kayaking the Estero River

the Estero River actually starts in my parent's subdivision

we started at Koreshan where we were camping

loaded up the boats in the campground

it has a great put in at the river

(they also rent canoes)

love those boats

our goal was to come out the river into the bay and on to Mound Key

the pin on the right is where we started and the pin on the left is Mound Key

yeah it looks easy

it is about 4 miles out, not too bad

but 4 miles back, holy crap I thought I wouldn't make it

we were pretty happy when we got to the end of the river

and saw the bay

Mound Key straight ahead

funny story:

about 10 years ago, W. and I were visiting my parent's in Estero

we rented canoes from Koreshan and decided we would go out to Mound Key

we got to the mouth of the river and out into the bay

and I freaked out

I was not use to how huge a body of water we were on

how shallow it was, and how boats zipped by in the dredged out inter coastal waterway

those are the high rises out on the barrier island

anyway, we turned back

this time I was determined to make it to Mound Key

Mound Key was created over 3,000 years ago by the Calusa Indians

made of shell, bone and pottery fragments

it rises 30 feet above the water

that is seriously high in a place as flat as Florida

(it is the highest place in Lee County!)

you can see forever, catch the breeze and it kept bugs away

smart Calusa

"An artist’s rendering of Mound Key based on written descriptions by Spanish explorers in the 1500s. The Calusa were a highly-advanced society that built structures on Mound Key with a capacity of more than 2,000. The cross in the background is typical of Calusa markings and patterns found on clothing."

the island has been known to house

fisherman, pioneers and pirates

in 1905 it was sold to the Koreshans

who, as you know, turned it over to the state of Florida

this time it was a breeze getting out to the key

we are use to these large shallow bays now

this was one of 2 landing spots on the key

and of course it was on the opposite side of the key from where we were....

we pulled up on the little beach for a look around

and to have a picnic in the shade

did I mention it was hot

the most amazing thing we saw was this spring

hard to tell from the photo but to the right of the kayak

 fresh water is flowing right out of the beach!

it was great for rinsing off the salt and sand

we had been wondering how anyone could live out here without fresh water

here they are

"A photo taken March 27, 1909, on Mound Key shows Buck Fernandez and his wife, Alma, near their wooden shack. The Fernandez family moved to Mound Key from Portugal in 1898 after being robbed by a pirate on Fort Myers Beach. The family fished for decades before moving to Estero, where Tom Fernandez, Buck’s nephew, lives today."

nice photo of Mound Key

a great day, long paddle but I finally made it to Mound Key

like the Calusa did for thousands of years