It is cool but sunny and with a light breeze.  Looks like a good day to be out on the lake.  Launching goes smoothly and we set off to explore.  A loon floats just out past the ramp. I am always surprised to encounter them this far south.  I associate them with our trips to Canada.  The wind is light but blowing the length of the lake creating wind waves a bit rougher than we anticipated.  We elect to limit our exploration to our shoreline where it is somewhat sheltered. A Bald Eagle perches regally in a towering lone pine then glides seemingly effortlessly out across the lake.  Nice.  We float fish with nightcrawlers and troll with a handful of artificial bait options but not a single bite.  They tout record blue catfish and bass out of this lake but if it is to be for us, it will be another day.   We float past the Park cabins, some on piers and others back a lovely bay.  There are private homes back here too.  It is the kind of location we sometimes image having a place.

We have arrived; site 124 in Santee State Park along the shore of Lake Marion.  After a 7-hour drive we are glad to climb down out of those seats.  It has been windy (not quite a head wind) most of the drive and I95 traffic heavy enough that accordion slowdowns just materialize for no specific reason.  Kent has powered through it with enough energy left to complete the marathon unloading that comes with every lake stop.  With the combination of a long pull through site and some creative maneuvering we are able to unload the whole mess right in the site.  A quick trip to the visitor center and we have fishing licenses, we shuffle gear, and Kent runs out for boat fuel.  It has been a full day but we are set to explore the lake in the morning.   Windy conditions have the lake pretty choppy this evening but milder conditions are forecast for tomorrow.

Just completed a $500 diesel fill-up, $4.84/gallon.  This tops the previous record of $477.50 at a remote Canada station on the way to Alaska in 2014.  We are set for a while now and head on up to South Carolina.

Local eatery – Squid lips – Conch fritters, crunchy fish BLT wrap, fish and chips, plus key lime pie to go.  It is a delicious stop.

More beach time – sunrise and sun time.  Waves are still high.  We never get beyond knee deep but it is beautiful.

Some walking – Indian River lagoon Preserve – ok walk.  Maritime Hammock Sanctuary – great shady stroll.

Driving the Cruise Jungle Trail – it’s an old route along Indian River Lagoon that now winds among oaks and mangroves in a narrow undeveloped zone between huge homes and condos and the waterfront.  It is cool and amazing that it still exists.

The Sebastian Inlet area stays on or list of places we might return to in Florida.  Next time we hope for calmer winds.  It would be great to get out in the kayaks and a little further into the surf.

Some 25 miles of the ocean barrier island beach is within Archie Carr NWR.  Back toward camp, we find a dune cross-over and check it out.  The beach is deserted except for one lone fisherman. It is high tide and a strong wind out of the east brings surf much too rough for me to do any more than get my feet wet.  We find a comfy log and take a seat well beyond the waves.  Bright sun.  Crashing waves.  Salty spray.  Soft, smooth sand.  It is a feast for the senses.

We make a quick stop at The Anhinga Trail for a daytime pass.  No mosquitos, that is a plus, and we see anhinga feeding their young in the nests.  Then we are off.  Kent expertly maneuvers the tangled web of interstates and toll roads around Miami/Ft Lauderdale then it’s straight up 95 to Long Point Park, Melbourne Beach Florida.  It is a lovely setting for a park.  We are just off A1A on the barrier island and among the mangroves near Sebastian Inlet.  It almost feels chilly at 74 degrees and breezy.

Mosquitos…at least so far this visit they are quite manageable with just a short flare up in the twilight hours.  Our last visit they were thick all the time and ran us indoors at least part of every day.

There are nearly No ground mammals due to the invasive Burmese Pythons.

Eco Lake is a different place.  Hurricane tidal surge carried salt water well inland into what was a lovely little fresh water lake, home to many wading birds.  No more.  Salt-poisoned vegetation stands bare on the banks.  The surface of the pond is alive with marsh bugs and clogged with periphyton, an algae mat the looks sort of like soggy breadsticks.  Icky looking but it is nature doing its thing.

They are actually working at repairing the historical pink visitor center building to serve that purpose once again; perhaps as soon as late summer 2022.  That will be nice.  They are still in a dinky temporary building.

Construction on the long-planned hotel has resumed.  The concrete pillar foundation now supports a shipping-container-style construction.  They are adding the roof now with posted completion this summer.  Looks unlikely to me.  The restaurant section is even further behind.