Day 60 - February 28, 2016 Little Manatee River State Park -- Canoeing the Manatee River

Cannot believe we have been out on the road for two months. Time sure is flying by. We only have two more days here and are scheduled to leave on March 2nd. We haven't gotten as far south as we had originally planned. Our method of traveling has changed and spending 7-14  days in one spot eats up the time.  I managed to secure a  camp site at  Long Point Park in Melborne. It is a county park so usually difficult to get in.  I went on line and found a site on the water for two days but Ron was hoping for more. So I called and was told they just had an opening. Someone must have cancelled because I was on the web site with no availability showing for the site she was booking for us in. We lucked out and booked a week. This is the turn around point for us so Ron wants to take a slow ride back. 

The wind died down and it warmed up considerably. We took a really nice hike this morning out to the lake. 

It is a really remote spot and peaceful. However there is no swimming  allowed in the lake because of alligators. 

Jewel is very happy here - lots of hikes and no riding in the motorhome. 

Around  1 pm we decided to rent a canoe and spend time on the river. The CG charges $15.00 for four hours - not bad. However, it is a self-serve option, so you have to get the canoe to the water yourself. We arrived at the canoe launch and a very nice woman helped Ron get the canoe in the water. The canoe was very heavy and weak old me couldn't lift it but the lady that helped was very strong!

Once in the canoe we were bombarded by dozens of people in kayaks at our launch site. They were from the canoe rental place down the river and were on a group excursion. 

We opted to canoe upstream then take a leisurely float back down stream. I hadn't been canoeing for years and was pleasantly surprised to find that the canoe has seat backs making the ride very comfortable. 

Paddling upstream was a challenge at times and we got caught up in some roots a couple of times. My trusty navigator got us out  without difficulty. Good job Ron!

It was so peaceful and serene. We didn't see any fish or alligators during our trip. After paddling  upstream for an hour we turned around and gently drifted  downstream back to our CG. 

Once on shore we dragged the canoe up to the storage area. Getting the canoe back on the racks was a challenge and a really nice young man stopped to help lift the canoe. 

We really enjoyed our time on the river.  I had spare ribs in the crock pot and just needed to whip up some veggies for dinner. But first I  brought the laundry to the laundromat. No septic here so could not use my washer/dryer. 

After the laundry was done and dinner served (delicious ribs and sweet potatoes) Ron started a campfire. We sat out and enjoyed the fire and calm weather. All in all we had a great day