To me tonight Spring Creek Florida is a little slice of heaven. After a full week of slogging against persistent head winds out of the east I’m finally at a point where the east winds can blow all they want and I’ll be protected by land. Tomorrow might be trouble, but if the weather does as is predicted I should have a break from the wind for the next few days. To add to the good feeling of finally being able to look ahead at a few days of good paddling is the fact that I a pair of RV campers (Tom and Patsy Junes) at the camp ground where I’m staying have graciously adopted me for the night. I struck up a conversation with Patsy at the boat landing when I arrived, later on when I mentioned that I was going to walk over to the restaurant for dinner she insisted that I help them eat up some of the leftovers that they had from yesterday’s dinner. Not being one to pass up food I was happy to oblige by making a heaping plate full of meat balls and mashed potatoes disappear. Patsy was an army cook for years and judging by the meal she fed me, those soldiers must have eaten well. Afterward Patsy invited me to stay and charge my batteries and work on today’s blog inside their cozy camper. Once again I’m wowed by the generosity and kindness people can be capable of.
Patsy and Tom are from Kansas and after their recent retirements they sold their home, bought this RV, and are setting out to explore the country. They settled on Florida first in order to be a bit closer to Tom’s family for a while. They had first set up in an RV park near Tallahassee and endured a summer in the heat, then got smart and relocated down here where the breeze keeps things a bit cooler and the open spaces and swaying marsh grass reminds Patsy of home in Kansas. When the weather warms this spring they plan on hitting the road with no overworked plan on where to go, rather they’re going to go wherever the road and adventure takes them.
It was a very lucky break in the weather that got me this far today. The winds were predicted to blow out of the southwest at 15-20 mph swinging to the north at 20 mph later on. I figured if I could make it out of the river where I was and to the coast before the winds swung to the north I’d have a chance to make it here. A thunderstorm and torrential rains kept me tent bound so I got a little later start than normal. I can’t say I felt bad when the storm was raging at 5:00 this morning and I had to stay in bed a bit longer. The sleep-in ended however, when I realized that the river that had had been 40 feet away last night had climbed it’s banks and was now only 30 feet away and gaining. Besides that I also managed to situate the back half of the tent in a low spot which was beginning to get wet. So I broke camp in a light rain and finally got on the water by 9:00 AM.
Patsy and Tom are from Kansas and after their recent retirements they sold their home, bought this RV, and are setting out to explore the country. They settled on Florida first in order to be a bit closer to Tom’s family for a while. They had first set up in an RV park near Tallahassee and endured a summer in the heat, then got smart and relocated down here where the breeze keeps things a bit cooler and the open spaces and swaying marsh grass reminds Patsy of home in Kansas. When the weather warms this spring they plan on hitting the road with no overworked plan on where to go, rather they’re going to go wherever the road and adventure takes them.
It was a very lucky break in the weather that got me this far today. The winds were predicted to blow out of the southwest at 15-20 mph swinging to the north at 20 mph later on. I figured if I could make it out of the river where I was and to the coast before the winds swung to the north I’d have a chance to make it here. A thunderstorm and torrential rains kept me tent bound so I got a little later start than normal. I can’t say I felt bad when the storm was raging at 5:00 this morning and I had to stay in bed a bit longer. The sleep-in ended however, when I realized that the river that had had been 40 feet away last night had climbed it’s banks and was now only 30 feet away and gaining. Besides that I also managed to situate the back half of the tent in a low spot which was beginning to get wet. So I broke camp in a light rain and finally got on the water by 9:00 AM.
Flooding river getting close.
The river proved to be even more beautiful this morning than it was yesterday. Wispy clouds of fog hung along the banks and hardly a whisper of wind wrinkled the mirror smooth surface. The most remarkable thing was the sounds of all the birds, their songs carrying across the water so clearly that it seemed like they were right next to me. Again, I highly recommend paddling the Crooked River if you ever get a chance. One thing I’d like someone to explain is how on earth a river can flow downstream in two directions which is exactly what this river does. I had paddled up stream all day yesterday and this morning I paddled down stream all the way back out the other side. The fast moving current of the river was a blessing that got me to the open coast in short order. When I realized the predicted winds that had yet to arrive I didn’t even slow down, rather I turned north and made my way up the coast to Spring Creek. I made it here just in time, it was literally minutes after I arrived that the wind switched to the north and started to howl.
A calm start to the day.
The Florida Circumnavigation guide I’m using said I could find water and a restaurant (which means a chance to charge batteries) so it is a perfect place to stop before making my way across the top of Florida and down the other side. The only thing this camp is lacking is a laundry which I could have used. However, a few weeks into the trip somebody suggested doing my laundry by shaking it around inside a dry bag with water and soap. I gave it a try today and it worked like a charm and I now have fresh clothes to last another week. Thank you to whomever it was that made that suggestion.
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