Joined by our friends Jim and Lynn from Deland, we explore the St Johns as it flows around Hontoon Island. Since we're here on the weekend, it's pretty busy on the river with fisherman, other boaters and Stetson University's rowing team.
Hontoon Island is a Florida State Park that was created when the land was donated back to the state from William Hunton in 1967. By then the land had been logged of it's virgin cypress forests and had even been a cattle farm. Since then the land has reverted to it's more wild state and has become a major wildlife habitat.
After a day of cruising the river, we head off the beaten track down the Hontoon Dead River to find a place to anchor for the evening. "Dead" river is a term that was used to note that a river or creek did not rejoin the main river but "dead ended" somewhere upstream. Safely anchored we take the dingy up one of the creeks used to log the cypress trees and have a wildlife experience spotting the elusive Limpkin as well as a number of other interesting critters.
The Limpkin in all its glory.
When we finally stall the outboard in the weeds its time to turn back!
