Tribal Tides 4 : Lost Thoughts!

This post is to inform our readers on the final updates before Jeff and Sean leave for the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail Expedition as TEAM Sweetwater on Monday Sept. 19th, 2011. I will also touch base on a few of the “Lost” minute thoughts that Jeff and I are having before we finish packing and loading of gear.

So we have most everything ready to go food wise and possibly even more than we will need. Dinners will be Mountain House and some fresh local fair along the way. Lunches – well lets just say we will be getting more than enough calories. Breakfasts will be fruit and oatmeal.

Lets not forget the coffee- Jeff has hoity-toity Starbucks Viva instant and Sean has made homemade Coffee BOMBs, yes coffee bombs (you will just have to check back regularly to see what those are).

🙂

As far as recent happenings we have sent out the Official Media Press Release as of 09/12/11 and it was sent to the local media in Pinellas County(where we are from) as well as media down in the Cultural/Paradise Coast area that encompasses the Lee County area where Jeff and I will be paddling.

We have been given the opportunity to stay at the Rock Lake Resort Cottages on Billys Creek, the Sun & Moon Inn in Matlacha , the Jug Creek Cottages on Bokeelia, the Castaways Beach and Bay Cottages on Sanibel Island, and have also been given complimentary campsites at Cayo Costa State Park, San Carlos Bay Campground, and last but not least Koreshan State Park. We will also be doing about 3-4 nights primitive camping on spoil islands along the way over the 13-14 day period. We will be taking advantage of these lodging partners as a way to promote the many options along the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail.

The kayaks are ready & watertight and we have done the pre-packing game. We have all the necessary safety gear and have gone over our “pre-paddle” checklist. We are cleared for Paddle-Off!! I must say though that I still need to go get a “true proper chart” as we have done all the planning off the Great Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail foldout maps. Jeff and I would just feel safer with true water depth and obstruction charts to paddle with as a safety precaution.

The Liquid Rhythm Kayaking Blog will be updated hopefully daily or as much as we can get KayakKev to write a quick days description of what we did and where we are. So check back regularly.

Jeff & I will also be volunteering for a half day at the Clinic for Rehabilitation Of Wildlife(CROW) on Sanibel Island so please do not forget they are our charity of choice and they desperately need donations and to please help them out if you can either with donations of money or supplies or by volunteering at the clinic. Visit the site from our link at the top of the page. HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

Jeff & I will be returning to the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival & Symposium on Nov. 4-6th to do a lecture on our 2 week paddling expedition and to teach a course on safety titled: Minimal Preparation prevents Massive Maintenance. Hope to see some of our readers there.

And now for Sean’s and Jeff’s Lost Thoughts:

Sean’s:

• Did we pack everything we needed?
• Did we pack to much?
• Where in the world is my tooth brush and did the Calusas brush their teeth?
• When do I get to PET the American salt water crocodiles & do I have to wait till Estero Bay?
• How many Bullsharks do you think there are in the Caloosahatchee River & can I PET them?
• Do you think we will see any ghosts of Native Calusa Indians- I sure hope so.

Jeff’s:

• 😉 less is more,…
• I have a Power Point presentation.  I hope everything stays dry.
• Mosquitoes…where is my DEET!?
• I think…therefore we are ready to rock and row!

In closing we would like to acknowledge the following people & Sponsors who have worked hard behind the scenes to make the trip possible so far: GOD, Betsy Clayton- Lee County Parks & Rec., Nancy Macphee-FPTA, Russell Farrow – Sweetwater Kayaks, CROW of Sanibel, Jim Swope- Swope Public Relat., St. Petersburg Limb & Brace, All of our lodging partners, College Park Prosthetic feet & ALPS South, Kayak-Kevin Thompson & Peggy, and our Families & Friends who continue to support our paddling adventures. And our readers and supporters of LRK’s Journal. If we left anyone out let us know and we will add you to follow up posts.

Well we hope that our readers stay tuned and that you enjoy following along with us on our little adventure. Thank You for reading and as always: E’ Komo Mai’= You are Welcome Here!

– Jeff & Sean