Sun! Hope Bayou

Hope Bayou, Werner Boyce Salt Springs State Park.
 

We woke to sunshine and very low water. Oyster Bars surround us in every direction. With the water low we plot out the bearings for a course to wend through them.

We have nicknamed them Evil for all of the gelcoat damage they have done. I'm sure the boats are ready for more repairs.

Around midday the massive Florida Bay nuclear power plants finally fade to north. They have been visible for a week since rounding Cedar Key, and the orange glow lit the clouds at night.

It's sunny. The water goes clear in the bright light and we float above an aquarium of sea grass and plants with the occasional horseshoe crab or fish. We also pass over an area packed with sponges, looking just like the natural sponges you used to be able to buy. The sponge industry was huge here fifty years ago, but faded out.

We saw our first small mangrove a couple of days ago, but today they are tall and extend from land into the water. For lunch we do not find a beach, so eat while floating in six inches of water near Dinner Point. That becomes a very peaceful setting.

We are now ahead of itinerary so could slow down. Today is a big miles day and we see a primitive campsite about halfway but Fran wants to keep going. Perhaps we will be able to hook up with local paddler in the upcoming cities. 

We pass the first massive development at Hudson Beach, visible several miles away. Is this our welcome to South Florida?  We are skipping towns and showers.

This is the sunniest day yet! We apply sunscreen twice, and have to splash water on the dry suits to cool off.

We paddle into Hope Bayou and up the creek through the mangroves as the sun sets. Instead of hurrying to set up camp in the fading light we pause to watch the colors on the water. 

The campsite is beautiful, a patch of dry land in the mangrove bayou. But we hear the highway and airport, and the night sky glows with the city. We are switching from natural areas with small pockets of man, to developed areas with small pockets of nature. 

Ironically the change comes as sun comes out. We missed so much on gray days.