Sunday had arrived.  The last day of the Hidden Coast Paddle Festival.  The Grand Finale of the event which was an armada of kayakers paddling over to Atsena Otie, a nearby island, for brunch and a lighthouse tour.  The NCLA women were tired from a fun-filled weekend but were not wanting to miss out on this event either.   Several factors were concerning them and their decision to participate or not.  Dot had exacerbated a shoulder injury and didn't have the strength to paddle the distance.  Gray clouds had formed while they had been packing up their belongings for check-out and the wind had increased as well.  This was a concern for Delores because her kayak wasn't made for distance paddling and is easily blown off course by wind or waves.  Alice's concern was the designated launch site of City Beach.  Again, no ramp access, her 100 lb plus kayak would have to be carried to shore.  Easier said than done. 

 As they deliberated various options for the morning, they ran into Steve
Couryoner, one of the event organizers who happened to be staying at The Island  Place as well.  He mentioned that he would be paddling over to the island directly from the beach behind the condos and wouldn't be paddling with the rest of the crowd.  The girls expressed their concerns to Steve and he seemed to have solved them within a short time.  He walked Dot and Liz over to the boat ramp where a few of the local charter boat captains had been contracted to ferry various equipment over needed to set up for the island brunch and asked that they give Dot and Liz a ride over due to Dot's injured shoulder.  He helped Alice with the transport of her heavy kayak down to the water and then agreed to escort both Alice and Delores to the island, keeping a sharp eye on Delores's kayak in case the wind was stronger than she was.  Within thirty minutes, though, the gray clouds that worried many had moved on westward and the small white-caps that could be seen on the water had calmed down considerably.  There really wasn't anything else to worry about except paddling over.

Delores paddled over to Atsena Otie under the watchful eye of Steve and Alice.  It seemed those two had a lot in common and they talked about all of the places throughout the U.S. that they had visited and paddled with their kayaks.  It's amazing what a small world it really is.  By the time they arrived at the island, Steve was more of a personal friend than an official event coordinator.  Dot and Liz greeted them as they paddled to shore, they, of course, had caught a ride with one of the charter captains.

At dawn, the Festival organizers were up and coordinating efforts to get brunch equipment ferried over to the island and food cooking before the kayakers hit the water.  A line formed at the buffet table long before the last paddler hit the Atsena Otie beach and nothing was missing on that table.  There was so much food that plenty was left over even after having second helpings.

After brunch, Alice and the rest of the girls took a stroll down the beach and came up on Toni Collins, the unofficial Cedar Key historian, dressed in 1800's style costume giving a recount of Old Cedar Key and it's colorful past.  She drew quite a crowd and told some fascinating stories.

From there they followed the crowd down a wooden walkway that led into the mosquito infested woods to an old cemetery that was plotted in 1877.  If the bug spray was applied, the pesky mosquitos were tolerable.  It was worth the inconvenience, though.

All of the paddlers made it over from Cedar Key to Atsena Otie.  All had been fed.  Toni Collins had entertained them with her tales of Cedar Key of 'ol and the cemetery was available for touring to those who wished to battle the hungry mosquitos.  By the time all of those activities had come to a close, around 12:30, the Tidewater Tour boats had slid up to the sandy beach for loading and ferrying to Seahorse Key.  Kayaks were left on the beach where Festival staff tended to them until everyone returned from the Lighthouse tour.

After experiencing the Atsena Otie event, the Festival participants were invited to a special treat.  The Cedar Key Light Station, normally open to the public only a few times a year, was open for touring.  Complete with spiral staircase, it's one of the oldest lighthouses in Florida.  A walk around the balcony gave a great view of Cedar Key and the surrounding islands.  The Light Station is on Seahorse Key and is on a mound 52 feet above sea level making it the highest point on the west coast of Florida.

After the Tidewater Tour boats brought the NCLA gang and other paddlers back to Atsena Otie, they were quick to hop back in their kayaks and paddle back to Cedar Key.  It had been a long but exciting, adventure filled weekend but everyone was tired and wanting to spend the rest of their Sunday afternoon resting at their own homes.  Dot and Liz were as anxious as any and quickly loaded up their kayaks and headed back to Citrus County.  Alice and Delores, on the other hand, stuck around for another hour or so and walked to Tony's for one more bowl of that delicious clam chowder.  There they ran into a few more Paddle Festival folks who were also wearing the bright blue t-shirt.  There wasn't an empty seat in the place so Alice invited them to have a seat in the two extra chairs that were at her table.  She and Delores chatted with the two other ladies for a few more minutes, paid their tab, walked back to their vehicles and then headed on back to Marion County.  It was a weekend that would not be easily forgotten. 

Alice, Delores, Dot and Liz left the condo and walked back to the Community Center where they had initially gone to sign in for the Festival the morning they arrived in Cedar Key.  It wasn't a long walk so they arrived in plenty of time to make themselves comfortable at one of the many banquet tables.  The Festival coordinators organized an evening for a relaxing dinner and a highly admired speaker.  The dinner was included in the initial registration fee but this was no ordinary festival dinner.  It was truly a cut above the typical banquet dinner.  The organizers really went above and beyond on this one.  Their attention to detail was obvious.

Dinner lasted for about an hour, from 8 - 9 p.m.  Right around 9:15 or so, one of two presentations were given.  The first was Tom McLaughlin, President of the Florida Paddling Trails Association.  He presented to the city of Cedar Key the Blueway Sign.  This designates Cedar Key as a BLUEWAY COMMUNITY and a part of the Florida Circumnavigational  Paddling Trail System.  A Blueway is a water path or trail with launch points, camping, picnic locations and points of interest for paddlers.  They are typically developed to encourage recreation, education and community development.

Then at 9:30, Dr. Harvey Lillywhite took to the podium.  He is the Director of the University of Florida Marine Research Lab on Seahorse Key.  He spoke to the audience about how he and his graduate students have researched the symbiotic relationship between the world's only white cottonmouth snakes and the five species of birds that form a rookery on Seahorse Key which is part of the Cedar Key National Wildlife Refuge.

It was a fascinating and educational presentation highlighting the rookery and how the over 600 cottonmouth snakes that are isolated on the island depend on the fish that fall out of the nests, and not the birds themselves, for food.

After the presentation was over, the audience stood and applauded, cleared their tables, expressed their thanks to the event coordinators and speakers and then headed back to their sleeping quarters for a good night

So the kayak fishing event was over and the drive back to the condo was a repeat convoy of earlier that morning, only in the opposite direction and minus one vehicle because Dot and Liz had called it quits earlier in the day and had already made it back to the condo.  They were already taking another stroll around the town by the time the rest of the girls got there.


The next event on the agenda was the Horseshoe Crab Presentation which started at 5:30 and was back at the Marine Lab where Rebecca and Jennifer had taught the kayak fishing clinic the night before.  A dip in the pool to cool off before heading back upstairs to the condo was the best idea anyone had at that moment.  Fifteen minutes of swimming a few laps was all they needed to cool off and get motivated to change clothes and head to the lab but they weren't going on an empty stomach.

In the room directly below them was another group of ladies who had come to Cedar Key for the Festival as well and one of those ladies, Theresa, is a member of the NCLA club but had come to the Festival with a different group.  Her husband had sent her with an especially tasty homemade lasagna dish which she was generous enough to share with the girls in the upstairs unit.  When they got back to the room from kayak fishing all day, all they could think of was lasagna and margaritas.

Now they were ready to go to the Marine Lab where Tiffany Black, an FWC crustaceans biologist introduced an amazing living fossil that is the horseshoe crab and explained its life history.  She discussed the historic and current use of horseshoe crabs, their importance in the ecosystem and shared some very interesting statistics such as:




*    There are a total of only four different species of horseshoe crabs worldwide
*    Females can weigh as much as 20 lbs.
*    Females are larger than males
*    They are not actually crabs.  They are more related to spiders, scorpions and tics
*    Males have pincers and females do not
*    Females have longer legs for nest digging
*    It takes a female 10 years to reach maturity. 
*    She can lay over 100,000 eggs
*    She can dig and lay eggs in as many as 10 different nests in one hour
*    They cannot be successfully farmed at this time
*    They molt
*    Their last molt is called their "terminal" molt
*    They nest year-round in Florida
*    Jane Brockman is the resident expert on the subject
*    10% die each year from being flipped upside down accidentally
*    Their tail is very sensitive and have photo receptors which act as 'eyes'
*    They should be picked up by the sides and not the tail
*    They have blue blood
*    A compound in their blood is harvested for medical research

She drew her presentation to a close by letting the class know that the general public can help in valuable horseshoe crab research.  There is a website dedicated to gathering data on horseshoe crab sightings and anyone who spots one is encouraged to report it on the following site:
http://www.research.MyFWC.com
The entire talk turned out to be very interesting and informative and while some of the 'students' stuck around to ask her more in-depth questions, others were heading out the door and on their way to the Community Center where the official Festival Dinner was being served.

Dot and Liz decided to take things a little slow.  They weren't up for any lengthy paddles in choppy waters and they certainly didn't want to be caught in an unexpected situation if Tropical Storm Karen decided to turn inland.  They were content to fish closer to shore where Jennifer and Rebecca could keep an eye on 'em.  It wasn't even a half an hour after her first cast when Dot hailed Delores on the two-way with the announcement that she'd caught her first fish of the day.  Yes, it was only a catfish, but technically it was the first fish of the day and any fish was better than no fish at all at this point. 

Not to be outdone, mind you, Liz managed to wrangle up a fish of her own, and not just any 'ol fish - a nice little bonnet head shark!  Dot found humor in watching that shark spin Liz's kayak in circles like a washing machine.  Liz just happened to be fishing with a pretty sturdy spinning combo or she could've easily lost the shark to a quick slice of the line or worse yet, a broken rod.  Jennifer paddled over to help Liz de-hook it and that's who the morning started for those two.

The other group, Alice, Delores and a couple of others followed Darin and Tara out a little farther and around Piney Point to some of Darin's favorite fishing spots. They both wanted to see some new visitors to Cedar Key be as successful with kayak fishing as they were and what better way than to introduce them to some favorite areas. 

Darin led the group of kayak anglers to an area that was pretty large and would accommodate all of them at the same time while still staying within sight of one another.  Alice happened upon the first hot-spot of the morning where she pulled in a countless number of trout.  She invited others to share in the spoils but they were hoping to chance upon a little action hole of their very own. 

The goal was to keep an eye on Darin and where he paddled to.  He knew this area better than anyone so his periodic relocations were good indications of where the fish were and were not.  At one point he had everyone's attention by announcing that he spotted a tarpon roll in the near distance.  Anchors were pulled up immediately and paddled hit the water in the hopes of witnessing a second roll and maybe even hooking into it but too much time had passed and the still water never broke again.  Disappointing but not surprising.

Between the hours of ten and noon, the four anglers and two guides had covered a lot of ground using various tactics like live shrimp vs artificial and deep pockets vs oyster bar edges but regardless of their attempts the fish seemed to elude them with the sole exception of Alice.  She ware the crown for the morning.  It was still low tide when noon rolled around and feeding growling stomachs moved to the top of the priority list.  A nice, inviting shoreline was just the place to paddle to for a bite.

Darin was a bit befuddled as to why more fish hadn't been caught.  The moon phase was good, the tide was perfect, the weather was outstanding....what gives?  Being the nice guy that he is and not wanting anyone to paddle away empty handed he not only introduced the group to one of his favorite spots, he went so far as to lead them to a few of his extra secret spots (which, incidentally, will remain extra secret) where the chances of catching fish in the afternoon would be greater than those caught in the morning.

Darin hailed everyone over to let them know about his new game plan and he got no argument from anyone.  It meant a longer paddle to get back to the launch site but it was just past noon and everyone seemed to have gotten their second wind after lunch so they followed their leader past the airport and to the waters of plenty.


This was a bit of a scenery switch from oyster bars in the morning to grass patches in the afternoon and not just one or two grass patches, we're talking about dozens of them...everywhere.  They looked inviting for fish and anglers alike.  Now with so many patches to chose from, who would pick the most productive one? 

About an hour in with random fishing being caught here and there, the pressure Darin felt to put the group on some fish at some point in the day finally lifted when the tide turned and he located the mother load of trout schools.  It was in the smallest of all of the grass patches and once he let everyone know where the fish were at, that little patch was surrounded in no time.  Five kayak anglers began catching and releasing trout after trout after trout.  The length wasn't so much of an issues as the quantity.  They were hooking into trout after one cast and that was the exciting part.  No one came up empty handed!

By 3:30 p.m. the NCLA girls all had caught fish they could be proud of and that's what they came here for.  It was time to call it a day now.  The weather had held out for them and the water had been calm.  The paddle back to Airport Beach was a short one thanks to Darin's knowledge of the area and where the short-cuts were.  Jennifer and Rebecca were still hanging around the launch site even though Dot, Liz and the early morning crew had finished and were off the water by noon.  The helped every body load their kayaks while asking all sorts of questions about the afternoon excursion.  By 4:30, the NCLA ladies had expressed their sincere thanks to all four FWC guides and were heading back to the condo to get ready for the Horseshoe Crab Demonstration at 5:30 at the Marine Lab.  There wasn't any time to waste.

Cell phone alarms started buzzing, chirping, and dinging at approximately 7:30 Saturday morning, making sure no one overslept from the seemingly never ending activities of the previous day.  There had been a lot going on Friday, but there was still lots to do Saturday morning in order to be ready for the rest of the day's events.  Half and full days of kayak fishing was on the agenda and there was little time to waste. 

Everyone slowly awoke and did the Zombie Shuffle to either the bathroom or the kitchen - whichever was their personal priority.  Alice started brewing a fresh pot of coffee while Delores popped blueberry scones in the oven.  The next hour was spent debating about what time to be at the launch site and how much time they would have to get their lunches made and gear packed up.  The four FWC guides would be there at 9:00 a.m. and had already announced that they expected all kayak fishing participants to be on the water and ready to paddle out no later than 10:00 a.m.  All of these plans were subject to the whims of Tropical Storm Karen, though, she would have the final say on the matter so everyone checked her status on an hourly basis. 

By 9:00 the NCLA gang had once again formed a convoy to Airport Beach, which incidentally, can't be found on any website or Google map.  This particular plot of 'beach' is called Airport Beach by the locals only so getting its coordinates punched in on a GPS device was a bit tricky and time consuming (but not impossible).  It would be interesting to see how many non-locals would be able to navigate to it.

Once they arrived, they formed a single parallel line off the side of the road and parked that way.  Then they all got out of their vehicles and began to unload their own gear and help one another unload as well.  They had been the first to arrive and planned it that way.  This way, they had plenty of time and elbow room to haul their yaks to the water and gear them up for a day of fishing. 

This kayak fishing event was the main reason that they had signed up for this Paddle Festival in the first place.  Let's see:  Cedar Key / kayak fishing / girl's weekend / new friends.....how could anyone turn down an opportunity like that?  This particular Saturday event, however, was reserved only for those who had attended the Kayak Fishing Demonstration that Rebecca from the FWC had hosted the previous evening.  If you didn't attend that, you couldn't kayak fish with the rest of the folks.  This was an opportunity to practice some new skills with an FWC guide there to help if needed.  There were four FWC guides in all, Darin, Jennifer, Rebecca, and Tara.  They had brought gear to loan out for anyone who was completely new to the sport but most everyone brought their own.  Live shrimp was about the only thing that the NCLA women needed and the guides would be providing that, too.  It was just a matter of waiting for them to arrive at this point.

All four guides arrived at about 9:15 and began to unload their own gear and assisting everyone else who needed help with the unloading process too.  Alice had the heaviest kayak of all.  It weighs over 100 lbs and is typically launched at a regular concrete boat ramp and since there was no access to that at Airport Beach, she needed to take extra care in getting it to the water because it would have to be carried for about 30 yards or so.  Darin was the strongest of the bunch so he and Alice got her yak to the water with minimal effort.  Once everyone's kayak was outfitted for a day of fishing, Darin began to ration out live shrimp to those who requested some.

By 9:45 all of the kayaks had been unloaded, geared up, and supplied with shrimp.  The only thing missing were the paddlers.  Those who had signed up, attended the kayak demo the evening before and were lucky enough to find the launch site were now gathered in a huddle around Jennifer as she gave final instructions and handed out one more safety waiver for everyone to sign.  Dot mumbled under her breath a question about why yet another waiver needed to be signed and then after signing it and turning it in, she turned around and almost poked herself in the eye with the tip of her fishing rod.  "That's why!", Jennifer said with a smile.

The larger group of seven were divided into two smaller groups of three and four.  Those who were fairly new to the sport and wanted to stay closer to shore would have Jennifer and Rebecca as guides.

Then, those who were a little more adventurous and wanted to paddle out to more productive waters would follow Darin and Tara.  Once that issue was settled....off they went....

So their first day in Cedar Key was coming to a close but the Paddle Festival weekend was just beginning.   Since leaving Citrus and Marion Counties earlier in the morning, the women had packed in quite a number of activities.  Their spirits were high but they were tired and hungry, too.  They would need to feed their little tummys  if they planned on attending the rest of the evening's functions:  the official Reception at The Island Hotel and a guest speaker at the Community Center.  It was a toss up to see who was going to make it to the end without crying "Uncle!".

Dinner options were debated as they drove back to condo and it was eventually agreed upon that they'd feast at a local hot-spot called Tony's.  http://tonyschowder.com/  Dot and Liz (Speck & Malibu) had arrived in Cedar Key much earlier than the other and were eager to stroll around town and get a feel for the place.  They remembered seeing the restaurant during their morning walk and knew exactly how to get there from the condo.  It was within walking distance.

Now was the time to relax and chill-out.  Drinks and meals were ordered and the girls spent the early evening getting a taste of Tony's world famous clam chowder (which is awesome, by the way), peeking at one another's menu selection and generally reflecting on the events of the day up to that point, but there were still two other events on their agenda before the night could be officially called "done".

At 7:00 p.m. they walked from Tony's to the historic Island Hotel for the official Reception.  Lots of people and lots of food.  Hors D'oeuvres were spread out on scattered tables on the hotel's beautiful outside patio, and a cash bar to those who wanted to indulge.  It was an affair done up in typical Cedar Key style and the NCLA ladies were thoroughly enjoying themselves until the no-see-ums just could no longer be ignored.  Although they hadn't been invited, and measures were taken to bar them from the festivities, they crashed the party and sent some folks on their way.  The ladies followed suite and headed back to the condo to prep for a good nights sleep.

By the time they reached the condo, they were exhausted.  They still had one more presentation to go to at 9:30 p.m. but just didn't seem to have the energy to attend one more function that day.  At the same time, though, they had paid good money to register for this event and didn't want to waste one single opportunity they were given, so the question was:  Could they muster up enough reserved energy to walk the short distance to the Community Center and listen to the Keynote Speaker, Russell Farrow, and his paddling adventures in the Arctic?  They would have to mull that decision over while they turned down their bedding for the snooze fest to come. 

Dot and Liz had been car-pool buddies all day and kept with the theme by agreeing to share the queen sized sleeper-sofa.  The problem was that they, nor anyone else for that matter, couldn't pull the darn mattress frame out from the couch frame.  Tried as they might - that thing was stuck!  At 8:30 p.m. Dot picked up the phone and called the front office to complain about the situation.  Within fifteen minutes Dan, the handyman was knocking on the door, toolbox at his side.  No doubt he expected to be in and out within five minutes, back to his frosted beer mug that he left on the bar at the local watering hole down the street.  Little did he know how wrong he would be. 

Seemed that the entire mattress / sofa-bed frame was bent on the inside preventing it from being pulled out.  After thirty minutes of turning that couch upside down and right side out, Dan forced that mattress frame out with the help of his handy-dandy crowbar!  Apologies were expressed to the guests who where staying in the condo directly below.  It's a sure bet that they weren't  'happy campers' at that time. 

By the time Handyman Dan left, no one, with the exception of Alice (Legs), was wanting to go anywhere so they missed out on Russell Farrow's presentation that night, a decision they all came to regret.  It was time now, to get some sleep.  They had to be at Airport Beach the next morning for a day of kayak fishing in Cedar Key.

The ladies were back at the condo but barely had enough time to freshen up after a day of salt air and salt water drying both their hair and skin out.  In and out of the shower in a matter of minutes, slather on some good smellin' lotion to moisturize the skin and a quick pow-wow to regroup themselves.  It wasn't long before nick-names started being doled out.  Alice, who has a peddle kayak was given the nick-name of "Legs" by Dot.  Alice turned around and started calling Liz "Malibu" since her pink kayak is a Malibu brand and because Alice was on such a creative streak, she didn't skip a beat by labeling Dot "Speck", which, of course, is just another word for "dot".  Delores was "Our Fearless Leader", and so it was.  By 4:15, they all piled into Delores's truck and headed to their next event at the FWC Marine Lab Building for their kayak fishing presentation.

There, they joined others who were signed up for the Saturday Kayak Fishing Event to listen to Rebecca & Jennifer, two of the FWC Outreach  and Education Specialists who were in charge of the in-service.  The topics covered introductory basics of inshore fishing from a kayak, fisheries conservation, circle hooks, de-hooking devices, proper handling, and  types of fishing gear for a kayak.  This was a prerequisite in order to kayak fish with them on Saturday.

Also discussed were the FWC Hot Sheets which is a monthly regulation change notification and update that gets e-mailed to anyone interested.   The FWC now allows four license free fishing day per calendar year for both fresh and saltwater, an increase from only two days each for previous years.   There were recommendations to flatten barbs on hooks, and to become familiar with all fish species and the regulations assigned to each fish.  Rebecca gave the class advice on what type of hooks live bait may and may not be used with during inshore fishing and where federal waters separate from state waters.  She used the phrase "C P R" to describe the "catch, photo and release" process and the trick of using "zombie arms" to make a fish appear bigger in a photograph.  She went on to explain how to revive a fish before release, where to dispose of used monofilament, what the term "Grand Slam" means and which fish are included.  Finally, she talked about the Ethical Angler competition where one can submit a photo of a catch being held properly and that photo being put in the running to be on the next cover of the FWC Rules & Regulations Booklet. 

By the time the mini kayak fishing course was over at 6:30, the students were overwhelmed with information and hand-outs, all of which were interesting and enlightening.  Rebecca did an excellent job teaching and I'm sure she was as tired and hungry as the rest of the group.  Now to find dinner!

The first paddle event of the day was at 1:30 p.m. and was a three mile scenic trip called "Old Cedar Key Loop".  The group of NCLA gals fell in line behind Delores and followed her from The Island Place condo complex to a launch site called Anchor Hole Boat Ramp.  From the condo, it was a left turn here, then a right turn there, another left, another right and then a straight shot to the boat ramp (according to Delores's GPS unit).  The plan was to get a small head-start on the rest of the paddlers so that they could get an idea of the simplicity or difficulty of launching since non of them had ever been to that location before. 

It was a good thing they did, too, because when they arrived they found that there was minimal parking at best and the gate to the ramp was locked.  They made quick work of unloading their yaks and circumventing the locked gate before the rest of the fifteen other paddlers signed up for the event arrived.  Those who were ready way ahead of time went ahead and paddled out from the ramp a hundred feet or so in order to make room for those who needed the ramp to unload their yaks and gear. 

The fleet of about fifteen kayak launched from Anchor Hole Boat Ramp which the local clam farmers use.  They paddled past a large clam farm aquaculture facility while biologist, Peter Frederick shared his knowledge about oyster reef restoration, coastal ecology and wetland birds.  They meandered among forested islands and oyster bars passing by the old Cedar Key neighborhood of "Kiss Me Quick". The trip continued through the Back Bayou and past the remaining pilings  of the old trestle of David Levy Yulee's historic Cedar Key to Fernandina railway.  They followed the channel past the Back Bayou waterfront docks with fishing boats, clam facilities and marine businesses that still power Cedar Key's economy..

By 3:30 p.m. most of the kayakers had already completed the paddle and where on their way to their next event.  Alice was loading her yak as Ron, the sweep guide, escorted Delores, Dot and Liz back to the ramp.  They were the slow-pokes of the group but were quick to load up themselves knowing that Ron was on a time schedule and had to make sure everyone was safely on their way before he could leave the scene.
The girls had a wonderful afternoon but it was time to head back to the condo, take a quick shower and get ready for their next scheduled event at 4:30 p.m.

The condominium complex had been recommended by Theresa, who had joined in on previous paddle events in Cedar Key before and was very happy with these accommodations and so there was no point in scouting out other lodging options so this is where reservations were made for the group of five women.  The main concern, though, would be having enough parking to allow for four vehicles, (three of which were towing trailers.)
http://www.islandplace-ck.com/index2.php

Theresa ran into the others during the check-in process at the Community Center and told them that the TIP office was open and that she and her friends were allowed special permission to check-in early because of the Paddle Festival's schedule of events.  That was great news, given the fact that the registration paperwork said 3:00 p.m.  So the gals walked on into the office, asked about the early check-in, signed the necessary paperwork and were given their key to the condo at 11:00 a.m.  They were also given permission to park their vehicles on the grass in front of the condo which allowed just enough room for all four.

First things first - who sleeps where...
Alice and Delores were lucky enough to secure the master bedroom with a queen size bed.  No. 5 called dibbs on the hallway bunk which looked pretty comfortable in it's own right.  Dot and Liz who were travel buddies anyway, ended up with the sofa-sleeper that pulled out with a queen size mattress. The goody-bags were put in each sleeping spot to identify who was sleeping where. 

Oh who doesn't love a heavy goody-bag?  Those folks who organized the Paddle Fest knew what they were doing when they filled those goody-bags.  Smiles on every face!  Why?  Because they were filled with all kinds of trinkets and treasures and within this group alone, no two bags were identical.  The morning could have easily turned into an impromptu bartering session, trading trinkets, but everyone seemed happy with the contents of their specific bag.

Oh yeah - and let's not forget the awesome t-shirt everyone got, too!
Below are just a few of the condo pics just for a general reference of who is who....

Well, now that the girls had a little time to organize their belongings and familiarize themselves with the lay-out and contents of the condo complex (most importantly - where the pool was), it was time to gear up for the first of many paddling activities.  All had signed up for the same events to keep things orderly.  First on the list was Old Cedar Key Loop paddle track with instructions to meet at the Anchor Hole Boat Ramp.  Punch in the location coordinates into the 'ol Garmin GPS units and they were off on a make-shift convoy...

First thing Friday morning, Dot and Liz met up at the Crystal River Mall, transferred Dot's gear from her truck to Liz's SUV and put Dot's kayak in the trailer Liz was towing behind.  From that point, they car-pooled together up to Cedar Key stopping only to snap a quick picture of a travel camper Liz hopes to own one day.  Colorful way to start the day.

Dot and Liz arrived in Cedar Key first, of course, and spent the early morning just strolling up and down the streets taking note of some of the small boutiques and specialty shops until the rest of the group arrived.  Alice and Delores, who were both driving from Ocala in separate vehicles finally made it onto the island, spotted Liz's vehicle and pulled into the two open parking spots right next to Liz.  No. 5 pulled up and parked along side within the next half hour.  By 9:00 a.m. all five gals were in Cedar Key and making their way to the Community Center where the Hidden Coast Paddle Festival registration was taking place.

It was just a short walk around the corner and down the street a few blocks to find the Cedar Key Community Center where the sign-ins were taking place.

The check-in process went smoothly.  Everyone formed a line, the volunteers made sure that the proper safety waivers had all been signed and then handed out orange wristbands that identified who was a paid participant in the event.  The wristbands had to be worn in order to participate in any of the paddling events.  In addition to that, each person was given a generously filled goody-bag with all kinds of cool stuff to use.  A very well organized process!

As the girls wandered through the small town of Cedar Key on their way back to their vehicles, Delores was on the look out for a Post Office in order to mail a small package.  As she took care of that small detail, Liz and the others wandered into the liquor store right next door and perused the wine aisle hoping to find a nice bottle of wine to end the day with.

As the walk to their vehicles resumed, one of the ladies suggested a stop for brunch in order to sit down for a few minutes, relax, and chat about the planned activities for the rest of the day.  They discovered a quaint little eatery called 'The Gathering Place', went inside and sat down.  They were greeted by a young man named Josh who happened to be the owner's son and he gave us a brief history of the eatery, telling us that it had only been open for a week and that it was a form of outreach of the non-denominational church that his father pastors.  Quite an interesting story and the food was great!
http://thegatheringatck.blogspot.com/
http://www.thegatheringplaceck.com/

Next stop - the condo -