After Saturday’s epic 20-miler, I (literally) ran home so the Boyfriend and I could head to Crystal River for a camping and manatee excursion with friends. We purchased a Groupon months ago for Swim with Manatees and this weekend was the soonest they could squeeze us in. Apparently, they sold a lot of Groupons…

We decided to rent kayaks on Saturday afternoon to enjoy the beautiful weather and explore the springs. I hadn’t been kayaking since I was a kid and was incredibly excited to go. Jessie made sure to ask the best route for optimum manatee viewing.

The water at Crystal River is so clear. We saw a few manatees up close. Patrick filmed the whole experience with our GoPro. I will post the video as soon as it’s edited!

After kayaking the river we made our way to Chassahowitzka River Campground to set up camp for the night.

We made dinner on a little Coleman stove, then sat by the campfire and made s’mores. I made myself a peanut butter, banana, graham cracker s’more-ish creation. Holy amazing! If you are looking for an easy vegan alternative for s’mores I would definitely recommend it.

Our snorkeling adventure began at 7:30am Sunday. We woke up to cooler weather from the front that moved through this weekend. As soon as we got to the location it started raining. The cold rain, cold air and wind in my face made the boat ride less than enjoyable. I am not kidding I think I froze on the boat ride.

However, the water was 74 degrees and much warmer than the air temperature. As soon as we got in the manatees all swam over to our group and played around. That experience made the whole chilled-to-the-bone boat ride worthwhile.

Unfortunately, I have no pictures of us snorkeling because I couldn’t feel my hands.

In spite of the weather, this was such an awesome experience. A great time with even greater friends. I’d love to go back, as soon as it warms up a bit.