St Johns River....day 2 & 3

There was a time when we could beach here and walk to the shell mounds or hike around the island. No longer.  They want you to enter from the St Johns River side ...this is the Hontoon River side. There is no fee ..so I think they just want to know how many people are out there....they do have bears ...I saw one several years ago while walking our dog.

 Once on the St Johns I spotted this boat...looks like a comfy liveaboard and very sea worthy...I could live there!  Oh...forgot...no room for the '49 Hudson .

 Ospreys nest on the river signs....the mate flew over us to distract us from the nest.

 These are Storks....they nest in these trees each year.

 This is the first time I've seen them strutting their stuff...trying to entice a mate ..I guess.

 This is the entrance to the Lake Woodruff wildlife area...we were going to try to get to Lake Woodruff but the river is very narrow and weeds can block it.

 Spotted this gator...look at the size of it's head and the depty of it's tail...

 same gator...another view.

 This one was pretty well hiden...would not have seen it had I not been standing in the bow.

 same gator...look at the size of the teeth...

 Couple of turtles sunning.

 We were in a narrow part of the river when we spotted this one.... Jim made a "U" turn so I could get a photo.

 Now he has to get rid of the weeds we picked up.

 another gator that was in the weeds....glad we started looking in them...

 After turning around  because of weeds we headed to Butcher's Bend. This is the back of a Manatee. Never did get a good picture of it.

 Another great night on the water...wine on the rear deck....windows open at bedtime ...light blanket.
A little color greeted us in the morning.

 This cruising gator slid by ..checking us out. First time we've seen it in a trip or two thru here.

 We took down the screens and headed for the boat ramp to haul out.  This Osprey was one of two sitting there....the mate flew off before I could get a picture.

Had a great time on the water...did not expect to see many gators because it was windy and overcast most of the time...but did find a few....well worth the trip.
See you again on the river.

St Johns River, FL testing rebuild of transom

We got an early start this morning....got the boat launched and headed for Butcher's Bend . Once there we put up the screens and opened the bimini. This C Dory came in a few minutes later...I love these little boats.

 After getting everything set up we headed north. This is the entrance to one of our side trips. Saw 3 tour boats here.

 I believe this is a Snowy Egret.

Diane's favorite bird...the Limpkin.  You do not see many of them.

I may just be brown and white...but look at this beautiful head.

Next is a trip through the canal to Hontoon River.

Nearing the end.

Jim spotted this gator sunning itself. Did not expect to see any today...windy and overcast.

We always learn something...Never thought to look in the weeds for gators..but here is a big one.

another view.

 

This one is a little on the heavy side...

This one was in the water near where we anchored.

This is a very tall tree and in the top is a big nest with a Great Blue Heron.

a little color at sundown....wine on the rear deck and in bed by 8:00.  

Another great day on the river.

TCT (part 2)

Not sure how big this camper is..but looks smaller than our 13' Scamp.

 nice one for sale.

 visited with the owner for awhile...there are at least 5 solar panels on it...they can camp where they want.

 you should see the inside of this horse trailer...the front has bed, bath, shower...all built by the owner's son. She goes to a lot of horse shows so he built this for her.

 don't you must love seeing these vintage trailer hauled by antiques?

This man built this little trailer....good sleeping room and storage in the rear. He built it so it could be lifted off the trailer and the trailer used for other things....He can back it under this canopy if it is raining and has all they need for cooking etc. I love do it yourself projects.

 look at this tow vehicle.

 and this one.

 here we are again...

By having Pizza Night on Fri night it made it a lot easier for everyone getting set up....then we had all day to cook on Sat for pot luck.
We had a great time....band played Sat night....Larry and Ange celebrated their 1st wedding anniversary...they were married here last year. May they celebrate many many more.