Why I'm attempting the 100 Mile NPS Paddle Challenge

The news that these people had left their own country to bathe in the river Jordan, spread among all the kings and chiefs of Florida, and as they were an ignorant people, they all set out in search of this river, which was supposed to possess the power of rejuvenating old men and women. So eager were they in their search, that they did not pass a river, a brook, a lake, or even a swamp, without bathing in it; and, even to this day, they have not ceased to look for it, but always without any success.

- Memoir Of Hernando D’Escalante Fontaneda 1575

I'm not expecting to find the Fountain of Youth, but I needed some kind of cross training upper body workout to supplement (i.e. give my knees a break) my long distance running. As with signing up for a marathon it is simply a way of maintaining my motivation to keep exercising. I much prefer training outside versus working out in a gym. So kayaking (and the occasional period oared powered vessel), seemed like a good fit.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Biscayne National Park - Zero Paddle Miles.


A brief moment of  sorta dry at Biscayne's VC.

I'm back from a few days Ft. Lauderdale.  Checking Google Maps it looked like Biscayne NP would be only an hour  or so  away in driving time, a reasonable side trip, so I had hoped to add another of Florida's National Parks to my Paddle Challenge log sheet.


 At the beginning of the week the weather forecast look good but by the time of the trip it had become a chance of thunderstorms of 40% Thursday and increasing to 70% by Saturday.  So Thursday was the day, from the title of the post I think its going to be clear how that went.


My plans for an early start we're thwarted by first band of Rain at 5:00am which cut my morning run short.  We waited until around 9:00 when the rain seemed to be letting up and morning rush hour traffic was over - once well on our way, it started raining again and there was construction traffic too. 

 
The price has gone way up since that was carved.

The Courtyard of Coral Castle

 Arriving in Homestead it was clear that it wasn't going to be cleaning up anytime soon so my daughter and I visited the Coral Castle one of my favorite tourist traps from my youth when I grew up in south Florida.

 


LAT LONG

 

After touring the Castle, we headed over to Biscayne NP, it was still drizzling, but the radar indicated that it might start clearing up.  So we toured the VC, and the Gift Shop, we're we learned of the "congressional funded" Skunk-Ape Research Center .  A back-up to keep in mind for an Everglades/Big Cypress paddling trip.


Still lightly raining we went next door to have lunch at the Homestead Bay Front Park, saw an iguana,   checked the radar, and though by then the bay was then quite calm we could see that yet another thunderstorm was approaching and I called off any paddling today.  

The calm before the storm

 

 

My daughter seemed quite relived that we wouldn't be kayaking in the crocodile infested waters of
Croc Sign

Turkey Point
Biscayne Bay next to a nuclear power plant, while in a thunderstorm.

Hug

 



 

 

DESO

#FLNPS100PaddleChallenge and #FindYourPark

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