WOFO Midwinter Break — YOFO Adventures

How could you not fall in love with this face?

Guest author is Missy (Dean’s sister). Missy and her partner Lee experienced their first ever “WOFO” when they recently visited Dean and Dawn at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

Welcome to our “WOFO with the YOFOers!” Or, “The Old New Yorkers Are in Florida (where all the other ones are).”

Day 1: Swim with the manatees - life changing! Life before: “wth is a manatee?” Life after: “we love the manatees and will spend the rest of our lives helping them.” Well, maybe kinda. Shout out to Jody and Jackie who took us in his boat to Three Sisters Springs. It was the experience of a lifetime!

Our Day 1 afternoon activity was kayaking down the Chassahowitzka River and then up a creek to the Krack, but I'm not sure I even want to write about this and dredge up the memories! Arggggggggh! Dean, you are all Daddy (yes, it is a compliment.). In a sciency way, Dawn informs me that we are going to kayak upstream in a narrow creek to this strange geologic formation that forms a large, deep crack in a rock where tons of water rushes out. In my head I’m imagining a beautiful cliff, waterfall, and tropical jungle.

Of course, such a sight would be totally worth a kayaking adventure upstream in a narrow creek getting stuck on rocks, sticks, grass and sand…over and over. With Stodter determination and fortitude we all eventually arrived at the famed Crack. And what wonders did we see?

No waterfall.

No geyser.

Just a small spring-fed pool of water.

Turns out the Crack is an underwater geologic formation that spring water comes out of.

We celebrated our first day’s adventures with dinner at Zig Zag Scallops in Hernando Beach - the seafood was fresh, delicious and if you’re ever in the area we highly recommend it.

Manatees are mammals and this one wants back in the water

Day 2: Our morning activity was a manatee release back to the wild. What you thought I was kidding? In one day I joined the Seaworld conservation team and I now work with in-need 7th grade manatees. Lee works with pouring concrete floors underwater for Habitat for Humanatees. Man we love those manatees! I allowed the YOFO crew to observe our manatee return to the wild as they had never seen one before. The manatee being released was a female likely injured by a boat hull-strike. She was brought to Seaworld rehabilitation facility about 5 months ago because she was - well, to be brief - gonna die. The Seaworld team did their magic nursing this 800 lb cutie back to health, and in the process found out there was a challah in the oven, yep my girl (#2241) was preggers. It became a priority that she heal and be returned to the wild before giving birth so she could teach baby-2241 how to grow from a little boyatee into a manatee. #2241 was released and like Zoolander went right (into the Springs - and in so doing ensuring me $2 in the betting pool).

In the afternoon of Day 2 we got back in the kayaks and paddled up the Rainbow river. Thankfully this was not another Crack Creek experience. The water in the Rainbow River is crystal clear, and there were tons of cool wildlife, including a terrifying alligator that Dean informed me was a wee fella at only 5’ small. That is 7” shorter than me making it a toothy dinosaur about my size - and that is BIG in my book.

Missy nope-ing out while Dean keeps an eye on the gator

Dinner that evening was supercalifragilicious grilled grouper, prepared by none other than the YOFO chefs. Manatee do they have their system down to produce big flavor in a small space. The YOFOers have definitely figured out how to live life large in their tiny home..

After dinner a walk with their new pal Swinger was perfect, especially when I discovered the most unusual of exciting things - the most GINORMOUS pinecones I have ever seen.

We are talking 7-9 inches tall and 4-5 inches wide. I collected a bag full to be checked luggage on the flight home.

On Day 3 it was time to leave the LOFO crew and head further south, but not before devouring a completely out of place but magnificent crepe with english cream, real whipped cream and strawberries at the Tin Can Cafe, Hudson, Florida. The Crepe was that good.