One good thing I have to say about Florida, there are kayaking opportunities galore. Today we were going to tackle the South Fork of the St. Lucie river.

Pretty much everything in the linked article above turned out to be true of our paddle. While parts of the waterway are very close to I-95, we seldom heard any traffic noise.

The first part of our paddle took us through houses and docks on both sides. Giant tree branches thick with Spanish moss formed a shady overhang.

Soon, though, we left the houses and docks behind us, entering a serene yet wild landscape.

Wildlife was plentiful, including many sunning turtles. Twice we flushed a great blue heron that flapped away overhead, and once we managed to sneak up on the bird perched on the bank.

There were many areas clogged by deadfalls, which made navigation, um, interesting.

About halfway thru the paddle we found the small pull-in containing a picnic table. In deference to my screaming butt, I chose to stand and enjoy lunch.

On our way again, we finally came across one animal I'd hoped to see -- a big fella, about eight feet long from nose to tail-tip, nearly invisible along the riverbank. Mike saw him first and took the photo to the left, then warned me. Of course, I had to move in for a better look. Knowing what was coming, Mike turned on video. I was taking video too, but...well, SOMETHING caused me to stop filming prematurely.

I will say that from inside my boat, for a nanosecond I was sure I was going to capsize. But it was all over before I could even react.

The rest of the paddle was a fine cool-down from all that excitement. Not much wildlife, but pretty scenery and quiet, calm waters.

We caught two more turtles enjoying the sun as we came back into the populated portion of the river. I envied the homeowners who got to enjoy the beauty of the river every day (but the humidity, not so much).

It was a long day of paddling, at least for me. When I got home I was very happy to find I'd packed some liquid relief. Don't judge, Peanut.