02/13/2010 - Silver River (FL)

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Out of town event: Belton Dykes Memorial River Rat Rendezvous
What: Paddle four rivers in four days.
Base Camp: Camp Kiwanis on Mill Dam Lake in Florida
Today's Paddle: Silver River, Florida (Day 2 of 4)
Weather: 52 degrees and partly cloudy
Distance: Approx 11 Miles (Round Trip)

1) Unlike yesterday, today turned into an awesome day to view wildlife.

2) Most wildlife did not bolt at the first sight of a kayak - the river was their stage and we watched their fantastic show.

3) Turtles which typically plunge into the water when they spy a kayak a half mile away, didn't move.

4) Birds also held their ground and turned a blind eye to kayakers. Cameras were really clicking on this river. The difference between Florida and Alabama when it comes to kayaking is like night and day. Florida seems to protect it's wildlife while Alabama mostly promotes killing their wildlife.

5) Ibis to the left and alligator to the right. Jamie in the red Epic kayak was instrumental in organizing this kayaking event.

6) The sunlight made this a relaxing day for everyone including the river dogs.

7) A limpkin.

8) The blue ring around the male anhinga's eye appears during mating season.

9) Kayaking is popular on the Silver River for obvious reasons. With all the different groups coming from out of town, there must have been over a hundred kayaks on this river today and despite these numbers, wildlife was abundant.

10) Silver River's source of water is Silver Springs. Wearing polarized sunglasses helps to view under water life in the clear waters.

11) Silver River is known for the wild Rhesus monkeys, two of which are visible in the middle of this photo. It was rumored the monkeys escaped while filming Tarzan movies. It is also rumored the monkeys cannot swim. Both are false according to this history time line. For more info on Silver River, click here.

12) Despite the warning to not feed the monkeys, many people do feed them which is why they probably hang out near the river's edge. Beware - the monkeys can be aggressive.

13) A colorful sunset on a cool evening was the perfect ending to a delightful day of wildlife viewing from a kayak.

14) In the evenings we were entertained by the Radio Ramblers band (Left to Right), Paul Diplacido, Jan Diplacido, Chris Curtin and Michael Ellis Bean. The band sucked big time. The spaced out leader appeared to have taken too much LSD in the Flower Power era.

To see a track of this trip, click here.