#282: Swimming With Manatees (pg. 599; 2nd Ed pg 747)

 

I've been to Florida countless times throughout my life, but have never made it to Crystal River until this past week.  It's a bit of a challenge to do this excursion because 1) it's kind of in the middle of nowhere.  It's ~80 miles West of Orlando (but only some of this is on the highway, so it takes at least 1.5 hours each way or a 3 hour R/T drive) and there's really not much else in Crystal River so it's really a place you will be commuting to from another location and 2) it's seasonal.  The manatees mostly come here during the Winter months of Nov - Feb, so the timing has never worked out for me before.  I've either been nowhere near Crystal River (like maybe in Miami or the Keys) or I've been doing a Disney trip (and haven't had a full extra day where I could fit this in) or it's been during the other 9 months of the year when there aren't many manatees to see.

But alas the stars aligned this trip and on Monday, Dec. 28th, I swam with the manatees!

We booked our excursion through River Ventures (~$45/person including gear).  

We had a group of 13 people and they put us on our own private boat which was great!

I spy a manatee!  Let's get in!

Riley is ready to roll!

My husband and I.

River Ventures provided wetsuits, which was great because the water from the springs was cold!

Face to face with a manatee in the wild - pretty cool!

Supposedly this is the only place in the world where you can go to have a face-to-face encounter with these beautiful gentle "sea cows." 

We went to two separate locations.  Here I am heading out at our second location....

Where we spotted a mother and baby!

So sweet!

Me giving Dave a wave and a happy face after just coming up from seeing the mother and baby.

Verdict:  I'm conflicted on this.  Most of the time when I've had an experience with an animal in the wild, it's been incredible, life-changing and a must-do-before-you-die experience. A couple days after we did this, I asked 5 or 6 family members that were part of our group whether they would consider it a "must do before you die" experience.  One of them said "yes" explaining that it was just such a totally unique and cool experience that she absolutely thought it should qualify.  But the others all said "It was really cool and I'm glad we did it and I liked it, but I don't necessarily feel like this needs to be a bucket list item for everyone."  I'm kind of in the middle of both of these opinions.  I think it has a rightful place in the book because you swim with manatees!  I mean, really - how many people do you know that have done that?!  But, on the other hand, the manatees didn't really do much.  It's not like they are dolphins that are flipping and jumping.  So, honestly after a while of swimming next to them and watching them rest or maybe eat a plant or something, you've had your fill.  I think I'm going to settle with this:  Yes, you should do this.  It's a totally unique experience and will make you fall in love with these gentle sea creatures.  But having said that, it's also a "been there, done that, don't need to repeat" experience.

And I would recommend River Ventures.  The place isn't much to look at from the outside, but the inside of their facility was very nice, they ran everything very efficiently, the boat was in good condition, the captain of the boat (John) was great and our guide (Crystal) was super friendly and knowledgeable and I thought the price was very reasonable (with taxes, I believe it came to ~$55/person including gear). 

#281: Canoe Bay (pg 739; 2nd Ed. pg 904)

 

Aug 22, 2020

The entrance to Canoe Bay

The reception area

Canoe Bay was once a Sevent Day Baptist retreat; it is now a secluded resort in a heavily forested area southern Wisconsin.

Canoe Bay covers 300 acres of secluded forest with spring-fed lakes. It is designed as a "couples only" destination. It is for adults only; no children are allowed.

Each couple gets their own cottage and the cottages feature amenities such as fireplaces, private decks, whirlpool tubs and room service.

Walking across the bridge to "the island." 

Once on the island, you can enjoy views like this.

And can go out on the dock, or paddle board or kayak around the lake.

Or you can just walk around the private, serene property.  It is so quiet and peaceful that you could hear the crickets chirp and the frogs jump and croak.

Ahhh...... serenity now.

VERDICT: No.  I don't think you have to do this before you die.  Admittedly, I didn't get the full experience since I didn't end up spending the night. I researched it online and explored the entire property so I got the feel of the place for sure.  I looked into staying here, but 1) It was a minimum of $350/night, 2) There is a 2-3 night minimum stay and I was looking for just one night and 3) This is a romantic, couples resort and I was with a friend!  

So, it's possible I'd have a different opinion if I stayed on sight for a few days.  But I don't think so.  I think this is a perfect place to go with your partner if you need quiet, peace, to destress, decompress and just a total break from the the quick pace of life.  But it's not a must-do/see before you die.

COST:  Rooms are ~$350-$1000/night depending on the cottage/package you choose.  But most are in the $350-$450 range.  Food is extra.

#280: The Apostle Islands (pg 739; 2nd Ed pg 903)

 

Aug. 22, 2020, my friend MariEllen and I arrived in Bayfield, Wisconsin to explore the Apostle Islands.  We decided to start our visit by exploring via kayak!

Here we are at Nader's Point.

We saw and kayaked through sea caves and got a great visual of 5 of the Apostle Islands.

Next, we boarded a ship ran by the Apostle Islands Cruises to do the "Grand Tour."  This was a 2.5-3 hour long narrated boat ride that went all over the Apostle Islands.  We saw ~12 of the 22 Apostle Islands including two (of the six) lighthouses, a brownstone quarry site, a historic fishing camp and cruised around Devils Island to view the sea caves.

With so much closed right now due to COVID-19, we were lucky to be able to do this.  They were operating at 50% capacity and had a mandatory mask policy.

Devils Island Lighthouse

The beacon on Devils Island was lit in 1891.

Devils Island became the last manned station in the Apostle Islands after, one by one, they all became automated. The Coast Guard maintained a five-man crew here until 1978, when the Devils Island light became automated as well, marking the end of over a century of light keepers in the Apostle Islands.

Although no longer used, the original Fresnel lens is still in place.

The famous sea caves of Devils Island.  They really were quite the sight to behold in person!

The lighthouse on Raspberry Island

Known as  the "Showplace of the Apostle Islands."

The lighthouse was completed in 1862, but the lens did not arrive (from France) until 1863, so that is when it officially started operation.

She's a beauty!

After spending our entire first day exploring the Apostle Islands by kayak and boat, we decided to spent the next day by actually going onto an Apostle Island.

We took the ferry over to Madeline island, the largest of the Apostle Islands.

We brought our car on the ferry and drove all over the island exploring everywhere. 

Here we are at Big Bay State Park.

Madeline Island has ~300 permanent year-round residents, but has 2,000-3,000 that live here during the summer. It is 14 miles long and three miles wide and is the only developed island of all the Apostle Islands.

Verdict:  YES! I loved the Apostle Islands.  It is an absolutely beautiful area.  It is so fun to explore by boat or kayak.  Between the sea caves, the lighthouses, the island (Madeline) you can visit and the town of Bayfield (the access area to the Apostle Islands), the whole area and experience is remote, nature-filled, quaint, charming, unique and an all-around enjoyable experience.  I can definitely see why it made it into the book and I agree it is a must do!

COST:  Apostle Islands Kayaking: $63.60/person for a 3 hour kayak tour

Apostle Islands Cruises Grand Tour: $47.95 + tax/adult for a 2.5-3.0 hour boat ride

Ferry ride to Madeline Island: $8.00/adult each way, $3.50/child each way, $13.50/car each way

#279: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (pg 653; 2nd Ed pg 816)

June 17-21, 2020

Welcome to Ely, MN!

I had 6 trips planned between March and June and this was the ONLY one that didn't get canceled!  So happy to finally be able to go somewhere!

Most people use an Outfitter to rent at least some of their gear.  We decided on  Boundary Waters Outfitters. My son and I rented ALL of our gear from there (you can get a package where literally everything from your canoe to life vest to cooking equipment to food, etc is included) and my brother and his two sons got the "canoe and food package."

BW Outfitters also has several rooms filled with bunkbeds.  You can stay here the night before or after your trip for $20/person/night. 

And they have a campfire area there too.

Practicing their fire starting skills.

Checking out the canoes.

Strapping the gear on to my back. 

Getting the canoe racks on the truck.

Loaded up and ready to go!

After driving away from the BW Outfitters, we drove about 30 minutes to Entry Point #30.  You have to get a permit in advance of your trip and each permit is for a certain entry point on a certain day.  You can have up to 9 people on a permit.  We secured our permit through the BW Outfitters.

Ready to launch.

Exploring Lake One

Found a campsite!

And set up camp.

Our campsite was off a little cove, which we named Turtle Cove due to all the turtles we found there. The boys set off in the canoe regularly to get fresh water and to catch turtles. 

Pulling up to our campsite.

Pulling the canoes on to our campsite from the water. 

With map in hand, planning out our next adventure!

Going for a dip in Turtle Cove.

One of the many turtles we caught (and then released)!

Turtle love

To get to Lake Two, you have to portage.... twice in each direction. You portage for about 30 rods into a small lake, then paddle over to the next portage, which is about 40 rods and then you get to Lake Two.

Ryan is portaging his canoe with the boys helping with the backpacks and paddles. 

And I portaged the other canoe.  Portaging is no joke!  It's hard work!

Made it into Lake Two.

After an epic adventure into Lake Three and back which involved four portages, lunch on an island, fishing, getting caught in a current and losing an oar, we finally made it back to camp and had some dinner.

And then enjoyed the world's best sunset!

Our final morning. One last turtle hunt!

Group selfie before sailing away for the final time.

My nephew wanted one last camp pic after taking everything down.  Leave no trace.

Tanner as King of the World (or Boundary Waters as the case may be) on the way back to Entry Point 30 where we started and ended our adventure.

We made it!

Map of the BWCAW area.

An up close pic of the area in which we spent most of our time. I put an "X" next to where we started and circled the campsite where we stayed.

Verdict:  Yes!  Absolutely!  It's a ton of hard work and best done in a group.  Originally, I was planning on going with just my son. Now that I've done it, I can't imagine doing it that way!  I absolutely needed my brother there for so many reasons.  In addition to it being extremely physical, the bugs are TERRIBLE.  We brought bug repellant but we all got eaten alive by the mosquitoes.  Dozens and dozens of miserable bites.  Having said all that, it was some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen and so isolating (depending on how deep in you go, you can go for days at a time without seeing another human - we didn't go that deep in, but we definitely went for hours at a time without seeing anyone else and when we did, they were typically pretty far away) which was so soothing and peaceful.  I remember thinking of everything going on the world - the pandemic, the riots, the unrest.  And then just consciously putting it all out of my mind and almost feeling total zen as I looked around and the only thing you could see or hear was nature.  Beautiful, beautiful nature in all it's glory.

Cost: The pricey part of this trip is 1) Getting there and 2) Renting equipment.  You could do this trip for next to nothing if you lived close by and had your own equipment.  It was ~$500 for my son and I to rent everything (tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food, canoe, etc) for three days.  My brother got the "food and canoe package" which is $47/person/day for the kevlar canoe (which is what he got because they are lighter canoes and we knew we would be portaging) or cheaper if you do the aluminum canoe. So it came to about $420 or so for the three of them for three days.  We got plane tickets into Minneapolis and rented a car.  Duluth is closer, but also a lot more expensive (at least for us).  Minneapolis was 4.5 hours away from Ely.