@Mushroom Check this out. The newly revised Royal Enfield Himalayan. This one cranks out close to 40 horsepower as opposed to just the 20 something of the previous model. I had almost considered buying the Himalayan back in 2022 and I'm glad I didn't because this looks much better and I'm seriously considering getting one. But I don't think they might not be in the US yet so it might be another year. https://www.advpulse.com/adv-bikes/royal-enfield-himalayan-452-review/
Right now there are just tons of them all over this area. There's a packing house right down the street from my house and a few more of them in the county. Seeing them busted open on the side of the road is not uncommon when people have their trailers overloaded.
I wanted to get a picture for you yesterday as I was driving down the road but it was a pain in the butt to extract my phone..... There's this pasture with probably 100 head of cattle and they take big trucks out there and dump watermelons and the cattle were just having a ball. It's right near that packing House so I'm thinking that the farmer either gets them for free or gets a really good deal on the rejects.
The shell of my barndominium is complete. I installed the main electrical panel and meter base. I should have permanent electric service in 2-3 weeks. I'm getting underground service and crews are busy recovering from the storm last week. I got really lucky. I haven't gotten insurance yet. I lost 4 50 to 70 ft trees in the 95 mph winds, but the house is fine. One tree fell just a few feet from my front porch.
Not a fan of them to begin with, but I've never had much luck getting one to live to maturity. I've followed all the how to grow guides but has never worked out for me.
Took my kayak out a couple of weeks ago and it is a very cheap 200 lb capacity boat and I weigh about 240 plus my gear.... So needless to say not very adequate for fishing. This one has a 300 lb capacity So I bought this one today from Walmart brand new for $400. Specifically designed for fishing and it's a sit on top model as opposed to a sit inside which is more difficult for a somewhat fat and somewhat older guy to get in and out of. Tuesday I will be going to dog Island off the coast of Boca grande which is about 4 acres and it is a undeveloped spoil Island formed from the dredging of the intercoastal waterway years ago. You can actually camp here with no permit. And unlike most of the little Islands it has a beach you can walk around and clear places to camp while all of the other little Islands are covered in 100% dense mangrove that is really impenetrable for all practical purposes. As you can see this one has an actual seat and a frame. Your back will really hate you with the cheaper model seats.
Satellite view of dog Island. Roughly 4 acres. I'll be spending all day thereafter paddling roughly 2 miles.
I have made it to the island. I wouldn't mind taking some vacation days and staying a night or two here but you better bring everything with you because there is nothing here. I probably have to get used to drinking warm beer but I've done it before and I can do it again. Of course I have ice now but that would probably only last into the early hours of the night with the fairly small cooler I have. And of course there is beer. So far I have caught one small Jack but I have mostly been sitting in the shade drinking beer and swimming. I have a fishing rod and my hand line with larger tackle for the big fish and I have my cast net so hopefully I will have a mess of mullet by the end of the day. I have seen plenty of them. Blue blue water. This is probably one of the best areas of the Gulf Coast. What you see off in the distance is the now defunct railroad trestle that used to run from mainland Florida to the tip of Boca grande Island where they would load phosphate boats and of course fishing boats coming and going to ply their wares. Back before the gill net ban, fisherman would come out here and catch hundreds if not a thousand pounds of mullet a day sometimes. No shortage of boat traffic around but aside from one boat with a family that landed and fished for a little while I am here completely by myself. I can even pretend I own the place. Lol .I may just boat over to the railroad trestle before the end of the day and fish or maybe see if I can throw a net from it
Currently conditions are not conducive to my return voyage. The Tide is going out the opposite direction and sometimes a bit of a breeze pushing it. But that is okay and I shall not perish. I still have ice and beer and food and water and can be here until dark if it pleases me. I think it was roughly a 1.6 mi paddle possibly upwards of 2 mi.... To reach here from my launching point. If I should fail to return tell them to look at dog Island first. Lol Right now I have an excellent shady spot sitting just at the water line on the other side of my boat and life is good.
Sweet! Glad you got a beautiful day and thanks for the pics. I'm pretending I'm on the beach in pic #2 right now.
Definitely my happy time and place. I like to be out here and visit this island twice a month.... But things don't always work out that way. Lots and lots of doctor's appointments and many of them are 30 to 50 miles from home. But anyhow.... Such is life. Sitting here pondering my next move in the shade while I have it. Low tide is not until 6:50 something p.m. High tide peaked around 10:50 am and I got here about 20 minutes before that
More pictures. You can see the Boca grande drawbridge on the causeway in the distance. More of the trestle.
Probably the best fishing spot that I visited was the top of the railroad trestle where it connected to a large earthen levee that some sections were constructed on top of instead of just pilings in the water. Right there as the tide is moving in and out is a deeper spot where the water is ripping. Anytime you find a spotlight that that is where you should fish. Predatory fish sit in those areas and wait for the water current to bring them smaller fish. And that is where I sit on top of the trestle and fish from !
I wished I would have taken closer pictures of these mangroves growing on these trestles but I had already put my phone into several dry bags by the time I had thought about it. Don't want my phone going in the drink. The root structure of these mangroves growing directly into and all over the railroad ties was pretty amazing. I want to say that back in the day the railroad trestle was the only connection from land to the island of Boca grande which is the city on the island but it's actually called gasparilla Island. I imagine any house on that island probably sells for around 3 million plus. Those islands are nice but you are ground zero for a hurricane.... They are referred to as barrier Islands after all There's a couple of state parks and wonderful beaches there but you do also have to pay $6 toll to go across the causeway. They going to keep the really poor people out of there ! Lol
Looks pretty solid. When I lived in Richmond, VA we used to frequent some great freshwater fishing spots right smack dab in the middle of downtown along the Falls of the James River. From the north bank you can walk across a railroad trestle to an island in the middle of the river where you can climb down and fish on the other islands and rocks, and the Smallmouth Bass fishing is some of the best you'll find anywhere - I caught a trophy sized Smally (5 lbs. +) just downstream of the Manchester Bridge where the rapids open up into some pools where the big fish hunt for their prey. I've seen some enormous gars lurking around in there along with the big Smallmouths. It's kinda weird that some of the best freshwater fishing in Virginia is right in the middle of Richmond, but since the city is parked on the Falls it makes sense. Originally, like many old cities on the East Coast, it was settled where boats carrying people and goods (often tobacco, which practically served as cash during the Colonial Era) had to portage between the freshwater section above the Falls and the tidal section beneath it, and as the population and commerce grew canals were built to load and unload goods at the warehouses and businesses along the river and to provide a passage around the Falls. Later, with the advent of the railroad, Richmond became a major transportation hub, which was one reason why it was so important to the Confederacy, and of course all of that got trashed in April 1865 when the Confederate troops torched the city and blew up the armories downtown (Lee would surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House a week later). It's right in this area where the railroad trestle and our fishing spots are located, and as you can see, Thomas Jefferson's Capitol building is in the background:
A very fascinating history and a testament to the confederate's love of their home. I would burn it all down too before the enemy got hold of it. I wanted to walk out there and throw a cast net for mullet but if the truth be known.... As many beers as I had in me I was already pushing my luck getting up there and fishing. Those railroad ties are wide open and for me to throw a cast net I have to spin around somewhat like a ballerina..... A drunken and clumsy ballerina..... Who could very easily break a leg up there... So I decided to just sit there and drink a few more beers and fish
Born and raised about 12 miles from here and saw this many times with my own eyes. Used to swim and fish there. Now I am about 200 mi away but I would sure love to get up there and see it again.