KEY LARGO NEEDS A GOOD PADDLING

Twelve hours later, we pulled into a motel for the night in Walterboro, S.C. about an hour from the Georgia border. Sunday arrived with cloudy skies and temperatures in the 50's and at 7:30 am we were on the road again for the final 10 hours of driving. At 5:30 we arrived at the Stone Ledge Lodge, mile marker 95.3 (everything is measured this way, with Key West being MM 1) and checked in. With the price of motels and resorts ranging between $35.00 and $300.00 a day, our price of $65 seemed reasonable. For this, we had a clean room with a bed, small table, refrigerator and a television but no remote..."Arrrgh". Talk about roughing it! A toilet and shower completed the package. The people who run the place are very friendly. There are about 22 units that run perpendicular to Highway 1 and Florida Bay. There was a small beach, plenty of lounge chairs, picnic benches, two covered open air structures, a boat ramp and a dock. Perfect access. We switched our northeast, fast paced internal clock to Island time.

Monday. The cold wave to the north kept the temperatures in the 60's with a 20 mph north wind causing the bay to be rough. We decided to check out potential put-ins so we drove west over the 7 mile bridge (I thought Arnold Swartzenagger blew that up in 'True Lies) and wound up at Bahia Honda State Park. A few brave people were wading in the ocean. We squirmed into our wet suits and went kayaking for the first time since October. After returning back to the beach we practiced some rolls gathering an audience in the process, some of whom were videotaping us. I guess they thought we would drown and they could sell the film to the news station. "Flash! Kayakers do 27 1/2 rolls. News at eleven." The rolling was another reason that we wanted to come to a warm climate. We have another rolling exhibition to do on June 1 for the Ocean County Parks and Recreation "Canoe and Kayak Classic" in Lakewood N.J. and the water temperature in the month of May in Barnegat Bay is still kind of cold for practice.

Our next outing was off the beach at the lodge. We headed north toward an unnamed key about 2 miles out and paddled to it. Most of these keys are controlled by Everglades National Park and no landing is permitted except on designated islands. In any event, the majority of them are mangroves and impossible to get out and walk around. Even getting out in the water was no fun unless you enjoy sinking into the mud. What looks like a sandy bottom is actually a cream colored silt. As we went around, the far side kept getting shallower. Rather than go back, we tried to make it through eventually using our hands in the mud to lift the boats and move a couple of inches. Now, you may not know this but I hate mud. I really hate it. By the time we got to deeper water I was in a really foul mood using up my supply of expletives. This didn't last long for we saw something flapping in the water a hundred feet away. As we got next to it we saw it was a Southern Sting Ray, 30" wingtip to wingtip and it remained in place for awhile until, I guess, it realized we were there and took off in a flash. As we made our way back to the dock we also saw some Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Roseate Spoonbills, Brown Pelicans, Ibis and all other kinds that I don't know. Fortunately my wife is a Veterinarian and can recognize all the different species and rattles off one name after another to me which I promptly forget.

Our next trip was off to Indian Key about a mile offshore near MM80. The temperature had now gotten up into the 70's. We put in on the bay side and paddled under the bridge to the ocean. We got a nice ride out to the island on the outgoing current. The water is very clear and we saw many large loggerhead sponges, starfish, puffer fish and other large schools of fish while lazily floating along the coral perimeter of the key. At the far side near a dock we came across a 5' long nurse shark in 3 feet of water resting on the grassy bottom. One of those vampire Remoras with 2" fangs was on its neck slowly sucking the bloodlife from it. After taking some pictures we paddled off and left them alone. My version would have been a 12' Hammerhead bumping our kayaks but Margaret edits this for the truth. Actually, the truth be told, while we down here the papers reported a 12' long, 1200 pound, Great White had been caught at Islamorada, the next key over from us. The weight was estimated because it bottomed out the scale which goes to 800 pounds.

Under the bridge again and over to Lignum Vitae, a state botanical site where we stopped for lunch. Barely 10 minutes later a patrol boat came along and opened fire with their machine guns cutting the kayaks in two..."oh, alright Margie"... they told us to get off the island. Apparently the only way to walk around the place is to go on an organized tour.

After three days of cool, windy weather we were anxious to get out on the water again. We stopped at Florida Bay Outfitters, a kayak store in Key Largo and the guy there suggested a put in at Garden Cove on the East end of Key Largo. We easily found it and while paddling over to Rattlesnake Key we were thinking of the 10" of snow that had just blasted New Jersey. Sad that we couldn't be there to enjoy it with them, we managed to console ourselves out on the calm ocean. After visiting an offshore wreck we cut back on the far side of Rattlesnake Key to the North Sound Creek which runs between the ocean and Largo Sound. We slowly paddled along the deep, clear water looking for manatees. No luck. They must all be on their way up north after hearing of Chessie's adventures. Pulling up in the lee of a small mangrove islet in the Sound we ate lunch sitting on the deck of the kayaks with our feet in the mud and later while exploring along the 'shore' we found a narrow, fast moving stream through the mangroves that eventually lead us back to the canal and to our truck. Another beautiful 9 mile paddle in Paradise.

We found another put in at Harry Harris Park. It is free on weekdays but a small fee is charged on the weekend. On our way to Dove Key which lies about 1/2 mile offshore, two bald eagles flew overhead making me start to sing "America the Beautiful" which was short-lived since Margaret reminded me that I can't sing. After spending time floating in the lee watching more denizens of the deep, we went over to Rodriguez Key trying to find two shipwrecks shown on our chart. We found one of them and while posing for the obligatory picture, we saw another 4 foot long nurse shark. Heading back on a long diagonal to return, a Magnificent Frigate Bird hovered overhead on the wind as if suspended on a string and the sea was filled with floating sponges.

There were a few working sponge boats and many smaller dories with men poling around gathering the sponges from the bottom to store on the larger boat. The 'floaters' were the escapees making a break for it. Margaret deftly scooped one up and after a fight, subdued it (it got its revenge on the return trip, smelling up the truck.) Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this since we didn't have a fishing license or would it be a sponging license? A lot more starfish, sea cucumbers, sea snails, sting rays...wait! "What's that bobbing head over there"? Ah ha! One of those vicious Florida Key Seals I bet. Let's get a little closer. Why is it wearing a snorkel and goggles? We were amazed at this diversified variety of wildlife.

Going back to New Jersey the next day via Gainesville (visit relatives) we cut across the Tamiami Trail, a 90 mile highway running through the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve (home of the endangered Florida Panther). Up to now, all the way down and during our travels we had yet to see any 'gators. The closest thing to one were the million 'retreadagators' littering our highway system. That ended on this road. A canal paralleling the highway had a gadzillion of them. We couldn't count them fast enough. Small ones, large ones, sunning ones, swimming ones. We just had to stop to view them up close, well, not that close. What an end to the trip. Two days later we were home to the cold.

Things to do when you're not paddling.

1. Natural History Museum in Marathon

2. Shipwreck Museum in Key Largo

3. John Pennekamp State Park

4. Visit Bird Center. (Free, but give donation)

5. Visit Key West or from there, a ferry to the Dry Tortugas

6. Take a glass bottom boat. We went on Sharkies Great White, which is a catamaran designed to look like one with teeth, fins and eyes and glass hulls in which you sit down in and view the reef.

7. Go to the Everglades for a day.

8. Shopping or browsing in the Rain Barrel, Treasure Village and the many shell shops.

9. Visit the 'African Queen' (from the movie) at the Holiday Inn.

10. Lay on the beach.

Miles: Jackson, NJ to Stone Ledge Lodge, Key Largo...1,344 miles

Gas cost at 18.9 mpg...$205 and Tolls $11.60

Motels 10 days at Key Largo and 2 travel nights...about $750.00

Food and Restaurants... about $600.00

Misc. About $400.00

Total: About $2,000 for total trip

Restaurants we dined at:

Kountry Kitchen.    Good breakfast, didn't try dinner there. Conch Republic airplanes made from soda, beer cans suspend from the ceiling.

Mrs. Mac's Kitchen    Good food, excellent chili. This shack has an interesting license plate interior and a large beer list.

Miami Sub    Standard Sub Shop

Largo Cafe Very good food.

Coconuts    Food O.K., Margueritas served in plastic cup.

Italian Fisherman Excellent food, atmosphere. Sit out on deck overlooking Florida Bay and watch catfish come in looking for food.

Frank's Key Café Very good food, kind of $$$, Margaret liked the atmosphere but a little too formal for me.

Señor Frijoles Very good Mexican food. Sit out on deck overlooking Florida Bay

Little Italy (Islamorada) Interior kind of tacky but terrific food.

Crocagators Road Kill Cafe (Grassy Key) Had good lunch/supper (lupper?) Had to go there because of the name.