Some words to go along with the pictures below:

Being totally new to kayaking, I was dying to get out on the water. But, being a stepdad of an eight year old and the father of a five month old, time to go paddling is fairly hard to come by.

We had already reserved a campsite for the weekend after Memorial Day, but as luck would have it, I had Memorial Day all to myself. My stepdaughter was at her Father's, the wife was at work and my Mom wanted to watch my son. So, after tying the kayak to the roof of the campmobile and loading up the baby, I was on the interstate, heading to my parent's home.

I must have done a good job of tying the kayak down, since it was still attached after a 25 mile trip at highway speeds. I rechecked it and it was still secure so I headed to the Wakulla River.

I had been canoeing down the Wakulla once a few years ago, soon after I had moved back to Tallahassee. On that trip, there were eight of us in four canoes. I remember the trip being very easy, with beautiful scenery. We saw many turtles, birds and seven or eight manatees. I found the put in spot and a fellow kayaker helped me get the boat in the water. I can do it alone, but it is fourteen feet long and weighs over 80 pounds, so help is appreciated.

I was in the water, slowly floating under the bridge. There is something about being in a kayak, so low to the water. It's an intimate, personal feeling. Quickly after setting out in the kayak, I quickly find myself forgetting about the office, money and the cell phone.

On my previous trip, we had plans to paddle all the way to the fence that spans the river, marking the Wakulla Springs Park. We didn't make it but this time, I decided I was going to paddle all the way there. I wasn't too sure how far it was, but I felt I was up to it.

Starting out, I went slowly, soaking in the surroundings, appreciating the sights, sounds and smells of the water. There were quite a few other boaters on the water, canoes, power boats and quite a few kayaks. Most everyone would speak but I was always a bit surprised the few times fellow kayakers wouldn't speak.

A lot of the time, though, I was all alone to enjoy the trip. What really surprised me is how ignorant I am of the local wildlife. I have lived in this area for most of my life, and honestly couldn't tell you what fish I saw. I did see some big fish, though. I have a feeling my next trip will have a bit more information about the local fauna and animals.

What actually turned out to be halfway to the fenceline, I stopped and had a Coke and some Pop-tarts. I think I have found a good paddling snack, and of course, I didn't litter. I carried my trash out with me.

Soon after, I heard the sound of thunder from behind me. I had been taking peeks and it was getting stormy behind me. I considered turning around, but noone else seemed too worried so I kept paddling. A few minutes later, I came around a bend and saw a bridge. The bridge had a number of kids screaming and jumping off into the water. Behind the bridge, I saw the fence. I had made it.

I coasted for a few minutes and had another Coke. It would have been very relaxing, but the noise from the cars and trucks passing over the bridge, the screaming kids, their parents and their parents car stereo made me paddle out a little sooner than I wanted.

On the way back, I came to a small island in the river. On the right side, some kids were in a boat on the right side of the river, casting all the way to the left side of the river. Ok, first rude people I had seen all day. Way to hog the river, boys. I took the route on the left.

I was coming close to the end of the island when twenty feet ahead of me, a manatee surfaced. Wow! I am two for two seeing manatees on the Wakulla. Sadly, in the time it took me to reach behind me and fish my camera out, the manatee had submerged. I circled around the area for a few minutes but the rude jerks barged their way in and continued with their method of basically hogging the entire river. I slowly paddled around them and kept going.

I then passed a group of about twelve kids in a mixture of kayaks, canoes and one paddle wheel boat who were making a ton of racket. They were having a blast and enjoying themselves.

I kept paddling and realized I was getting a bit tired. Well, I was already tired. Finally, not a moment too soon, I saw the Highway 98 bridge and pulled up to the shore. I then stood there for a minute, trying to decide if I was too worn out to wrestle the kayak onto the top of the Campmobile. I spied a family of four in two kayaks nearing the shore so I decided to wait a minute and see if they would help me and they graciously did. They were really nice and gave me some info on a whitewater kayaking trip they have gone on in Alabama, only a few hours from here. I'll definitely have to try it....maybe next year when I'm a bit more experienced.

So, overall:

Number of turtles seen: 5
Number of fish seen: 30+
Number of alligators seen: 0
Number of alligators that saw me: 10+/-
Number of manatees seen: 1
Number of deer fly bites: 3
Amount of sunburn: Nice red patch on my left leg, sandal burn line
Amount of Bullfrog Sunscreen and Deep Woods Off applied: Copious Amounts.
Amount of fun had: More than a bit of sunburn and three deer fly bites can overcome.