Kayak Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Marylee Dunphy, Maria Riley
Date: May 15, 2026
At Tomoka State Park, we departed from the Tomoka Outpost and paddled north on the Tomoka River. Rosie and I were in a double kayak while Maria and Mary Lee had single kayaks. The water was smooth and the weather was sunny and 74 degrees. As we paddled around the north end of the land mass we passed where the former native American Timucuan village of Nocoroco once stood. Through the thick trees we could barely see the upstretched arms of the giant statue of Chief Tomokie (Photo #4). Before reaching the Halifax River, we turned right into an inland stream and kayaked south around Helicopter Island. We did not see any manatees or alligators, but saw a few turtles, an egret and a blue heron. After looking for wildlife, we turned around and paddled back to the outpost.
Before leaving the park, we hiked over to the forty-foot tall Chief Tomokie statue, built in 1955. The statue shows the chief defending the area atop a wall surrounded by warriors.
Later that day, not in the river but nearby in the Atlantic Ocean, we had an up-close encounter in the water with Portuguese Man of War jellyfish (Photo #5).
To top of the exciting day, looking south towards Camp Kennedy, we saw in the distance a Space X rocket launch (Photo #6).
