Our good fortune was the result of traveling with our friends Judy and John. John is a commercial fisherman in Alaska and spends a couple of months every summer salmon fishing; his friend and fellow Alaska fisherman Ricky was raised in Cedar Key and still calls the island home. Ricky invited Judy and John to visit—and lucky us, we got to tag along.
Ricky showed us a working side of Cedar Key that we wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. He has a blue crab, clam, and oyster business in Cedar Key, and took us out in his boat on a beautiful sunny day to pull crabs from his traps. That evening, he put on a low country boil, steaming up an assortment of clams, smoked sausage, new potatoes, corn, Brussels sprouts, shrimp, and blue crabs from the morning haul. The experience was casual—dump the food out onto the table, grab a beer, and dig in. And the food was outstanding.
Ricky’s boats are working boats, which means they have character. We rode in the back of his pick-up to the dock; after our boating expedition to check the crab traps, Ricky said, “Why don’t y’all just ride in the boat back to the house?” “Is that even legal?” I whispered to Judy. “Are you kidding?” she said. “This is our big chance to do the princess wave!” And so we rode in the boat back through the streets of Cedar Key, waving to everyone along the way. Ricky showed us the correct way to wave—“You were Homecoming King, weren’t you?” I accused. He grinned, “Twice!” As we pulled out of the parking lot, I involuntarily ducked down as we passed by a police officer standing on the side of the road. I just knew we were going to get busted. Instead, the cop gave us a princess wave as we passed by. I figure he must have gone to school with Ricky.
We had a fantastic time biking the island, kayaking two perfect days around the islands, and exploring the town. This trip, Eric and I stayed at Sunset Isle, a quirky and crowded RV park. Despite the fact that our neighbors were a mere 10 feet away, we liked the park for many reasons, including the fact that it’s within biking distance of town. Best of all, the park attracts excellent musicians who love getting together to jam. They were generous and welcoming, and we ended up every evening getting together to play and sing. The park is so popular that it’s booked solid for most of the winter—we’re hoping to get back down there before we leave Florida.[portfolio_slideshow]
I read this twice just feeling the really wonderful time you had in Cedar Key. The insider view is definitely the way to do it. I’m putting Sunset Isle on my list of must go places. We’ve been to Cedar Key a couple of times but stayed outside the town. Great place. GREAT POST!!
Thanks, Sherry! For us, the location and creative ambience of Sunset Isle made the tight quarters worthwhile.
Hello Laurel, It looks like you had a blast and the photos are amazing.
You’re right, it was a blast — I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed so much EVER! Glad you’re enjoying the blog — it’s fun hearing from you.
You did look like a princess in pants and without a tiara waving at your subjects!
Wow, that must have been quite fishing experience. It piqued my interest when you mentioned that your friend is a commercial fisherman from Alaska, It brought memories of my own halibut fishing in Alaska, two summers ago.
My mouth was watering with that spread of seafood boil…Yum.
Haha, next time we’re making sure we have our tiaras! It will be fun to hear your stories of fishing in Alaska when we get together on Saturday. :)
Great photos of one of our favorite places in the US. I got a big chuckle out of your “wave!”
It’s fast becoming one of our favorite places, too — we’re actually heading back down for another week mid-March! :)
How exciting to get the true Cedar Key experience and to feel like queen for a day!
We had such a fabulous time in Cedar Key. Thanks for bringing back some great memories! :)
It was REALLY fun — we always try wherever we go to experience life as “locals”, but it sure makes it easier when we actually know someone who lives there. I still laugh about your photos on the barstool in the Low Key Hideaway Tiki Bar…
After reading so many posts on Cedar Key and over into the panhandle, I think we’ll need to put FL on our must see list (most of my FL time has been spend in Clearwater and Orlando). Have fun meeting ML :-)
I’m biased because I have family roots in this part of Florida and grew up spending a lot of time in the Panhandle, but I think you’ll really enjoy it!
I really enjoyed reading this post and looking at the pictures! I did read it, I did read it!! Nothing is better than a low country boil, and you couldn’t get the seafood any fresher! Now….hmmmmm….after Eric’s post on FB kinda using you as gator bait, and then letting you ride in a boat on a trailer, this confirms my suspicions about him maybe trying to unload you? Was he fooling with the hitch or anything before you all took off? Regardless, your “float waves” were to perfection, made me proud. A tad of sisterly advice – sleep with one eye open for a while and be on your best behavior. Tell Eric he means the world to the family and I really love my sister a lot and am not ready to be an only child…..xxoo
Oh good, I’m glad I have you looking out for me! You’re the best sister ever! xo
So glad you could get together with your buds from Oregon and Florida at the same time, and get a real Florida experience together. Hopefully we can get back that way some winter with the Retro Daze and do the same with you. Look forward to hearing John and Judy’s report when they get back, K
Yes!!! We would love to travel with you and Cyn! Playing music all the way…:-)
Thank you for this post about one of our favorite places. Your photos are beautiful and brought back fond memories of our visits to Cedar Key. We love Cedar Key and enjoy staying at Sunset Isle for the same reasons you do.
There’s something magical about Cedar Key, isn’t there? It’s the perfect combination of nature and an interesting unspoiled little town. Happy you enjoyed the photos!
[…] island three times in the four months of our Florida winter sojourn (here, our introduction and an insider’s view). However, there are a couple of significant downsides to this island paradise that you should know […]