CANOE EVERGLADES N P

FEBRUARY 5 - 20, 2000

February 5, 2000 Saturday Drive to Richmond Hill, GA

Got up at 3:01. Drank some orange juice and left to pick up Barry Nelson at 3:20 . Arrived at Charles Elms about 3:48. Dave Holyoak arrived at 3:55 and we were off at 4:00. Took US29 to MD32 to I-95 to I-495 around the Virginia side to I-95 south. Stopped at McDonalds for pancakes, french fries and orange juice for $2.70. Threw $40 in the gas kitty. Stopped at Wendys for a spicy chicken sandwich, french fries and a Dr Pepper for $4.59. Got a vanilla milkshake at the Dairy Queen for $2.10. Stopped about 3:30 at Motel 6 room 243 for $19 in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Bought some beer and nuts for $3.79. Ate dinner of salad, chicken parmesan, spaghetti, ice tea and bread for $9.20 at a restaurant next to a pawn shop. Went to bed at 8:30.

February 6, 2000 Sunday Drive Richmond Hill, GA to Naples, FL

Got up at 4:30 and took off at 5:00 in 26 degrees. Crossed into Florida at 6:30. Stopped at McDonalds for breakfast of homefries, egg, sausage, biscuit, pancakes and milk for $4.59. Stopped around noon at McDonalds near W Palm Beach for lunch of fish sandwich, french fries and vanilla shake for $4.79. Turned onto the Sawgrass Parkway ($1.50 toll) and Alligator Alley I-75 ($1.50 toll) to Naples, Florida. Saw many birds and alligators along the road and a huge fire on the left. Arrived at Super 8 room 139 $44.29 in Golden Gate near Naples about 3:15. Bought a 6 pack of Killians for $6.99. Drank 2 and shared the rest with Barry Nelson and Dave Holyoak. Walked to the Cracker Barrel for supper of chicken, dumplings, mashed potatoes with gravey, biscuit, green beans, ice tea and peach crisp with vanilla ice cream for $11. Bought sunglasses for $11.60.

February 7, 2000 Monday Canoe Everglades City to Rabbit Key

Got up at 6:00 shaved and showered. 6:30 breakfast of frosted flakes. 7:05 took off and gased up. Bought 12 Busch beers and 16 oz of orange juice for $6.99. Drove to Everglades City arriving about 7:50. Got lots of information and our permit for $10. Unloaded canoes and equipment and filled our water containers (2 x 6 gallons each). Repacked and loaded our canoes. Got underway about 9:55. Warm and partly sunny with a light breeze. Canoed across the open water about a mile and into Sandfly Pass taking the left exit to the main channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Saw several fishermen and many birds including a crowned night heron which we passed very near. Also saw a dolphin quite near. Stopped on a key about 12:00 for lunch of peanut butter crackers, lemon cookies and a Busch beer. Pulled into Rabbit Key campsite at 25 45.073N 81 22.089W about 1:50 after 9.0 miles of canoeing. Set up chair in shade and drank a Busch beer. Moved down the beach a short way and set up tent. Ate a can of peaches I had brought for lunch and some peanuts. 5:15 supper of chicken noodles, carrots and tuna. Tide went out so we are fairly high above the water. Sun went down about 6:10 and it was dark about 6:30. Went to bed at 7:00.

February 8, 2000 Tuesday Canoe Rabbit Key to Turkey Key

Got up at 6:30 as it was starting to get light. Tide is way out. Ate breakfast of 16 oz orange juice, two peach oatmeals and English muffin pan fried in butter. Broke camp and hauled canoe out over mud flats which were mucky in places. Carried gear out to canoe and loaded it. Got underway about 7:55 by poling in 3 - 4" of water. Finally got free and canoed across a wide bay. We had a good tailwind so we moved along pretty well. It was a little choppy in the middle of the bay. Stopped on a key for a snack and found a USGS marker. Stopped again on Duck Rock for a short break. Crossed another big shallow bay passing Mormon Key which was the point we originally thought we were headed for. Landed on New Turkey Key which we thought was Turkey Key. Ate a quick lunch of cheese crackers and a can of pears which I spilled most of them on the ground. Crossed over to Turkey Key at 12:55 after 10.4 miles. Checked up the beach for a good campsite but ended up beside the sign where we landed. Beach littered with smelly kelp. No port-a-pot. It started raining about the time we passed Mormon Key and it turned into a steady rain for the last 3 hours. Our position is 25 38.644N by 81 16.329W. Made a cup of chicken boullion soup about 4:00 in my tent. It continues to rain. Ate supper of rice cheddar, broccoli, chicken and vanilla pudding. Made up lemonade.

February 9, 2000 Wednesday Canoe Turkey Key to Highland Beach

It rained during the night and the wind was strong off and on. Got up at 6:17 and it was still very gray. Not a cloud in the sky but still a strong wind out of the north. Packed up and ate breakfast of toasted English muffin, 2 strawberry oatmeals and 16 oz of orange juice. A young raccoon was hiding under Dave's canoe and left reluctantly and resentfully under the prodding of Dave's paddle. We had to cross some mudflats and then turned to the left or west around the point of Turkey Key and across a channel around another point. The wind is strong and the sea a little rough. We're cutting across the wind so it is a little tough. Once around the 2nd point we headed south with the wind at our back. Very easy going so all we had to do was steer and we still were doing 2.5 mph. It was sometimes difficult to hold your line. We're headed for a point about 8 miles down and cruising about ½ to ¾ of a mile offshore. It is shallow in many areas which causes us some problems at times. Passed a grounded boat loaded with big boxes or traps with a guy playing loud music. He is up to no good, drugs, smuggling or something illegal. We gave him a wide berth. A dolphin circled us and then came up next to us. He wanted to play I think. Finally reached Highland Point and landed about 11:40. Ate lunch of crackers and cheese, lemon cookies and can of fruit cocktail. Canoed around the point with the wind and soon were at Highland Beach campsite 25 30.169N by 81 12.759W about 12:30 after 10.5 miles. A ranger came up in a power boat as we were unloading. Dave canoed out to him and found out his mother is not doing well in Racine, Wisconsin. After a few phone calls and some thought, Dave headed in with the ranger. He left his tent with Charles because it was wet. It's very windy here as we are on the gulf side on the beach. The wind continues to blow and is getting stronger. Sat in chairs with Charles and Barry eating smoked oysters with crackers and drank a Busch beer. Made banana cream pudding and cooked beef noodles and barbeque pork for supper. A couple of kayakers came by going upwind. They turned in as it was getting late and camped up the beach past some trees. Barry and I watched a beautiful sunset at 6:14. Barry turned in to read but I stayed out until 7:15 and watched the stars come out. I can see Orion, Saturn and Jupiter. The moon is less than a quarter (11.3% luminosity). The wind is still very strong. I hope the tent holds up. I have my water jugs (about 50 lbs each) on the tent pegs to keep them from pulling out of the sandy beach. It's 7:42 so I guess I'll turn in.

February 10, 2000 Thursday Highland Beach

Got up about 11:30 pm and the wind was still quite strong. The moon was down and the stars were brillant. Got up at 7:00 am and it was perfectly still. Low tide is about 10:02 am. Ate breakfast of 16 oz of orange juice, 2 peach oatmeals and a toasted English muffin. Barry and I walked north along the beach. We walked up to a young barred owl on a dead tree trunk which we photographed. Saw where the kayakers camped last night. They must have left early this morning as their marks in the sand are high on the beach. Ate lunch of crabmeat salad with crackers, can of peaches, Busch beer, cheese and crackers and Oreos. About 1:15 I walked south along the beach about 2 miles to the Broad River inlet. Saw many birds including swallows, pelicans, crow, buzzard, osprey and what looked like a golden eagle. Saw many tracks of raccoon and deer. Found a campsite where it looked like 4 tents and canoes had been last night. Further down I found a fire still burning so I rolled the log into the surf. Got back about 3:30 and drank 2 Busch beers and ate peanuts with Barry and Charles until 5:00. Cooked supper of elbow macaroni and cheese with broccoli, shrimp and chocolate pudding. We all watched a nice sunset at 6:15. Charles and Barry went to bed while I sat until 7:30. The moon is 22% illuminated. The stars are really bright. I can see the moonlight glistening off the gulf ripples. There is a red light blinking on the horizon to my left marking the river entrance. I can see an occasional plane and satelite move across the sky. There is a light breeze and it is cool. I can hear the crickets chirping, the wind sighing, the palm fronds clacking in the beeze and the soft patter of the surf. It is very pleasant to sit and let your thoughts wonder. Went to bed at 8:10.

February 11, 2000 Friday Canoe Highland Beach to Roger's River Chickee

High tide at 3:23 am. Got up at 6:15. It is perfectly calm and the gulf is like a mirror. There is a heavy dew so my tent is wet. Packed up and ate breakfast of 2 peaches oatmeal, toasted English muffin and 16 oz of orange juice. The tide is still pretty high so we don't have to carry our gear far as we pushed off at 7:46. Canoed down along the beach I walked yesterday for about 2 miles to the bay where the Broad River flows into the gulf. There are 2 tents and 3 kayaks camped on the shore where we turned into the bay. It is very shallow in the bay. Saw a pair of dolphins chasing fish in the shallows. We finally found the river in the right corner of the bay. We crossed the strong river current and beached on a key across the river in an eddy. It is 9:30 and low tide is not until 10:53. We set up our chairs and drank a Busch beer. Barry had some Edom cheese and Charles had a beef roll, wheat thins and mustard so we had a little snack. Talked to some fishermen in power boats going up the river. We decided to paddle upriver even though the current is still strong at 11:00. We hugged the shore line to minimize the effects of the current. There is a slight tailwind which helps a little. Soon saw a very large alligator on the bank. He got up, turned around and slid into the water right at me. He soon submerged and we didn't see him again. Saw the entrance to Nightmare Alley at post #25. Stopped at the Broad River campsite at 12:00 for about 5 minutes. Saw many gators on the banks of the river. Worked hard and finally reached the turn off the Broad River at post #26 at 3:05. Ate a couple of cheese and crackers as we paddled. Went up the channel to a lake and past post #31 then through a small gap into another lake. Turned left one mile to Roger's River chickee 25 32.207N by 81 3.845W at 4:30 after 14.5 tough miles. We were greeted by Horace a medium sized alligator who hangs around the chickee. He floats with the top of his head out of the water like a begging dog at the dinner table. Drank a beer, then set up my tent. Cooked supper of chicken flavored rice, clams and cookies. Beautiful sunset but we couldn't see it because of the trees. It is a beautiful setting on a lake. There are a few mosquitos so I got into my tent. Saw Horace in the water about 6 feet from my tent door. High tide about 4:30. Went to bed about 7:45.

February 12, 2000 Saturday Canoe Roger's River Chickee to Lostman's Five Camp

Got up at 6:17. Packed up and ate breakfast of 2 peach oatmeals, toasted English muffin and 16 oz of orange juice. Canoed away at 7:23. Went through a series of lakes that were smooth as glass. Saw one large alligator on the bank. Had an occasional breeze that kept us cool. There are big puffy clouds covering about 50% of the sky for a couple of hours so we have some shade. Saw several schools of fish really churning the water into a boil. Ate a packet of cheese and crackers. A kayaker with a pole for a sail passed us and then a couple in kayaks who were with the first guy. Talked to a couple of fishermen in a boat. We basically kept moving until we arrived at Lostman's Five 25 38.046N 81 8.574W at 12:23 after 12 miles. A fishing boat was there using the toilet with 3 men from Everglades City. They left and another boat came with an outfitter and a couple of clients to use the toilet. They came back an hour or so later. Drank a Busch beer in my chair then ate lunch of crackers, crab salad and peaches. Set up tent and unloaded my canoe. Drank another Busch beer about 3:30 with some peanuts. About 4:15 cooked beef stroganoff noodles and a toasted English muffin. I thought I was having sloppy joes but I had sauce only with no meat so I threw it out. There is virtually no air. It is a nice lake in front of camp and we can't be more than a foot above it. The ground is wet and shakes when someone walks on it. I suspect we are floating on mangrove roots. Won't see the sunset since it is sinking into the trees on my left. It is pretty warm, very comfortable in shirt sleeves at 5:43. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 79 and 83 on Monday. Although it is not dark yet the mosquitos are horrible. I moved inside my tent because of them. Barry's tent is aglow as he probably is reading. I can hear the crickets, water gently lapping and Charles tent zipper. There is a glow bug gently winking outside my tent screen with moonbeams peppering the foliage around him. Went to bed at 7:30.

February 13, 2000 Sunday Canoe Lostman's Five to Darwin's Place

Slept very well. Was sound asleep at 6:30 when Barry started to stir. Packed up and ate breakfast of 2 blueberry oatmeals, toasted English muffin and 16 oz of orange juice. Canoed out across the bay at 8:00. It is warm and no air movement. It was foggy when we got up but it had cleared by the time we left. Crossed a big lake and into a channel like we expected before we came on the trip. Saw 2 large alligators in the narrow channel. Passed the Plate Creek Bay chickee and saw the 3 kayakers from yesterday. Crossed Alligator Bay and into another canal. Came into Cansop Bay and crossed it to a channel and Darwin's Place campsite 25 41.627N 81 12.135W at 10:45 after 6.5 miles. The ground is mounded and dry and we are about 6' above the water. A retired couple from near Palo Alto, California in an 18' Wenonah kevlar canoe are breaking camp. Talked to them and Brian also breaking camp. Brian is from Cleveland, Ohio and had a 12' kit boat from Lightcraft in Annapolis. They left and 4 fishermen in two boats from Ft Meyer pulled in. They were the same fishermen we talked to at the mouth of the Broad River. They gave us some leftover fried bass that was excellent. Ate a pack of cheese and crackers, peaches and drank a Busch beer. The fishermen left at 1:30. At 3:40 I ate some of Barry's Gouda cheese, Charles crackers and my smoked oysters and oak smoked sardines with a Busch beer. Cooked supper of chicken flavored noodles, crab meat and pistachio pudding. A Toronto couple pulled in in 2 kayaks and are sharing the site for the night. Saw a zebra butterfly (yellow and black stripes). Moon luminesence is 50.3%. Went to bed at 7:40.

February 14, 2000 Monday Canoe Darwin's Place to Sweetwater Chickee

Slept fairly well. Got up at 2:38 and didn't get back to sleep for a while. Barry woke me up at 6:18 as he was moving around. Packed up and ate breakfast of orange juice, 2 strawberry oatmeals and a toasted English muffin. Said goodbye to the couple of kayakers from Toronto and canoed from camp at 7:40. Calm at first and a little hot but a breeze soon came up. Crossed a couple of bays and turned right off the Wilderness Waterway at post #99. Turned up a stream, across a small bay and into another stream. Met the kayaker couple and bearded friend with the sail pole about 100 yards from the chickee. They were the ones camped at Highland Beach when we passed. Talked to them about 5 minutes then headed into Sweetwater Chickee 25 44.669N 81 12.711W at 9:40 am after 5 miles. The wind picked up some so it was hard putting up the tent. I placed my folding chair on the tent to hold it down then rolled it into the water when I raised the tent. While sitting, Barry spotted an alligator coming around the small island in front of us and down the shoreline. He climbed out of the water behind our chickee so I guess he will be hanging around until we leave tomorrow. It's quite pleasant here in the shade of the chickee roof. The kayakers told us the water comes out of the ground about ¼ mile up the channel from our chickee. At 11:47 ate lunch of crackers, crab salad, fruit cocktail and a Busch beer. A tour boat with 5 people in it came around the island in front of us and turned around and left the way they came. The wind is pretty constant at about 15 mph. I tied the corners of my tent down by lacing rope through the floor boards and through the loops at the corners of the tent. About 4:00 I drank a Busch beer and ate some peanuts. At 4:30 started cooking macaroni with white cheese, ham and coconut cream pudding. The alligataor came back circling us staying always along the shore. He doesn't come near the chickee. He is a bit smaller than Horace. The temperature is in the low 80s. Clouds came through in the afternoon but have cleared out by sundown and the wind has stopped. It is totally calm. Found the baby wipes so I rubbed down getting partially clean. The MSR Whisperlite stove almost shut down so I'm going to have to clean it tomorrow. The moon luminesence is 61.7% . Fish are jumping out of the water like a couple of nights ago. Went to bed at 7:30.

February 15, 2000 Tuesday Canoe Sweetwater Chickee to Lopez River Camp

Had a strong wind for about an hour around midnight. Glad I tied my tent down yesterday. Barry and Charles canoes kept banging into the port-a-pot making my chickee shutter. Kept me awake for about an hour. Got up about 6:00 and packed up. Ate breakfast of 2 banana oatmeals, toasted English muffin and 16 oz of orange juice. Loaded canoe and paddled away at 7:07. Some mosquitos seemed to follow us. Fairly calm as we paddled down the channel and turned right into Last Huston Bay. We had a good headwind and a chop as we paddled across the bay. The wind seemed to increase as we paddled across Huston Bay and Oyster Bay. We had a short respite and then paddled across Sunday bay and turned left into the Lopez River and out of the wind of the open bays. Saw a nesting pair of osprey in the top of a dead tree. Although we are fighting the current it isn't bad as we zig zag up the river cutting the inside corners. Pulled into Lopez River camp 25b 47.251N 81 18.388W after 11.5 miles at 11:30. A kayak with 2 Swiss ladies pulled in from the opposite direction at the same time. Set up camp and ate lunch of cream of chicken soup, cheese and crackers, lemon cookies, Busch beer and lemonade. At 3:45 drank a Busch beer and ate some peanuts. 4:20 cooked noodles Alfredo, tuna and butterscotch pudding. Several fishing boats passed going into Chokoloskie for the night. Very warm and still with a cloud cover. Temperature today was in the low 80s. Plastic piece on my chair broke. Went to bed at 7:30.

February 16, 2000 Wednesday Canoe Lopez River Camp to Everglades City

Got up at 5:40 and packed up. Emptied water cans having used about 6 gallons. Ate breakfast of peaches oatmeal, toasted English muffin and orange juice. Loaded canoe, now much lighter, and canoed away at 6:39. No wind and near low tide so it is very calm with a light misty fog. Canoed about 1.5 miles down the Lopez River which widened out into the bay to Chokoloskie. We rounded Chokoloskie and up a narrow shallow canal on the right of the road. Saw a big fat raccoon on the shore and many black and gray water birds with a crown. It was very shallow and the channel very narrow and winding as we covered the last 200 yards which took us about a mile prior to crossing under the road bridge. Landed in Everglades City ranger station where we left from at 9:30 after 8 miles. The couple from Toronto in 2 kayaks were getting ready to push off for a couple of more days in the glades. Loaded the van and trailer with gear and canoes. Pulled out at 10:40 and looked for the Ivy House in Everglades City to get a shower for $3 each. Finally stopped at a motel and the lady let us shower in an uncleaned room for $5. Pulled out of Everglades City at 11:15 with the temperature at 80. Drove up FL29 to I-75 and Alligator Alley. Saw several signs saying "Panther Crossing". Antied up $40 for the gas kitty. Drove up the Sawgrass Parkway to I-95 in Deerfield Beach. Headed north and stopped at McDonalds for a fish sandwich, fries and a vanilla shake for $3.92 in Jupiter. Stopped about 5:45 at the Guesthouse room 241 shared with Barry for $36.43 in St Augustine. Went to Sonny's barbeque for salad bar, barbecued chicken, pork and short ribs, fries, garlic bread and beer for $14.44. Showered and shaved. Charles called home and found out that Dave's mother died. Went to bed at 9:00.

February 17, 2000 Thursday Drive St Augustine, FL to Columbia, MD

Got a wakeup call at 3:30. Dressed and checked out. Got $1 back for the room key. Ate a jelly donut in the lobby. Walked to the gas station for orange juice at $1.08. Charles picked me up and we were off at 3:55. Headed north on I-95 in the dark. Stopped about 7:00 in Georgia at McDonalds for breakfast of pancakes, sausage and orange juice for $3.92. Crossed into South Carolina about 8:00 and North Carolina about 11:00. Stopped at Wendys about 11:45 for lunch of spicy chicken sandwich, sour cream and chive baked potato and ice tea for $4.94. Ate a can of fruit cocktail. Drove through Virginia in the afternoon and around Richmond. Traffic not bad. Got on the Washington Beltway I-495 at 4:15 and except for a brief backup at the Wilson Bridge we cruised on home arriving at 5:18. Unloaded my gear and canoe. Stopped at Barrys and unloaded him. Rode on to Charles' where I got my car out of his garage and drove home at 6:10.