The expedition to Wells Key was undertaken with water aboard, but still no camera. It was going to be a good bit longer than the last trip, and we looked forward to exploring a new island that, while known to maps, is virtually unknown to literature.
So we paddled around the Point and made directly for Wells Key. The water was very calm and visibility was great. I don't think we saw any interesting creatures, but we did see a fellow boater or two, and talked to a nice lady as we paddled around her home on the eastern side of the Point.
We pulled into Wells Key near the wooden posts which were all that remain of a former boat dock. Wells Key was in private ownership for a long time, and only recently (2000 or so?) deeded to the State of Florida, which holds it in a trust with other environmentally-sensitive lands. It is home to a hardwood hammock habitat.
We walked a short trail that went in from where we pulled up, to about 100 feet into the woods. It wasn't a wonderful sight. In the clearing where the trail leads, is a fair bit of trash, some .223 shell casings on the ground (what the hell?), a campfire site, and an old concrete slab from a bygone building.
And hundreds and hundreds of mosquitos. Oh my gosh the mosquitos we gotta go let's go aieeee.
Yeah. I'm not sure if Wells Key is touched by the Monroe County mosquito program, in fact it'd make sense if it wasn't (nobody living there, preserved land, and all). We left in a big hurry, without exploring much of the huge island. From this, I think we have learned to stay away from uninhabited islands that appear thick and green on satellite. Instead, we will stay more towards the light-colored, sandy islands.
We pushed off and made our way to the welcoming confines of Abba Zabba.
There we relaxed a bit, sat in chairs on Zabba's small white sand beach, and watched fist-sized crabs run into their holes. Abba Zabba is a bit of a mystery, as it is not held by the State as "environmentally sensitive," but rather as "school lands," and as chunks of smooth, human-made concrete sticking up out of the soil will tell you, it used to have a building or two. But for now, at least, it belongs to the crabs. And it has very few mosquitos, especially when compared with Wells Key (which we would have named Skeeter Island if it weren't already named).
Anyhow, the sun was getting low, so we made for home. By the time we got back to the bay outside our house, we were in the right time and place to watch the sun set from the boat, which is always a treat.
All in all, a fun mission. I'm not sure what the next few objectives will be, perhaps we'll paddle around and explore the bays a bit more without landing. Perhaps we'll paddle under the Overseas Highway bridges and see what's to see on the other side. It is unlikely that we'll be going past Wells Key and Abba Zabba into Lower Sugarloaf Sound anytime soon, due to the sheer amount of time it would take. But never say never. These be the high seas of adventure.
-Chris