OK, so I'll admit right from the start that it is MISERABLY hot today. I am dreaming of sitting in either my air conditioned office at my home or by my swimming pool. Just about anywhere other than the cockpit of this godforsaken boat with 3 fans blowing on me and hot breeze - comfort level 107 degrees. I'm pretty sure I don't even smell good. My generally pleasant disposition has certainly wilted today - and I'm ever so aware that a prudent person would be headed NORTH and not south at this time of year. Had I not been so chicken about crossing the Gulf I would be anchored in the Chesapeake with my friend Bill right about now.
I arrived at the Scipio Creek Marina around 7 a.m. this morning after a one hour journey. I left a beautiful, relatively cool anchorage on Saul Creek at the crack of dawn because I had no cell service and needed to work today.
The Scipio Creek is just off the ICW at Apalachicola. It's very narrow but has a nine foot depth with several small marinas and docks with fishing boats. It's about a 1/4 mile to town - and I hope to go there this evening if it cools down a bit. This place is not fancy and I'm tied up to a dock on back of the restaurant that smells a lot like fried food. The restrooms are not even air conditioned - imagine that - and it's $1.50 a foot.
We left White City Park on Friday morning and traveled about 6 miles to a lovely anchorage in small but deep oxbow. It was without doubt the most enchanting place so far. It was every bit a Cyprus swamp, generously sprinkled with native palms and wild flowers. Birds, fish, dragon flies, butterflies, - abundant wildlife. It was very hard to capture in photograph but there was a lovely little path through the swamp just wide enough for a kayak. It looked like a path into a secret world. I must admit I was not quite brave enough to explore it - although my friend DJ did. I try my hand at the kayak - though in more open places. I made some delicious fajitas from a left over pork tenderloin for lunch. I had a relaxing afternoon reading "A Walk In the Woods" - a gift from Brett and Kyla. It was without doubt the funniest book I've read in years and literally had me in tears from laughing so hard.
Later in the evening I decided to try my hand at fishing again. It was so peaceful and quiet - my friend DJ was making supper (a Shepherds' pie). I was standing on the foredeck thinking about how lucky I was to be in such an incredible place and then WHAM all hell broke loose! An alligator tried to get my lure!!!!! Now that really woke me up. I think a lot of screaming was involved and I surely put away the fishing pole for good this time! Why am I catching alligators and sharks.... I just want a nice tiny little fish. Doesn't even have to be a keeper.
Sunday morning I made some yummy biscuits , omelets and Bloody Mary's for breakfast. We took a dinghy ride (with the motor) to check out the other oxbows in the area. The adjacent oxbow was filled with little fish camps - which are really just little tiny, tiny houses built on floats. Most of them had seen better days, but a couple looked like new construction. Didn't see any people about though.
We spent all day enjoying the anchorage and then headed for Saul Creek in the late afternoon. I had hoped that since it was only 5 or 6 miles to town I might be able to get a signal but no luck. Still it was a lovely place which did not even closely resemble the chart. Where the charted depth showed 7 feet it was actually 49! Not sure how they messed that up.
Not sure what's up for tomorrow. I suspect I'll get up early and look for a place to anchor. Can't see paying another $50 for this place.
1 Comment
6/29/2009 06:04:38 am
Hi Mary! SO glad to hear from you! That anchorage you were at that you loved in the deep oxbow, Brett was there too. It's a very popular hurricane hole. Brett stayed at Scipio Creek marina too and paid a fortune for one night ($60 I think). Miss you lots! So glad you are enjoying the books! I knew you'd love the Walk in the Woods.
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