South Florida Kayaking Vacation

I left work at 4 p.m. to head over to Drew's place, jump in his truck with George and drive to Florida.  But as I was walking out of the newsroom, everyone started clapping.  I was given my first ever "clap out."  And it suddenly hit me.  My eyes were red and full as I waited for the elevator and the girl from the the magazines department also waiting stared at her feet nervously.  We didn't know each other and she wasn't about to ask why I looked on the verge of a breakdown.

A few deep breaths and some fresh air later, I pulled myself together.  I walked awkwardly to my car with a huge bag of my desk possessions, the vase and flower from Elizabeth at work, chocolates from June and all the photos I'd had taped around my desk.  Luckily, the day was beautiful with sunshine and a warm breeze.  By the time I made it to Drew's, I was feeling much better.

We left for Florida a little after 5.  Drew needed to do some work on his iPhone and George hadn't slept in 2 days, so I drove the entire way to Jacksonville where we stayed with another Charlotte ONE friend, Kyle.  He was very nice to put us up so last minute, especially since we didn't get there until after midnight.  The boys took the long L-shaped couch, and I got the guest bedroom, because I'm the girl. :)

With the sunset at Matlacha.

The next morning Drew drove us to breakfast at Waffle House and the three of us remarked that it was the nicest Waffle House we'd ever seen.  All the cooks and waitresses looked like our grandmothers.  When we left, I drove the rest of the way to Cape Coral, FL where Drew needed to meet with one of his kayak suppliers (he's a kayak fisherman and designer of the Coosa kayak which is sold at many different outdoor stores).  It was going to take him a couple hours to do what he needed to do there, so George and I took the car over to Matlacha Island which is like a little hippie town with crazy colored buildings that sell unique jewelry, artwork and best of all, homemade ice cream.

On our way back to get Drew, we stopped at the edge off a lake or bay and watched the sunset.  It was so beautiful and made a perfect ending to our first day in Florida.

George with the sunset near Matlacha.

Drew drove the last 1.5 hrs to the Port of the Islands resort in the Everglades.  They were supposed to provide us and the rest of Drew's fishing crew who met us there with free stay at the resort which is in a perfect location for kayak fishing but there ending up being a confusion and they were all booked up.  Instead, they put us up in a Fairfield Inn about 20 min away and gave us 3 free meals at their resort.  That night we used our first meal.  I had mahi-mahi and it was absolutely amazing.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed our meal and we didn't get back to our hotel until about 11 p.m.

The fishing crew consisted of Drew; the Jackson Kayak marketing director James from Canada; Ben from Louisiana; Damon from Vermont and his dad Al from Savannah.  Later another Ben and a girl named Sarah joined.  My role was to be the journalist/photographer and George's was to help out with anything they needed and to keep me company. lol

On the Naples beach.

On Saturday, Drew had to run some errands in Ft. Myers, so he dropped Geroge and me off at the beach in Naples.  It was soooo beautiful.  The sand was so white and the water was a beautiful blue-green.  You could tell that we were in FL though because hardly anyone was in the water.  It was too cold for native Floridians. lol  George and I got in after a while in the warm sun.  Then we ran a mile on the beach barefoot, and then the water felt amazing.  Our legs, however, suffered for that run for the next three days. lol  Even though I run a mile almost every day, running in wet sand is completely different and muscles I didn't know I had were achy.

Drew picked us up about 3 hours later and we went back to the hotel and changed.  Then the three of us drove back to the Port of the Islands resort where George hung out by the pool there, and Drew and I drove to Everglades City where we found a little channel to put some kayaks in the water and paddle around for an hour before dark.

We practically got eaten alive by mosquitoes on the bank while preparing the kayaks to go in the water.  Once on the water, however, they weren't quite as bad.  Drew says they don't usually hang out above the water because they are likely to get eaten by fish or frogs or something.  Personally, I was more worried about alligators.   I know they spook easily, but I still don't think seeing one up close and personal from a little kayak would be a pleasurable experience.

Kayaking for the first time w/Drew in the Everglades.

Luckily, we saw a few birds, but that was about it.  Drew didn't have much luck fishing, but we both enjoyed seeing the mangroves and testing out his kayak.  One of the unique features about his Coosa is that you can stand up on it so you have a better view of the water around you and you can cast your line easier.  I stood up once, but  when I tried to sit down, the boat got a little shaky, so I stayed seated after that.

We picked up George just at dark and then went back to the Fairfield where we met up with James and Ben.  The five of us went to a Mexican restaurant nearby for dinner.

On Sunday, Drew went fishing with the crew and left George and me his truck.  George and I drove to Ft. Lauderdale across Alligator Ally to see my Uncle John.  And can you believe it - we didn't see one alligator!

When we got to Uncle John's, we chatted a bit and then he took us to a little park where a boardwalk goes through mangroves and ends in an area where you can picnic or play sports.  After that he drove us up A1A, the beachfront avenue to see the beach and all the people and shops and hotels.  By then we were getting hungry so we went to Shooters, a restaurant on a wide channel right by the ocean.  We all had mahi-mahi sandwiches and it was delicious.

We still had an hour left on our parking meter, so we walked the 2 blocks to the beach and George and I took off our shoes and waded around while Uncle John sat on the beach and enjoyed the day.  The whole time we've been here the high has been about 80 with a breeze - absolutely perfect weather.

As we were walking through the pristine water, George said, "Man, for a second there I completely forgot we were on a fishing trip with Drew."  It was just one of those days - a transportation to a different time and place.

When we were done, we came back to Uncle John's and both guys took naps while I worked on the computer.  Then my mom's best friend from her college days, Sarah, called to say that she and her husband Ben would be back in Hollywood, FL soon and that we should come down to all do dinner together.  We met them at their place around 6 and drove to Hollywood beach where we walked along the beachfront pedestrian road and talked as the sun went down and lights came on.  I took pictures of all of us together and after walking for some distance, we turned back to find a place to eat.  Right before we went to this amazing Turkish place for dinner, we stopped by the public restrooms in a beachfront park.

At the restaurant I had a gyro that reminded me of Greece, which I miss nearly every day.  Then we went to a souvenir shop for George to get some things for friends.

Once we returned to Sarah's it was already after 9 so we said our goodbyes and returned to Uncle John's and George and I left about 10 p.m. to drive back to Naples.  On the car ride back we both discussed what a great day it had been.  I was feeling so happy and light.  But that changed when we got back.  George went down to use the hotel computers and I started unpacking my purse as I looked for my camera to upload the photos.  The camera was nowhere to be found and I knew instantly that I had lost it.  I called Uncle John, and he didn't have it anywhere.  I e-mailed Sarah, but I was sure that I had not left it in her car.  The more i thought about it the more sure I was of its whereabouts.  I'd left it on the back of that bathroom door in the park on Hollywood beach.

When George got back to the room, I was sitting on the floor with the contents of my purse spread around me, my face in my hands, tears rolling off my chin.  He tried to be positive "Oh it's prob. in someone's car" etc., but I knew.  I just knew.  Plus, there are only 3 other people who really know how much that camera means to me.  Enrique, Carmen and Theresa - my three foreign friends who went on the cross country road trip with me last summer.  They knew how much I loved that camera and thus started referring to it as "my baby."  And now, "my baby" and all my pictures from the last few months are in some stranger's hands.  It's almost like an invasion of privacy - they know what I look like, who my friends are, what events I've been to lately.  It's an icky feeling.

I'd like to think that if my name and number were on the camera that someone would have tried to return it.  Though it's unlikely - particularly in south Florida.  But they weren't, so either way it is gone and I will have to buy a new camera at some point.  (And yes, I tried calling the restaurant and souvenir shop to no avail.)

A cool bird by the docks at Cape Coral.

On Monday Drew had to take his car and thus, George and I were stuck at the Fairfield which is not within walking distance to anything except their small pool in front of the hotel.  It was a bad day to have nothing to do since I was in a little funk from losing my camera and wanted to get my mind off it.  But we laid out, swam in the pool and watched "Hitch" on tv.  Finally Drew got back and we all went to dinner at Port of the Islands again.  This time, I had salmon, which was also quite delicious.  Key lime pie for dessert made me especially happy - key lime pie is just not the same anywhere else. 

On Tuesday we had to get up very early - 6:15 a.m. - in order to eat breakfast and leave for Cape Coral by 7 a.m.  We were moving to the VillageMarina Resort up in Cape Coral (owned by the same company as Port of the Islands) in hopes that the fishing would be better than what the crew was finding in the everglades.  We arrived at the VillageMarina marina at 8 a.m. and waited around for the fog to lift.  It was an eerie sight - the fog hung really low over the water and everything had a muted feel.  Some resort staff that set up the free stay for us took George and I on a speed boat while Drew, James, Damon and Al kayaked out.  I had Drew's awesome camera and took photos of them fishing as the boat slowly idled in front of them.  The fog was still present, though just starting to lift by the time we got out there.  It gave all the photos a diffused glow and soft box effect.

Drew and some of his fishing friends.

When the kayakers went down a shallow channel that we couldn't follow, we boated over to where they would come out and just enjoyed the sun and talked.  Michelle, the marketing director for the resort chain, was a lot of fun and we all had a good time.  Finally, the fog lifted all the way and we could fully appreciate the beauty around us.  A bay led to the gulf in one direction, and mangroves surrounded a huge sand bar right were the kayakers were about to emerge.

We decided the photos would be best if we could get out and walk on the sandbar to get photos of them, so we anchored the boat right by the sandbar and got out.  The water ranged from ankle deep to right below the knee, and it was crystal clear.  We were told to watch out for stingrays, but it would have been easy to spot them if they were there.  After a bunch of photos, those of us who were on the speed boat got to try out the kayaks in turn.  I got much better at standing on the Coosa and even standing while paddling.  I could see why the ability to stand was so important for a fisherman - you could see so clearly where the fish were, especially in this beautiful water.

Drew fishing.

After all the videos and photos were done, Michelle and the other resort staffers took George and me back to the marina.  Michelle hooked us up with two 3 bedroom suites and brought George and me to  the one we'd be sharing with Drew.  It was seriously the most amazing hotel I've ever seen with my own eyes.  We had a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances, a big dining room table, a full living room, a screened in balcony that could be accessed from the living room or 2 of the bedrooms, a master bedroom with a king bed and a closet that you could sleep in and a bathroom bigger than my room at home (that is the room I got), a second bedroom and bath with 2 double beds where George occupied, and a 3rd bedroom with another king and full bath.  There were more closets and linen closets than I think we have in our whole house in Charlotte.  Every counter had granite counter tops and tile covered every floor except the bedrooms.  It was certainly bigger than the house we had in Miami.

A tiny crab on a leaf that George found and I photographed.

Anyway, I tried to keep my jaw from dropping as Michelle showed us around.  We were on the 5th floor and the view from the patio was amazing  - the pool, marina, harbor and beyond.  You could see dolphin fins splashing in the bay.

After relaxing a bit, George and I went and checked out the place  They had a huge slightly heated pool, a hot tub, a little "village" with shops and a spa, ping pong, free bike rentals, a huge exercise room, a business center with computers, a free water taxi to take you to Ft. Myers beach most days....yeah, it was just ridiculous. 

We hung out by the pool for a while and used a coupon that was in our welcome package to get a buy one get one free gelato.  Since George and I had been in Ft. Lauderdale for one of our comped meals at the first hotel, we'd asked Michelle if we could have a comped meal here.  She agreed and put $50 credit on our room card.  We ate at the restaurant downstairs that night.  I had mahi-mahi again, and yes, it was again amazing.  lol  I figure, if you're eating at nice restaurants like this for free in south Florida, you should always get fish.  George had steak.

After dinner, George took a nap and I read and watched Glee while all the fishing crew went back to Naples to get their stuff to come back to the resort in Cape Coral and stay here.  (Originally, just George and I were going to stay since we were leaving from the Ft. Myers airport on Wed - but when the others saw the new place and were given the chance to stay here for free, they took it).  At about 9 George and I went to the hot tube and met a Canadian couple and a couple from Minnesota who talked about sailing nearly the whole time.  lol

the clear water of the sand shoal in Cape Coral, Fla.

Finally, we went up and I was just about to go to bed when Drew got back.  The next morning George and I were to go out kayaking with Drew and James to get some good footage for a different line of Jackson Kayaks - the "Journey."  It is being marketed as a kayak for beginners and advanced kayakers, so they wanted to show how beginners like George and I could easily maneuver them.

George and me kayaking in Cape Coral.

We went out to the same area we'd gone the day before when we were on the speed boat.  It was a lot of fun and really beautiful.  In the shallow water I saw blue crabs, horseshoe crabs, stingrays and dolphins in the distance.  We also saw ibises, egrets, blue herrings, cranes and other beautiful birds.  When the shooting was done, George and I paddled back to the marina and he started packing his stuff to go home.  Originally, my flight had been on Wednesday afternoon as well, but I canceled it to get a flight credit so that I could stay in FL a few extra days and help Drew drive back Saturday.  If I'd known he was coming back that soon when I'd first decided to come, I wouldn't have booked a flight at all.  But, at least this will force me to do more traveling in future. :)  Maybe I can use it toward a trip to Spain....

Takin' a break.

So I took George to the airport, came back and started writing a story about Drew for the Observer.  I will also be writing one for Kayak Angler magazine about what kayak fishing is like from an outside perspective.  When Drew and crew got back from fishing that evening, Drew, James, Damon, Al and I all went down to the restaurant.  I had my bathing suit on under my dress as I planned to swim while they ate (I knew I couldn't afford to eat there) but Al insisted that I eat with them and that he'd pay.  Al (Damon's dad) was in the army for 23 years and you don't argue with him. lol  I got pasta with shrimp and it was very good.

Afterward, we all went in the hot tub, which should really be called a burn tub because it was scalding.  I ended up in the pool after a few minutes.

This morning (Thurs) the guys left very early to meet a guide to go fishing in a different spot.  We had to switch rooms today so I went and checked us out and moved all our bags to the new room.  About 4 p.m. James, Drew and I will be leaving to drive to Ft. Lauderdale and stay with Uncle John tonight.  James has a flight back to Canada very early Sat morning and thus it would be easier to already be there.  Only Damon and Al will stay tonight in this beautiful hotel.

Tomorrow after we drop James at the airport, we'll drive to Jacksonville again where I will hang out with Kyle and Drew will go fishing.  On Saturday Drew had to give a demonstration of his Coosa kayak at 2 p.m. then have dinner with some of the people there afterward.  Kyle said he can prob. take me to the beach or something.  We'll either drive back to Charlotte Sat. after Drew's dinner or Sunday morning.  It is very nice of Kyle to let us stay again.

Phew, that was long.  Anyway, figured I had to give a detailed account since this is my first real trip in six months.

I write this from the balcony of the new room were I am looking at a river leading away from the marina cutting through nothing but green trees and mangroves.  It is a more peaceful view and also very beautiful.  Too bad I don't have a camera to take a photo.  Anyway, I'm off to spend my last couple hours here reading by the pool.

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On Thursday after the guys returned form fishing, Drew, James and I drove to Ft. Lauderdale where Uncle John had prepared an amazing soup for our dinner.  We were all pretty tired, so we went to bed early.  Uncle John had to get up early for work, and Drew had to take James to the airport very early.  Drew then returned and we both slept until 9 a.m.  We ate breakfast and then rolled out sometime after 10 to head up to West Palm Beach where Drew had to drop off a kayak.  While there, I got the oil changed as a thank you for the trip, and then we continued on to Jacksonville.

When we arrived, Kyle took us to a restaurant called Karma that was very good.  They had the best sweet potato fries I'd ever consumed.  After dinner, we all went to a party where Kyle's friends were having a bonfire and game night.  There were about 14 of us and we had a great time playing catchphrase, then some of us played Guesstures.  The group reminded me a lot of the CharlotteONE group here in Charlotte, and I liked all of them immediately. 

With Kyle at the Kingfish Grille.

The next morning, Drew got up very early to go fishing in Jax.  Kyle and I slept in and then went to the gym (where they were kind enough to let me in).  From there we headed to one of the beaches near St. Augustine.  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and listening to the waves and talking with Kyle.  From there we went to a restaurant for lunch called Kingfish Grille that was right on a boat harbor.  I had mahi-mahi....again. lol  But, it was very good.  Finally, we went to old town St. Augustine and just walked around.  The day was so nice I really didn't want to go into any of the shops.  Kyle got ice cream, but I was so full from lunch I passed. 

By the St. Augustine fort.

It started to get a bit chilly on the drive back a little after 5 with the top down on Kyle's mustang, but otherwise, it was just the right temperature all day long.

Drew was already back when we got home.  We decided to watch a movie, order pizza for dinner, then go to a bar to watch the UFC fight.  I was not thrilled about that part of the plan, but Drew really wanted to see it.  By the time we got home, Kyle and I were completely exhausted and we all slept in until about 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Sunday, Drew and I planned to go to the Jax beach with Kyle and his friends and then head back to Charlotte.  However, Drew could not find his keys.  After checking everywhere, we drove to the bar we'd been the night before which was close to the beach, and still they could not be found.  Drew started calling Jax Toyota dealers and finally found one that was open on a Sunday which would make him a key for $8.  So, poor Kyle had to drive us back from the beach earlier than he wanted to leave, get the title from Drew's car, drive us another 45 minutes to the dealership, and then back.  I felt really bad for him, but he's so nice he wouldn't complain.  Drew bought us both lunch at a really good Mexican place as a "thank you" for our trouble, and we finally headed out about 4 p.m. 


On the drive back, there was a fatal accident that had us virtually stalled on the interstate for 2 hours.  We didn't get back home until 12:30 a.m. - but at least we made it safely.