Friday

We dropped Toby off a daycare at 10:00 and headed to the kayak rentals on the causeway with a trip to the Caladesi kayak trails in mind. The temperature was 75 degrees, the winds were blowing at a calm 2 mph, the tide was low and there was solid cloud cover, ideal conditions.

We ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for energy and took some bottled water.

We were set and ready to go in minutes. We were given a few instructions, but the details of our destination once we got there were vague. But we knew where we were headed. We trusted we could figure it out once we got to Caladesi.

At first John complained that I was getting him wet, but on the return voyage, he relented. He said he no longer cared as long as I was rowing and getting us closer to shore. We weren't a bad team. It was a long 30 minute stretch across St. Joseph Sound that was a bit boring. We took turns resting and sometimes paddled together, occasionally clanking paddles. For the first few minutes, my paddles were pointed backwards. The guys on shore must have enjoyed our departure. I'm sure we surprised them when we returned in two hours reaching our destination.

Once we arrived at the inlet for the ferry at Caladesi, we didn't know where to go. The signs were not helpful.

The inner waterways went in two directions. Naturally, we chose the wrong one, but discovered our mistake and backtracked.

We followed a boat that seemed to know where the marina was.

We hugged the shoreline to enjoy the scenery.

Suddenly, we rounded a corner and there was the marina, safely tucked away from wind and view.

The water was very clear. The mangroves were everywhere.

There was one small sign directing kayakers to the trail. I would have missed it, but John saw it. The opening was a bit foreboding.

It felt like the Heart of Darkness as we penetrated further and further into the island. The further we went the narrower the trails. We followed the signposts, one through six.

We took one wrong turn, but backed up and headed in the correct direction.

We saw lots of birds and spiders. No snakes. A few crabs. The bottom was sandy and visible.

I was considering turning back when all the sudden we saw a sliver of daylight ahead.

In a few moments we were out in St. Joseph's Sound, looking at Downtown Dunedin across the way.

John got this satellite image of our location.

That's Dunedin downtown across the sound. We decided to paddle back along the backside of the island instead of going back through the trail to enjoy different scenery.

In this picture, you can see the sandy bottom and clear water.

Once out in open water, we turned left and headed back to the causeway, which was easy to spot.

There were lots of signs prohibiting motor boats. In most places the water was only a couple of feet deep. Except for the channel, we could have gotten out and touched bottom just about anywhere along the trip.

Ordinarily, today would be a gym day, but we both got more than our usual exercise. A sore arm from the flu shot was nothing! We paddled for almost two hours. The time in the trails was more leisurely.

Finally, we could see our return destination. We were told it was a 4 hour trip, but that it could be done in an hour and a half. We felt pretty good doing it in 2. There are more trails beyond the one we took, but we left them for another day.

A pretty flower from our morning Toby walk.

We picked Toby up a little after 2:00 from K9 Adventures. The report was that this time he played with everyone and was a very good boy. The worker who escorted him out named all the dogs he played with and told us how much fun he had. We asked if he napped this time, and she said, yes, he did. I'd like to see pictures of that. The dogs nap in a big room together, no crates or cages. Supposedly, they turn off the lights, play soft music, and the regular dogs show the newcomers that it's nap time.

We knew she was telling the truth about his playing because his coat was dull and dirty, as if many dogs had slobbered on him. We brought him home and took him to the shower. I think he enjoyed the warm water from the hand-held shower head. He hardly moved a muscle and seemed to enjoy the rub down.

All cleaned up, he settled on the sofa.

And eventually, he gave up and took a nap while I put this blog together.

The whole family played hard today, and we are all exhausted.

Miles walked: 5.7

Miles biked: 0

Hours kayaked: 2