Leroy's turn: Deer Island

As if the hospitality yesterday was not enough, this morning Leroy picked us up and took us to breakfast and shared lots of great stories from his times in Germany, Tennessee and Texas. He has made the most of every day of his 80 years. Delightful breakfast.

An expert kayaker, Leroy lives in the perfect place. With his house directly on the canal he can shove off from backyard and explore. One day he logged nearly 30 miles just meandering through the maze of little creeks within a few miles of his house.
Each October Suwannee holds the Hidden Coast Paddling Festival. There's a big RV park for folks to camp at and a full program including naturalist sessions such as birds, butterflies, or manatees, and workshops from kayak fishing to GPS. Of course there are also lots of guided paddles. This is worth looking into for any paddlers headed to Florida in October.

Last night we stored the boats at the Community Center, so after breakfast we went down and checked out the water level at the kayak launch. It was too low to get out without crossing thigh deep mud. We couldn't really find any good options so we decided to wait, and spent time using Leroy's computer to update the blog. (Remember that slew of updates on December 30 - everyone in unison say "Thank you Leroy!".)

Ultimately it was time to go. The next destination, Shell Mound, is another one with poor access at low tide, so we faced losing another half day. But the destination after that was too far. Leroy saved the day by suggesting Deer Island, a private island that boaters camp on, which is in deeper water. We're off!

The short paddle out the canal, up the great Suwannee River (no I didn't sing), and out the East Pass was nice enough. There were quite a few boaters and fisherman out enjoying the holiday, so we were careful to not disturb their fishing and they were careful to avoid making big wakes. Soon we were back out into the Gulf.

Deer Island is perfect. Their is an easy landing, a food spot to hide the boats, and a very protected campsite.

Deer Island cast a spell on both of us. The sky and water were all gray with no distinct line, and old weathered snags rose out of the water. The water was glass. Utter tranquility. Peaceful. It is these moments that draws me outdoors. These places bring a calm and sense of completeness I have not experienced in towns.

As we finished our dinner in the dark, Fran spotted a raccoon waiting in the brush. We have seen how smart and persistent raccoons can be so we put all of the food and water into hatches in the kayak, flipped it upside down and crammed logs against it. Hope it works.