Glad to hear the trip went good. Did you get hit by any of that bad weather? How was the kayaking?
I arrived on the first nice day they had in a week and left as the rain was about to return. The GAOTU was smiling on me.
The kayaking was very nice. I paddle a 14 foot boat and am used to being on the open ocean. As a result, I have pretty much every piece of safety equipment I can carry and am in the habit of regularly testing it and my ability to use it. I've had people call the Coast Guard when I purposely rolled my boat to practice wet exits
I read a web site that pointed out the "best" paddling spots in the area I was staying. The first one I went to was "Whiskey Creek" in the John U. Lloyd State Park near Ft. Lauderdale. With directions from the Ranger at the gate, I put in at a small boating area near "Colored Beach".
Colored Beach has a great history. It seems in the 1960s there were no beaches where African Americans could swim. The majority of the coast was private beaches and the only public ones were "Whites Only". John U. Lloyd was a local politician (white) who took the cause on and was instrumental in designating this beach for the use of African Americans, thus sparking the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement.
Here's the story if you want to learn more:
https://www.broward.org/Library/History/Documents/LongHardFightEqualRightsTequesta.pdf
The creek was flat and calm. It seems like it was about 3-4 miles long. Nobody but I had even a PFD on as if you flipped your boat, you would hit your head on the bottom. It was a nice paddle with lots of birds, fish and no snakes or alligators. I got a call from my Dad the first day I was there and left before completing the whole creek so I came back the next day, too.
West Lake was my next paddling spot. There was a kayak rental place with sit-on-top boats. I own a SOT that I use for fishing, they sacrifice speed for stability. The nice guy at the rental place gave me a trail map of the area and I spent a pleasant day snaking my way through all the trails through the lovely mangroves. I saw a flock of Egrets, an Osprey, a Great Blue Heron, and a couple of wading birds I couldn't identify.
There was one young man who must have been bored with the pace his family was setting on their rented boats. He challenged me to a race. I suggested we race to the nature center about a mile away. He gulped and agreed. It only took about ten seconds to show him the difference between his boat and mine
Since my Dad had caused a minor car accident, I was not able to get to the water other than those days as he needed my help with the reporting process. All in all, a nice trip but I think it's time for the "Do you think you should still be driving?" talk with Dad.