We are roughly half way through the trip and we have had some awesome adventures! After leaving Savannah we headed south to Homosassa Springs, Florida. We were all very excited to finally cross over the state line. Homosassa Springs is a rehabilitation center for injured manatees and other animals. The guys had a great time checking out the alligators, flamingos, manatees and all kinds of other wildlife. After packing up camp in Homosassa it was on to Lake Okeechobee and then finally the Florida Everglades. Lake Okeechobee was a little disappointing as it was fairly dry, but Greg taught us all about the watershed and the effects that man has had on the ecosystem.
The next day we arrived at camp in the mid-afternoon and quickly set up our home for the next 8 days. We took a day to recoup from our long drive and explore the park a bit. We went to the fruit stand strangely named, Robert is Here, and bought fresh oranges and mangos to bring back for the week. This stand has definitely become an annual stop on our Everglades road trips.
On Tuesday, the Fair Oaks students, Travis, Lane and Christi headed out on the sea kayaks that our staff and students built during the last semester. Our destination was a small chickie, which is like a large wooden dock with a roof and port-a-potty, 13 miles away. It was a long and hard paddle. Following Lane's navigation, we made it through miles of open bays, cross winds, a maze of mangrove, and large waves. We got to the chickie with just enough time to unpack, set up camp for the night and get dinner going before it got too dark. We stayed up and watched the stars come out. They were unreal. The constellation Orion dominated the sky and students used a field guide to locate other constellations. After a long sleepless night sleeping on the wooden chickie we packed up and began paddling back. The guys did an amazing job paddling and were very excited to see the marina again. When we returned to camp we ate a big spaghetti dinner that Jim prepared and hit the sack.
It has been a pretty packed and exhausting time here so far. Lane, Christi, Greg, and the students from Park Drive and Frankford headed out around noon to paddle to a beach to camp for the night. Fair Oaks is enjoying a relaxing day and will tour some of the parks sights this afternoon.
The weather has been beautiful here. No rain, not as many mosquitos as last year, and temperatures in the mid 70's make it hard to want to return to cold and snowy PA. Lane will post about their trip when they return.
A few thoughts from Fair Oaks students.
"We stayed on a chickie two nights ago. It was crazy. we had to paddle about 14 miles there and 14 miles back, a total of roughly 27 miles. We stayed there over night. I got no sleep and a little sunburn. The next day we paddled home. That was the highlight of my everglades trip so far."
-Kasey
"This morning the weather has been amazing for February. At 72 degrees I cant complain. Yesterday our group traveled 27.3 miles through the Everglades. My arms are really tired. Today we will be touring the park."
-Brandon
"The morning we left for the paddling trip, I woke up around 7 am and got my things ready. We made our way from the campsite to the marina where we began our trip. We got our kayak packed and made sure everybody was ready to go for the trip. We headed off for the chickie and we paddled 13 miles the first day and 13 miles the next. It was a total of 27.3 miles and it was the best time of my life."
-Shane
"We woke up and got our stuff ready to leave for our paddling trip. We went kayaking and it was a lot of fun. We paddled 27.3 miles in two days. It was fun to paddle in the Everglades. It was great and I wish I could do it again!"
-Ben
"Hey its me, Layton. I went on an Everglades adventure to the outback of the Everglades. We stayed on a chickie overnight and spotted some alligators. It was fun and there will be more fun ahead!"
-Layton
"On tuesday I went to the Mahogany Hammock and learned about a lot of plants and the different habitats that exist in the marsh. We saw a barred owl, he was cute. Then we traveled to Royal Palm visitor center and took some great photos of different birds, plants and reptiles in that area. We had lots of fun. "
-Matt
Don't forget to check out the YBEC blog for photos from Staz, Greg, and my iPhones. The YBEC blog can be found here, www.yellowbreeches.org/blog
Check back later for more updates!
-Travis
Thank you so much for the awesome pictures and update. So glad to hear that the weather is cooperating and the mosquitoes are better than last year. I would have to take some Tylenol for sore arms if I paddled for 27.3 miles. These are the things that memories are made of...enjoy!
ReplyDelete