ESCAPE WINTER: TAKE THE AUTO TRAIN TO FLORIDA Sue and Jerry Wylie*

It’s March in Connecticut. There’s 9” of snow in the front yard and a small disaster in the back; unusually thick ice on the lake has smashed our dock into a pile of kindling because I was too lazy to take it out last fall. It’s too late now to do anything. It’ll have to wait until spring. Grrrr! But I need to escape this winter mess NOW! So I suggest to my wife Sue, “Let’s take our kayaks and go to Florida and bum off of our friends and stay in funky motels.” “Great idea” she replies, and we start packing. Here’s a few of our “post cards” from Florida and Georgia and some travel information if you need help to plan a quick escape this winter. About 7 hours from Connecticut is Lorton, Virginia, just south of Washington, D.C., the northern terminus of the famous Amtrak Auto Train that has been shuttling snowbirds to and from Florida since 1983. At ¾ of a mile long and carrying up to 650 passengers and 330 cars, it’s the longest passenger train in the world. It transports more than 130,000 vehicles and 250,000 passengers each year. Cars with kayaks on racks pay an extra “oversize vehicle” charge, so we opted to carry our folding kayaks inside.

We got a “roomette”, which was little more than a closet with a sliding door and a picture window. Cozy is an understatement. It had two facing reclining seats that make a single bed and another fold-down bed above. After a nice dinner you go to sleep and wake up the next morning in north-central Florida thinking winter was just a bad dream.

Our first stop, the Peace River near Punta Gorda, is one of three major rivers for the Greater Charlotte Harbor, Florida’s second largest estuary. Shell Creek and neighboring Prairie Creek are our favorite freshwater tributaries, meandering through tall forests of pine, cypress and palm full of birds and sleepy gators watching along the shoreline. There’s a nice county boat ramp at Shell Creek county park on the Washington Loop

“Roomette” “Roomette” “Roomette” “Roomette” with a viewwith a viewwith a viewwith a view

Road off of route 17. Paddle down Shell Creek for 2 miles and back up the Prairie Creek arm another 2 miles, and then hitch-hike or walk 2 miles back to your car. Scenic Estero Bay, just south of Fort Myers, has miles of tranquil paddling through mangrove channels, islands and rivers along the Great Calusa Blueway waterway. It’s mostly undeveloped except for occasional glimpses of high-rise apartments in the distance. The water is shallow and the kayak/canoe trails are well marked with metal signs. A free trail map shows points of interest, such as Mound Key Archeological State Park, as well as GPS coordinates.

Estero Bay & The Great Calusa BluewayEstero Bay & The Great Calusa BluewayEstero Bay & The Great Calusa BluewayEstero Bay & The Great Calusa Blueway

Shell CreekShell CreekShell CreekShell Creek

Estero BayEstero BayEstero BayEstero Bay

Shell CreekShell CreekShell CreekShell Creek

Ding Darling Wildlife National Wildlife Refuge on nearby Sanibel Island offers visitors miles of protected mangrove channels to explore, as well as a nature center, foot trails, picnic areas, guided nature trails, a public beach and canoe/kayak rentals (Closed Fridays). This is a good alternative when wind makes more exposed areas difficult to paddle. As the name implies, it’s also a great place to enjoy our feathered friends. The Florida Keys are a six-hour drive from Fort Myers. The state park system there is highly developed, well managed and is very popular with campers and fishermen. Advance reservations are required for campsites and cabins, although sometimes last-minute walk-ins are possible if there are no-shows. There is an entrance fee for day use and sit-on-top kayaks seem to be available at most locations. Bring your underwater camera for the excellent snorkeling tour at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (mile 102). The Pennekamp State Park’s “Trail of Tears” mangrove maze is appropriately named if you don’t have a map or GPS. It’s a mile long section of a larger trail system, but give yourself plenty of time in case you get confused in this fascinating landscape. It gets plenty of use and the main boat channel is nearby, so if you have trouble navigating you can sit and wait for someone to come along or follow the sounds of others. The park’s other water routes have trail signs that make navigation easier.

Ding DarlingDing DarlingDing DarlingDing Darling Ding DarlingDing DarlingDing DarlingDing Darling

State Park picnic areaState Park picnic areaState Park picnic areaState Park picnic area Pennekamp State ParkPennekamp State ParkPennekamp State ParkPennekamp State Park

Don’t miss the lazy iguanas snoozing in the mangroves in the late afternoon sun at Curry Hammock State Park on Fat Deer Key (mile 56). They sport a wide range of colors and fleshy “accessories” on their necks and crests. It’s a small park whose shallow waters and narrow mangrove channels are filled with juvenile sharks up to three feet, as well as barracuda, small rays and of course loads of wading birds. Pick up a waterproof map and watch the tides carefully; at low water you might have to get out and pull your boat. Bahia Honda State Park (mile 37) is a “full service” recreation destination famous for its white sand beaches. We paddled around the Gulf (north) side where the water was calmer and swam towing our boats for a change of pace. There’s a squadron of friendly pelicans who hang out in the mangrove cove next to the marina mooching from fishermen cleaning their catch. It’s fun to sit in the channel and watch them come in for a their splash-down landings.

Curry Hammock ResidentCurry Hammock ResidentCurry Hammock ResidentCurry Hammock Resident

Bahia Honda SPBahia Honda SPBahia Honda SPBahia Honda SP

Bahia Honda SPBahia Honda SPBahia Honda SPBahia Honda SP

TraiTraiTraiTrail of Tearsl of Tearsl of Tearsl of Tears Pennekamp State ParkPennekamp State ParkPennekamp State ParkPennekamp State Park

Jupiter Island, 10 miles north of West Palm Beach, is about as far east as you can go in Florida and is separated from the mainland by a beautiful section of the Intracoastal Waterway. Although flanked by expensive mansions and frequently filled with huge yachts and noisy jet skiers, it has many quiet and undeveloped sections that are home to manatees and other wildlife. And even the occasional big boat wake can be fun to surf. Shell collecting is popular and provides a nice break from kayaking. One of the few places you can see manatees in the wild is Blue Springs State Park, situated along the St. Johns River near Orange, Florida. Unfortunately, no water sports or boating are allowed from November 15 to March 1 in this winter manatee refuge. They had all departed before we arrived, leaving only the giant prehistoric gars and carp cruising in the crystal clear waters. Satellite images of this meandering river system and its side channels look VERY in interesting, so next time we plan to do an 8-mile loop starting here and going up the St Johns river to the north and west of the park.

Intracoastal WaterwayIntracoastal WaterwayIntracoastal WaterwayIntracoastal Waterway

Blue Springs State ParkBlue Springs State ParkBlue Springs State ParkBlue Springs State Park

We made a quick detour to Daytona Beaching looking for some gentle waves to surf, but the conditions were poor, so we just enjoyed driving on the hard-packed sand. Maybe next trip. Little Talbot State Park north of Jacksonville, is almost in Georgia, and has the most spectacular, largest, flattest, emptiest, fine-white sand beaches we’ve ever seen. The best kayaking is in the marsh drained by Simpson and Myrtle Creeks. But because of low tides and the danger of launching our skin boats across extensive oyster beds, we skipped that and went beachcombing. At low tide the beach was 100 yards wide and hard enough for bicycling. Later we learned rangers had just buried a large dead leatherback turtle in the dunes near where we were walking. Wish we had arrived earlier!

Daytona Beach DriveDaytona Beach DriveDaytona Beach DriveDaytona Beach Drive

Little Talbot IslandLittle Talbot IslandLittle Talbot IslandLittle Talbot Island Little Talbot IslandLittle Talbot IslandLittle Talbot IslandLittle Talbot Island

Our last stop, the Altamaha River, named by The Nature Conservancy as one of the “75 Last Great Places” left in the world, meets the Atlantic near the small town of Darien, Georgia. Untamed by dams, it slowly winds its way 137 miles through rich bottomland forests, cypress and tupalo swamps, and tidal marshes full of birds and gators. When we visited the Altamaha River in late March, not all the trees were fully leafed out and the high water had flooded many areas along the shore. But these early season conditions worked together to create a truly beautiful place to paddle, full of reflected light and color. After escaping from New England winter and enjoying summer weather in Florida, we had finally found spring in southeast Georgia. What a trip!

Altamaha ReflectionsAltamaha ReflectionsAltamaha ReflectionsAltamaha Reflections

Altamaha RiverAltamaha RiverAltamaha RiverAltamaha River

Trip Planning Information and Key Resources Florida Paddling Trails Association, stewards of the Florida circumnavigational paddling trail www.floridapaddlingtrails.com Boating and Angling Guide to Charlotte Harbor. Request free single copy from Florida Sea Grant College Program, PO Box 110409, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611. Blueways Trails: A Guide for the Canoe/Kayak Enthusiast. Charlotte County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. The Great Calusa Blueway. Lee County Paddling Trail/Estero Bay guide. Current trail conditions and a full list of GPS coordinates available at www.greatcalusablueway.com. Florida Keys Paddling Atlas by Bill and Mary Burnham. Globe Pequot Press (2007). Altamaha River Canoe Trail Map and Adventure Guide. Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Map and other information available through the Altamaha River Partnership www.altamahariver.org Local Kayak Outfitters It’s Time Kayak and Canoe Company, Charolotte Harbor area, FL www.itstimekayakandcanoe.com Big Kid Kayaks, Punta Gorda, FL www.bigkidkayaks.com Florida Bay Outfitters, Key Largo, FL www.floridakeys.com Backcountry Cowboy, Islamorada Island, FL www.backcountrycowboy.com Kayak Amelia, ½ mile north of Little Talbot State Park, FL www.kayakamelia.com Altamaha Coastal Tours, Darien, GA www.altamaha.com *Sue and Jerry Wylie manage Connecticut Coastal Kayaking in Lyme, CT during the summer and travel in the winter. See photographs of their trips at www.ctcoastalkayaking and www.photobucket under “CTKayaker”.

Little Talbot State ParkLittle Talbot State ParkLittle Talbot State ParkLittle Talbot State Park

PUNTA GORDA Peace River

KEYS STATE PARKS A – John Pennekamp B - Curry Hammock C – Bahia Honda

JUPITER ISLAND

CAR TRAIN

BLUE SPRINGS STATE PARK St. Johns River

LITTLE TALBOT IS STATE PARK

ALTAMAHA R. GEORGIA

FORT MYERS Estero Bay & Sanibel Island

A B

C