Backwaters Paddling

For the past two days we have been kayaking in some of the area's backwaters to stay away from the crowds. Yesterday we went up one of the back creeks of Manatee Pocket which opened up into a mangrove lined bay. There were so many mullets jumping and big fish swooshing, that we were sure they would end up in our boats. Thankfully they didn't but then again, at least these two iguanas didn't try to jump in either!

Today we went to explore the Savannah Preserve's lake and marshland. We were sure we would spot some alligators, but unfortunately none were around. We did see some waterbirds like anhingas, ducks, egrets, and ospreys, and the perimeter has lots of pretty little swamp flowers.

It was still a great way to exercise and both days were perfect getaways to stay away from the Christmas week madness at all the rest of the launch ramps.

And this post wraps up 2019! Thanks for following my blog and best wishes for 2020!

Wild Inlet

Our weather has been windy and unsettled lately, but this was the perfect opportunity to head down to Jupiter Inlet and Dubois Park to see what the conditions were. The tidal current screams through this area and we knew with the tide going out and the east wind blowing in, the place would be in a turmoil. We weren't disappointed!

Several small boats looked like they were going to go out, but turned back at the last moment, giving the passengers quite a ride...smart idea.

Just to the south of the jetty, there were many surfers and even a couple of windsurfers and kiteboarders (one time Dave even tried surfing here...when he was much younger of course 😉 ).

One of the kiteboarders was really good and was catching a lot of air, jumping off the waves, then coming about and heading the other way.

If anyone had gotten in trouble though, there was a Yamaha Waverunner PWC at the ready for lifeguards to go out on rescue missions with.

We had brought a picnic lunch with us, thanks to Ann and Paul who had us for Christmas dinner and sent us home with delicious turkey! We found a nice spot under the casuarina pines and out of the wind. It has been many years since we have been to this park and since then they have made this little creek entrance off the inlet, into an official swim area. We remember when it was an unimproved swimming hole and we would jump in to cool off.

There was also a second swim area with outlying rocks to cut down on the current from the fast flowing inlet and provided some snorkeling opportunities, although the water looked pretty stirred up and cloudy from the turbulence. There were very convenient concrete ramps to get into the water, instead of climbing over the rocks. That is the Jupiter Lighthouse in the background.

We took a walk around and rediscovered the Dubois Pioneer Home which is built on an old Indian shell mound. We remembered from days gone by, all the yellow and black butterflies that would frequent the flowers on the mound (we named them sergeant major butterflies because they look like the fish with that name...photo from the US Forest Service website).

In 1987, two cannons from an old shipwreck were found just outside the mouth of the inlet, which were quite interesting (and the lizard on the one thinks so too).

This was another one of those fantastic "blast from the past" trips when we kept saying, "remember when...?"

Light Up The Night

Last night we had a great invitation from friends Barb and Barry to go see the Christmas light displays in the Port St. Lucie area. Barb had the whole route planned and Barry mapped it out on his smart phone. Come to find out that there was a free bus that did the tour, but it sold out in something like 15 minutes, so the company organizing it put the addresses online. This worked for the four of us as Barry drove and Dave navigated with Barry's phone telling him where to head next. Meanwhile Barb and I in the back seat got to relax and watch it all. The best display was set to music, like you see on TV specials or on videos, and the owner had the sound coming through a radio station. It was fantastic to see something like this in person, but unfortunately I couldn't get any good photos because the whole scene was constantly in motion. Here are a few others though(notice the car in the first one)...

To top off the evening, we headed over to the Jensen Beach area of Hutchinson Island for the gigantic annual display at the Mansion. This 260 ft. long home has 12 garages underneath it, 5 of which house Rolls Royces. The only year the owners (a couple who are in the software business) have not put up this magnitude of lights was 2017 when Hurricane Irma caused lots of property damage.

What a fun way to spend "Christmas Eve's Eve". Thanks Barry and Barb!

To all my readers everywhere, have a very

His and Hers

His fun: Changing the tire on the Silverwing. We figured it deserved a new tire since we are putting quite a few miles on it! I did help a little, holding on to the brake while he removed the axle...until one of our neighbors walking his dog stopped by to check out the action and took over my job (when and wherever Dave is working, he always draws a crowd 😉). He even got the tire to bead up with our tiny little air compressor and using a strap around the outside of the tire.

Her fun: My morning walks always seem to reveal more bird life. It must have sounded weird inside the house with these ibis and storks on the roof. The storks on the ground started approaching me when I stopped to take the photo...

So these are a couple of the things we have been doing to stay away from the last minute Christmas rush!

Returning To Our Roots

A couple of days ago we decided to bring our kayaks down to Phil Foster Park in Riviera Beach and paddle out to Peanut Island. This was a destination that we used to spend a lot of time at many moons ago, and this trip sure brought back so many memories. We launched at the beach under the Blue Heron Bridge and the wind was blowing like crazy right "on the nose," along with the tide against us.

We persevered though and eventually made it. At least the island gave us some protection as we got closer to it. It was funny to see all the old party barges still there for the weekend crowds.

Dave noticed that this dinghy motor was actually a mower engine that was made into an outboard.

There always seem to be sunken boats around too and the tide flies through this area with the island being right at the inlet to the ocean..

Peanut Island is now a park, but when we first started going there in the early 80's it was all natural. In fact we had to beach our 22ft. sailboat close to the spot in the photo below, when we took on water due to the centerboard trunk gasket leaking from trailering it down I 95 from home. Now this area is a snorkeling park. That is the ocean inlet in the background.

There is a walkaway all the way around it (about a mile), with tons of places to snorkel, picnic, kayak the back waters, and even rustic camping.

I am not too sure I would want to camp here with these iguanas running around!

The old Coast Guard Station is still on the island, but the C.G. have moved their base to the mainland. We remember when this was a popular spot to see all the C.G. Cadets literally "learning the ropes" and washing the utility boats. There also used to be an abandoned underground bunker that JFK used as a bomb shelter/command center. The family owned (and probably still owns) a home in Palm Beach. Before this was a park you could go explore, find it if you were lucky, and then go in it, which Dave did one time. Then when the island became a park, there were tours given, but now that no longer exists. I just read that it would take over $4 million to make renovations to it and the Coast Guard Station. The docks were destroyed in Hurricane Irma. 

There is a small marina so that private boats can access the park. A couple of shuttles also bring people over from the marinas on shore. It was wonderfully quiet on the weekday that we were there, but weekends are crowded.

On the west side, the port is in view and is thriving. There were three Tropical Shipping container ships there, along with a small cruise ship.

Cracker Boy Boat Works and Riviera Beach Marina add to the hustle and bustle of the area.

What looks like big white buildings in this photo are actually mega-yachts that have been shrink wrapped for either storage or most likely so that they can be worked on without any debris or paint escaping to other expensive boats and the environment.

Dave took a quick dip in the water before we headed back to the mainland. With the tide coming in from the ocean, it was crystal clear, just as we remembered it. Once the tide turns and it pulls the brown water from the Intracoastal Waterway, it doesn't look this nice with underwater visibility greatly reduced.

As we drove back north to Jensen Beach, we had one last great memory of what we knew as Ocean Beverage. 'Bags' this one is for you 😉...