April 17, 2014

St Johns River, FL 3.16.14

Launched yesterday….Jim’s brother, Carl, went out with us for a few hours.  Anchored behind the island at Butcher’s Bend..marker G109. Had a pretty good afternoon storm blow through and pelt us with a bunch of rain. Once it passed it was time to take Carl back to the dock. The gates are locked at sunset.

We headed down river (north) until we got to the canal at marker R 80 that took us over to the Hontoon River. Should have had my camera out…there was a tree that had come down and almost blocked the canal but Jim got us through. A few leafy branches dragged down both sides of the boat but no scratches. Sure missed a photo op.

Once through the canal we turned L and anchored for the night.

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We picked this spot because there was a big gator that cruised out to greet us, so this morning we took a very short dingy ride for pictures. When they come towards a boat it is a good sign they are showing aggression either because they are getting into breeding season or want to defend their territory….since our dingy is an inflatable we don’t argue with them.

A couple quick shots of “Meander” and we were back aboard and underway.

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This Blue Heron was working on catching breakfast.102_2462cs

Sunny this morning but a very cool wind.

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This gator was getting some sun but stayed below the grasses to block the wind. Good sized…and you can see he has his eye on us.

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Another sheltered area….guess no one told the turtle that a gator’s jaws can crack turtle shells.

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Another one…

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I never realized they had such long tails or nails.

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All those bumps (skates) along it’s back absorb heat from the sun.

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Smiling?

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Same gator…another view…look at the teeth and the nails.

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This small one gives you an idea just how big they can get. Most of the pictures I have of big ones don’t include all of the tail…and it is as long as the rest of the body….if not a bit longer. This one is only about 5-6’ long.

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These are Cyprus “knees”…roots. I was told they grow so they are above the water. The tall one is about 5’ tall…if I understood correctly…the water level was that high for sometime.

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These are about 3’ tall.

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A very unique boat…

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Are my eyes deceiving me…or is that a satellite dish on the pole?

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We are anchored for the night in Blue Creek. If the wind lets up when the sun goes down…we may cross Lake George tonight.   Have to wait and see.

 

 

 

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