Gone boatin'

A buddy of mine recently acquired a new pontoon boat, and was kind enough to invite me on a exploratory cruise on the Harris Chain of Lakes today.

We put in at Trimble Park on the southern shore of Lake Beauclair, just a few miles up 441 from our hometown of Apopka.

Beauclair is a small lake, and it wasn't long before we slipped thru the short canal on the opposite shore and into the larger Lake Dora. We saw a lot of traffic there, especially to the north along the Mount Dora waterfront. But, then we made it to the world-famous Dora Canal (formerly known as the Elfin River).

The canal was absolutely amazing, home to huge cypress trees that were over a thousand years old. We also saw countless alligators, turtles, and water fowl. It was like we had been transported back in time on certain stretches. Only the occasional canal-front "retirement villages" kept us anchored in 2006.

Anyway, the canal dumped us out into Lake Eustis. We skirted the southern shore to The Dead River, a definite misnomer. This natural canal was teeming with life, and we even saw a heron swallow a good-sized fish in a single gulp!

The river emptied into Lake Harris, the namesake of the chain. We found a public park to dock the boat and make a pit stop. Then, we went back out into the deep water off Long Island to do a little swimming before heading back the way we came.

We made it home just as the summertime Florida heat was kicking-in. Perfect time to get back into the AC! But, I'll carry these memories for a lifetime!