Day #100 – Square Tires & Manatee Sightings

Crystal River FL

It’s Day #100 – wow.  We made it this far!  I don’t know that we’ve accomplished as much as President Obama in his first 100 days, but I think we’re doing alright.  Today was another good day.

We started out at the local Chevy dealer.  We found out our truck has square tires!  Who knew?!?  It was probably caused by sitting too long at the dealership without being driven – in Florida, three months of sitting in one spot can ruin tires forever.  So, we have four new tires on order, all under warranty.

After dealing with the truck, we found the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/crystalriver).  Since they were closing for the day, we drove on to a bridge near Three Sisters Spring.  From there, we watched nearly ten manatees swim back and forth into the spring.  We spotted two different mothers with one baby each.

Next, we drove to Crystal River Kayak (http://kayakcrystalriver.com).  These folks take pride in offering only ACA-accredited classes.  In addition, they offer a free introductory class to anyone who buys a kayak from them.  We swapped Stupid Kayaker stories, and touching wonderful stories, but found nothing we needed to buy in the shop.  Mary, one of the owners, took us out back to show us their launch site.  It was wonderful, with lawn chairs, a changing area, and a planned BBQ area for groups.  Her dock was clean, with a beach next to it.  Kelly tested the water – nearly bath temperature!  Since this spot is located right around the corner from Three Sisters Spring, we’ll probably use her launch site for our first trip.