To The East…
From Cabbage Key we headed to Ft. Myers and entered the Caloosahatchee River to slice the state of Florida by water to the East Coast. We leave the Gulf of Mexico behind and move toward the Atlantic Ocean.
My goal along this waterway was to learn to say the name of this river without hesitation and I have to admit I quite enjoyed saying Caloosahatchee over and over to myself.
There were plenty of reminders of Hurricane Ian’s devastating visit last October and the fact that marinas have managed to reopen as their employees put their lives back together is amazing.
A bit of excitement when we thought we were seeing our first crocodile only to learn it was only a cute baby alligator.
Traveling through two locks on the west side of Lake Okeechobee raising to 18 feet we would lower through two more on the east to the Atlantic. One of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the U.S., the lake is only nine feet in depth. Because of this, we chose to hug the coast and visit the infamous Roland Martins Marina and Resort in Clewiston where a bass fishing tournament with over 100 boats idled in for weighing and out to release their catch.
There is no temptation to keep your catch from the Okeechobee because of an algae problem.
As we departed the marina, Sam, the eighty year old dockhand waving below his large three feathered hat, asked us to tell his friend hello at the Point Chosen Bridge. He would be the one cranking the only manual swing bridge left in the state.
The St. Lucie Campground near the St. Lucie Lock provided a place to stretch our legs and catch a sighting of the invasive Peter’s rock agama…
another sailboat pose…
and the perfect location for a sunrise and first dibs at the St. Lucie lock.
The East Coast beckoned from Stuart where we maneuvered through traffic…
to the Atlantic Ocean and eventually to our dock for the night in Vero Beach. It feels like we should be in another state by this point, but there are some wonderful discoveries up the east coast before we get to Georgia.
Since I am way behind our actual location, there will be multiple posts over a short period of time to catch up.
Thank you for following along.
~The Crew