtles or manatee shots today. Just to cool off was worth it. My shirt was soaked with sweat. The miserable months have begun in Florida. But, if its over 90, no better place to be then a cool, sping fed river.

By the time I finished my snorkel, and lunch, it was past 12:30. Now the River was full of paddlers, boaters, tubers, swimmers, rope swingers, tree jumpers all seeking Saturday fun.

All the activity left nature in a precarious position. Well, maybe not, but it fits the above photo.

Not a lot of avian life, here are a great blue heron and an ibis. I all my Weeki trips, I've seen one, maybe two alligators. Not including this one.

Tree climbing alligator ! This one is always in the same place ;)

Here is a real animal on tree pic.

Pileated woodpecker. I paddled past Rogers Park, going to the Gulf. Past Rogers Park, the River is much more developed, big homes on both sides. Except for one channel that has homes on the south bank only. The residences end, the Weeki Wachee widens as it winds its way to the Gulf.

Past the last homes, there are two green docks on the south bank. I have never seen them being used, and wondered who or what owned the land. Today, some folks sat at a picnic table on the downriver dock. My attention was diverted by a manatee at the first dock. I observeded it for a while, noticed the light scars on its back, then moved on to talk to the folks on the dock. Turns out a doctor owns the land. "Two homes can be built on the lot" I told them I hoped no homes would be built, or, when I get my million or so, I'd build a small place. I moved on, and saw another manatee. Just inside the sign designated the WW as an Idle Speed, No Wake Zone. Not to mention no alcohol. The River is patrolled. I saw Hernado County Sheriffs in boats, and jet skis.

Just after seeing the manatee, I saw sting rays, perhaps 3 feet across, hunting in the shallow water. I hoped to see dolphins as I went pass the Bayport Pier , circling a mangrove island at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. No luck. As far as dolphins are concerned. Any disappointment was mitigated by a bald eagle flying across the river. More luck, or good timing, was the incoming tide, making the way back much easier at the end of a long day.

I returned via the northernmost channel, the one with residences restricted to the south side. I have seen manatees here, most often on hot days. As you can see, I saw two today.

Today's trip was 16 miles in 7 hours. As usual on the Weeki Wachee, I dined at the Upper Deck. Here's a view from the yak.

I have another report, concentrating on the WW downstream of Rogers Park on Green Wave

http://www.clubkayak.com/greenwave/trips.asp?op=showtrip&trip=209

Not to mention by two prior reports on the Yak Tales

http://davesyaktales.blogspot.com/2008/01/weeki-wachee-river.html

http://davesyaktales.blogspot.com/2007/10/weeki-wachee.html

Haulover Canal

Two dolphins in Haulover Canal, Sunday May 4, 2008. There were three, but I did not get a good trio picture. Here is a so-so picture of the troika.















Trust me, three dorsal fins are visible. If you can blow up the picture, that helps.





As you know, Haulover Canal means manatees.















If, you didn't know, welcome to Dave's Yak Tales. I saw 5 or so in Bairs Cove, 1 in the Mosquito Lagoon, just north of the east end of the Canal, another at the opposite, Indian River entrance.

All pic so far, including the dolphins, were taken in, or just outside Bairs Cove. Here is an aquatic mammal I saw out of the Cove, in the sheltered area just east of the Lagoon.

"Reddish egrets 'dance' in the shallows". The quote is from the Great Florida Birding Trail Guide, describing the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. This bird was doing just what the guide described.

The photo is post-dance. The hoping about, wings flapping, flushed a fish which was stabbed and swallowed.

Seems like every Haulover trip I get the bird on the Nesting Area sign shot. Sometimes osprey or gull, this time cormorant.

And the always popular pelican on the Manatee Zone look.

I deleted a fuzzy picture of a cormorant and pelican on a Manatee Zone sign. Here a couple old favorites.

From a distance, this smoke plume looked dangerously close to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The vehicles being the Space Shuttle.

Not to worry. On the way home, I saw a sign. USFWS Controlled Burn. USFWS is the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. I soon drove past the blaze, which was being carefully monitored by at least 10 vehicles, the occupants on the fire line.



My three hour visit to Haulover Canal, much of which was spent floating, viewing wildlife, was the perfect day after the hard 14 mile, all day trip to Juniper Creek.

Juniper Creek

Saturday May 3, 2008, I returned to Juniper Creek in the Ocala National Forest. In the water at 9:00 am, only car in the Juniper Wayside parking lot. Paddled 7 miles upstream to the Juniper Springs Recreation Area. Did not see my first paddler until I was more than half way. By then I'd seen three deer.

The log this gentleman is on is 8-10 feet above the creek. After I passed below, he pushed off, splashing into the Creek to the delight of his buddies. I told them I was glad one is never to old to do crazy things.

He did not land on this guy.

A beautiful May Saturday brought out plenty paddlers. By going upstream, I only had brief encounters with the downstream throng, then had the Creek to myself. And wildlife like limpkins.

I arrived at Juniper Springs about 12:30. A lot of activity, as you can see.

>All the activity stirred up the water, so no good underwater pics. But bad under water pics are better than none at all, a position I thought I was in last Saturday when water got in my case and the camera stopped working. But, by Tuesday, after drying out, it was working fine. I have some good underwater pics, later in the Tale.










Here's a good landbased pic.








iv>Fern Hammock Springs. I have yet to find a more scenic spot in Florida


I was back in the water at 2:00, well after the last rental canoe left. I saw five boats on the way down.













An equal number of deer.

More wildlife

I spent the same amount of time heading downstream, 3.5 hours, as I took going up. Downstream was a bit easier.

Silver Glen Springs is 3 miles north of the Juniper Wayside. Here are the good underwater pictures.

After my snorkel, I crossed Highway 19 to the Yearling Trail. A great location for Florida scrub jays.

A few more pictures (5) and additional info are posted on the Green Wave Forum

http://www.clubkayak.com/greenwave/trips.asp?op=showlocation&location=83