Riding In Peace

Taking time to enjoy Florida�s beautiful Peace River

Text and photos by Kathryn Stauffacher

The Peace River is one of the longest rivers in Florida at over 105 miles. It is bordered mostly by natural preserve and farmland. Last weekend we dropped our skis in at Arcadia, in the very middle of the state. Arcadia, and much of central Florida, is completely different in character and culture from the large coastal cities. This is the land of rodeos, cattle ranches, citrus groves, gators and water… lots of water, lakes, rivers and springs. This particular public launch sits just about in the middle of the Peace River giving us the option of running either direction.

This trip turned out to be one of our best days ever on the water. We initially headed north, hoping to find out how far up we could go under these optimal conditions. Thanks to weeks of copious rain, most of the river was navigable. After dropping to a courteous idle – four times in a ten minute span to avoid swamping the cute little families out in canoes – we switched directions and headed south toward Charlotte Harbor. On the left, just past our launch, was a small group of fossil hunters plunging soil collecting tubes into the muck and sifting the samples in search of ancient remains. The Peace River is famous for fossiling and, in particular, for the fine shark teeth found there.

The river here is a series of long winding turns shaded by overhanging palms, oaks and cypress trees. The width from bank to bank ranges from to 20 feet across to 100 feet. We easily ran our skis side by side. The water was smooth as glass and ran on like this for over 30 miles of twists and turns. We became confident that we could read this river pretty easily, avoiding partially submerged logs and branches, and opened up the throttles running the sharp S-curves at 30 to 40 mph. On some of the sandy bends you could still see the ski ahead of you, by glancing across the shallow bank, as it moved around the other side of the meander. We found the smooth scenic highway of river thrilling after spending so much of our time in the gulf. Each new stretch of river offered up something interesting. Rope swings, camouflaged fish camps, wild hogs, wandering cattle and exotic African animals pushed close to the fence at a wildlife sanctuary.

We passed under at least six bridges, and each was unique. There were arched road bridges, wooden railroad bridges and modern highway spans. There is something childishly fun about passing under each and every bridge. We were not alone on the river. We may spend our weekends at the beach but the folks who live inland head to the river banks with their campers or air boats, families in tow, to take advantage of the white sandy shores. Still there were long stretches of open, empty water allowing us to open the throttle and whip around the graceful curves with a simple shift of body weight on the inward side of the ski.

Very gradually, toward the bay, the river opens up into wide flats surrounded by river grasses. The vistas are expansive with limitless sky and grass, much like an African savanna but on the water. We pushed on to the big city bridges and Charlotte Harbor, then turned to hunt up a lunch spot back on the river. Nothing was easily visible in terms of river side dining so, with a little help from the locals, we discovered the Nav-a-Gator Grille up a wide side branch.

As soon as we entered, we found the atmosphere to be positive and upbeat. The hum of voices was high toned and happy. After running that beautiful river, who wouldn't be happy? There was a good crowd inside and out, with live music on the deck. The music here is considered a trop-rock. The owner was a charming, jovial fellow called Captain Dennis; I began to wonder if Santa might own a second business where frozen water can only be found as the tinkling of ice cubes in cocktails. He has owned the restaurant and marina for five years. Along with the main restaurant and bar, there is an outside dining area, a tikki hut for events and even a sea plane dock. We were able to gas up there, which was most excellent.

The Nav-A-Gator sits on a protected spit of land that has served variety of purposes over its 150-year history, including a pirate hideaway, a trading post and a home to rum runners. The Captain regaled us with tales of sitting through the eye of Hurricane Charlie and watching the roof try to lift off and take flight. He made good on the familiar sign "Free Beer Tomorrow" the very next day as they emptied the taps for all comers. (Thanks for the post-hurricane gift Summer Santa.) The area was devastated but the Nav-A-Gator Grille remained. They describe their food as fine dining in a basket and it did not disappoint. Stomachs and tanks topped off, we raced back upriver to our launch spot – looking forward to a return trip with plans to come on a weekday.

We came back six days later on a Friday to find the launch area empty and discovered that we would have the river to ourselves. The hope was to finally make the trek up river into the wilder, more remote sections of the river. The upper river was nothing short of spectacular. The view of cypress knees and moss draped trees felt like the everglade swamps and the Florida springs rolled into one fantastic scene. I felt as far removed from society as I would on an Amazon trek. No other boats and wild life around every turn. At every corner we would flush out more exotic creatures. Roseate spoonbills shimmered like pink cotton candy in the air. Ducks, cormorants, egrets and herons took briefly to wing just in front of the skis.

We slowed on occasion so as not to end up like Fabio on a roller coaster. Some birds were sure they could keep up and flew along just ahead of the ski. Winding ever forward I pulled the spelunker trick of looking backward for markers. When the river forked I would glance back to see what the perspective would be like coming from the opposite direction. It is easy to get lost in some rivers with multiple routes. This was not a problem on the Peace. Most side branches quickly hit a dead end and the strong current indicated the main branches clearly.

At one point on the trip I glanced down at the Honda's instrument panel. It read 100 hours. What a nice treat is must have been to be running in fresh water after spending her first 94 hours in the Gulf of Mexico. I reflected on what a nimble little gas sipper she has been and what a good investment I had made one year ago. One oil change coming up!

After an hour of riding, we reached a spot where the fallen palmettos had been chain sawed back to create a narrow pass for fishing boats. It presented a clever little challenge, to kick the tail of the ski around making the tiny S-turn that was required. Big grins all around after that one. Running as lead ski in new terrain is a double-edged sword. You get that incredibly smooth water and you are the first to see what is around each bend. Unfortunately, you are also the first to test the depth of the water. Only once did one of us run aground. Fritz made his turn a bit too close to shore, trying to avoid another downed tree. I waited just short of his position, in the strong current, watching him struggle in waist deep water wrestling his boat off the sand bank.

Just ten minutes earlier we had stopped to watch a five-foot gator slither off the bank into the water to get a closer look at us. Usually on a river in Florida we would have seen at least a dozen gators by now, but when the water is high they don't have places to lounge on the banks. No doubt there were many gators close by. When it was my turn, I heeded his advice and cut as close to the tree as possible and, with a slight bump, I was over. I assumed we would dead end soon but it never happened. We just ran on and on for another hour of winding turns and crazy beautiful scenery. Every time it narrowed down, the river would open up wider around the next bend. We still didn't know how far we could go up river but we did know that there was no fuel dock in the upper reaches, so we spun around and headed back. I glanced ahead and noticed Fritz had his legs stretched forward, resting his now bare feet up on the gunwales. It seemed an appropriate way to end the day. Barefoot, sunburned, and as care free as Tom Sawyer.