King’s Landing, FL
For my partner’s 26th birthday, we decided to ride down to Florida for a 2-day weekend trip to see some wildlife! We drove 6 hours from home to Crystal River for the start of our weekend adventure. Crystal River, FL is known for the groups of manatee that migrate there during the colder months to stay warm in the naturally occurring springs. his was my first time ever swimming with any kind of wild life intentionally, so naturally I had no idea what I was in for. It was mid January, the weather was nice but the water was BRICK. Swimming with sea cows in less than ideal water was an experience I’ll never forget. I saw a couple of them up close and swam right over one a couple of times accidentally (the water was really murky). My heart jumped when I saw one of their tails appear in my face! It was as wide as my shoulders and scattered with small scars from a life in the bay. It was quite magical to be able to share the same water with so many large mammals. Definitely would do again…
