The Big One...it didn't get away!

John loves to fish. He doesn't get much time to fish in Vermont. We always have too many house projects and other obligations. Here in Florida is where he really can spend as much time as he wants..just fishing. He fishes from his kayak in the rivers and creeks and he surf casts when we are on the oceanside. Yesterday we explored the Tomaka River Basin which consists of the Tomoka River and several creeks which surround the Tomoka State Park. I go along for the ride...I take my camera to look for birds, unusual plants and critters along the shore. It is easy paddling for both of us. When we launched our kayaks, we saw a manatee poke his snout up out of the water for a quick breath. These inland rivers and creeks are where manatees spend the winters. They are extremely dependent on warm water and will travel longs distances to find a warm hole to hang out in. They are difficult to spot because of their dark coloring. They often have water plants growing on their backs so they look like submerged boulders. We try to stay clear of them, not because they are aggressive. Quite the opposite. They are gentle but very clumsy and will accidently bump the underside of a kayak.

John had a few bites as we headed up the river and I saw a few birds, brown pelicans, ospreys, ahinghas and commorants. Suddenly John had a huge bite on his line and this is what he pulled out.... A good size trout.

We had a lovely morning. It is not really warm here but we can still wear our shorts and sandals. What more can you ask for really.

John built a very cool trailer for our kayaks. We can walk it or pull it behind our bikes. It is so much more convenient than carrying our kayaks or driving to the launch site.

February 28... Our 43rd wedding anniversary. It seems hard to believe!

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Vermont to Florida...Down the East Coast

We left early Saturday morning trying to keep ahead of a nasty ice/snow storm heading our way. It is never easy to leave Vermont in the middle of winter. The weather and road conditions are at their worst. Vermont is always beautiful no matter what the season. Yes, a bit bleak and the clouds hang low over the mountains but still, there is beauty to be seen around each turn. Not so as you get closer to New York and New Jersey. Along the highway you see remnants of the industrial age, power plants and factories belching smoke, neighborhoods with dingy apartments and developments stretching block after block. Crossing the George Washington bridge we had a spectacular view of the New York skyline.

I like to imagine what this part of our country used to look like before start of the twentieth century. Every once in a while you can see an elegant house, still standing after so many years, sometimes kept up but often crumbling and surrounded by big box stores or long fallow farmland.

I am a self confessed history buff. I am always curious about the history of a place or region. Place names conjure up vague history lessons from my school days or a book I have read. The ipad is a wonderous tool for anyone who is as curious as I am. While driving through New Jersey, for example, I researched its role in the Revolutionary War. I discovered that New Jersey played a significant role in that war. George Washington spent more time in New Jersey during the war than any other place. Here are a few significant dates: 1775, G. Washington was named Commander of the Continental Army, 1776, Declaration of Independence was signed, Dec. 1776 G. Washington crossed the Delaware to capture Trenton, 1777 Winter encampment at Morristown, N.J. The list of historical places in New Jersey goes on and on. Now when I drive through New Jersey, I will remember what took place here so many years ago and try to overlook the industrial waste sites.

We have not had a significant war on our soil since the Civil War but all down the east coast, you will notice reminders of those days when battles were being fought and people were killing and being killed. Crossing the outer harbor on the Key Bridge, you can see Fort Carroll. This is where Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner during the War of 1812. The fort is now a national monument.

Passing through Wahington, D.C. you can just make out the Washington Monument as you cross the Potomac River.

Now we enter, what I call, "The Corridor of Death". We pass exit signs such as Manassas....1861, the first Battle of Bull Run and in 1862, the second Battle of Bull Run. We pass the exit for Fredericksburg, in 1862 the Battle of Fredericksburg took place there. All along this stretch, significant Civil War battles occured: 1863, the Battle of Chancellorsville, 1864, the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Cold Harbor, the Battle of the Anna River and the Battle of Spotsylvania....32,000 dead. The costliest battle of the war. Imagine that number....it is horrifying. In 1865, during the final months of the war, the Battles of Petersburg and Richmond took place. To me, this area should be a constant reminder of the waste and futility of war. We teach our children to solve problems with words not violence and we as adults should practice this same wisdom.

OK, on to the fun stuff of our trip. We saw green grass in New Jersey, buds on trees in Virginia, bugs on the windshield in North Carolina and full grown green leaves as we drove past St. Augustine....72 degrees and raining as we drove through Jacksonville. But the sun was peeking through when we arrived at Tomoka State Park on Monday at 2 pm. Time to put on sandals and take off our fleeces.

Take a peek inside our van.... Fishing poles, beach chairs, bikes and a motorcycle.

We are looking forward to some great kayaking. The park is located in Ormond Beach and surrounded by the Halifax and Tomoka Rivers....a perfect place to begin to relax.

 

 

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