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Day 59

2/2/2010

9 Comments

 
Start: 7:00 AM- Sink Creek Camp
Finish: 2:40 PM - Shell Mound Campground (5 miles north of Cedar Key FL)
Time: 7:40
Daily dist: 33 miles
Total dist: x miles
Companions: None
Weather: Calm for first two hours then 15 mph NW tail wind…ye ha!
Notes: Made incredible time with nice tail wind for a change. It was plenty rough by the time I reached the camp ground.

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A calm morning for a change
When I woke up to the sound of a steady rain pattering against the roof of my tent I never would have dreamed that I’d finish the day swapping stories with a group of hunters while dining on a variety of local favorites. But that’s exactly where I ended up.

  I don’t really have a process for choosing one camp site over another. I simply plot out where 25 or 30 miles of paddling will put me and make plans to spend the night at which ever site works the best. Sometimes there are no sites within that distance range so I have to do a shorter day or hunker down and put in a few more miles. Shell Mound happened to land right on the 32 mile mark which is perfect for my average eight hour day at four miles per hour. The math may work out but it’s still up to me to make it happen. Today began with a steady rain but dead calm which is how it remained for the first two hours. There was a cold front on the way so I knew it wouldn’t last but it sure was nice. Once the front did reach me the winds did build but for the first time in ten days I had a tail wind. It was with that 15 mph NW wind that I made incredible time and reached the Shell Mound Campground (32 miles from where I started) in less than eight hours.

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Named after an Indian midden (pile of shells laid down by people over the centuries) the Shell Mound Campground is a county run affair and for just five dollars you gain access to excellent campsites and….HOT SHOWERS! Immediately after landing I took advantage of every minute of sunshine and wind to try to dry my gear after two days of hard use and rain. Once everything was hung up I checked in and then found my way to the shower house. I hadn’t had a shower since I stayed at the RV park in Destin and this shower was probably the best I’ve ever had. To say it felt good would be a gross understatement. It was heaven. There is no laundry facility at the campground so I once again used the dry bag trick and took advantage of the hot water to get my clothes freshened up. They’re far from totally clean but at least the smell is tolerable.

After I finished getting cleaned up and dried out I walked over to a camp site that was populated by huge pickup trucks and men wearing camouflage. I guessed deer hunters and was close…hogs and squirrels…my kind of people. I had asked the group where to go to register when I came in so they had seen me straight off the water in all my paddling clothes which is quite a sight to the unaccustomed eye. They had a few questions as to what exactly I was up to and when I told them about my trip they offered up a beer and food if I was interested. At this point in the trip I absolutely never pass up on the offer of food so as soon as the guys returned from this evening’s hunt I walked over to visit and see what was cooking…hey, they offered. The hunt had been successful and they brought back a couple squirrels and an Armadillo. One of the group had eaten one before and said it was great so the others were curious enough to give it a try. It was an ordeal watching them try to skin the armored beast but once they were finished it yielded quite a bit of meat. They seasoned the carcass, triple wrapped it in tin foil, and put it on the grill to roast.
Picture
The guys were curious enough to give Armadillo a try for dinner
In the mean time they offered me a steady flow of all manner of food, potato salad, smoked mullet, steak, and oyster stew. I ate until my stomach could take no more and while country music blared from one of the truck stereos, I listened to the guys talk. Oddly enough the main topic of conversation revolved around cooking. Judging by the amount and variety of food in that camp it shouldn’t have been a surprise.

I tried to hang on long enough to get a taste of the Armadillo but it was already late. When an electric space heater in one of their huge tents tripped a breaker and put the lights out I called it a sign that it was time to go. So I bid the gentlemen farewell and floated back to my tent clean, warm, dry, and with a very swollen belly. It felt good.

9 Comments
Aaron Stachovak
2/2/2010 12:56:11 pm

Did you have time to show them how we skin squirrels?

Reply
Neil B
2/2/2010 07:58:16 pm

Skin an armadillo? What do you use for that, a can opener?

Reply
lyn stachovak
2/2/2010 09:13:58 pm

What's mullet? I don't know if I could've eaten any one of the things they were offering up. OK - beer... I would've been good with a lot of beer.

Reply
Jenny
2/2/2010 11:02:57 pm

Nice escape Jake. That armadillo looked discusting ! I am one for trying anything but I'm not too sure about that.
How far ahead of time will you know where you'll be ? I'm thinking April.Spring break is calling for me to take a little vacation........

xo,
Jenny
And Aunt Carolyn, I think mullet is a fish with a bad haircut.

Reply
Steve Krause
2/2/2010 11:24:30 pm

Roast armadillo. It's probably an acquired taste they can only acquire in the South. Like catfish.

Reply
Dave Lindo link
2/3/2010 12:41:30 am

Jake, you northern boys have not heard about Armadillo being carriers of Leprosy. True Story!!! Good thing you declined, with your luck and everything. Just saying....

Reply
pa
2/3/2010 09:52:42 am

Hi Jake,
Anything you can skin goes good with beer. Some skinned things don't look very good but cooked and a lot of beer later??? Who knows.

Later,
Pa

Reply
Charlotte
2/3/2010 12:56:17 pm

Pretty little island if you dont look back at the neuc plant! Nice and high with a view of "our" Shell Island! We Citrus County locals love it. And mullet too, you have to try it smoked; it makes the best dip with cream cheese. Also is great fried with cheese grits! (Just like catfish!).. and beer of course. Try these things, hey, you are an adventurous spirit! Now that armidillo, that may be another issue.

Keep your paddle wet (off those oyster beds tomorrow- you'll see plenty) and your hair dry!

Charlotte

Reply
Heather Bee
2/18/2010 01:36:00 am

"I hadn’t had a shower since I stayed at the RV park in Destin ... To say it felt good would be a gross understatement."

Haahaaa! You said it first: gross! ;)

Reply



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