Our Manatee Adventure

On MLK weekend, we headed out early for Crystal River, FL.  The kids were all excited and was Mama, Daddy, Steve, and me.  This was our first really big kayaking trip in a place we were not very familar with, but let the adventure begin.

We left home early, so we could get there by lunch.  We found our motel and went in search for Hunter's Spirings Park.  This is a pretty public park and right on the water. The minute we parked and got the coolers out the seagulls, must have been watching, because they were joining us for lunch or atleast they thought they were.

After lunch we headed out! As soon as we were in the kayaks we spotted several manatees.  There were a snokerling tour boat there and snorklers everywhere, so we keep paddling.  Crysal River was packed with tour boats and kayakers.  We made the long journey across the bay...

We reached the entrance to Three Sisters Springs, and I don't know if there were more manatees or snorklers, anyway there were a bunch of both..  We kept paddling past Three Sisters, to see what was around the corner.

Turned around and decided to tackle Three Sisters Srpings, becasue that is what we can.  We only took out one person in the water, but we were nice and said excuse us several times. We didn't know what to expect once we got back into Three Sisters, but WOW, the water was beautiful and the manatees were big!

 

At the entrance to the Springs there is a Manatee Santuary, and there were I know 100s of them packed in there like sardines.  It was getting late and the wind was picking up, so we headed back.  Steven was tired, it was a long paddle for his little arms so he had to be towed by Big Steve.  We had a great day and want to go back very soon.