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Paddling Journal December 2004 The final month of a great year of paddling. Trips this month: 11
12/3/04 After spending a few days in beautiful downtown Cleveland it was sure nice to get back home and hit the water. Not much of a trip - I managed to get in after high tide so I didn't plan to stay out long. It was a beautiful day - no wind, glassy water and temperature in the mid-60's. Considering we were greeted with snow flurries this morning in Cleveland it was nice indeed. I took the same route that I usually do - up to the intersection of Hannah and Cedar Point and I stopped at the sea daisy island there for a break before heading back. The few birds I saw were in too shy a mood for any photography so it was basically just a good trip keep the rust off.
12/5/04 Another quick one out in Cedar Point - this one at low tide with just enough water to paddle up to the same spot and back. Not much of a trip and not much in the way of photo ops. Good to be out there. See the pictures from this trip
12/8/04 What a beautiful day! Temps close to 80 and not a breath of wind to ripple the water. The days are getting so short it is almost impossible to make an after-work paddle but the glorious weather and high tides made it just as impossible to ignore so I headed for Hannah. The water was like a sheet of smooth glass and since the sun was already close to the horizon by the time I got in it was reflecting the quickly changing colors of the sky. It was so smooth out there that I almost felt bad that my kayak was ruining the effect of the water and sky. Since I didn't have much time I headed directly for the old cedar, stopping along the way to shoot some herons. There were quite a few out including several Great Blues but as usual - no one was in the mood to pose and the rapidly disappearing light made it impossible to wait around or explore much. As soon as I reached the cedar the sun was gone but for a good half hour - my entire trip home - the horizon was on fire and the water was too as well as adding it's own subtle tints and textures to the scene. See the pictures from this trip
12/13/04
After several trips with not much in the way of photo ops, today more than made up for it as Hope and I took a relaxing "paddle picnic" on the FGR. We got in the water just as the tide turned and although it was a little windier than forecast it was still a nice respite from the chilly temps we had over the weekend and which were to return after today. The current was more or less slack and the breeze was out of the west so we had a fairly easy paddle in. As we passed the Ribault ramp we could see that the trees were full of Brown Pelicans and so we floated in to investigate. In addition to the Pelicans there were also several Wood Storks as well as a few Night Herons which were mostly staying hidden among the trees. We headed on toward "Camping Island" on Simpsons Creek and passed by a Great Blue hiding in the grass near the docks. In the trees across from our picnic sandbar there were a pair of Ospreys hanging out together - one of them appeared to be young and he gave me quite a stare as he chirped at us. As soon as we reached the island I could hear a commotion coming from the direction of the Navy base and I could see the carrier Kennedy coming into port with it's flight deck lined with sailors. The escort ships were sounding their horns in celebration of the JFK's return from the gulf and soon after the big ship came to a stop we were treated to an air show put on by a couple of dozen vintage WWII fighter planes. We set up our hammocks, ate lunch, watched the air show and then vegged out for a couple of hours. The wind had really picked up by now and was funneling down the open area between Ft. George Island and Big Talbot - really kicking up some whitecaps so we decided to pack up and head back. The current was in our favor and if anything the wind either helped us or was blocked by FGI so the trip was easy and pleasant. I passed close to a pair of Great Blues along the mudflats east of the RIbault ramp and got some good shots. See the pictures from this trip
12/21/04
Coldest day of the year! It was supposed to be in the low 20's but I don't think it got much below 30 overnight and by the time I got in the water at the Palms it felt like it was already close to 40. I dressed warm and actually felt overdressed as I headed north toward Cedar Point Creek. It was close to dead-low tide as I began my paddle and the banks were lined with Herons. I didn't have too much success taking photographs because of the shallowness of the water. Each time I attempted to glide in toward my subject I wound up scraping on the periwinkle shells along the bottom well short of where I needed to be. The sky and the water were beautiful and I was the only one out there which made for a very peaceful paddle. When I set out I wasn't sure where I was headed by I soon found myself in the northern branch of Cedar Point Creek, stopping for a few minutes at the sea daisy island to shoot some Oyster Catchers on an oyster bed. I headed on toward Cedar Point, intending to stop at the big sandbar near the point but I took a wrong turn and wound up in a dead-end. As I was headed down this branch I looked up to see a White Pelican soaring low over the marsh. I think he had intended to land where I was because he circled me several times before heading on. A few minutes later I saw a line of Pelicans circling to the east which was approximately where their pool is located and soon they dropped into the marsh. I soon realized that I had taken a wrong turn and as I headed back I saw a pair of birds overhead. I thought that they were about the right size and shape to be eagles and sure enough I could see the white rump and white head on one of them. The other eagle was immature and the two of appeared to be doing an aerial courtship dance as they tumble through the air together on several occasions. Finally, the mature one, who I assumed to be the male, took off heading north while the female continued west. I finally reached the sandbar and took a break while watching several Great Blues that were feeding in the area. I followed one of them into a small stream and noticed that there was another further up the branch. As I sat and watched the closest one I could hear him quietly croaking as he watched me and I wondered if he was croaking at me or at the other Heron. After a few minutes, the other heron came crashing onto the same perch, chasing the heron I was watching away. Evidently he didn't know I was there because as soon as he saw me he departed in a hurry. I headed back and was soon back at the sea daisy island where Cedar and Hannah join. I was about to enter the branch that heads south when a dolphin fin rose in front of me. I watched him for a while and then headed on, passing the Oyster Catchers again and then headed on back to the Palms. See the pictures from this trip
12/22/04
It's been almost four years since I last put in at the ramp at the A1A bridge and paddled down to the Nassau Sound. It used to be a trip I made quite frequently but lately I have been concentrating on other areas. This morning the weather was much warmer and the tide was perfect to make the trip so I headed out and got in the water about 9 a.m. which was exactly mid-tide, outgoing. It was like traveling down the Interstate in cruise control and the current just carried me swiftly along and I could hear the roar of the surf crashing on Little Talbot's beach nearby. Too many times in the past I have made this trip bucking the tide one way or the other and this was a much better plan. I could see some Great Blues up in the trees of Big Talbot but none were close to the water and the level was already too low to do much exploring. I made it to Half-Moon Bluff in about 30 minutes and was in the sound a few minutes later. As soon as I cleared the mouth of the creek I could see that some Pelicans and Terns were diving into the shallows a few feet to the south and as I approached I could see that they were joined by several herons including five or six Great Blues. I chased this group up into a creek at the end of Little Talbot Island and then got out to explore the beach at that end of the park. I headed north from there toward Black Rock on Big Talbot and then crossed the channel over to Bird Island where I explored a bit and then ate lunch. By now, the wind had picked up out of the southeast and the crossing back to Big Talbot was pretty rough and made it slow going as I tried to get back to Simpsons to catch the incoming tide. I passed a pair of Oyster Catchers resting on a dune and then entered the mouth of Simpsons. The tide had only just turned so it wasn't as easy a paddle back but at least it countered the effect of the wind when I was alternately heading into or away from it depending on which of the many bends of the Creek I was on. Just before reaching the ramp a Great Blue swooped in over my head and landed downstream of me. I stuck around for 20 minutes or so shooting him in two different locations as he didn't seem to want to leave this particular stretch of the creek. Finally, we parted company and I finished my journey back to the ramp. See the pictures from this trip
12/24/04
Christmas Eve and a chance to make it an even 90 trips for the year! It didn't matter that I was greeted by gray skies and temperature in the low 40's - it was a good day to get out for a quick little trip in Hannah Mills. I got in just before an unspectacular sunrise in which the sun barely made an appearance - going from a bank of gray clouds on the horizon to a slate gray sky overhead. The lack of sunlight along with a 10 mph wind out of the northwest made for a chilly paddle and since I haven't been able to locate my fleece gloves this winter my hands were particularly affected. I solved this problem by keeping a Therma-Care heat pad in my fleece pullover pouch and I could periodically pull over and warm my fingers up. I stopped, as usual at the old cedar and drank some coffee while watching the sun come up and then headed north and made my way out to the ICW on my usual route. I didn't see much in the way of bird life for most of the way by just as I passed Shad Creek I found myself in the middle of a group of five or six Dolphins. I floated along with the current in the middle of them enjoying the sound of them exhaling close by as we made our way to the Kingfish Park. I've suddenly been seeing quite a few Oyster Catchers in the preserve and they are rapidly becoming one of my favorite subjects with their bright orange beaks and cute little voices. I often see them here on the "corner" which is a popular hangout and this morning I saw eight of them together. I have never seen more than three together so the sight of eight was a particular treat and I spent some time shooting them before heading on home against the wind and current. See the pictures from this trip
12/27/04 After attending one of the worst Jaguar games in history the day before (both weather-wise and performance-wise) I was anxious to cleanse my soul of that awful memory. I nearly changed my mind when I went out to my truck and found my paddle frozen solid to the bottom of the bed but there was not a cloud in the sky and not a breath of wind so I figured it could only get better. I brewed some coffee and warmed my paddling shoes over the stove and then set out for the Palms Fish Camp. A couple of workers parked in the parking lot looked at me like I was insane as I began unloading my gear and set out but I didn't care. A crow sitting on a power line over the ramp seemed to be voicing his opinion about my heading out into the frigid water as well. Once I got out there it was great, however, and I never regretted it. The sky was pure blue overhead gradually lightening to a hazy white on the horizon. The winter sun was intense and the strobe effect on the tiny ripples on the otherwise glassy water was wonderful. I had no real plan other than "head north" but I had thought that I might explore the islands south of Cedar Point and possibly find the cut from Clapboard to Cedar Point that is up on the northern part of the creek. Just as I was about even with Pinders Island - where the main channel of Clapboard heads west, I saw something rise out of the water near the grass bank and then disappear. My first thought was that it was an otter but shortly afterward I saw some "blossoms" that made me think that perhaps it was a manatee. I pulled over to the side and poured some coffee and waited to see if it would reappear but it never did. I headed on north and then skirted the land mass to the east. I knew that I was too far north to find the cut so I mainly just meandered and explored around some small islands. There was not much bird life out and what few pictures I took were nothing special. After exploring the north end of this branch of Clapboard I headed south and tried to find the cut to Cedar Point but after taking several dead ends I began to tire and caught the outgoing tide home, stopping at Pinders Island for a break.
12/28/04 My paddling vacation continues and I have added a new route to my repertoire - the Nassau River to the Broward Islands. I had been thinking about doing this trip for some time but when I used the distance tool on my Topo software I discovered that it would be a 17 mile round trip and I almost decided to not do it. The tides and the weather seemed to be ideal, however, so I figured - why not? Well, "why not?" turned out to be a much breezier day than I had anticipated and that meant that the easy paddle in with the tide was not to be. I got in the water at the A1A ramp by the bridge at 7:15 and tried at first to head into the Sound thinking that that would give me access to the incoming current the quickest. As soon as I cleared the first turn, however, I was greeted with a ripping tide and huge swells and I quickly abandoned this idea and turned toward the ICW. The current here was also against me but manageable and I made it to the Nassau River by 8:00 a.m. What greeted me there was unexpectedly rough water that almost made me give up on the trip. Whatever help the incoming tide was going to give me would be more than countered by the stiff NE breeze and very rough water that I was facing. I found that if I kept up a steady pace that I could make progress and I decided to at least keep going until the tide turned at 9:30. The rough water continued along the north shore of Black Hammock and the trip was not all that interesting unless you like to see massive over development on the waterfront. I finally cleared the last of the docks and the water seemed to smooth out as I entered the Back River - a southern branch of the Nassau which diverges from the Amelia River at this point. I had to clear a long grass point NW of Black Hammock that put me just south of Nassuaville on the northern bank of the river. From here it was due south in what had become glassy water and the incoming tide began carrying me quickly toward the Broward Islands which were looming to the south. I passed the entrance to Pumpkin Hill Creek at about 9:30 and 30 minutes later I was skirting the shore of the middle island inthe chain. The island itself did not appear to have many easy landings along the bank which was steep and full of fallen trees. On both the east and west ends the bank gradually sloped out into the marsh and I was able to get out and explore a little bit. The island itself was full of underbrush and palmettos and that coupled with the fact that I was cold and tired prevented me from exploring much. There was no bird life save a couple of cormorants but this end of the island was facing the wind which had now picked up considerably. That fact was very distressing to me as the glassy channel I had just traversed was now a frothy chop and I faced the prospect of a long hard paddle home - something I had not counted on. I took a brief break and ate some lunch and then decided that I may as well get started. I hoped that once I reached the northern end of the grass point that I would have the outgoing tide and the wind in my favor but I had to make sure that I paced myself for that first stretch of rough water. I did just that and although I made slow progress - it was progress and once I reached Pumpkin Hill the water calmed down a bit since I was now being sheltered by the land mass of Nassau County. Shortly after passing Pumpkin Hill I saw a pair of Dolphins heading my way but the sighting was brief and not to be repeated. Once I made the turn to the east back toward Black Hammock the water stayed calm and the current became swift in my favor. I crossed the channel and stayed in the shelter of the grass island opposite Black Hammock for the rest of the trip which allowed the current to give me the greatest help. The rest of the trip, save some rough patches was a long but uneventful trip back to the ramp. Not a whole lot of wildlife sightings but this trip was definitely more of a "trek" than a photo outing. Aside from the Dolphins, I also saw some Great Blues some White Pelicans, some Ospreys and a Northern Harrier that was carrying some nesting material. See the pictures from this trip
12/30/04
I took a break from my "trekking" and took my daughter Jenny out for a brief paddle on the FGR. Just as we were about to pull into Alimacani we spotted a Bald Eagle circling over Huegenot Park. We put-in and headed with the current toward Simpsons Creek stopping at the yacht basin to check out the day's occupants - some Pelicans, Wood Storks and Night Herons. We stopped for a picnic at Simpsons Creek and then headed on to the plantation where we stopped for a brief break before heading home on the outgoing tide. See the pictures from this trip
12/31/04
This is my first trip in Lofton Creek - a long stream that begins in a swamp north of A1A about five miles east of Yulee and ends 15 miles later when it enters the Nassau River. I have crossed the bridge on A1A and seen the ramp for nearly 20 years but I had never pulled into the park to check it out until a couple of days ago when I was out scouting put-ins along the Nassau and St. Mary's Rivers. I put-in at a little after 9 - about an hour after low tide. The water was pretty low but the current was gently moving north and there was no breeze to speak of so I had an easy paddle as I wound my way south. The first mile or so of Lofton is undeveloped and it reminded me of the Santa Fe or Waccassa Rivers with cypress trees lining it's banks. There was even some trees changing color and dropping there leaves into the water - an unusual sight in Florida at this time of the year. I really expected to see gators and otters along the riverbanks as this looked like an ideal location for both but I never did see either critter. Shortly after leaving the ramp I saw a hawk fly off from a tree and then an Osprey came swooping down the river. I saw the hawk fly off again before I could identify it but within a short period of time I made a sharp turn and looked up to see a bird with a buff colored breast sitting in a tree about 15 feet above the water. I could quickly tell that it was a Red Shouldered Hawk and I was pleased that he let me pull up under his tree and get my camera out. We sat there in a staring contest for several minutes before he flew off silently. I never saw him again but I did occasionally hear his loud screeching in the woods. It was about at this point that the eastern bank of the creek started to become lined with large houses and this continued for at least three miles of my journey. The eastern bank remained uninhabited until the creek began to widen out into the marsh. The development on the east stopped as the land fell away into the marshland but the western bank started to be high banked woodland and houses began to appear although not as densely as on the eastern shore. I passed an airfield - apparently some kind of fly-in community and there was also a boat ramp that didn't seem to be attached to a house. I'm not sure if this was a public ramp or not but looking on the map there is a point called "Jerry Landing" a little further south from there. It was at this point that the creek began to wind wildly looping east to west, north to south in large bends and the current began to get quite strong as I got closer to the river which by my reckoning was still a good 10 miles off. I headed back and let the current speed me back to the ramp and the roaring sounds of traffic on the A1A. Just shy of the ramp I explored a horseshoe loop that was too shallow to check out before. I entered the southern loop and traveled about a half mile west until the stream became choked with vegetation. I returned to the main stream and entered the northern branch which continued on about the same distance until it ran under the "Lofton Creek Campground" - a private campground. The water along the shore of the campground contained old tires, a couch and a bicycle and not long after that I encountered the same blockage as before and I turned and finished my trip back to the ramp. While I waited for a fisherman to pull his boat out of the water I explored the creek a little north of A1A and it looks like there is good navigable water for a good ways north of the road. |
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