Canoeing and Hike to the Grotto

In the morning we went to Cypress Lake and did some canoeing.  It was about 10am and there was nobody on the lake.

When the girls got restless, we started our hike to the Grotto.  From the canoe docking area it was a lengthy scenic hike.  We stopped off mid-way to have the lunch we had brought with us.  Along the way Nina was tracing the trail on a map and made up some names for some places - like "the Bonk".

We first arrived at Indian Head Cove, and it was packed.  The Grotto was a little further up and we over to take a look.  It was a large cavern with a precarious route to the water.  I decided only to take pictures and not to go down to the water.

We retreated back to the rock beach at Indian Head Cove.  Some daredevils were jumping off the cliffs into the water.  Just like the water at Flower Pot Island, the water was freezing.

We took a different trail back, equally scenic.  When we got to the head of trails, Silvina ran back to where we parked the car and picked us up.  She said that Cypress lake was packed.

Random Roads

When we returned from the cruise, we drove around taking random roads to see where they would go.  On the map the roads looked like they stopped near the bay and I wanted to see if there were any scenic lookouts.  Most of them ended at densely treed lots - so densely treed that you could not see what was beyond the perimeter.  Many of the lots were for sale.

One place what was a nice look out was by the light house.

Flower Pot Island

We had packed a light lunch so we could spend some time on Flower Pot Island.  We quickly ate our lunch and headed on the trail to explore the island.  The trail had interesting and varied scenery.  We came to a lookout above the small flowerpot, and then to an opening to the small flowerpot.  We waded in the water and it was freezing.

Further along the trail was the large flowerpot, a cave, and a stone beach.  We decided to change into our swimsuits and take the plunge.  Even though the water was numbingly cold, it was a welcome relief from the hot Sun.