River of Doubt

       Into the heart of darkness we sail. The verdant jungle laps at the river’s edge. Giant cypress hung heavily with vines, moss, and the detritus of the primeval forest tower over us. The trees meet the cloudy sky as a light drizzle falls. The dismal heavens hang ominously above us. Our fragile vessel parts the ebony water as we struggle against the current. We hear our wake slap the forest’s periphery behind us. Ancient reptilian monsters slide smoothly under the water’s blackness as we pass.

      Ah, time for another beer. It is 9 AM and a quick glance at the wastebasket says it will be number 5. The adventure begins, finally!

       Tamara and Brad rendezvoused with me at the Soggy Bottom Bar that is only open Friday through Saturday. When I arrived at the bar it was supposed to be open. It was 4 PM and it was supposed to be open at 3. WTF! As I walk away disappointed I hear a voice from behind. It is the owner of Sarah’s Restaurant located above the Soggy Bottom Bar. She has her key and she opens up the bar and acts as my bartender. I talk to Tammie, her late mother Sarah was the namesake of her business. I’m curious as to what it is like to live in a small, well actually tiny, town. She loves it. She tells me about the wild boars that herd around her backyard snorting and joys of tiny town life. She is sort of a chamber of commerce for the town and plans and runs three yearly festivals. There is a lot to like about Suwannee, 23 miles from… well anything.

       Once my wife Tamara shows up with our buddy Brad we attempt to bar-hop Suwannee. That is hard to do in a two bar town. After shots at the Soggy Bottom we move to the Bar at the Shellfish Company. We soon find ourselves back at the Soggy Bottom. Jet lag hits Tamara and it is time to go to the boat.

       We started up the river early this AM after dropping Brad off to drive my truck home. The tripline on the anchor worked like a charm. Should have had one of those years ago!

       The river is wide; deep too: Over a thousand feet wide and 32 feet deep in places. We hit a few 3 foot shoals which happened mostly when hugging the bank too closely on the inside of a bend. Mostly, however, the water stays over 6 feet and is usually 15 feet or more deep. This whole deep river thing is a bit weird for someone like me who is used to cruising the Gulf Coast. North of where I live the Gulf gets deeper at the rate of a foot a mile. Yeah, 10 miles offshore it is 10 feet deep. Here I hug the edge and its 30 feet deep? Very strange.

       It was a pleasant 21 mile day. We are at anchor just north of the entrance to Manatee Springs. Watching movies and eating microwave popcorn. Life is good.

Numerous Gator sightings today. This little five footer was the only one who stuck around long enough for a photo.