Just Where I Need To Be

Yesterday Charlotte and I really immersed ourselves in the Florida Keys. Day 3 brought us beautiful weather and we spent it on the ocean and in the Gulf in a kayak. Wow! Between gorgeous clouds, clear water with shades of blues and greens seldom seen, and incredible mangroves to glide through, we found ourselves in awe. The beauty of this place is humbling.

Here is where we were:

We spent the day paddling out to Indian Key (about a thirty minute stroke). You can see it marked with an “A” on the map. This island is protected by the parks department as it is a museum of sorts. It still has old structures on it from when a man started a salvage business on it back in the early 1800’s. It changed hands many times after that and the buildings he built still have foundations observed by visitors today.

A common site for the day:
Photo by Charlotte Scott

We spent a lot of time swimming in the clear waters around the island. The water temperature was perfect. Once in it, I didn’t want to get out of it, and once out of it I was called back in.

Photo by Charlotte Scott

Eventually we headed into the Gulf via a channel under the Overseas Highway. As you can see from the above photo, it was a postcard day. I was amazed at the amount of movement in the water at this point. Swirling twisters were formed around the pilings of the bridge due to the water rushing from the Atlantic into the Gulf. I heard that this was due to tidal changes. It sure made for a vigorous paddle as we crossed the boat lane.

And then, a huge gift came. As we followed the verbal directions the kayak rental shop had given us, we paddled around a point into an area that took us to the mangroves. We had heard about these areas before, but never in my wildest imagination did I know what to expect. It was like another world.

Here is the path we took in the mangroves and showing how we entered the area (blue lines show our trail). You can also see this area from a greater distance on the first Google image in the post.

Once inside these deep, eerie mangrove tunnels, our senses were challenged. Moving through very quietly so as to blend in with the environment around us and to not disturb the wildlife, we observed twisted tree roots bending right up out of the water. Browns and greens and whites and reds. Trees so twisted they formed incredible sculptures all around us.

At every tight turn inside this wild place we were blessed with another new experience. Something new to take in through our vision and other senses. Reflections where everywhere:

Crabs that climb trees were another first for both Charlotte and I. We thought they were big spiders, like tarantulas or something, until we eased up closer to see the claws on them. What a great experience.

So they say around here, “you haven’t experienced the Keys until you have experienced them from the water”. We did that yesterday. And we had so much fun doing it, we may do it again today. After all, that’s what vacations are all about. And this is just where i need to be.

Photo by Charlotte Scott