Hate Auto-correct

I typed CCC on the pavilion post. As in Civilian Conservation Corps.

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CDC Pavilion

At Myakka State Park, we find a picnic pavilion built by the CDC in the 1930s. The palm logs look nearly new.

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Florida Cattle Range

Traveling from the east coast to Myakka River State Park today. Going by orange groves and huge cattle ranches. We hear that Florida cowboys consider Texas cowboys wimps. They have no gators to contend with.

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Mike's quote of the day

Mike said at breakfast this morning, "the best part about grits is, if you put lots of butter, salt and pepper on 'em, they taste like butter, salt and pepper".

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Treasure Museum

With the wind too strong for kayaking, we took in this exhibit about 11 Spanish treasure ships that wreaked in a hurricane in 1715. We are on the museum observation deck overlooking the wreak area.

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breakfast on a windy day

We survived the first night with the ladies.  Geezers life has changed!

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Raise a glass to the old sod

After 12 grueling miles paddling around Cedar Keys, Mike raises a glass of Midnight Oil Stout (brewed in Gainesville, FL).

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Otters on the Chass

Here is a clip of the River Otter family we watched on the Chassahowitzka River

Chassahowitzka River

Say the name of this place, three times, fast. Locally, it's known as the "Chass". Wednesday, the Geezers where looking for a shady place to paddle, and tried this cool, spring-fed river. The highlight of our six miles on the Chass was a family of River Otters. We saw these curious guys twice, swimming along the shores and popping up for looks at us. I'll try to post some video of them later. In the meantime, here are a few shots from the Chass.

Along the Chassahowitzka River

A

A side trip up Baird Creek, headed for Blue Spring

A tree full of vultures, and one Osprey

Ozello Outpost

OK, Whalen is a bad influence.  It's 4:45 on a Thursday and we are on the 4th $1 mug of beer after a grueling 6 mile paddle on the Gulf.  4 inch waves, wafting breezes in 85 degree temps - we deserve this!

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Geezers Recoup After a Tough Kayak Training

Apologies to our readers for being mostly off the grid. Four days of kayaking in the roughest water we could find along the Georgia shore took a lot out of us. We are now resting up and licking our wounds at Camp N Waters in Homosassa, Florida.

We paddled today in the Crystal River and on the Homosassa River, right by the campground.

Here is a piece of video, showing two of our ACA kayak instructors. This was day 3 of the training, checking the 20+ knot winds before launching into the Crooked River.

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Good food in Southern Georgia

We have been in St. Marys, GA for 7 nights and have returned to the St. Marys Seafood Company for dinner 4 times.  Tonight, in addition to the great raw oysters, we had grilled shrimp, coleslaw and Lima beans cooked with sausage!   Un-frigging believable food, great prices and very friendly folks!  Gonna miss this place as we continue south tomorrow.

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Tired Geezers

Finished the kayak course - 4 days of sun, wind, waves, currents and many challenges.  Pretty wiped out, but nothing a few oysters and a beer or 3 won't fix!

On to Florida tomorrow!

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The Geezers are whipped. Four days in the roughest water to be found along the Georgia/Florida coast. We are back at the campsite, but can't seem to get out of the car...

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Big Day Tomorrow

The four-day kayak class starts tomorrow. We are headed for knarly water. Mike's nervous.

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I know, we've been bad...

We should really be posting more, you all hang on our every word - don't you?  Well, we have been really busy.  Yesterday, we paddled the Okefenokee and today beat ourselves up in very windy and choppy conditions on the Crooked river.  Since some of you like our culinary explorations, last night's dinner was at a little restaurant in Folkston, VA where we had a fantastic buffet for $8.50 including drink, dessert and tax.  Tonight, after paddling through oyster beds all afternoon, we returned to St. Mary's Seafood for a plate of the freshest, most tender raw oysters and some great cooked fish and shellfish.  In our quest for dark beer in the south (which is MUCH harder than you'd think) we ventured into J's English Pub in St. Mary's for a wee nightfall.  

We promise, a real post will come soon, sort of...

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Flamingo & Palm Tree "Tacky Lights"

We can now compete with the other motorized campers!  The Geezers have arrived!

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gumbo, garlic bread and WIND!

Too windy to venture out, so did whatever was next best - EAT!  Great shrimp gumbo at a little shop in St. Mary's.

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dinner at last

7 hours of driving in pouring rain, flat tire & setting up camp in the rain - finally got a beer and OYSTERS! Might live afterall.

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Oh, joy.

Are we having fun yet?

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breakfast on the run

A stop at "The Barefoot Barista" in Pawleys Island, SC for a good sandwich and fine coffee.  Super laid back guy and, yes he was barefoot!

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Geezers Al gets into his work.

Al shows his best side while trying to tighten the roof vent as we beat a retreat from the Myrtle Beach weather.

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nighttime in the Geezers abode

Nighttime in the Geezers Abode.

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Reconnecting, Paddling and Guinness

The Geezer Guys are getting into paddling shape, but slowly. Yesterday we made our first outing of the trip, a 4 mile paddle on the Waccamaw River out of Peach Tree Landing (not far from Myrtle Beach). Today, we paddled from Bonaparte's Landing in Calabash, NC out to Bird Island Preserve, 4.5 miles.

Waccamaw River - huge cypress with huge Osprey nest

Morning surgery on a kayak, fixing the back band

 For this paddle, there were three of us, as we reconnected with a fellow NYSDEC retiree, Jeff Sama. Jeff moved down here a short time ago and showed us some great sights of the coast, including beaches, dunes, jellyfish, pelicans and oystercatchers (not to mention oysters).

Jeff Sama and Mike on the beach at Bird Island

Jeff is rather new to kayaking, so we took it easy on him. Otherwise, we would have paddled 20 miles and practiced landing through the rough surf - not.

Jellyfish were thick along the inner beach, each 8-10" in diameter

Our local guide also lead us to some good food and Guinness to top off the day. Our meals on the trip until today have not been worth mentioning. That made today's good eats (clam chowder, seafood gumbo, firecracker shrimp, hot crab dip) all the better. Thanks for a nice day, Jeff, and good luck with the new house!

Weather for tomorrow promised thunderstorms and rain, so we will pull up stakes a day early, heading to Georgia in the morning. Myrtle Beach and the Geezers do not seem to mix. We had rotten weather when we planned to stay here last year, and wound up bypassing Myrtle. St. Mary's, here we come.

Home away from home

Had our first night's sleep in the Geezers Trailer, our home for the next 5 or 6 weeks.  Felt great!

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good night at the pub

We hit Fayetteville NC after 14 hours on the road.  The Geezers were pleasantly surprised by: a) the temperatures (see picture) and b) the friendly atmosphere at a local pub (see time of post).  On to Myrtle Beach tomorrow for some paddling and meeting up with an old friend, Jeff Sama.

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