Another day on the Water..
I really had no intention of taking the boat out into the Everglades yesterday, honestly.
I was headed over to Wayne's place to empty out all the compartments, give her a good soaping and rinsing down, grease all her bearings and joints, and put her back to bed.. But the "little boat that could" had other plans for me.
Just like looking into the eyes of your true love, resistance is futile. I grinned, hitched her up to my little jeep, and headed off to the gas station to fill the tanks up with high octane goodness.
I bought a little pizza when I filled up at the station. It smelled wonderful. I drove to the boat ramp and figured that I'd munch on it while underway. I put it between the seats, rigged the boat and launched. Once in the water I tied the boat off to the dock, and parked the jeep and trailer.
I fired up the engine, put my earbuds in and started the mp3 player. I eased backwards away from the dock, lined up the nose, and launched down the canal with the throttle in the full position.
Which was great.... Right up until the little pizza and box went flying from between the seats, and off the back of the boat!
Shit....
There would be some pretty happy fish, or an alligator when it was found. Oh well...
I grabbed a beer from the live well I'd filled with ice and kept heading west. It was a pretty day to be out on the water. Very little breeze, and few clouds in the sky.
One of the things that never ceases to surprise me every time I go out there is the smell. You would think that it would smell mouldy, or sour but it doesn't. In fact, it has one of the freshest smells imaginable. A lot like clothes that have been dried on a line outside. During the springtime, the blooms from some of the native water flowers, and lily pad blooms make it smell very nice indeed.
I went to one of my favorite canal stretches that I've named "the lost world" due to the trees with moss hanging from the branches that line the banks. It just has this otherworldly feel to it, almost like you're looking at this ecosystem just as it did thousands of years ago.
I noticed quite a bit a alligator activity, and spotted a 10 footer cruising down the canal in front of the boat. I killed the engine and just drifted with the current behind it.. I was very slowly gaining on the Alligator as it swam down the canal in front of me, allowing for some spectacular views of it. I remained motionless and just watched as it patrolled the shoreline, scaring off smaller Alligators who were sunning themselves to regulate their body temperature. You could tell this old boy was the Alpha of this canal, and took a dim view of interlopers being in his territory..
I stayed behind him for quite a long time just admiring the graceful way it swam through the water. A formation flight of heron flew over head, flying to roost who knows where.
There were also a number of Fish Hawks perched in the trees looking for an unlucky fish to swim too close to the surface of the slick, black water. Judging by the size of the fish in some of their talons, the fish weren't doing too well in the odds department.
The alligator I had been following spotted me, and slowly submerged. This was a good sign that he would probably reappear in a few minutes. If he had been startled, or perceived me as a threat the decent would have been dramatic. I stayed still and waited for a few minutes. The eyesight these creatures have is amazing, even from under water. I could feel him looking up at me as I sat there. If I had moved it would have queered the deal and he would have stayed under..
As luck would have it, he resurfaced about 3 minutes later, no more than 15 feet off the bow of the boat. I was kicking myself for not having brought my camera. These would have been superb shots.. But, I didn't have it.. Such is life...
He played hide and go seek a couple of more times, and then decided to stay down.. The sun was dipping towards the horizon, so I figured it was time to head back to the dock anyhow.
I fired up the engine and leisurely cruised back, taking my time. I took the long way and listened to some music along the way. I put the boat back on the trailer, and headed over to store her away until next time..
Wayne and I sat and sipped a couple of beers on the tailgate of his truck, and just shot the breeze for a while. Both of us catching up on the life of the other. With the days off I had last year we seldom saw each other. It seems these days are much more conducive to us being able to hang out, which is nice.. We even kicked around the idea of making a 100+ mile trip on my boat down the Wilderness Waterway. Which, if we pulled it off would elevate us to either certifiably insane, living legends, or both..
We'll see..
I was headed over to Wayne's place to empty out all the compartments, give her a good soaping and rinsing down, grease all her bearings and joints, and put her back to bed.. But the "little boat that could" had other plans for me.
Just like looking into the eyes of your true love, resistance is futile. I grinned, hitched her up to my little jeep, and headed off to the gas station to fill the tanks up with high octane goodness.
I bought a little pizza when I filled up at the station. It smelled wonderful. I drove to the boat ramp and figured that I'd munch on it while underway. I put it between the seats, rigged the boat and launched. Once in the water I tied the boat off to the dock, and parked the jeep and trailer.
I fired up the engine, put my earbuds in and started the mp3 player. I eased backwards away from the dock, lined up the nose, and launched down the canal with the throttle in the full position.
Which was great.... Right up until the little pizza and box went flying from between the seats, and off the back of the boat!
Shit....
There would be some pretty happy fish, or an alligator when it was found. Oh well...
I grabbed a beer from the live well I'd filled with ice and kept heading west. It was a pretty day to be out on the water. Very little breeze, and few clouds in the sky.
One of the things that never ceases to surprise me every time I go out there is the smell. You would think that it would smell mouldy, or sour but it doesn't. In fact, it has one of the freshest smells imaginable. A lot like clothes that have been dried on a line outside. During the springtime, the blooms from some of the native water flowers, and lily pad blooms make it smell very nice indeed.
I went to one of my favorite canal stretches that I've named "the lost world" due to the trees with moss hanging from the branches that line the banks. It just has this otherworldly feel to it, almost like you're looking at this ecosystem just as it did thousands of years ago.
I noticed quite a bit a alligator activity, and spotted a 10 footer cruising down the canal in front of the boat. I killed the engine and just drifted with the current behind it.. I was very slowly gaining on the Alligator as it swam down the canal in front of me, allowing for some spectacular views of it. I remained motionless and just watched as it patrolled the shoreline, scaring off smaller Alligators who were sunning themselves to regulate their body temperature. You could tell this old boy was the Alpha of this canal, and took a dim view of interlopers being in his territory..
I stayed behind him for quite a long time just admiring the graceful way it swam through the water. A formation flight of heron flew over head, flying to roost who knows where.
There were also a number of Fish Hawks perched in the trees looking for an unlucky fish to swim too close to the surface of the slick, black water. Judging by the size of the fish in some of their talons, the fish weren't doing too well in the odds department.
The alligator I had been following spotted me, and slowly submerged. This was a good sign that he would probably reappear in a few minutes. If he had been startled, or perceived me as a threat the decent would have been dramatic. I stayed still and waited for a few minutes. The eyesight these creatures have is amazing, even from under water. I could feel him looking up at me as I sat there. If I had moved it would have queered the deal and he would have stayed under..
As luck would have it, he resurfaced about 3 minutes later, no more than 15 feet off the bow of the boat. I was kicking myself for not having brought my camera. These would have been superb shots.. But, I didn't have it.. Such is life...
He played hide and go seek a couple of more times, and then decided to stay down.. The sun was dipping towards the horizon, so I figured it was time to head back to the dock anyhow.
I fired up the engine and leisurely cruised back, taking my time. I took the long way and listened to some music along the way. I put the boat back on the trailer, and headed over to store her away until next time..
Wayne and I sat and sipped a couple of beers on the tailgate of his truck, and just shot the breeze for a while. Both of us catching up on the life of the other. With the days off I had last year we seldom saw each other. It seems these days are much more conducive to us being able to hang out, which is nice.. We even kicked around the idea of making a 100+ mile trip on my boat down the Wilderness Waterway. Which, if we pulled it off would elevate us to either certifiably insane, living legends, or both..
We'll see..
Comments
Your pizza flight caused me to burst out laughing here at the coffee house where I decided to hang out for a bit after work. Fortunately it's very noisy so I only got a few odd looks.
(I have a slightly loud laugh.)
Sounds like you're solidly back on the road to moving in the positive and doing things for yourself that connect you back to the Oneness.
I used to love to walk through the oaks laced with Spanish Moss in Audubon Park in N'awlins, especially at dusk. It was haunting, very "other-worldy" as you put it.
Always standing in awe of our Mother Nature...
Sounds like you have been well. That makes me happy.
I'm getting there.. I need to hit the gym next. Get my mojo back, ya know?
Mapi - Yeah, it was nice.. I love that canal. it's about 4 miles long, and really cool to drift in. It gets downright spooky at night, especially with the eyeshine of the alligators in the spotlight.
I have to say I've been doing alright...