Apollo Beach and beyond

     I was hot to go to the Peace River at the beginning of summer 2012 but the information I read on the internet indicated that high water levels during the rainy season meant that Peace River fossil hunting could only take place in the fall and winter.
     DANG!!!
     I had my kayaks and the fossil screens I'd made using internet instructions but I'd have to wait.
     Truth be told, I'm not very brave and I was having a hard time imagining just showing up in southwest Florida, picking a point along a 106 mile river, and hoping for the best.  So I researched fossil sites in the Tampa area where I was spending a lot of time with my boyfriend and the name "Apollo Beach" popped up.
     My friend, Tanya, was curious to try the Venice Beach fossil experience so we planned a camping weekend that ended with a reconnaissance mission to Apollo Beach on our way back to Orlando.

     Located on the ass-end of Tampa Bay is a little hell hole called Apollo Beach and I got to know that stretch of sand very well.  The main things I noticed on my first visit were the frightful view and the murky water that actually felt hot.  And the Pleistocene fossil material.  Fossilized turtle shell everywhere!

     Suddenly, I couldn't visit Apollo Beach enough.  My boyfriend quickly learned to use an Apollo Beach outing as a bribe if I wasn't feeling like making the 2 hour drive to visit him.

     From the beach I could see several spoil islands and my imagination ran wild with what undiscovered treasures were waiting, but between the beach and the islands is a dark channel that gives me the creeps (remember, I said I'm a puss).

     I took my lightweight kayak once and it was a fairly unpleasant experience.  I wasn't familiar with my transport wheels and absolutely hated dicking around with them and my 14' kayak in the hot parking lot while everyone walked by staring.  Then, as I headed down the sidewalk toward the beach, my nemesis cruised past:  The Naysayer, a recurring creature in my life.  This time it took the shape of an elderly woman who felt compelled to halt her vehicle, roll down the window, and shout, "Are you going to kayak here?" I nodded.  "There's huge bull sharks in the channel and I just saw one jump several feet out of the water."

    Thank you.  Have a nice day.

     I can never leave well enough alone so I said, "Maybe it was a dolphin," which instantly insulted her and she drove on, leaving me to certain doom.  What she said started my mind roiling so the paddle across the blessedly narrow channel was nerve wracking.  The islands were surrounded with metal and concrete structures so the approach was hairy, and although I did find a partial beaver tooth and a large chunk of fossilized bone, I was glad to return to the side with the parking lot.

    I'm saying it now and I'll say it again, I think some Naysayers really just wish they were trying something new, too.  :-)