A Visit to Cedar Key

On Friday afternoon, we decided to take a drive to Cedar Key.  It’s a small key in the Gulf, north of Crystal River, and pretty much out in the middle of nowhere.  We had to drive 24 miles north of Crystal River, and another 24 miles west to the Gulf. 

Cedar Key is a really quaint, quiet town consisting primarily of motels, restaurants and a few RV Parks.  There must be a population of fulltime residents, though, because there was an Elementary School, too.

We parked at the beach,

and then walked along the waterfront Main Street, checking out several little shops.  We didn’t buy anything, although Bryce saw a “Duck Dynasty” T-shirt that he liked (they didn’t have one small enough for him).  There were lots of restaurants, and if it hadn’t been Friday we would have probably stopped in one for dinner.  (Tom & Nick could have eaten seafood, but Bryce and I didn’t see anything we wanted.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went back to the car, and drove around the island a bit, until we came to the Cemetery Point Park,

and decided to see where the boardwalk went.

With Bryce in the lead,

we walked along the edge of the cemetery,

passing birds,

and abandoned boats.

Eventually we came to a playground and fitness trail, and the boys just had to try it out!

We were on a small peninsula in the estuary, and enjoyed scenic views in every direction!

We were all getting a little hungry, so we decided to head back toward Crystal River and look for a place to have dinner.  In the little town of Inglis, there was a restaurant called “Mama Sally’s”, with a full parking lot, so we decided to stop.  Lucky for us, it was still early, and they hadn’t completely filled up yet.  Tom had flounder, which he said was really good (and inexpensive!), Bryce & I had spaghetti, and Nicolas had pancakes.  It was a really good meal, and reasonable, too . . . and the people there were really friendly!

To end the day on a good note . . . we were on our way home, just cruising along, not really in any hurry . . . and as we crossed the county line, saw a sheriff car coming at us.  Uh oh!  The speed limit changes constantly on this road (we had even commented on that on our way to Cedar Key), and sure enough, we had just entered a 55 zone.  Yes, he pulled us over . . . Tom explained that we were unfamiliar with the area and having trouble keeping track of the speed limit as it constantly changed.  The deputy was very nice, and after checking Tom’s license, he let us go without so much as a warning!  WHEW!  What a relief!