This past November, hubby and I traveled to the Northern Florida region
for a ten day clear-water kayaking trip. I planned this trip years ago,
determined to kayak and swim with the manatee. Something always got in the way,
but finally it all worked out and the trip was amazing. I picked the week
before November 15th because some of the areas start to close to
boaters (including kayaks) on the 15th as more and more manatee come
in to winter in warmer waters. This way I gave us the greatest chance to see
and experience the manatee.
We love to be outdoors so we camped along the way, mostly staying in state
parks with electric and water. (Not to rustic…lol) During the ten days, we
managed six kayaking trips ranging from a few hours to six hours. The longer
one included a stop at a restaurant for a wonderful lunch and fine wine while
sitting outdoors on a deck overlooking the river.
#1 We covered the Suwannee River trail from Fanning Springs to Manatee
State Park. There was a shuttle service to take us back to our vehicle for a
charge, but way better then paddling upstream. We saw a couple of manatee and
were pretty excited since it was only our first kayak trip. Hubby had one manatee
surface, push his nose out the water, and inch right up to the kayak to
investigate. Up close, you get a real feel for the size of these “sea cows.”
#2 We covered the Silver River from Ray’s Wayside Park to the Silver River
State Park. Here we did a little Yakorkeling. This is a combination snorkeling
and kayaking. Crazy, I know. We kayaked upstream and then put on our snorkel
gear and floated down the river with our kayaks tied to our wrist with a long rope
to pull it along. Swimming in crystal clear water with the fish was an amazing
experience.
#3 We covered Rainbow Springs were we saw wild monkeys, alligators, manatee
and the old Rainbow Springs theme park, which is now owned by the state park
system and who recently opened the area up to kayakers. Pristine run.
#4 We covered the Homosassa Springs/Monkey Island area. We put in at
Macrae’s but it was pretty windy. Monkey Island had nothing on the wild monkeys
we saw in trip #3.
#5 We covered the Crystal River/Kings Bay area. We kayaked around the
inlets and one of the volunteers they have to monitor boating activity to
protect the manatee, told us where to find them that morning. We paddled to the
inlet and discovered a pod of about 20-25 manatee. The water was more murky but
up close, still got great pictures. Out at one of the head springs, the water
was crystal clear and this is where we had our only opportunity to swim with a manatee.
It was an incredible experience. Ours was a baby. 😉
#6 We covered Ichetucknee Springs from the North to South entrance. Big
tuber area in the summer, but we had the place pretty much to ourselves in
November. Very pristine.
Side note: We were scheduled to paddle the Blue Springs River at Blue
Springs State park, but due to a recent hurricane, we walked the trail they
provide, but weren’t able to kayak. Beautiful water and picturesque settings.
***
Title: Back in the Rancher’s Arms
Series: Trinity River novel – Book 1
Author/pen
name: Elsie Davis
Genre: Sweet, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Date of Publication: April 9th, 2018
ISBN: 9781640635128
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 55,000
Blurb:
Dylan Hunter has always
loved the girl next door. Part of loving her meant making sure she left their
small town to study to become a veterinarian. He just never expected it to take
this long for her to come home. His hands are full raising his younger brother
and bringing his ranch through the drought, but one look at Kayla and his
feelings are back full force.
Kayla Anderson’s not prepared to see the guy who
broke her heart in high school again, but she can’t get out of returning home
to be maid of honor at her cousin’s wedding. She’s determined to have fun and
celebrate the special day, despite the fact Dylan is her family’s closest
neighbor and the best man, and get the heck out of Dodge.
But Dylan already lost the woman he loved once.
This time, he’s determined to win her back...
Buy links:
Amazon: http://bit.ly/2uVHuBRBitRAAmazon
Barnes &Noble: http://bit.ly/2Gzho8PBitRABarnesandNoble
iBooks: http://bit.ly/2uOsDJ1BitRAiBooks
Excerpt:
“Is
everything okay?” Her mother sounded nervous, and it was unsettling.
“The
thing is I didn’t know he, I mean he—” Her mother’s gaze shifted to the right,
past Kayla.
“She’s
trying to tell you I’m here.”
A
wave of heat coursed through her veins. Her stomach pitched like it was falling
from the top of the Grand Canyon into the deepest part of the ravine.
Dylan.
Damn it. Dylan.
She
swung around to face her first love. The man she’d given her virginity to. The
man she’d been all too willing to give up her dreams to be with forever. The
man who’d ripped her heart to pieces when he walked away and then betrayed her
in the worst way possible.
He
was the man who’d managed to get both her and her ex-best friend, Becky,
pregnant.
“What are you doing here?”
Contempt dripped from
her
voice, but the words fell flat. Five years to prepare a scathing remark and
none of them surfaced to rip his heart out, to give him a small taste of the
pain she’d felt when he walked away.
The
urge to hurt overrode years of determined effort to forget him and move on. One
small setback. She took a deep breath and tried to refocus her energy, to
return to the hard-won inner peace she’d carved out for herself.
“Hello
to you, too, Kayla.” His familiar grin mocked her. “But to answer your
question, I’m fixing the roof.”
Tall,
dark, and better than an Elephant Ear. Nothing puffy about him. Bulging pecs
filled his T-shirt and made it look like it came from the boys’ department.
Rock-hard triceps stretched the cotton short sleeves to the limit. Jeans that
dipped low in the front, weighed down by a large silver buckle with the letter H emblazoned across it.
Hunter.
A few other H words came to mind.
Handsome. Hunk. Hot. The list went on. History. Hurt. Hell.
And
heartache. Don’t forget the heartache.
Author bio:
Elsie
Davis discovered the world of Happily-Ever-After romance at the age of twelve
when she began avidly reading Barbara Cartland, the Queen of Romance, and has
been hooked ever since. After building her dream log home on top of a small
mountain, she turned her attention to do what she loves most, writing.
An
award-winning author and active member of RWA, she writes contemporary romance
and romantic suspense. She writes from her heart, hoping to share a little love
in a big world. She will never forget the moment of exhilaration when she first
got the email offering her a contract for publication. A moment that has
repeated itself, and one that keeps her energized and moving forward.
Three
daughters, four grandchildren, and her own hero husband, keep her extremely
busy when she’s not glued to the keyboard. She loves: birding, kayaking,
camping, fishing, wildlife, disc golf and nature walks. Basically, all things
outdoors, EXCEPT cold weather. Her and her husband are avid Caribbean cruisers,
but Elsie’s favorite vacation was their cruise to Alaska. (In spite of the
cold!)
Indoors,
she enjoys a toasty fire, a glass of red wine, and of course, a great romance
with a guaranteed Happily-Ever-After.
Author website and social media
links:
FB Reader Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/elsiedavishea/
Entangled Author Page
https://entangledpublishing.com/author/elsie-davis
BookBub Author Page https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elsie-davis
GoodReads Page http://bit.ly/2HbgbpmBitRAGoodreads
Newsletter link http://bit.ly/2qb56fMElsieDavisHEANewsletter
Free Chapter One Read-Back in the Rancher’s Arm https://elsiedavishea.wordpress.com/free-read-2/
