Success!: going against the flow

The scene as we pushed off the dock this morning

This morning I drove my dad's jeep to the San Marco seawall where I planned to kayak with my climbing buddy Chris (He just so happens to be a veteran sea kayaking guide). The air was cool, the sun was low on the horizon and the river steamed upwards as only nature's cauldron could conjure. I stepped out of the jeep and grabbed my bike out of the trunk. A group of runners passed by and I recognized Sean, one of the cross country coaches from Stanton, and said hi as he passed. Then I got on my bike and headed for home. When I arrived home, Chris and I pushed off from the dock and headed out. The water was calm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, a more perfect stage for a good kayaking trip could not have been asked for. As we reached the middle of the river he thought he'd be cute, and tried playing bumper boats, to which I answered with a subtle splash to his face. We carried on and in about an hour we had already reached the Landing!

Kickin it at the landing, completely soaked and feeling foxy

Everyone on the docks of the landing looked confused to see two guys kayaking amidst 40ft yachts. The closer we paddled to the main part of the landing, the more we heard people laughing in our direction, but we enjoyed it. A couple families came down to ask us how and what we were doing. Chris just said

"We'd prefer to have a little more horse power but we'll manage."

I just smiled and went along with it.
After we finished talking to the curious families, we walked around the Landing for a bit, sporting our paddles resting on our shoulders. When the novelty of the strange looks from even stranger people wore off, we hopped back in the kayaks and paddled the rest of the way to San Marco. Upon arrival, a nice guy from from Bosnia we met, came to watch us pull our kayaks out of the water and load up. What a day! 75 degrees, calm water, clear skies, a good friend and the Jacksonville skyline. It was a great trip!