Kayaking on Silver Springs

After their long day of traveling last night, the boys decided to sleep in this morning.  We woke them up in time for Jordan to arrive at 11 a.m.  We talked about a lot of different activities that they might be interested in and they all agreed that kayaking was top on their list today.  I had seen kayakers on Silver Springs river when I have been at the state park, but we had never really investigated them.  After a couple of phone calls, we found out a launch place that rented kayaks and we were soon on our way.

Doug was nervous about the boys kayaking on a river that was noted for its alligators.  They assured him that it was safe as the boys could see the bottom of the river and there were guides all along the way.  I even pointed out the amount of children under the age of ten that were already out on the water.  After hearing and seeing all of that, Doug was ready to turn them loose.  

While the boys were kayaking, we walked along several of the trails at Silver Springs State park.  We did see the boys once along our path.  They were having a great time and had already seen five alligators.  At first I thought they were joking, but soon saw the pictures confirming their statement.  Alligators were not the only animal that they saw on their trek.  There were multiple birds including one that won a stare down with a small gator.  There were also several types of fish and even a pregnant manatee.  It was a great adventure for all of them and it was fun to hear them talk about it.

Tonight, we met the Ross Richer family at Disney Springs.  The boys had some time to do some exploring before Jordan had to leave for a soccer team meeting.  Doug and I picked Splitsville for dinner and Cameron and Avery chose the food trucks.  All of us were very happy with our choices.  We ended the evening waiting for cookies at Gideon's Bakehouse.  Avery was just as impressed as we had been on our first visit.