02-13-2019 to 02-15-2019 St Vincent Island and Visiting Friends in Apalachicola

Current Location: Rainbow River State Park, Dunnellon, Florida

Slightly steamy at 68 degrees F, 87 percent humidity, and partly cloudy moonlit skies at 6AM

Our time at Indian Pass turned out to be just as wonderful as I had hoped.  We enjoyed quiet days and gorgeous beach walks.  Mattie could run to her hearts content in the soft white sands on our early morning sunrise walks. 

The day after we visited Saint George Island was another clear but windy day, and the waters of the sound were too choppy to make an attempt to land on the island.  Instead, we went for several beach walks, and enjoyed some relaxation time.  Verizon internet was quite good at Indian Pass, and we managed to get banking and bills taken care of, correspondence handled, photos uploaded and such.  It was nice to have a bit of a down day to handle those chores without feeling as though we were missing out on something.

For several years now, I have followed a lovely blog, Raven and Chickadee, by Laurel and Eric. Laurel’s blog is beautifully written and photographed, and they often travel to places in the US that we also especially enjoy.  One of their gigs is volunteering on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands in Washington, and I read everything I could on Laurel’s blog before we traveled there for our Puget Sound trip in 2014.

I have used her blog as a resource numerous other times, and especially as we planned this trip east toward Florida.  You see, Laurel and Eric are from Ashland, Oregon, just down the valley from us.  They have even spent many lovely hours kayaking our favorite Recreation Creek at Rocky Point.  Somehow it just never happened that our paths crossed at the right times, even though we were within a quarter mile of each other, but not at the same time!

Now they are in Florida, and right near us in Apalachicola.  It takes over 3000 miles and a few years to get some people together, I guess.  We made contact by telephone and arranged to have lunch and a town walk in Apalachicola on Friday, Valentine’s Day.

Mo and I woke up that morning to an incredible sunrise.  In addition, there was a stillness in the air that let me know that maybe my dream of kayaking over to St Vincent Island could actually happen.  We rose to a quick breakfast, and had the kayaks on the water just a little bit after 8am. 

The paddle across the narrow sound wasn’t difficult at all, even with the choppy current and cross winds that funneled through the channel from the east.  Even on a still day, there was choppiness and breeze in the channel, so I was glad we hadn’t tried it on a windy day.  I have no photos of the crossing, with the camera once again safely stashed in the pelican case and me paddling too much to even think about bringing out the phone.

Landing on the island was simple, with soft waves gently lapping the shoreline at the western tip of the island.  St Vincent is a large barrier island, and unlike some that are long and narrow, the island is wedge shaped and covers quite a distance.  I knew we wouldn’t get to experience all the wildness that is there, but even a bit of time walking the beautiful beach was wonderful.

We didn’t see any of the deer that are on the island, and definitely didn’t see the red wolves, or even many birds, but we did see a lot of interesting tracks up near the dunes. There are old roads on the inland parts of the island that can be used for organized tours or bicycles, but the wildest parts of the interior were much too far for our short morning visit with the boats. 

There is a ferry that will take people to the island for a small fee, and that way you could bring along a bike and see the interior.  For me, the beach walk was enough, and I felt completely satisfied that once again I stepped foot on the pristine world of St Vincent.

At 11:30 we headed for Apalachicola and our lunch date with Laurel and Eric.  Such lovely people, and so very much exactly as I had envisioned each of them.  Laurel is full of southern charm and delightful conversation, happy smiles, and lovely laughs, a great talker but also a great listener.  Eric talks less, but when he does he is just as interesting.  He was the park manager for the city parks in Ashland for many years.  He is from the “south” as well, Southern California, just like me, so we laughed at our common background being raised in the LA basin back when it was a nice place to grow up in many ways.

We had a great lunch at Up the Creek Raw Bar, right on the river.  We at first got the primo table outside on the deck, but the chilly winds drove us indoors for less wind and a bit more warmth.  I had another version of incredible gulf shrimp, although after tasting Laurel’s version, I did wish I had ordered blackened instead of fried. 

After lunch the five of us, including Mattie, walked the town and listened to stories of Laurel’s family, who have roots in Apalachicola that go back generations.  Several hours passed very quickly, and we parted ways at 3 so that Laurel and Eric could return to more friends who were dropping in to visit.

I am sure our paths will cross again, with a date for kayaking the Wood River together the next time we are both back in the Rogue Valley at the same time.  That might be awhile, since Laurel and Eric are planning a Maritime trip this summer instead of returning to the Northwest.  Lucky for us, since we hope to do the same in another couple of years and we can add Laurel’s blog to those of our friends who have spent time in the Maritimes.  So much to learn, and so nice to have folks leading the way with inside information.

The next morning I received a note from Laurel about the perfect launch site and paddle on the Ichetucknee River, our next destination as we leave Rainbow Springs. Laurel said she likes the Rainbow River but the Ichetucknee is her favorite in all of Florida.  Can’t wait!

But first, I need to write about our three days at Rainbow Springs.  Perfect paddles, perfect weather, perfect days.  Finally.