# DK's Yak Adventures



## Dark Knight (Jun 4, 2010)

Well, my wife is sold on the kayaking thing so we went and did buy another kayak. This time a tandem SOT(Pelican Apex 130T...

I know that she really does not want me to go alone for reasons we already know. But I welcome her concerns and saw a chance to do things together. Something that we do not do as frequent as it should be.

We decided to go to Wekiwa Spings State Park(or is it Wekiva State Park) for the maiden voyage of our new kayak. We did launch around 9:30 AM and start paddling down stream on Wekiva River to the confluence of Rock Springs Run. The plan was to paddle upstream for 90 minutes and then let the stream take us back to Wekiva River. Our first sighting was an alligator. Not a big one. It was trying to sun himself but it was overclioud so I have no clue what the heck he was doing there.

Just ten minutes after we started, in a river bend, our trip almost ended. I put my right side paddle into the water and as soon as I did it an alligator just,3 feet from the yak, did a huge splah and swam away from us. I did not see it until he moved and the water was cristal clear!!!!!We scared him and he did scare the heck of us. As we paddled downstream the poor beast showed his head out of the water and started grunting(????...if that is the correct term). We almost had a heart attack but the yak was stable and we did not tip over. I asked her if she wanted to go back but the brave woman said NO. I was hoping she said yes.

After that everything was awsome. No more incidents and we had the river just for us. It was an awsome experience. It was a short one since it is our first time and we need more experience before doing longer trips. She asked to turn around after just 45 minutes in the water. But when we rested she asked to go back for a few more minutes. It was then we she went bananas. There was a huge(sorry...this might be relative) gator just floating and wifey just had a field day taking pics of the big boy. Then we found baby gators and she went crazy shooting pics. I reminded her that Mama Gator had to be close. My woman is dangerous with a camera.

It was a super day. We enjoyed it. Looking forward to do it again. I am posting pics in my Facebook page. Feel free to take a look.

(Pictures removed to post some more from another trip)


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## Dleg (Jun 4, 2010)

Awesome! Sounds like the kayaks were a great investment. The gators would freak me out....


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## cement (Jun 5, 2010)

^ that would definitely take some getting used to. But you probably have stuff in your utility belt to deal with pesky gators.

glad the kayaks are working out. sounds like a great time!


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## Flyer_PE (Jun 5, 2010)

Looking at those aligators in relation to the size of the kayak puts me in mind of the old movie quote: "Your'e going to need a bigger boat".


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## Bean PE (Jun 5, 2010)

Awesome. If I ever move anywhere with water (ie WA or OR), a boat or two will be on the short list for new toys.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jun 5, 2010)

Bean said:


> Awesome. If I ever move anywhere with water (ie WA or OR), a boat or two will be on the short list for new toys.


I've got the water part worked out, just lacking sufficient cheddar. I needs me a fatty raise.


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## Dark Knight (Jun 5, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> Bean said:
> 
> 
> > Awesome. If I ever move anywhere with water (ie WA or OR), a boat or two will be on the short list for new toys.
> ...



I did not wait for the fatty raise. Someone told me to live my life and that is what I am doing. I always wanted to do this and never did it, waiting for a fatty money to come. Most of you already know what happened last Fall. That was my cue. Now I am going all out, not all crazy out, but all out.


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## cement (Jun 5, 2010)

I think that's smart. You can have a mini vacation every day after work. :woot:

people save up all year to fly to florida take a vacation like that too, so :bio: I say!


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## Bean PE (Jun 5, 2010)

Dark Knight said:


> I did not wait for the fatty raise. Someone told me to live my life and that is what I am doing. I always wanted to do this and never did it, waiting for a fatty money to come. Most of you already know what happened last Fall. That was my cue. Now I am going all out, not all crazy out, but all out.


This.

No fatty raises here, just fatty paycuts. Nonetheless, there are already 5 pair of skis in the house and 5 bikes (4ea are mine), with the expected purchases by the time winter rolls around, there'll be 7 pair of skis and 7 bikes...although one of those pair of skis will be out the door once a buyer is found. You do what you have to do to enjoy life while you can. I may not have a giant, awesome TV or a BMW or live in the best neighborhood, but what I've got helps me be happy.


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## Road Guy (Jun 5, 2010)

DK

I need a new pair of boots if you Dan wrestle one of those gators back to the car?

Looks like a lot of fun man. Minus those Huge gators......


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## Dark Knight (Jun 5, 2010)

cement said:


> I think that's smart. You can have a mini vacation every day after work. :woot:
> people save up all year to fly to florida take a vacation like that too, so :bio: I say!


Amen. Working on that.



Bean said:


> This.
> No fatty raises here, just fatty paycuts. Nonetheless, there are already 5 pair of skis in the house and 5 bikes (4ea are mine), with the expected purchases by the time winter rolls around, there'll be 7 pair of skis and 7 bikes...although one of those pair of skis will be out the door once a buyer is found. You do what you have to do to enjoy life while you can. I may not have a giant, awesome TV or a BMW or live in the best neighborhood, but what I've got helps me be happy.


I think you understand why I am doing this.



Road Guy said:


> DK
> I need a new pair of boots if you Dan wrestle one of those gators back to the car?
> 
> Looks like a lot of fun man. Minus those Huge gators......


Do not hold your breath waiting for me to wrestle a gator. Not going to happen.

Went back today with a good friend of mine. It was sunny and crowded. Only saw one gator(a little one in a log), three otters playing, turtles in and out the water, a Blue Heron and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron. Not too much wild life.

Have to say I was more relax today than yesterday. Looking forward to the newt weekend. :woot: :bio:


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## roadwreck (Jun 5, 2010)

awesome DK! Glad you guys had fun.


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## wilheldp_PE (Jun 5, 2010)

Every time I see this thread title, I think of the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen.


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## cement (Jun 6, 2010)

Dark Knight said:


> Went back today with a good friend of mine. It was sunny and crowded. *Only saw one gator(a little one in a log), three otters playing, turtles in and out the water, a Blue Heron and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron.* Not too much wild life.
> Have to say I was more relax today than yesterday. Looking forward to the newt weekend. :woot: :bio:


yeah, that was nothing


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## Dark Knight (Jun 6, 2010)

cement said:


> Dark Knight said:
> 
> 
> > Went back today with a good friend of mine. It was sunny and crowded. *Only saw one gator(a little one in a log), three otters playing, turtles in and out the water, a Blue Heron and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron.* Not too much wild life.
> ...


Yikes. You are right Cement. Sorry about that since did sound like showing off. The thing is that in the area I kayaked the last two days it is not uncommon to see, among lots of different birds, deers, black bears, hawks, and eagles. I have not seen any of those, or maybe do not know how to look yet.

The otters were fun too watch.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jun 6, 2010)

There's a place I like to go canoeing along the Concord River that is awesome for seeing aquatic birds. I saw a crane there that flew right over us looking like a friggin' pterodactyl. The wing span was incredible.

I really love wildlife viewing. I can't wait for vacation in a couple weeks!


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## Ble_PE (Jun 6, 2010)

Sounds like you had a good time DK! I don't think I would like seeing something in the water that's bigger than me when I'm kayaking. That would freak me out pretty good.

Keep enjoying it!


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## Capt Worley PE (Jun 7, 2010)

Never hit the river or the swamp without a firearm.


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## Dark Knight (Jun 13, 2010)

Well, another visit to Wekiwa Springs State Park yesterday. That is my third trip there in one week. This one was not so exciting. Too many people means wild life will hide. But it worked pretty good as kayaking practice. Now I am ready to move to another area this week.

*****EDITED...PICS DELETED*******


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## Dleg (Jun 13, 2010)

That looks awesome!

I enjoyed the "not too much wildlife" statement, following your description of about 5 things I have never seen before. LOL.


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## Supe (Jun 14, 2010)

No kidding on the crystal clear water! That looks amazing!


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jun 14, 2010)

Dleg said:


> That looks awesome!
> I enjoyed the "not too much wildlife" statement, following your description of about 5 things I have never seen before. LOL.


Good point! DK is getting spoiled already.


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## Dark Knight (Jun 19, 2010)

VTEnviro said:


> Good point! DK is getting spoiled already.


If you think I was getting spoiled wait until you see the pics from my most recent trip :woot:

Took my whole family to Haulover Canal (Try this link Haulover Canal )

It was great!!!!!!!!!!! We had the chance to see manatees and dolphins, among lots of birds since there is a Bird Sanctuary at the West end of the canal in the Indian River.

Somebody, a manatee, came close to the yak to check what was going on...

Another manatee decided to give my kids a ride...No manatee, or kid, or parent was harmed in this trip.... :true:

We were still out of the water when I saw a fin. A dolphin paid us a welcome visit. Once in the water it was unbelievable. Pods everywhere, solo dolphins hunting(you have to see that to understand). Better than Sea World. Just awesome.

Another view of the same dolphin.

From the yak this time. That one was traveling solo in the canal.

A trip to remember. Lots of pics in my Facebook page. Lost several good pics when my SD card went caput. Those pics were from an old Canon 35mm my wife decided to try this time.


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## cement (Jun 20, 2010)

Wow! Awesome pics DK! That is an amazing adventure. thanks for sharing.


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## Dark Knight (Jul 7, 2010)

Did kayak the Potomac the weekend of the 4th of July. No wildlife to call home about but you do not kayak the Potomac in DC to see wildlife but to see the memorials from the water.

Patriotic Display







Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument






View from the yak


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## Dleg (Jul 8, 2010)

Unfortunately I cannot see you pictures, but I bet it was a cool experience.

I had my kayaks out two weeks ago, to provide safety escort for a 1.5 mile ocean swim, across our shipping channel. By chance I ended up escorting the fastest swimmer, an amazing 12 year old kid, and by default I therefore became the navigator for the entire swim. The kid's sister and an adult were swimming with him for a while, but they got "taken out" by jellyfish, and someone else stayed behind to make sure they were OK.


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## cement (Jul 8, 2010)

what brought you to DC, DK? a superhero summit? I visited there the weekend before, for college orientation. we will be looking for excuses to visit often!


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## Dark Knight (Jul 8, 2010)

cement said:


> what brought you to DC, DK? a superhero summit? I visited there the weekend before, for college orientation. we will be looking for excuses to visit often!


No summit Cement. I was undercover. Years ago I was coming back from a job interview in Ohio. Changed planes in one of the DC airports(cannot remember the name). I saw the city from the plane first and then from the gates at the airport. It was close to sunset and it looked beautiful. Told myself "Have to come here one day". Well, I decided to take my first formal vacation in 9 years(long story) and we drove all the way to DC. We will do it again. It was awesome.

My favorite place in DC


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## wilheldp_PE (Jul 8, 2010)

Dark Knight said:


> No summit Cement. I was undercover. Years ago I was coming back from a job interview in Ohio. Changed planes in one of the DC airports(cannot remember the name).


If you saw the monuments from the airport, it was Reagan.


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## Dark Knight (Jul 8, 2010)

wilheldp_PE said:


> Dark Knight said:
> 
> 
> > No summit Cement. I was undercover. Years ago I was coming back from a job interview in Ohio. Changed planes in one of the DC airports(cannot remember the name).
> ...


Thanks Wil. You are probably right.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jul 8, 2010)

No kayak adventures to report, but I did see 2 rabbits, a squirrel, and a woodchuck in my yard the other day, at the same time!

Take that, nature boy!

-VTE, jealous and overcompensating


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## Dark Knight (Jul 8, 2010)

Whoooooooooooooooooooooo

We need a Rick Flair smiley!!!!


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jul 8, 2010)




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## ktulu (Jul 8, 2010)

Awesome video, DK!


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## MA_PE (Jul 8, 2010)

DK: great stuff!


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## Dark Knight (Jul 8, 2010)

Thanks. It is the second time I see this happening. I removed the video. Will post it again after some modifications.


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## Dark Knight (Jul 9, 2010)

Here are a couple of images of a recent adventure at Haulover Canal

Dolphin hunting at Haulover Canal

Manatee having a good time






Osprey






I wanna hug your yak!!!!


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## Capt Worley PE (Jul 9, 2010)

Is that the Dugong, Dreaded Sea Cow?


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## Dleg (Jul 9, 2010)

Is your kayak pregnant now?


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## cement (Jul 9, 2010)

It's got a hickey for sure!


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## Dark Knight (Jul 22, 2010)

My first solo paddle. My wife is busy taking care of her nephew and after a misserable four days at work I needed a break. So to Wekiwa Springs / Rock Springs Run I went. A short paddle, only 2.5 hours. But did the trick.

The first pic does not make justice to what I saw. The gator was on a log opening and closing the mouth. I have heard they do that to cool down.







This is an Ibis






The classic view from the bow






Gator side view


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jul 23, 2010)

Dood! If I saw a gator while out kayaking I'd probably crap my pants. That's wild.


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## frazil (Jul 23, 2010)

DK - your pictures are so awesome!! I am totally jealous.


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## Dark Knight (Jul 25, 2010)

Here are the pics of my latest kayaking trip. It was at the Econlockhatchee River and I consider this my backyard becuase I live two miles away from the put in place(if you go downstream) or 3 miles away(if you go upstream). The Econ runs thru the Little Econ State Forest and it is an 8 miles paddle from bridge to bridge. There are walking and biking trails inside the forest with a bridge to cross the river. That bridge was our turn around point last Saturday.

We have a wonderful time together(wifey and myself) and saw our first bald eagle in the wild. The Econ has a decent population of eagles, and BIG, as in huge, gators. We did not see the famous big gators of the Econ but saw two eagles. One in a tree and another one(or maybe the same one...who knows) flying over us. We are still in aweeee. The eagle pic is not excellent so zoom it.

View from the yak






Eagle in a tree.






Turtle


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jul 25, 2010)

Now an eagle pic I can come up with.


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## MA_PE (Jul 26, 2010)

DK:

just curious. do you start and stop at the same locations? so you paddle both upsteam and downstream each time. or do you take two cars and park a car where you'll finiish and then drive to the start and enter the river. I'd think that paddling upstream might take some of the realaxing enjoyment out of it.


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## RIP - VTEnviro (Jul 26, 2010)

Paddling up vs. downstream has a lot to do with the water level and strength of the current. There's a place we like in Concord. Last year, with all the rain we had here, the water was really moving. Paddling upstream was hard work, and going downstream was a challenge too because the current kept turning your boat sideways or toward the shore.

This summer, which has been dry, was different. The water is much lower and moving more slowly. Up vs. down wasn't that much different, you just had a gentle boost on the way down.


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## Dark Knight (Jul 26, 2010)

MA_PE, So far it has been starting and finishing in the same location, going upstream first and taking it easy on the return. Florida rivers are lazy. So far the only one that challenged me was the Weeki Wachee River since it is fed by a first magnitude spring. I think over 100 millions gallons a day are flowing there. The current is pretty strong. It is about six miles from where we put in to the source of the spring and we did not even complete 2 miles in 2 hours. There were other factors for that to happen but it is indeed the hardest paddle I have done.

I plan to do the shuttle thing, car waiting at the take out point, this weekend at the place of my most recent pics(Econlockhatchee River). It is 8+ miles long from put in to take out(two bridges) and it would be too much for my wife come 8 miles upstream. Going downstream is just as easy as floating and correcting the path every now and then. That gives you the best pics chances.

Last Thursday did a short solo paddle in the Wekiva River-Rock Springs Run after work. The Rock Spring Run was very low and the current pretty strong, stronger than usual. I did struggle to take pics on my way upstream. To give you an idea, I paddled 1.5 hours upstream and took me only 25~30 minutes to go downstream the same distance. I was paddling harder on my way down because sunlight concerns.

*Note: I confirmed with a friend that 100 million is the number of gallons flowing out of the Weeki Wachee Spring.*


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## Chucktown PE (Jul 26, 2010)

I've done some kayaking in the tidal creeks/marshes here. If you time it right with the high or low tides you can ride with the ebbing tide an hour out until low slack tide, then ride the flooding tide back in an hour. Or the reverse. Paddleboarding has become a big thing here, which is basically just a really big stable surfboard that you stand up on and a long paddle. You pretty much have to go with the tides to do that.


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## Dark Knight (Jul 30, 2010)

Paddled the Wekiwa Springs and Rock Springs Run today with my family. We had an awesome day and a lots of first.

Just after paying at the gate my daughter spotted a deer, not just a deer, a young buck. The first time I see one in the wild. It was a great day, an extremely hot day, but an excellent family day.

Here are a few pics to share...

Buck...






The ever present gator...






The synchronized swim team representing the Wekiwa Spring State Park...


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## Dark Knight (Aug 1, 2010)

Another kayak trip yesterday. This one at the Econlockhatchee River (just two miles from home). We had an exciting day. Saw our first monster gator, an eagle, and a Red Shouldered Hawk eating its catch. No gator or eagles pics. The eagle flew over us into the forest and the gator went under as soon as wifey raised the camera.

Econ River scenic view...






Red Shouldered Hawk and its catch...






Red Shouldered Hawk...


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## Dark Knight (Aug 13, 2010)

Pics from todays trip...

Osprey






Reddish Egret






Football team prep...


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## Dark Knight (Aug 15, 2010)

Pics from a trip to Alexander Creek last Saturday...


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## ElCid03 (Aug 15, 2010)

That gator looked like it could reach out and touch someone.


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## Road Guy (Aug 16, 2010)

wow dk you are surely getting your moneys worth out of that kayak!


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## cement (Aug 17, 2010)

this is a great example of how to take the best of what is in your own backyard. thank you DK!!


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