BurnhamGuides

Historic Pigeon Key Free Family Fun Day Jan. 14, 2012

2011-12-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

Historic Pigeon KeyBill & Mary Burnham, authors of the “Florida Keys Paddling Atlas,” will lead a free paddling trip from Knight’s Key, under the Seven Mile Bridges, out to historic Pigeon Key for the Marathon Flagler Centennial Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012.

Bring your kayak to Knight’s Key Campground for the 9 a.m. launch. Burnham Guides will be providing some for free: Call 305-240-0650 or email mary@burnhamguides.com to reserve one. Enjoy the Family Fun Day, from 10 a.m. -4 p.m., featuring reenactments, free kayaking, demonstrations, period games, dancing, music and food. Dress 1900s-style for the 1 p.m. costume contest! The Burnhams will give a slide show and book-signing at 11 a.m.

Gift the Gift of Adventure

2011-11-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

Give the adventurer-seeker on your list a truly unique experience on a "Paddle with the Authors" kayak camping trip in the Florida Keys or Everglades.

We make your shopping easy: We'll send a personalized gift certificate, wrapped up with a signed copy of our "Florida Keys Paddling Atlas" or "Kayaking for Everyone" included.

Short on time? We can email the certificate right to their in-box up until Christmas Eve.

From an easy Keys overnight to our new 8-day Everglades' Wilderness Waterway, we have a trip for every skill level. Visit BurnhamGuides.com for details. Email or give us a call at 305-240-0650 to place your order.

-2-5 day Florida Keys: mid-January through early April, 2012
-8-day Everglades' Wilderness Waterway: Feb. 16-23

-10-day Key Largo to Key West: March 13-22

-No expiration date

-Pricing is easy at $175 per day: Includes kayak, camping gear, all meals, and instruction.

New: Everglades Wilderness Waterway

2011-11-26T16:14:00.000-08:00

We've added a brand new offering to Burnham Guides' fully-outfitted kayak camping trips: 8-days on the 100-mile Wilderness Waterway trail through the Everglades.

Experienced guides take paddlers through the mangrove maze of Everglades National Park on a 100-mile expedition between Flamingo and Everglades City. We'll go both inside, where camping is on chickees and ground sites, and outside, on palm tree beaches.

Dates: Feb. 16-23, 2012

Difficulty: This is a strenuous trip, for experienced paddlers able to kayak up to 15 miles per day.

Cost: $1400 per person includes sea kayaks, camping gear, meals, camping fees & shuttle back to start. 20% discount for bringing own sea kayak and camping gear. Limited to 6 people.

Closest Airport: Miami

Call 305-240-0650 or E-mail for more information.

Florida Paddling Trails Association: Why join?

2011-10-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I realized that we had inadvertently let our Burnham Guides membership with the Florida Paddling Trails Association (FPTA) lapse. I quickly and easily renewed online and was soon enjoying the benefits once again!

As a kayak guide business we get great exposure on their website, which is visited by thousands of paddlers on a regular basis. Individual or family memberships have many benefits as well (including 10% off or our Florida Keys trips!), and help the greater Florida paddling community.

Bill and I are most familiar with the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail, which we've been working with since 2003. It's now part of a network of water trails around the entire state known as the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail. Then there are all the river trails, like the Suwannee. FPTA is the official steward of ALL paddling trails in Florida. It takes a huge network of volunteers to make this work.

So take a look at their website, consider joining and maybe even becoming a Trailkeeper in your region. Anyone who goes on our trips is encouraged to do a beach clean-up along the way, making you an automatic volunteer!

The major missions of the FPTA are:

Develop water trails

Protect the environment along the trails

A resource and voice for paddlers

Paddling Perks

2011-08-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

Burnham Guides' Florida Keys winter trips include all the basics for a multi-day paddling adventure: kayaks, gear, camping gear, all food and water, and even the toilet!

Christine, Licensed Massage Therapist

But in addition to necessities, we like to provide little treats and luxuries at the end of the paddling day. As soon as our boats hit the sand, we are pulling out the appetizers for an al fresco spread.

You work pretty hard on our 100-mile Key Largo to Key West trip, so we schedule in a rest day with optional massages in camp!

We like to eat well in the outdoors and figure you do to. People often ask, don't we have to resort to pre-packaged, dried food on our multi-day trips in the backcountry. The answer is a resounding NO!

Apps on the Beach

Over nearly 20 years backpacking and kayak camping ourselves, we've learned some tricks of the trade for bringing the freshest food possible. The first night of a trip usually features some fresh Florida seafood, like mahi mahi or flounder, sauteed or in a taco with lots of key lime juice and cilantro.

Fresh vegetables and fruit that travel well are always available. We might have some pre-cooked Stone Crab along the way, or even Florida lobster, if we can get it.

That said, we don't eat seafood all the time. There's chicken, meat and tofu meals and we can accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets as long as you let us know ahead of time.

Coffee lovers will not have to do without. We get it brewing before you get out of your tent. Mary is known for her camp coffee, and may offer your choice of drip, espresso, or even Cuban coffee (cafe con leche), her personal favorite.

Enjoying a Florida Stone Crab spread in the woods!

But an unbiased customer review probably means way more than anything we say here. So check out Wendy's blog from last year's trip, where she describes the menu so much better than we can!

For trip details, go to BurnhamGuides.com

Early Booking Discount

2011-08-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Click for Slide Show

We've just updated BurnhamGuides.com with the details on our 2012 "Paddle with the Authors" Florida Keys trips, ranging from 2 to 10 days mid-January through March, 2012.

And for the first time ever, we are offering a sweet deal to encourage early bookings: A 15% discount on trips booked by Sept. 30, 2011.

Mid-January through March, we are again offering 2-3 night trips in the Lower Keys Backcountry (click on the photo for a glimpse into this sublime experience), Seven Mile Bridge overnights, and the bucket-list trip of a lifetime, our annual 100-mile, 10-day Key Largo to Key West, scheduled for March 13-22, 2012.

The 2012 Centennial of Henry Flagler's famous railroad from Miami to Key West will make it a very special year for paddling beneath these scenic bridges. The KL2KW "Century" trip will include some special historic stops and events. We're keeping the group small and we expect the KL2KW to fill up like last year's.

If you book early, you will not only get a discount, but will have a good chance of getting the dates that work best for you. So if you are at all tempted, shoot us an EMAIL, give us a call at 305-240-0650, or check out BurnhamGuides.com

Florida Keys Road Trip

2011-03-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

Many of our customers end up flying into Ft. Lauderdale or Miami since the fares are often less than Key West. If so, you can take the Keys Shuttle, Greyhound bus, or rent a car and drive down. We've had requests for sights to see along the way, so we thought we'd post some of our favorites.

You’ll want to leave plenty of time driving down the 100-mile Route 1 Overseas Highway that island-hops the Florida Keys to Key West, the southernmost point in the Continental US. For one, it’s a gorgeous drive, recently named a Great American Road. For another, the speed limit is 45 to 55 with plenty of speed traps!

Historic Route 1 sign

Once you get off the Florida Turnpike in Homestead, you have a choice: the 18-mile recently redone “Stretch” or Card Sound Road, a toll road that costs all of a buck. If you take the Stretch, stop in at Gilbert’s tiki bar; if Card Sound, pull into Alabama Jack’s, a funky watering hole amid the mangroves. Keep your eyes fixed on the creek below for colorful fish and a manatee may even glide silently by.

Key Largo

You’ll start to notice numbered small green signs on the side of the road. These milemarkers start on the Stretch, around 112, and go down to 0 in Key West. It’s a great way to give directions in the Keys. There’s ‘bayside’ for Florida Bay, on your right if heading south, and ‘oceanside’ on your left, referring to the Atlantic Ocean.

At mm104 bayside is the famous Caribbean Club bar where portions of the Bogey and Bacall film Key Largo were filmed. Despite it’s claim to fame, it’s refreshingly un-touristy and family-owned for nearly a half-century. There’s usually some Harleys parked outside, dogs are welcome, and there’s a flock of wild parrots that perch above the waterfront picnic tables.

Pop into Florida Bay Outfitters next door, a really neat kayak shop that sells our “Florida Keys Paddling Atlas.” Tell them Mary and Bill sent you!

North America’s only living coral barrier reef draws divers and snorkelers from all over the world to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park at mm 102.5 oceanside. Even if you don’t take the boat out to the reef, the park is a great introduction to the flora and fauna of the Keys, with nature walks and kayaks trails through mangrove tunnels, a small aquarium, and two beaches.

Islamorada (pronouned eye-la-mor-ada)

While fishing is legendary throughout the Keys, Islamorada is the ultimate destination for a deep-sea sailfish adventure, fly-fishing for tarpon in the nearby Everglades or flats fishing for bonefish. World Wide Sportsman at mm 81.5 bayside is a fun place whether you fish or not. It’s one of the more unique in the BassPro Shop chains, where you can step aboard the "Pilar," sister ship to Hemingway's famous fishing boat, or dine at the elegant Zane Grey Lounge overlooking the marina.

Robbie’s Marina, mm 77 bayside, is the jumping off point for a boat or kayak trip to Indian Key, the island ruins of the first seat of Dade County. A visit to the Keys isn’t complete until you feed the giant tarpon that wait off Robbie’s dock.

Lower Keys
Once you cross the spectacular 7 Mile Bridge from Marathon, you've entered the Lower Keys. This is where we do our Backcountry kayak trips, and where you can see the endangered Key Deer. Stop in at the Key Deer Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on Big Pine Key to learn more.

Key West

Cats jumping through flaming hoops, fire-eaters, clothing-optional bars. There’s no place quite as “ultimate” as the southernmost city in America, from the nightly Mallory Square sunset celebration to the Duval Street “pub crawl”.

Sloppy Joe’s is one of the more popular tourist bars, with lots of Hemingway claims to fame. Some of our favorite bars are the Green Parrot, Schooner Wharf Bar, and the Bull and Thistle (there’s a clothing-optional bar on the roof if you are so inclined!)

Wherever you choose to stop on your Florida Keys road trip, shoes are optional and the sunset lingers.

For more information visit Florida Keys Tourism

Getting to the Keys: a Tip to Save on Flights

2011-02-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

There’s still room on some of our March trips, but if you are checking airfares into Key West, you may get sticker shock! They were fairly low in January and early February, but now that Spring Break has kicked in, the fares have gone way up.

Here’s a tip that may help: Fly into Ft. Lauderdale, rent a car and drive down the Keys, and save up to half on your airfare. For example, we just did a quick search on cheapfares.com and SouthWest Airlines, and round-trip flights from Washington Dulles to Key West in March are over $500. Dulles to Ft. Lauderdale round-trip flights are starting at about $230 (plus taxes and fees, of course).

US 1 is a recent designee as a Great All American Road and a spectacular drive across historic railroad bridges and Caribbean-blue waters. Leave enough time, as the speed limit is 45 most of the way, and you’ll want to stop off at some famous—and quirky—places, like the Caribbean Club in Key Largo and Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada, home of the giant tarpon. Our Lower Keys kayak trips start around milemarker 25 in the Big Pine Key area.

In a future blog post, we’ll list some of our favorites stops on a Road Trip to Paradise!

Backcountry Camping in the Lower Keys

2011-02-19T11:02:00.000-08:00

Check out our slide show of backcountry kayak camping in the Florida Keys. We do it in style!

Also, here's a blog post from a customer on this trip. She did a great journal of words and photos: blow-by-blow of wildlife sightings, paddling routes and even menus!

Paddling in Paradise: 3-day trip

2011-02-10T07:06:00.000-08:00

Warm and gentle winds from the south and east have caressed the Florida Keys these last few weeks and served as a good omen for the first BurnhamGuide trip of 2011 through the wide open waters of the Lower Keys Backcountry.

When traveling by kayak, a tail wind is always appreciated; this one helped push our kayaks northwest for our nine-mile Day One journey.

At Snipe Point, low tide exposed sand flats as far as the eye could see. It seemed entirely possible to walk to nearby Marvin Key across a watery desert. Far from barren, the flats at low tide reveal hidden wonders: marine worms, whelks, Florida fighting conchs.

Then the tide rolls back in and the sun melts like a ball of yellow candy into a dark horizon. A billion stars emerged as we sat around the fire, soaking in the moonless sky.

Come morning, a reddish egret chased minnows in a shallow pool in front of our tent. For three days we immersed ourselves, paddling along the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, making time to indulge our passions, be it yoga, journaling, photography, or just sitting on a beach where you felt like the only humans alive on the planet.

Always close to our minds were encounters of the wild kind. At the Inner Passage, a three-foot sand shark approached, it’s camouflaged tan body blending perfectly with the bottom. It same me and with a "swoosh" it was gone. We bid it adieu and dug in our paddles for another gorgeous day of paddling in paradise.

If you'd like to join us, BurnhamGuides still has room left on several trips in February and early March, 2011. Email or call 305-240-0650 for availability.

Florida Keys VolunTourism

2011-01-14T08:39:00.000-08:00

Mary after an island clean-up

Kayaking across warm tropical waters by day and setting up camp on island beaches at night is a privilege we don’t take lightly. That’s why we try to incorporate at least one beach clean-up on our multi-day kayak trips in the Florida Keys.

If you choose to participate in a clean-up, we’ll log your volunteer hours with the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail. This makes you trail volunteers and VolunTourists!

Trash is not only unsightly, it can be hazardous to marine life. While paddling through the mangroves, you may see Bill or I pull over to the side, flip open a jackknife and cut away some fishing line hanging from the branches. Birds can become entangled in the line, and animals may choke on hooks. The line can be deposited in monofilament recycling containers located at many of the public boat ramps in the Keys.

If you want to volunteer further, consider joining the Florida Paddling Trails Association, which covers all the water trails throughout the state.

Visit www.BurnhamGuides.com to see our 2011 trip details.

Florida Keys Paddling Party

2010-10-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

We're having a Keys Party, book-signing and slide show during Onancock's Second Friday: Nov. 12, 2010, 5-8 p.m. at SouthEast Expeditions at the Wharf, 2 King St., Onancock, VA

Enjoy a tropical evening inside SouthEast's cozy kayak shop and hear about the trips we'll be leading this winter in the Florida Keys, mid-January through March 2011.

Our small group expedition trips range from one-day paddles to Key West, easy overnights along the Seven Mile Bridge, to the infamous 100-mile paddle from Key Largo to Key West, scheduled for March 22-31, 2001, with room for several more.

We'll be giving slide show presentations every hour starting at 5 p.m., followed by question-and-answer and signing copies of our Florida Keys Paddling Atlas and Knack Kayaking for Everyone..

BOOK A TRIP THIS EVENING AND GET 10% OFF THE COST! Gift Certificates available. Trip details at BurnhamGuides.com

Paddle Key Largo to Key West March 22-31, 2011

2010-10-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

The dates are set for our annual 100-mile paddle from Key Largo to Key West, Florida, the Southernmost Point in the U.S. The 10-day trip will be March 22-31, 2011, kayak camping all the way.

We’ll launch from Key Largo, paddle between 7 and 17 miles per day, and land 10 days later in Key West, in time for the Sunset Celebration in Mallory Square. The cost of $1,500 includes everything: kayak, gear, camping gear, all meals, and instruction along the way.

From mid-January through mid-March, we'll offer customized trips ranging from one-night along the Seven Mile Bridge to 2-5 days in the Lower Keys Backcountry. The cost is $150 per person per day for however many days you want to be out.

Upon booking any trip, you’ll receive a copy of our award-winning Florida Keys Paddling Atlas so you can see just where we’ll be going! All the details are at BurnhamGuides.com with photos and video from last year’s trips here

Feel free to e-mail or call 305-240-0650 with any questions!

Hitting the Trail: Updating "Hiking Virginia"

2010-09-01T04:10:00.000-07:00

When we’re not paddling this fall, we’ll be hitting the trail, quite literally, to update our first book, Hiking Virginia. It’s been 10 years since we did the initial research, so we are going to re-hike many of them, add new chapters (like James River State Park, which wasn’t even open back then!), and add GPS coordinates and color photos to every chapter.

We’re excited to make this book we love even better: a National Outdoor Book Award Honorable Mention, it has sold more than 20,000 copies.

We’ll be posting trail reports here weekly, from easy walks near cities, like Newport News Park, to the lung-busting 100-plus-mile Pine Mountain Trail that follows the high ridge between Virginia and Kentucky. The first post will be up soon!

Florida Keys Kayaking Trips in 2011

2010-08-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

We're now taking reservations for our 2011 Florida Keys paddling trips for mid-January through March!

Customized itineraries range from one-day paddles to Key West, Seven Mile Bridge overnights, 3-days in the backcountry to the full 100-mile 10-day adventure from Key Largo to Key West.

Join us, outdoor writers and kayak guides Bill and Mary Burnham, for multi-day kayak camping trips in the Florida Keys this winter. You'll find yourself literally paddling from the pages of the our award-winning Florida Keys Paddling Atlas.

Trips include all camping and kayaking gear, meals cooked for you, and instruction. Each couple or family will take home a signed copy of our Atlas, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award.

We've just uploaded Customer Reviews from last year's trips.Visit BurnhamGuides.com to start paddling in paradise! Call 305-240-3298 or e-mail with your dates.

Book-Signing/Kayak Shop Opening April 9

2010-04-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

We've chosen Onancock's Second Friday art stroll (April 9, 5-8 pm) to open SouthEast Expedition's newest kayak shop on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and debut our two new outdoor books, hot off the press!

After 3 years leading kayak trips in the Onancock area for Dave Burden's SouthEast Expeditions, we are excited to now have an on-water location for tours, rentals and paddling gear. Headquartered at Sunset Beach near Cape Charles on the southern tip of the Eastern Shore of VA, SouthEast has been the premiere kayak outfitter on the shore for the last decade.

The historic Steamboat Ticket Office is an ideal spot for the northern shore Onancock-area tours. It sits right next to the historic Hopkins Bros Store housing Mallards at the Wharf offering indoor and outdoor dining and entertainment by chef Johnny Mo. We've arranged with Mallards to offer delicious box lunches to our kayakers!

You can see the little ticket office behind Bill in the photo above, to the left of Mallards' red roof. Both buildings are owned by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society and figure prominently in Onancock's nautical history and our historic kayak tours!

The first art stroll of the year is perfect timing with the release of our two new books this month: "Knack Kayaking for Everyone" and "Best Hikes Near Washington DC." We're also fresh from paddling the 100-mile length of the Florida Keys, so we tell you all about it and will also have copies of our "Florida Keys Paddling Atlas."

Come see the shop, meet other paddlers, and learn about paddling destinations up and down the Shore.

If you can't make it this weekend, consider planning a visit to our wonderful harborfront town of Onancock with B&Bs, dining and galleries.

The shop's regular hours will be Thurs-Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, but we'll arrange a tour or rental other days by appointment: 757-787-2933

Day 9 Key Largo to Key West finale

2010-03-28T04:49:00.000-07:00

Our last day paddling from Key Largo to Key West dawned clear and beautiful as we departed from Geiger Key Marina & Campground. As we passed Boca Chica Beach, we were treated to an airshow by NAS Key West. Here’s a video of an F-18 practice landing right over Bill’s kayak!

From there, much of this side of the islands are undeveoped and you can see lots of birds and sealife. My kayak passed right over a 4-foot loggerhead sea turtle sitting on the bottom!

We took out at Lazy Dog Adventures, where Sue is kind enough to let us haul out our boats. Our good friend Christine met us with the van and helped us load up, then we all sat down with a cold pitcher of Key West Sunset Ale from Hurricane Joe’s.

We’re thinking this route would make a great day trip for next season’s trips, starting with breakfast at Geiger Key Smokehouse and ending with the sunset celebration at Mallory Square. If you’re interested, email us!

Day 8 Key Largo to Key West

2010-03-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

This was a day of extremes, starting with a cold rainy paddle and ending with a toasty St. Patrick’s Day at the Geiger Key Smokehouse Grill (and campground, great place!).

From Sugarloaf KOA, we paddled through beautiful Sammy’s Creek, and popped out on the oceanside to sunny skies and clear, glassy waters. It was one of those days where you couldn’t tell where the sea ended and the sky began. Simply surreal. We live for days like this (well, the afternoon portion, anyway!). Here's a comorant drying out his wings:

Even in Florida, especially this winter, you have to be prepared for cold, wet weather and watch for signs of hypothermia. We geared up pretty well with a synthetic base layer and rain gear. For lunch Bill pulled out the camp stove to heat up hot cocoa and tea to warm us from within! What a guy!

The sun was shining when we pulled up to Geiger Key after our 11-mile paddle with plenty of time to set up camp and dry out our wet gear in the sun. That evening was St. Patrick’s Day, so we celebrated at the Smokehouse Grill tiki bar. We were joined by our friend Cameron from Big Pine Key, and met some folks from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, namely the golf pro at Bay Creek! What a small world!

Kayak Fishing in the Florida Keys

2010-03-27T05:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a blog post by the Pork Belly All Stars, a group of fishermen Bill took out into the Lower Keys backcountry in early March. Great guys. Hope to see you again!

Day 7 Key Largo to Key West

2010-03-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today we paddled 13 miles from Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge to Sugarloaf KOA along the oceanside of the Florida Keys.

Here are two videos of Jill doing the "wrap rap." (We do tend to do a lot of wrap sandwiches for lunch since they don't squoosh like regular bread!) and a silent video of ibis feeding in the flats at low tide. Kind of a "CBS Sunday Morning" feel to it.

Days 5-6 Key Largo to Key West

2010-03-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

No, we haven't fallen off the edge of the world, and yes, we've finished the 100-mile paddle to Key West! Just got too busy (and tired!) to post each night. Sooooo, here's the 'rest of the story!'

On Day 5 we were joined by an adventurous family of four for the Seven Mile Bridge crossing and a night of primitive camping and a pasta dinner on Molasses Key.

From Knight's Key in Marathon, we paralleled Henry Flagler's 100-year-old bridge span and made our way to the tiny island the boys nicknamed "Survivor Island." They gathered firewood, adopted a couple of hermit crabs, and picked up what little trash we found washed up on shore.

Next morning we completed the crossing, accompanied by pelicans diving for schools of shimmering, jumping fish. The boys were really wishing they'd had their fishing poles!

Here's a video I took of sunrise while everyone was asleep in their tents!

Day 4 Key Largo to Key West

2010-03-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

When you're guiding trips in the Florida Keys, you have to be prepared for a lot of things, but most importantly wind and weather. You have to be flexible. You have to be willing to adjust your route to the conditions, and you need a bail-out plan.

OK, enough of the "Burn Notice" narration! Our Day 3 ended with a downpour and impending thunderstorms. We were going to camp on Long Key, but decided to take our friend Edie up on her lovely gesture of a hot shower and a warm, dry bed for the night! Edie ran support for us to prep for two paddlers joining us (and brought hot coffee!). Thanks, Edie!

Day 4 dawned sunny and beautiful, but with heavy winds. Frankly, the wind kicked our butts! But we had two awesome paddlers with us, Jill and Kathy from Big Pine Key, with great attitudes and a willingness to be flexible.

We launched from Long Key State Park in the lee side of what turned out to be W-NW 20 knot winds gusting to 24. Not so much a problem on the oceanside, but once we hit the Long Key Viaduct bridge, we were basically ferrying across, inching along with probably 2-3 foot swells.

At the other side we tucked up into a lee and took out the sandwiches, already discussing a change in our route, which was to go to the bayside and camp at Jolly Roger Travel Park. Thankfully, there's a little marina on the oceanside not far from Jolly Roger, where they let us pull our boats up and unload. Norm from Jolly Roger was kind enough to bring his truck and pick us up with all our gear. We had a book-signing under the pavilion and great night's sleep.

Thanks, Norm, Tania, Debi and Angie at JR!

Pictured are Norm, Kathy, Bill and Jill. And the truck that has bailed us out before (check out our KL2KW blog from 2008 and scroll down to Day 14!).

In Memory: Today's paddle was the same one we did with our friend Krueger Nicholson (Edie's husband), who passed away this past November. He was a ranger at Long Key State Park and a great friend to paddlers. Here he is making the same crossing of the Long Key Viaduct with us back in 2008 (under much better conditions!). We felt like he was with us on this trip. Take care, Edie, we'll see you soon.

Day 3 Florida Keys Paddling Trail

2010-03-13T04:07:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 12

This morning at Coconut Cove Resort, Bill gavea demo of packing tips for filling a sea kayak with camping gear. Click to watch the video!

Today we passed from the oceanside of Islamoarada, past Holiday Isle, cut through to the Bayside to hide from the wind and go through some beautiful mangrove creeks. We passed by many great lunch spots: Lorelei, Morada Bay, Zane Grey Lounge, but our destination was the Kayak Shack at Robbie's Marina (home of the famous tarpon), where we met up with John, owner of this great kayak shop offering tours and rentals to Indian and Lignumvitae Key. What a chill spot to have lunch and get a healthy smoothie at the Hungry Tarpon!

Our day's destination is Long Key State Park, a long day of about 16 miles. See you tomorrow!

Day 2 Florida Keys Paddling Trail

2010-03-12T04:41:00.000-08:00

Day 2 on our 100-mile Paddle your Atlas off, Key Largo to Key West! We did about 8 miles from Tavernier on the bayside, through Snake Creek to the oceanside, accompanied by Dave and Christine, long-time paddling buddies.

We passed by reggae singer playing at the Island Grill, to land at beautiful Coconut Cove Resort, which has a lovely, shady tent area. It's really the only place paddlers can camp in Islamorada. Thank you Paul and Magda for the wonderful hospitality! They do great weddings here too, on the beach or under the tiki.

Key Largo to Tavernier: Day One

2010-03-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a video blog on the start of our 100-mile paddle from Key Largo to Key West, dubbed "Paddle Your Atlas Off" since we're doing book-signings along the way for our Florida Keys Paddling Atlas, as well as our just-released Knack Kayaking for Everyone.

We're following the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail, the sister trail to the bike trail (thanks Monica with Greenways and Trails for seeing us off!)

We have some folks joining us along the way, so stay tuned for updates on the adventures, camping all the way and stopping at historic sites and paddling under Henry Flagler's beautiful century-old railroad bridges.

We started at Florida Bay Outfitters next to the famous Caribbean Club in Key Largo on Florida Bay. Along the way we passed through the magical Dusenbury Grottoes and entered another world in deep and rough Tarpon Bay. Lunch stop was on the pretty beach at Key Largo Grande Resort, where the tiki bar serves awesome grouper sandwiches and Margaritas. In about 12 miles we reached our friends Dave and Lynda's for the night in Tavernier. Here's Bill's map of today's trip (click for a larger image).

Paddling Key Largo to Key West

2010-02-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a slide show Bill put together of images we've taken paddling throughout the Florida Keys over the last 7 years. Once a year we take customers on our "Paddle your Atlas off," from Key Largo to Key West. It's scheduled for March 22-31, 2011, 100 glorious miles in ten days, camping all the way. March is Alternative Transportation Month, so it's the perfect time to get off Route 1 and take to the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail.

If you've ever dreamed of paddling to the southernmost point in the US over shallow Caribbean-blue waters and landing on island beaches each night, this is your chance.

We do all the work for you, kayaks and gear, all camping gear (tent, sleeping bags, pads, etc.), all meals prepared for you, and even instruction along the way are all included. Plus, you get to take home a signed copy of our Florida Keys Paddling Atlas, winner of a National Outdoor Book Award.

Details are at www.burnhamguides.com; email or give us a call: 305-240-3298.

Paddling under the 7-Mile Bridge

2010-02-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

I shot this video while paddling underneath the old span of the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys. I'm passing beneath the 100-year-old railroad bridge built by Henry Flagler from Miami to Key West. It's held up pretty well over the past century! (Read Last Train to Paradise for a terrific history on the railroad.)

We launched from Knight's Key campground, located at the tip of Marathon, oceanside, and passed beneath the bridges. While looking for rays or sharks along a shallow sandbar, we saw some dolphins arcing in the deeper water close to the bridge.

We made a rest stop on historic Pigeon Key a tiny island museum preserving the community that housed bridge construction workers and their families in the last century. ($11 admission charged per person for a tour.)

From there we passed again beneath the bridges, being carefuly of some pretty stiff current between the arches (whatever you do, keep paddling!). We rode the swells between the spans, and one in our group saw a manatee, before we popped back out into the ocean.

We could see our destination: Molasses Key, a private island where camping permitted for paddlers on the Florida Keys Overseas Paddling Trail Since we are trail volunteers, we'd brought some trash bags for a quick beach clean-up.

This island is a tranquil place to set up camp, watching the headlights on the far-off bridge and birds feeding in the flats.

Read more about our overnight kayak tour along the Seven Mile Bridge and here's a new photo slide show:

Silent paddling in Dusenbury Grottos, Key Largo

2010-02-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

Just a mile's paddle from Key Largo and busy US Route 1, Dusenbury Creek is a deep channel through a mangrove forest. Dredged by an engineer named Dusenbury to support passage of construction boats for Flagler's railroad in the early 20th century, the channel is a popular passage for power boats.

But off of it kayakers can enter a maze of mangrove tunnels, silent, cathedral-like and hiding green herons and mangrove crabs. Beneath the clear water, colorful sponges cling to the mangrove roots harboring mangrove snapper and other fish.

If you're lucky, you may even see a giant manatee pass silently beneath your boat. Click below for the video:

Lower Keys Kayak Trips

2010-01-24T04:37:00.001-08:00

Click for slide show of Lower Keys kayaking

Join us, kayak guides and authors of the Florida Keys Paddling Atlas, as we leave the highway sounds of Route 1 behind and delve into a world where fish school through shallow flats and stingrays, sponges and starfish lie silent at the bottom of turquoise

blue channels.

The islands of the Lower Keys spread out into the Gulf of Mexico, appearing on a map as if someone smeared them across shallow waters. Islands are oriented northwest-to-southeast, divided by long, wide channels. Soft corals and sponges predominate in nearshore hardbottom environments. The channels, by contrast, are carpeted with turtle and manatee grass. As the tide goes out, sparkling white sandbars appear, a perfect spot to get out of our kayaks for a lunch or rest break.

More than 200,000 acres of water and small islands make up the Backcountry. Birding is phenomenal in this vital nesting habitat for the namesake of the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge. Royal terns group on a sandbar near the Contents, intermingled with laughing gulls and the odd oystercatcher. Near the Mud Keys, osprey soaring high overhead issue their signature sharp-pitched whistle as they scan the water for prey. White and brown pelicans, Little Blue herons, Tri-colored herons, Great egrets, Snowy egrets, and a host of wading birds work swampy mangrove flats from Cutoe Key to Cayo Agua.

A string of islands start at the Content Keys and run southwest to include the Sawyers, Barracudas, Marvin, Snipe Point, Mud Keys and Lower Harbor Keys. A small reef abruptly marks the boundary between the Keys’ shallow waters and the deeper Gulf of Mexico.

A trip out to the "edge of the nearshore waters," is not soon forgotten.

We offer backcountry trips at three levels. Our family-friendly excursion feature an average of seven miles daily, leaving plenty of time to explore winding creeks and shallow coves. For adventure seekers, we extend the distances (an average of 10 miles daily) and cover more ground in order to reach some truly remote areas. Our third option is a once-in-a-lifetime traverse of the entire Lower Keys Backcountry on a five-night expedition. Contact us to discuss which option fits your group's goals and abilities.

Offered every week, Jan. 26 through March 2010. Call 305-240-3298 or email for availability. Trips details at BurnhamGuides.com

Florida Keys Overnight Kayak Trip

2010-01-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

Due to requests for an easy, more affordable overnight trip, we've just added a one-night, two-day traverse of the famous Seven Mile Bridge trip to our "Paddle with the Authors" itinerary.

Featured in films like the Schwarzenegger blockbuster "True Lies," this engineering marvel spans a Caribbean-blue stretch of open water between Marathon and the Lower Keys. Originally built to carry Henry Flagler's East Coast Railroad, the modern highway bridge now carries cars to and from Key West.

Explore and lunch on Pigeon Key, an island museum that housed bridge construction workers. Evening finds us watching egrets and ibis fish in the flats off our island campsite. As the sun sets, we'll see the distant lights of the evening commute across the bridge.

Never too far from civilization, with just 7 miles of paddling per day, this trip is perfect for couples wanting a romantic getaway, or as an introduction to kayak camping.

Cost per adult is just $295, all-inclusive: boat, gear, camping equipment, food and instruction.
Call 305-240-3298 or e-mail us to book your trip to paradise!

For more adventure, consider our Lower Keys expeditions of 2-5 nights, as well as the whole shebang--the 100-mile Florida Keys Paddling Trail from Key Largo to Key West. We are the only guides offering this 9-day life-altering expedition. All details are at www.BurnhamGuides.com

Watch a video Mary shot while kayaking beneath the bridges, and click the arrow below to view the Seven Mile Bridge slide show:

Paddle with the Authors in the Florida Keys!

2009-12-08T05:46:00.001-08:00

Beginning in January, 2010 we'll be leading guided trips from the pages of our award-winning Florida Keys Paddling Atlas.

Imagine a romantic weekend getaway toasting the sunset from your own island, or spending Spring Break paddling to the southernmost point in the U.S.

Details on our customized, multi-day trips are at our brand new website: BurnhamGuides.com