Cycling Ellen

16.5 miles today
2808 total

The river was full of thrills today.  Four of us biked up to the kayak rental place on the Wakulla River this morning.  Mary and I each got our own boats.  Hannah and Debbie shared a tandem.  When we arrived at the rental place, there were people there pointing into the water at a manatee.  By the time, I unclipped my pedals, it was gone but we knew it was out there.  We loaded up our boats with our picnic lunch and headed up the river for the 3 ½ miles to the next bridge.  As I had my camera out to take a picture of Hannah and Debbie on the river, we all heard a snort nearby.  There was our first alligator within a paddle’s length from their boat.  Yikes.  I’ve never paddled with alligators before and I was out of there as soon as I clicked a quick picture.  As Mary said, “he knew we were out there long before we knew he was”.

Later down the river, we spotted another huge alligator.  We learned yesterday that the distance between the eyes and the tip of the snout in inches roughly correlates with the length of its body in feet.  Oh, it was a big one, about 12-14 feet long.  I laughed watching Debbie try to get closer for a picture while Hannah was paddling in the opposite direction to get away from it!  There’s a reason I got my own boat!

We saw lots of turtles of many sizes swimming in the reeds and hanging out on the fallen timbers in the water.  Fish, mainly gullet and some bass and gar, swam beneath of us and were quite visible in the clear water.  Above, we spotted a huge nest that may have been an eagle or an osprey.  There were two parents there, attending what were probably chicks.  We watched an anhinga catch a huge fish and struggle to get it in its mouth.  It eventually dropped it into the water, dove under to retrieve it and then popped it into its long, now bulging throat.  We saw another anhinga, flapping and drying its wings.  Unlike ducks and other water birds, they don’t have the oil glands to repel the water and have to dry out like we do.

At one point, I was looking down into the water and spotted a huge flat tail.  For a few seconds, I struggled trying to identify what creature would have such a big tail.  Then, it dawned on me – it was a manatee!  I followed its bubbles until I was alongside and then we paddled together for a while.  It was as long as my boat – 14 feet.  What a delight to see one so close in the wild!  My wish came true.

Now, it’s time to get my bike ready for the last four days of our adventure.  I’ve reset my bike computer to Eastern Time, ready to mark off the final minutes to St.Augustine.  Last night, watching the movie made about this trip, I think we all got a bit choked up watching the last scene as the cyclists walked into the Atlantic Ocean.  It was only then that I realized that we will be doing the same very shortly.  These great friends I’ve made here will be dispersed across the country in less than a week’s time.  What will we all be doing next Sunday?