Night Moves

We stood around the canoe launch site at Haulover Canal on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Our guide held up a two-bladed paddle and explained techniques. Dig this way, the kayak goes that way. You know the drill.

She joked about those kayaks with two people paddling had to sign a waiver they’d still be speaking to one another at the end. Laughter. No, seriously, once she had to separate a couple. Whoa. I wondered if one of them had to swim back. She didn’t say.

The sun went down. We were waiting on a last group to arrive for Florida’s Original Bioluminescent Kayak Tour (whew – long title!) but still, I felt she was lingering, eying the sunset while we were practically pawing the ground, ready to go. She had a reason and I’d soon find out why.

Leaving someone behind to wait for the latecomers, we snuggled our buns into kayaks, managed not to bump into one another and paddled over to Manatee Lagoon. Sure enough, cries and shouts were heard when manatee snouts appeared as the big, gentle mammals came up for air.

Then we activated luminescent tubes on lanyards. We hung them backwards so the light dangled on our backs. Ours were bluish; the guide had a green glowing light. When in doubt, follow the green light – the guides know where they are going.

Almost single file now we paddle out of Manatee Lagoon, a long line of blue lights, and we end up in Mosquito Lagoon. It lives up to its name. Even with yucky toxic bug repellent sprayed all over me I’d reach down and throw water on my face to get rid of mosquitoes.

We shelved our paddles and drifted. Deep night had arrived without a whisper, like a cat creeping silently. This is why our guide lingered at the launch. The tour is all about night moves. And the dark night was full of surprises.

She instructed us to push a paddle through the water and watch what happened. A beautiful silvery blue light appeared. Thousands, maybe millions, of single cell organisms in the water light up when agitated at night. They only do this in warm summer months of June, July and August and only in two places in the world – here and in Costa Rica.

I dipped my hand in the water and waved it back and forth. The fantastic light show followed me. No sc fi movie could duplicate this – it felt otherworldly and magical.

A mullet darted in the shallows, its trail streaked with silvery blue light. Nobody knows why the bioluminescence occurs. But does it matter? I often think there is too much information. Sometimes it is just a great blessing to be there, in fact you HAVE to be here for this experience – photos won’t work.

Rain had dominated the daylight hours. Thick clouds stayed in the night sky. And then they parted. I saw a shooting star. The clear sky looked like the inside of a big bowl painted midnight blue and speckled with stars twinkling, putting on their own light show. Look up. Look down. Wow. A big WOW.

A Day Away Kayak Tours in Titusville does the two to two and a half hour bioluminescent kayak tours in summer months. The skill level is beginner. Next tour is August 8 at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $32 adult, $32 young adult and $24 child. Phone (321) 268-2655.

Other night moves coming up – when the weather cools, say October, do a moonlight walk on a Clearwater Beach with Linda Taylor of It’s Our Nature This moonlight walk is Chapter 32 in “50 Great Walks with Lucy”, University Press of Florida, 2009.

Enjoy.

A Declaration of Diversity

We believe these truths to be self evident – cultural diversity makes us strong, celebrating our heritage keeps the past alive for future generations and when the Greeks are cooking, just show up. Amen.

That said – here are some places to go in Florida were cultural heritage is alive and well worth a visit. Tarpon Springs, 33 miles north of Tampa, started out in 1848. The town made a name as a winter resort for folks from up north who didn’t want to shovel snow.

Then came the discovery in 1852 of sponges in the Gulf of Mexico. This was big news. Greece has sponge blight in its offshore waters and the industry was dying. Whole families came over to be spongers in America. They brought their culture and yes, their wonderful food.

The Sponge Docks still exist today. It is no accident that many restaurants line the sponge docks. When the boats came in, the crews were hungry. Pass the baklava please.
Take the shuttle bus that goes from the docks to downtown and be sure to tour the inside of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral.

Ybor City * used to be a swamp. Along came Martinez Ybor looking for a place to build a cigar factory. He thought his workers in Key West were getting too uppity and wanted to relocate. So he filled in the swamp and built his factory. Obviously those were the days before permits.

To keep his workers he built casitas, little attached houses, so cigar workers could sent for their families from Cuba. A casita cost $2500. The families came. Cuban culture still flourishes today. Have lunch at the original Columbia restaurant or try a Cuban at La Tropicana Café. Bueno. Other groups that came to work in the factories – Italians and Germans.

Speaking of Germans, Florida has a large German population in the southwest area but I’m not the only one who thinks the best German restaurant is up in Sanford, 23 miles northeast of Orlando.

Hollerback’s Willow Tree Café is a European style café and German restaurant that is family owned.. They know how to get to you. The day’s desserts are displayed in a case and you have to walk by . . .yum.
Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Enjoy

* Ybor City is Chapter 35: Celebrate the Cigars in 50 Great Walks in Florida., Lucy Beebe Tobias, published by University Press of Florida, 2008

©2009 Lucy Beebe Tobias, all rights reserved.