Santa Fe River at 441

Well, I woke up my first gator. I guess I get some kind of badge for that? I must have moved right over the top of it, because it rolled off so powerfully that my boat rocked in the wake. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't even scared, no more startled than I was when the fat kid cannonballed next to me at the neighborhood pool growing up. 

I've heard that the Santa Fe goes underground for a while around these parts, so the irrational part of me (the majority) was hoping I'd get sucked under and spewed out a few miles later. But every bit of the water I paddled this morning was above ground.

I didn't really feel as if I had started this one until I was out of earshot of the huge bridge over 441, but once I was, it was a dark, misty beauty of a trip. The Santa Fe is overused; the section that begins at 27 is often the only place people will ever paddle. You will never read about that stretch here, as it is the river equivalent of 13th St. and all that implies. If that makes me a paddling snob, then so be it. 

Yet you would not know that this piece of it belongs to the same river. It may not be remote, but the few homes you see along its banks (and it does have legitimate river banks) are well-kept and I get the impression the owners seem to appreciate how fortunate they are to be part of this river. I collect postcards of this part of old Florida and now I realize why: they represent the idealized landscape that one actually experiences on rivers like this: the Spanish Moss, the towering cypress, the fog, the black water.

I have said before that all manner of wildlife scatter when I enter their midst. It didn't strike me at the time to mention my constant companions on every one of these trips: the water skimmers, who gather into nice V shapes as they swim along with me, and dragonflies, who fly right at the tip of my bow, particularly in the late morning or afternoon.

Also, finally after three weeks or so I've decided to take my camera along with me instead of the phone. Can you tell?

Tomorrow: Somewhere on Newnan's...maybe.