A Date Day at Fort DeSoto

The day we got married 8/5/05.
Not a lot of recent pics
of the two of us.

My last post was about the benefits of fitness dates. This is just more evidence.  I wish my phone had been working or that I had a charged battery for my Rebel XTI but alas...pictures were not a part of our day.  I am borrowing some from various other bloggers.

Josh came up with this one all on his own.  For years now, I have been saying how I would like to try kayaking.  Deep down, the idea of being alone on a tiny little plastic boat out in the water...where all manner of sea critters dwell...secretly terrified me.  But this past year has been about testing myself, putting aside fears, and living in the moment.  On the surface kayaking was appealing because of the full body work out it provides; as well as being able to get really close to coastal mangroves, which fascinate me. 

Josh decides we'll grab a big breakfast, head to Fort De Soto Park, explore the fort, do some kayaking, then some swimming at North Beach.  It was so perfect.  We walked around the fort for a while, reading the historical material about how it was used and why it was built.  We both remember the fort seeming bigger when we were kids.  I think it's a shame the other buildings that once housed the officers are no longer on the island.  Then we headed over to the kayaks.

Got this here

We bought two hours in two kayaks.  I chose a Sit-On-Top kayak for my first time out while Josh chose a Sit In.  I liked the Sit-On-Top while we were in the inlet. The water was calm and I had decent leverage for paddling.  I also felt like I was getting a great core workout.  We wanted to explore off the water trail a little but it meant being exposed to choppy water due to wind.  We had done half the trail in 30 minutes so we headed back to switch my kayak for a sit in.  Once we switched we headed out at a leisurely pace.  The Sit In was much more stable in the choppy water. 

While kayaking we got to see lots of egrets and blue herons.  We got to witness a pair of Osprey fishing.  One circled about 200 yards ahead of us.  It tucked it's wings, swooping toward the surface of the water, then plucked a fish with it's talons and soared back to it's water-side nest.  We also got to see a pelican do multiple dives in a lagoon off of the path.  Lots of fish were jumping. Annighas were swimming, fishing, and drying their tar-black wings on the low speed boat signs.

This pic originated from dipity.com...but wouldn't open.

Afterward, we headed to North Beach.  Josh's plans of swimming were waylaid once I felt the icy waters.  Instead we laid on the beach to relax.  We got to see a small pod of dolphins swimming in the distance. 

Our final activity was to take a long walk along North Beach.  We started out by the North Beach Snack bar and walked north along the shore until it curves into the inlet.  You could see all the different currents warring in the water.  A dangerous place to enter the water for sure but apparently an excellent spot for sunbathing, shelling, and fishing.  Across the inlet we saw boats and tents pitched for primitive camping.  After walking for about an hour is was time to wash off the sand and head home.

From the Fort De Soto main page

This was one of the best workouts and most relaxing dates ever.  We made a new memory with each other.  Josh and I have been together 12 years this June.  We will have been married for 8 of those 12 years in August.  Instead of Getting Fit Like No One is Watching...it feels like we are getting fit and I hope people see the benefits of what it can be like when you do it with your partner.