The Everglades are beautiful. And big. And not nearly as scary as I had thought they would be. Ok, let me explain that last sentence a little better. The last time I went canoeing in Florida, it was in a different swamp and the water was dark and murky and the thought of falling in was extremely freaky. Most of the water we were kayaking in at the Everglades was so beautiful and clear. We could see fish darting around under us. We could see the plant leaves floating. We could see the rocks at the bottom. It was amazing.

I was in a two person kayak with my sister, Mariah (poor girl!), and we were near the back of our group most of the time. My family (at least those of us who are here in Florida) went, along with my adopted parents and the Stone family. All in all we had nine kayaks and canoes. We went about five miles or so in two hours. There were times though that we had to go through narrow passageways that had brush and tree growing up on either side, and also times when the water was only about a foot deep, so it was slow going. And a lot of work. And tons of fun… Most of the time.

Do you wonder why I said ‘poor girl’ about Mariah being in the kayak with me? Well, here’s the reason. My adopted dad and I have the habit of being rather crazy when we’re together. And of course being around water automatically meant… WATER FIGHT! Splashing each other was pretty great, but using our paddles to swosh huge amounts of water worked even better.

And then we went through this big area where the water was covered with soggy (and probably rotting) cattail heads. So the rotten cattail fight began. Of course we tried not to get Mariah, but we couldn’t always miss her… (And now you’re like “No wonder you were in the back of the group…”)

Anyway, by the end of the time, my adopted dad and I were both soaked clear through and covered with slimy, soggy cattails. It was great!

Well, I’d better sign off for now, before it gets too long. I’ll have to fill y’all in on the rest of the adventure some other time. I hope you have a great Saturday!

Me with Sarah Stone and my adopted parents – this isn’t where we went canoeing. 🙂

Have you ever gone kayaking or canoeing? Which did you like better? I like the kayaking a lot better! I didn’t ever feel as if I could fall out or tip it. 🙂