Kayaking and Key Deer

If someone ever tells me we're going on a 6 mile kayak trip again remind me to check the weather first! Pat, Debbie, Eddy, Abby and I all went up to the Key Deer Island for a kayak trip out to see the stingrays and hopefully to see some of the endangered Key Deer. The trip out was against the current but not too difficult, but coming back the wind picked up to about 25mph and blew right at us! The waves were coming in over the sides of my boat, Pat and Debbie had to put Abby into their 2 person kayak, and it took everything I had just to get back. Everytime you would stop paddling to rest the wind blew you back and you lost all the ground you just covered. My back hurt so bad by the time I finally got back. But, on the flip side, we did catch fish, saw some stingrays, got to investigate a mangrove swamp up close and personal, and got great exercise. It was an experience, and I would definately do it again, although I think I'd take a couple of pain pills before I started! Oh, and we did get to see the Key Deer!

Abby's new Myak

The raft was just too hard to pull behind Eddy's kayak, so in comes the Myak! We took it in thru the mangrove swamps, saw jellyfish, and did some fishing.

Kayaking, Fishing, and Chillin'

Kayaking, Fishing, and Chillin'

Our first week in the Keys has been spent at Long Key State Park. The campground is right on the ocean and we have been having a lot of fun! We've been camping with our friends, Pat & Debbie (the workampers from this year at our campground). Both Pat & Debbie are into fishing big time and have started teaching Eddy and Abby to fish. Eddy has been buying tackle like there is no tomorrow, but he wants to make this a hobby that both him and Abby can enjoy. Eddy, Debbie & Pat caught about 4 Jack Cravalle the other day and boy were they good eating! Abby has caught a couple smaller grunts so far, but nothing we could keep.

We took Abby out on the kayak and taught her how to paddle - big mistake!!!! About a half hour after we brought the kayaks in and tied them up, Eddy looks up and thinks he sees me back out on the kayak, but it's Abby!!! No lifejacket, just happily paddling out to sea! Pat and Eddy had to go rescue her, and I can tell you none of them was happy when they got back! Hopefully she won't try that one again.

Other than Abby's little kayaking adventure we've been having a lot of fun. Abby's been learning all about sea life. We went to visit the Theater of the Sea and it was great! It's a lot like Sea World, only much smaller. We went to dolphin, sea lion, turtle, alligator, shark, and bird shows. At almost all of them Abby raised her hand to volunteer and got to help with the training. She even got to hold a nurse shark! She told me today she wants to be a Marine Psychologist when she grows up so she can train dolphins. She has also been walking the beach every day in search of new sea life that she can have "for a sleepover". So far we've had 10 hermit crabs, a seahorse, a conch, and a bunch of Box Elder bugs spend the night. She's learned about mammals, fish, gills, types of crabs, habitats, endangered animals, pollution, reproduction, and so much more I can't even remember it all!