The Wandering Disciple

There is no better way to hit the water than by going kayaking. One part exercise, one part leisure and all adventure, kayaking is a great way to explore the coast and shallows. A great place to go is Emerson Point Reserve. Start your journey through a mangrove tunnel which leads you into the bay were you can kayak along with schools of fish, a few dolphins and maybe even take a swim. (Photo of the Day: July 10, 2013)

Weeki Wachee, Florida:  Taking advantage of a Saturday off from Little League, we decided to take a two hour drive up to Weeki Wachee Springs State Park for a fun day in the sun.  We have been wanted to visit Weeki Wachee since passing it on the way to Homossassa Springs a few years ago and decided that today was going to be the day.  Today’s trip consisted to two phases, kayaking the Weeki Wachee River and enjoying the shows and water activities of the park.  We checked in with Boating in Florida, the park’s kayak and stand-up paddleboard vendor for our 8am appointment.  After signing waivers and paying our rental fees, they outfitted us with two tandem kayaks, life vests and paddles and we were quickly on our way.  The photos and descriptions on the park’s website do not really prepare you for the beauty you experience once on the river.  Crystal clear water vibrant with colors and wildlife around every corner is the easiest way I can sum...

Thonotosassa, Florida: Beginning in the Green Swamp and flowing 59 miles south into Tampa Bay, the Hillsborough is one of the many scenic rivers within the state of Florida. A large section of the river is a designated canoe trail and there is no better way to explore it than with Canoe Escape. Canoe Escape is based out of John Sargeant Park, one of the many parks that line the river. Here you can embark on one of several self-guided trips on the river or just rent a boat by the hour. The self-guided trips are from one park to another with a return back to Sargeant Park provided by the tour operator. The offer three legs that combined cover almost 14 miles of the river from Sargeant Park to Rotary Park. We decided to take a trip with Canoe Escape on New Year’s Day as a way to usher in 2016. We embarked on the Trip 4 which combined the first two legs of the tours, starting at Sargeant Park and heading south on the river for about 8 ½ miles until we reached Trout Creek Park. ...

Cape Haze,Florida: Today we decided to kayak to Don Pedro Island State Park following an article we read in a local newspaper recently. My parents have always gone to Don Pedro but I never went with. Something about spending an entire day at the beach had always kept me at home. But after reading the article, we decided it was a must go. Don Pedro Island State Park is a barrier island state park only accessible by boat. There is a daily ferry that transports guests to the island or you can bring your own vessel. In our case, our vessel was our kayaks. We launched from the Don Pedro Island State Park Land Base along Placida Road in Cape Haze. There is a $3 per car fee to enter the park payable in a drop box on the honor system. The kayak launch is located at the end of the road. We got lucky and the park ranger was there and opened the driveway so we could drop our kayaks off at the launch. Otherwise it is about a quarter mile portage for your vessels from the parking t...

Venice, Florida:  Our tour of the kayak trails continues with a stop at Caspersen Beach.  Located on the south end of the island of Venice, the kayak trail at Caspersen includes a few lagoons and Red Lake as highlights of the trip. As we crossed over the bridge, we noticed how swiftly the water was moving under the bridge and were starting to second guess our decision, but we pushed forward to give it a try.  Worse case scenario we cut the trip short. The kayak launch is on the east side of the park.  A short series of steps lead you to the water where you begin your journey.  We headed southbound towards the intercoastal waterway.  We passed under a walking bridge and over an oyster bed which almost acted more like a rapids ride at a theme park then a paddling trail. Before reaching the intercoastal, we had to push through a mangrove tunnel that had almost grown shut.  Between the current and the tight opening, it was probably one of the tough...

Sarasota, Florida: After a few weekends of kayaking and trying different places, we decided to return to our favorite spot so far, South Lido Park. The kayak trail here has been the best we have visited so far and today's trip did not disappoint. Last trip to South Lido, we took on a whim without really doing much research about the trails or what to expect. But when I got home and started working on photos, I realized that we missed a good chunk of the trails. So we decided to go back and explore the areas we missed. When looking at the map, we missed an entire mangrove tunnel during our last visit. When we last visited South Lido, it was Memorial Day and it was very crowded as to be expected. To avoid this, we got there really early and pretty much had the place to ourselves for much of the morning. Because of this, there was plenty of wildlife to see. We had osprey fishing near us and a trio of cormorants that swam with us until we hit the first mangrove tunnel. ...

Sarasota, Florida: Today we decided to go kayaking on the south end of Siesta Key. We launched from the kayak launch at Turtle Beach and paddled south towards the Jim Neville Marine Preserve, with a beach stop along the way. This paddling trip was rated as one of the top 10 in our area and we were really looking forward to trying it. Our journey began at the Turtle Beach ramp. Unlike the mass of vendors we experienced last week at South Lido, the crowd here at Turtle Beach wasn't bad. We unloaded the kayaks and began our trip. The ramp leads you through a large channel with condos and homes on each side before you reach the bay. From there we headed southwest and made a stop at the beach. The beach was amazing. When we pulled our kayaks ashore, there were only a handful of people on this stretch of beach. Years ago, this was the Midnight Pass which separated Siesta Key from Casey Key. But over time, the pass closed and the county made no attempt at dredging th...

Sarasota, Florida: Our exploration of local waters continued as we ventured out to South Lido Park.  South Lido Park is known for having spectacular mangrove trails and is listed as a top ten kayak trail in the Suncoast. Its popularity was evident from arrival as cars were parked several blocks away.  We unloaded the kayaks and then fought to find a parking space.  Its a shame the amount of vendors at the park.  Parking is already limited and much of the parking lot is filled with vendors and their trailers full of kayaks. We launched our kayaks and began to explore the park.  The park features a kayak trail which encounters several mangrove tunnels.  Unfortunately, I did not bring a map, so we just decided to wing it.  The water was easy to navigate, but we did end up going against traffic through one of the tunnels. The water here is very calm and shallow, making it a great place for beginners and family.  I was extremely happy as it he...

Tierra Vede, Florida: It has been over a year since our last kayak adventure and we have been itching to be on the water. We have considered buying our own but upfront cost has put them out of our price range. So we decided to rent some kayaks and try our own adventure. After looking around online, I decided to go to Fort Desoto Park at the mouth of Tampa Bay. Of the places I researched, they seemed to be very beginner friendly, offering a marked trail with trail map for the tour. Their kayak provider, United Park Service, also seemed to have very reasonable rates. It didn't take much arm twisting, actually none at all, to convince my dad to come along and give it a try. He has always wanted to go but has never had the opportunity. So we packed up the van and headed north to Fort Desoto. We arrived at Fort Desoto at almost 10 am only to find the kayak rental store closed despite their website and brochure stating they opened at 9. I called the phone number on the br...

Palmetto, Florida:  We made it, our first experience with kayaking was a major success.  It has been a long time coming but today was the day we decided to try kayaking for the first time and it was a favorite for everyone on the family. We have been considering to go kayaking for a while but we kept holding off for a number of reasons.  At $55 per person, I always thought it was a big gamble for the unknown.  Would we like it, would it be too strenuous, are we going to flip over and drown or get bit by a shark or other sea life. But the topic of kayaking during our Staycation came up earlier this week and we revisited the idea of going but once again, we were hesitant over the cost.  Since we were on a small budget,  $165 was a big risk and would drain a big chunk of what we had planned for our excursions. Then over the weekend, we received a sign that really pushed us towards giving it a try.  While searching Groupon for deals on attractions,...