The St. Patrick's Day Paddle on the Little Manatee River turned out to be a lot of fun. The morning was a tad chilly, but that wasn't about to stop us from getting on the water. We were rewarded. We had the entire river to ourselves and didn't see another paddler the whole day. The temps rose as the day went on and we ended uptaking off our sweatshirts. The swallowtail kites were enjoying the breezes overhead. At one point, they swooped low over the river, through the tree canopy and over our heads. Every time we paddle a river, it is a different experience. It seems you always see something new. It doesn't matter if you paddle the same river a hundred times it is always fresh and new. The spiderlilies may be in bloom. The otters may decide to bark at you from the sidelines, or slide down the grassy slopes into the water.
