Crystal River

Manatee

Who said I suffer from insanity? Heck No!!! I enjoy every minute of it, as we enjoyed this short/crazy freezing trip to Crystal River and Three Sisters Spring. I had planned to take last Monday off to go kayaking at Crystal River. The forecast had the temperatures dropping below the 40s Sunday night so it was assumed that Monday morning was going to be a good manatee viewing day. The forecast changed and so did my plans. Do not know how but was able to convince my wife to come with me. I do really think she was more concerned about me swimming with those low temperatures than willing to go kayaking on Thanksgiving Day but she did come. Of course, I had to do some extra help and chores around the house but it was worthy.

Cold morning at King's Bay

Put In / Take Out: Hunter Springs Park. Please check previous posts about this location for details.

Scene exiting at Hunter Springs area

It is Thanksgiving and am not in the mood of writing a long post. Anyways most of you do not read what I write and just see the pics. Do not blame you. But I am going to ask you a special favor. If you only read one of my posts please read this one and share it if possible. I am going to say something about what is going on at Three Sisters Spring. More than that. If you read only one paragraph of this post just read the following one.

Protect Our Manatees

I did not think this place was going to be as packed as it was today. My bad. But the truth is it was super crowded which is not bad for the local economy but I think is bad for the spring and the manatees. We met some nice people in the area today. Stacey and her husband, volunteers, were in the water in a kayak and a paddle board respectively enforcing the rules. Rules that every boat operator should know, I assume. But the fact is that these volunteers had to work very hard in the short period of time we were there. People going after manatees to touch them, swimming into the protecting ropes that marks the manatee refuge, being noisy, splashing in the water, etc. You would think that tour boat operators would know better and will tell their clients what the rules are. Not sure that is happening like that. A volunteer had to ask twice for the people to keep it down and to enter in the water carefully. It baffles me they had to do that. Where the heck is common sense now a days? One of my professors used to say " Common sense is the less common of the senses". He is so right!!!!!!

I am not going to apologize for the rant. Not for this one. So...that being said let us go to the pics we have from today's short, freezing, but nice trip.

Coot

King's Bay scene

Brown Pelicans and Vultures

Sail boat at the bay

Brown Pelicans

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Manatee

Manatee comes to say hello to wifey

Manatee

Hello. Nice to meet you.

Manatee

A volunteer keeps an eye on the tens of snorkelers at the river. Stacey, his wife is the one in the red yak.

Crystal River

Brown Pelican

Cormorant

Manatee at  Three Sisters entrance

Manatees

Manatee

Manatee close encounter

Manatee and calf

Big manatee

Manatee and no...not another manatee. That is me.

Manatee calf

Manatee with scars.

Mom manatee and calf

Rear view

Manatee

This is it for this one. Check our Facebook Page for more pics of this and past trips and thanks for reading. Hope to see you soon, from another beautiful Florida location so we can share more Views From Our Kayak. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving Day!!!!!

Manatee and the Yak