End of May Gators

This was quite an nice trip, right up til the end! The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too many bugs, enough cloud cover to provide some nice breaks from the bright sun. The three of us put out at about 10:30am for what turned out to be an 11 mile trip.

As always, the gators were more than plentiful, and I was fortunate enough to get some really nice photos once again.
We paddled out to a picnic shelter about 5 1/2 miles out from the launch point, picking up another kayaker along the way to join us for lunch.
We enjoyed our lunch of hummus, tabouli, fruit, cheese and pita bread while a gator circled the front of the shelter, hoping in vain for a handout.
All went well until we were within 100 yards of the end of our trip. M was ahead of me, L was behind me. I looked back to say something to L, and when I turned back towards the front, there was a low tree branch coming right at my face. I leaned quickly to the side to avoid it and UPSIDE DOWN I went!!! I learned right away that my new kayak spray skirt does a very good job of keeping me inside my kayak, even when I want OUT! It took me a moment to calm down and figure out how to get the skirt off so I could come up for air. I lost my paddle when I went over, so trying to roll it was out of the question even if I had thought about it. My camera got soaked...again... but I managed to save the card and pictures.

End of May- various swamp things

There was much talk between M and L about the phallic nature of cypress knees.. can't imagine WHAT they are talking about...
So, here is a photo of them, at M's request, of the cypress knees.

If I am not mistaken, this incredibly large spider is a huntsman spider... on a 2x4 for size comparison.
M and L fixing sandwiches for our lunchbreak. Sure beats the granola bars I usually bring.
A pair of barred owls watching us paddle by. I am not used to seeing them in the daylight, quite a nice surprise.

End of May plants

Here are some of the best photos I took yesterday of the flowers in the Okee. It was a beautiful day for a paddle. Not too hot, yellow flies were not toooo terrible.

This is the first year I have noticed the pitcher plants in bloom!
I have taken several photos of the lilies from the top, but, at the request of M, here is one from the side, showing a NICE reflection also!

I didn't even notice the lovely blue dragonfly sitting on the lily pad when I took this picture. :-)

I have no idea what these little yellow flowers are called, please feel free to leave a comment if you know!

May in the Swamp, part 2

Here are some more pics from my 05/09/08 trip! Sorry for the wrong time stamp on the pics, camera had reset date without me realizing it.

Another note... the large bull alligators were quite cranky this time. I assume because it is the middle of breeding season. The females lay quite contently on the banks and watched me, while the males hissed and blew at me and came into the water towards me on several occassions.

May in the Swamp

Usually, May through June is yellowfly season in the swamp. This means swarms of biting flies that are intent on bleeding you dry before you finish your paddle. These things consider deet to be a condiment.

I was fortunate this time! It seems they are late in coming this year. I spent most of the day in the swamp on friday and didn't even see one single yellowfly!

I did however see many wonderful photo opportunities in the alligators and flowers.

Keep in mind as you look at these, that I am using a very cheap camera without a telescope lense. When it looks like I am close enough to touch it... it is because I really am.

Also, in this set of photos, the date stamp on my camera was reset to the default of 01/01/04 because I had changed batteries and forgot to reset the date.... actual date was 05/09/08!