Cedar Key - Day # 27 - A 3 hour tour...

Why do birds sit on your car mirrors and relieve themselves down the side of your car......WHY?!  I know pretty much wherever birds choose to "sit", roost, or whatever it is called they are doing....they make a mess.....I just want to know what is so attractive to them about side view mirrors when they can do what they do most anywhere else....what is it about car side view mirrors?  Another question.....how does it harden soooo fast?  If you don't catch it quickly enough soap and water may not be enough to remove the effluent......I've been close to pulling out large hammers and chisels to remove our feathery friends offerings.  And when you think about it, how can they be so disrespectful to one of their own......are they jealous of my Bird's shinny white exterior?  I thought of taking a picture of the latest disgusting example of rudeness, but I know many of you read this blog first thing in the morning.......and, well.....you know.....

 Wednesday was the designated pontoon boat tour of the local waters and islands (keys).  Pat Bonish, who owns and operates Low Key Hideaway Resort (and Tiki Bar) with his wife Cindy, offered to be our captain and tour guide for the afternoon.  Eight intrepid souls signed up for "a three hour tour".......I apologize.....I just had to sneak in a Gilligan's Isle reference.....pretty weak, huh?  Actually it was to be, from the beginning, a 4-6 hour tour....the length depending on the 8 of us.  As it turned out we spent around 6.5 hours on the water visiting Seahorse Key and its lighthouse, North Key, Atsena Otie Key as well as the back bay areas around Cedar Key.  Atsena Otie Key was the original site of the town called Cedar Key, but after the devastating hurricane of 1896 the town was moved back one island (key) to its present site.

 Captain Pat

 Seahorse Key Light Station

 The ever lovely Elaine

A flock of white pelicans on a sand spit in the middle of the bay

 These are VERY LARGE pelicans....maybe a 10' wing span

Cemetery on Atsena Otie Key

 Our pontoon boat at the dock on Atsena Otie Key

Along the shoreline on Seahorse Key

 Chips, salsa and a Snowdrift Vanilla Porter near sunset on Seahorse Key

As we were sitting out in the Gulf awaiting the sunset we were surprised by serendipity....a pod of dolphins frolicked nearby as the sun set on another magical Cedar Key day.  They were so close you could hear them breath each time they breached the surface.

# 27

To be sure, it was a chilly day on the water.....never got much above 61 degrees, but the breeze was light, the skies clear, and the water mostly flat all afternoon.  We arrived back in the harbor just after dark with smiles on our collective faces.  Over 6.5 hours we covered many nautical miles, and got a completely different perspective of the area surrounding Cedar Key with Captain Pat providing us with a wealth of information about the area.  The cost per person broke down to $26.25......not bad for a great afternoon of site seeing.

One might think this day was over, and could not get any better, but there is more.....our good Newell friends, Forest and Cindy, arrived in their 1993 Newell (39') while we were out on the water.  They have just recently sold their sticks and bricks home, divested themselves of a lifetime accumulation of stuff, and hit the road full time for a few years.  We first met them in Creede, CO at a Newell mini-rally, and then again in Santa Fe, NM.  And we have parked on their former property in Thibodaux, LA.  We made a quick change of clothes and walked over to greet them around 7 pm.  After a glass of Pinot Grigio we headed into town for dinner around 8 pm and found the Blue Desert Cafe open!  Cool....I thought they were closed on Wednesdays.  We sat talking for a couple of hours, and enjoying another amazing meal....I had the grilled tuna steak special with zucchini and rice.....everything cooked to perfection!  As I have mentioned before, the Blue Desert Cafe is only open for dinner each day, and opens at 5pm.  This quirky, funky place is not open every day, so check ahead for their schedule.

Okay, this day of serendipity is now officially deemed over.  Thanks for stopping by!