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The Portage to the Inaccessi

July 7, 2018
One and a half days of effort brought me to a lonely stretch of mangrove coastline . I traveled via canoe, perhaps not the speediest means of transportation, but one uniquely suited for this place. Florida Bay is a shallow one 
 

100 Miles to Flamingo

May 29, 2014
 I fought the afternoon rush hour traffic across town. With the green Oldtown canoe tied to my  beat up Ford pickup I was headed for Dania Beach Boulevard and the intracoastal. My friend Anthony was there waiting for me. He was going to keep my truck for the week while I paddled 100 plus miles from Fort Lauderdale to Flamingo in Everglades National Park. 

It was a trip that had been bouncing around in my head for 20 years, Most of my exploring is well off the telecommunications grid in the rem...

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A Warning from Carlos

March 12, 2014
 The water finds many ways across the morass and into the Gulf of Mexico. I'd heard mention of one small river that covered the 5 miles from Highway 41 through the marsh land and mangrove and on down to a bay in the 10,000 Islands .
 On a whim, I decided a weekend exploring was just what I needed, and with my canoe and gear loaded on the pickup, I headed for Florida's west coast.
 The landing isn't marked along the highway and, even though I'd taken a close look on Google, I blew past it the fi...
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Loxahatchee Run Around

January 12, 2014
   CRASH KASPLASH!  The big alligator surprised me and I veered my canoe away from the thick  cattails as he plunged into the water.
 I was paddling along the wide canal that circumnavigates Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge. It's 59.5 miles around and, for no other reason than "why not", I decided to go the full distance.

 It was an idea perhaps ill conceived. Strictly speaking the refuge closes at sundown and it would take me longer than a day to cover the distance. My biggest concern was getting k...
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Quest for the Inaccessible Lake

November 8, 2013
                       

                                                      (This is an unfinished work)
                                            _________________________
______________________________

"I have labored hard and staked my all on this undertaking, for I love that renown which is the noblest recompense of man."
                                               Hernando Cortez



 On January 18th 2013 I finally reach a small lake hidden deep in the mangrove swamps of Florida. In the g...
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The Inaccessible Lake

May 17, 2012

  
                                             *******************
 In April of 2012 I attempted to reach a somewhat inaccessible lake buried deep in a mangrove swamp. My motivation for going was simply that it was there, It was remote and I knew of no one having been there before.

                                                         **********

" Where are you headed ?" Said the large authoritative park ranger as I pulled up to the dock. He was obviously the law around here and not the kind ...

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Manatees Attack!

January 20, 2012


 The sun had just set as I entered the park and Venus was shineing brightly in the east. There was no one at the entrance to collect the $10 fee but a sign read "Station Closed Park Open" so I started on down the lonely 40 mile road.

 Only a half a dozen cars passed me on their way out. Lights shining brightly as we met  along the two lane highway.

 When I reached the marina  fortyfive minutes later it appeared recently abandoned as if everyone had just left for the night. I stopped at the rang...


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Searching for Tancha

April 11, 2011

 
Punta de Tancha (Tancha Point) is the old Spanish name for Cape Sable. Ponce de Leon first sighted this coast in 1513 and slave raiders may have been there even earlier. It can be an inhospitable place. Even the Caloosa Indians avoided using it for there permanent settlements except along the coast. The land immediately behind the cape was an unforgiving place full of crocodiles, alligators, and mosquitos. It still is. When you consider it's long history it is astounding how little it has ch...

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Almost Perfect

March 20, 2011

Sometimes everything just goes right. The kids and I just returned from a week in and around Cape Sable. It was a total gas.
  After the fiasco we had last Thanksgiving, when the truck broke down, I felt like we deserved to have a great time. We did.
  I had been planning and gathering supplies for months. We had lots of provisions, charts, tide tables, satellite images and a plan., I knew where I wanted to go and hoped conditions would be favorable.
  The drive down had been nice. I took highwa...
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