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Paddling Journal February 2007 The outage is on the radar - last chance to paddle freely for a while. Trips this month: 9
2/4/07
The recent rains that we have been having in the area have slowly raised the water level in the St. Mary's River and then the heavy rains that we had last week doubled the level bringing it to just over five feet in a few days. I have really been missed paddling on this beautiful river for the past year so I decided that this would be a good day to check it out. I decided to head for the put-in near St. George, Ga. since I had really enjoyed that stretch of river the only time I had paddled there back in August of 2005. I left the house before 7 hoping that I could get in the water before 8 but I had to wait on the same train twice as I headed up 301 and then took 119 west from Bryceville. I finally reached the ramp near the Bell Bridge and was in the water just after 8. It was cold but I decided that since I would be down in the river valley I could go without my spray skirt although I packed it in my boat just in case.
Instead of the usual tea colored water that is caused by the tannins from the trees the water was more of a "coffee with cream" color due to the recent rain. There was an incredible amount of trash along the shorelines that I saw throughout the entire day - apparently also caused by the rain washing what people had left on the banks into the channel. The St. Mary's is usually fairly trash free (at least compared to the Timucuan) but it's obvious that it just stays hidden most of the time. The flow in front of the ramp was not too bad but as I reached the railroad trestle about a quarter mile upstream the current was rushing past the bridge supports as the river makes a sharp turn. As I approached the trestle I was surprised to see a Great Blue Heron fly up and and then follow the tracks. The river on the other side of the bridge widens out and the current became very slow and easy to paddle against.
I scared up a pair of Wood Ducks on several occasions but never got close enough to shoot. As is almost always the case on the St. Mary's birdlife and other wildlife is pretty scarce and today was no exception. I saw several Pileated Woodpeckers and heard and saw several Red Shouldered Hawks but my main accompaniment was from the many small songbirds that flitted about the shoreline including Eastern Phoebes, Wood Thrushes, Robins, Cardinals and Wrens. I found that if I paddled over to the shore and waited these birds would begin to hop around and perch nearby and I was able to get a few good shots. At one point I spotted a large hawk in a tree a few feet away from the shoreline and I was able to get a few grainy shots before he flew away. As he perched I could hear him make the first part of the usual Red Shouldered Hawk's territorial call so I was able to positively ID him.
A mile or so above the trestle the river narrow downs and begins to twist and turn and the flow began to intensify. I had to paddle steadily the rest of the day as I headed upstream. Occasionally, I would explore one of the many side streams that disappear into the woods and visit with my old friends the "tree people" who occupy the cypress knees and tupelo trees. With the strong current I was forced to paddle steadily or else be pushed back downstream and every time I paused to shoot I had to be wary of what was behind me lest I be swamped. For the most part, the going was easy but occasionally I would have to navigate through snags and obstructions where trees have fallen all of the way across the river. Going upstream allows me to carefully pick the right path and then hope that I remember it when I'm going back in the opposite direction. As I was getting close to the time limit I had placed on my upstream journey I spotted something in the water ahead of me. It was dark and obviously fur covered so I knew it wasn't a Gator. Since it was on this stretch of the river that I saw my first aquatic deer that was my first thought but it's head wasn't shaped right and it was too dark. My next thought was an otter but it's head was far too big. A Muskrat? A Bear? I paddled up toward it quickly as it chugged across the river to the Georgia side and I was about 30 yards away when it emerged from the water. As it's all black body stood on the bank I was at first thrilled to see what I was sure my first St. Mary's Bear cub - until it turned and began staring at me with a goofy looking face and floppy ears. I chuckled as the big, dumb looking Lab bounded into the palmetto scrub and disappeared.
I reached a sharp bend in the river where there was a white sandy beach on both sides. On the Georgia side there was a flooded slough on the back side of the beach so I paddled in and tried to get a shot of a Thrasher who was flicking some leaves up. I suddenly heard the sound of a truck driving down the road that came down to the water's edge nearby so I paddled back out to the river. The guy in the truck was a little surprised to see me emerge from the slough and I was equally surprised when the young man came walking out from behind his truck with a badge on his belt and a Glock shoved down into his pants. Obviously, he was a Georgia Deputy and we chatted with each other. He was surprised when I told him I had put-in at St. George but I told him my trip back was going to be a lot easier. He told me he had come down just to see how much the rain had raised the level. I asked him if the road he had driven down was public and he told me it was and it's name was Emmaus Church Road and that it was only a short distance from St. George on 121. He told me about all the other public access points on the Georgia side that he knew about and we parted ways. It was 11:00 by now and I had been on the water for three hours so I decided to head on back. The trip back was, of course, easy and only took half the time it took to paddle upstream. I spotted a flash of orange on the bank and when I went to investigate I found a very photogenic Carolina Wren who was fluttering in and out of the cavities created by the cypress roots overhanging the bank. As I got to the place where the current eased up another Wood Thrush posed for me and I got some good shots.
When I got close to the trestle I could hear the rumble of another train which on the trip down I had heard about every 30 minutes. Although not nearly as busy as the "Folkston Funnel" that runs north and south and crosses the river just south of that town this east-west route was surprisingly busy as well. I reached the ramp, loaded up and decided to treat myself to lunch at the famous "Shack by the Tracks" in St. George. I had heard about it a couple of years ago but since it is only open Thurs-Sun from 11-9 I had never been by it when it was open. I enjoyed the biggest, sloppiest, tastiest BBQ pork sandwich while sitting in the screen porch that separates the BBQ side from the Ice Cream side of the shack. I considered buying some ribs to take home for dinner but a bunch of locals came up to order ice cream and the ladies on the BBQ side had to leave and serve them. I headed south on 121 and passed the Emmaus Church road before I knew it. I turned around and headed down the road to check out the put-in. It was an unimproved road typical for the St. Mary's River valley which means that immediately following a rain it is nearly impassable except by 4WD. I made it past the bad stretch of muddy ruts and came to a fork in the road. I took the left fork since it seemed to be descending and I soon was at a small community of old houses on one side including one antebellum, cedar sided, tinned roof house with a large confederate flag flying from the porch. The Emmaus Church cemetery was on the other side and the road continued to descend into the woods. Not far past the cemetery I found the place where I had met the deputy and it was obviously a local hangout - i.e trashed out. It would be another place for me to put-in to break up the long stretch between St. George and Stokes Bridge although I would probably have to break it up into an overnight trip to make it the entire way. I'm not sure if I would want to leave my vehicle in this location, however. There were a lot of great places to camp along the route that I traveled and for the most part they were un-posted and away from human habitation. See the pictures from this trip
2/7/07
With temperatures back up in the low 70's this afternoon I headed to the other end of our island for a quick after work paddle. With dinner my responsibility this night I stopped at Wendy's on the way and iced down the beer I had in the back of my truck. I headed toward the big island with the intention of going the opposite direction for a change. I spotted some activity at the tops of the big pines on the east end of that island where the Great Blues were nesting last year and it appears that they may be getting ready to do the same again this year. As I was watching a Heron perch at the top of one pine an Osprey with a fish followed not far behind by a Bald Eagle flew by and rounded the corner to the south edge of the island. I started to change my plans and follow them but a couple of minutes later the Eagle came circling overhead as he moved to the east. There were people fishing near where I thought the Osprey may have perched so I changed my direction once again and headed to the NE. I paused and drifted along in the area where the creek widens out and bends toward Pelotes and ate my dinner. The rest of the evening I spent paddling around in the shallows following various birds who were feeding until I could see the sun beginning to set and I started back for the bridge as the sky darkened. See the pictures from this trip
2/9/07
Guana Lake's Six Mile Landing is finally open! I knew that by the hunting schedule that it was supposed to be open but I half expected to see the chain across the entrance when I arrived there after my doctor's appointment at the Mayo. But open it was and I got in the water at 12:30. The water level was very high - perhaps the highest I had ever seen it and the cat tails were still dry and brown and mostly broken into piles of stubble. There was a group of Ibis and Wood Storks near the ramp but they moved on by the time I got going. I decided to head south to check out the Eagle's nest on the western shore. I paddled along the eastern shore on the way down until I was directly across the from the nest. There was a large gathering of Ibis there who I spent some time shooting along with some Great Egrets and other Herons.
I paddled over to the nest and found it empty so I sat there and ate my sandwich and drank a beer. When I was finished I headed back north along that shoreline. I saw the usual assortment of Herons and Coots along the way. At times I could hear the Coots calling unseen from inside the Cat tails and then hear the sound of dozens of feet running across the water as they flushed. Ahead of me I spotted a lone White Pelican floating along and he acted as though he really wanted to get past me but I was blocking him. He finally gave up and headed through a break in the vegetation and out into the main channel. Just after seeing the White Pelican I spotted a Bald Eagle who must have been perching in a pine tree near by. He flew off and was soon joined by another and they briefly seemed to chase each other before heading in opposite directions. The one who came toward me began to call as it passed overhead and headed in the direction of the nest.
I reached the place where I could no longer skirt the shoreline so I began heading out into the main channel. As I did I spotted an unusual looking duck sitting in the middle of some cat tail stubble. He was grey with a black or dark brown head and a white belly. I carefully worked my way around the vegetation as I tried to shoot through the cat tails that were still standing on the perimeter. I was sure that he was going to flush at any moment but amazingly he just sat there calmly floating in the water. After I was satisfied that I had taken enough pictures to be able to identify him later I took a peek at him with my binoculars and it was then that I understood why he was so sedate. It wasn't that he was being brave - he was simply being plastic - as in a plastic decoy that has been left by a hunter. Laughing at myself I headed on to the north until I reached the area where I usually turn around. I began skirting the eastern bank and went behind the island that sticks out into the lake near the beach parking. I didn't see too much except for a pair of Florida Mottled Ducks who were hanging out at the end of the ramp when I got back. Not a single Gator sighting on the day but I know that the water levels will soon be dropped and that in conjunction with the warmer weather that is soon to come will bring the big buggers out in force. See the pictures from this trip
2/11/07
The temperatures dropped into the 30's overnight so it was quite a difference temperature-wise as I headed out before dawn for Pumpkin Hill Creek. I got in the water just before sunrise and was bundled up under my spray skirt with several layers of clothing on and my chemical hand warmers in my pouch. It was a beautiful morning whatever the temperature and I was glad to be back in Pumpkin Hill for my usual Sunday morning paddle. I didn't see much as I headed out with the tide but as the sun rose I could see the usual early morning migration of the smaller herons go on overhead. I paddled around the first couple of bends and arrived at the stream near my "shrimpin' hole" where I decided to take a coffee break and try to warm my fingers in the morning sun. As I sat there I was thinking about what I might see on this day's trip and how different each trip is an otter came swimming across the entrance to the stream.
He obviously wanted to enter the creek I was in and as soon as he saw me he began raising his head and huffing in the manner that I always see them do. He exited the stream and began swimming up the main channel raising his head to look at me and exhaling loudly to announce his location. Soon he had changed directions and was well out in the middle of the channel - raising his head and huffing every few seconds as I followed him. I was about 100 yards away from the entrance to the stream where I had first seen him when he suddenly stopped appearing and I realized what he had been trying to do to me and what many of my other otter encounters had entailed. Instead of continuing on in the direction he had been leading me, I pulled over to the side and began looking back toward the stream where this episode had begun. Sure enough, I saw him surface again and begin swimming up that stream. I paddled back in that direction and soon was a few yards behind him unbeknownst to him. He was lazily swimming along on the surface until I got to within about 20 yards at which time he swam over to the bank and after giving me a huff and a quick look he hopped up into the grass and disappeared. I was sure that he was going to cut back across to the main channel but I decided to continue on up the creek for a while until the shallow water stopped me. When I got back to the main creek I could see my old friend swimming along the sandbar on the opposite bank.
I paddled over as we both headed toward Tiger Point and for quite a while he was oblivious to my presence. As soon as I got close, however, he began his usual huffing and lifting his head as he tried to lead me away from the direction he wanted to go. I decided to leave him alone and continued on toward the point. Once at the point I paddled into Edwards Creek where I spotted a lone White Pelican and a pair of Great Blue Herons. I paused to shoot all of them and watched as the Great Blues flew off together to the bank of Pumpkin Hill opposite the point. These two seemed to be a pair and I whenever they flushed they always flew off together and stayed in the same general location so I guess it is getting to be that time of the year when they begin to pair up. There were a pair of White Pelicans in the same area as the Herons so I paddled over and shot them for a while. After they flew off I shot some Oyster Catchers and then paddled into the cove on the east side of Edwards Flats and shot a gathering of Oyster Catchers and the same pair of Great Blues who I had seen earlier.
I decided to head back now that the tide was close to low and slack. As I was getting close to the sandbars that lie in front of the trail heads I spotted an Otter swimming across the channel ahead of me. I'm sure it was the same one I had been seeing earlier in the day but this time I let him go on his way and I watched as his head popped up as he headed downstream toward the point. The rest of the trip was uneventful. See the pictures from this trip
2/12/07
What a difference 24 hours makes in NE Florida! After temps in the 30's yesterday I set out this afternoon from Clapboard Creek Fish Camp with the temperature well into the 70's. It was about four hours away from high tide when I put-in at the Clapboard Creek and I was pleased to find that there was just enough water to paddle out directly from the ramp. Not long after setting out I heard the sound of Dolphins forcefully exhaling and spotted a pair of them coming in off of Clapboard Creek and heading up toward the confluence point with Cedar Point. I made great time floating in on the incoming current and was at Pinders Island in 30 minutes. As I rounded the point I saw a Red Tailed Hawk up in a prominent pine tree but he flew off before I got close. I paddled around to the west side of Pelotes Island and investigated an Osprey nest that is in a dead pine near the road just east of the bridge. I found that I could easily paddle up to the base of the tree so I will have to remember that and check it again in a few months when the chicks are in the nest. I decided to head toward Buckhorn Bluff since it had been several years since I had last visited there. I passed another Red Tail along the way and as I pulled into the cove on the east side of the bluff where the old concrete boat ramp is located an Otter popped his head up and began huffing at me. I'm beginning to think that these guys are following me and that perhaps instead of trying to get me to follow them they are actually trying to get me to join them! Well, if you ever hear rumors about a giant hairless otter seen out in the preserve - it's probably me! He went his way and I went mine and I rounded the point and then investigated the western side of the point. As I did, I remembered how I had found the entrance to an obviously man-made pool that has been dug into the side of the point and I paddled over to check it out. The Cedar tree that was blocking it when I first found it is still there making it impossible to get into the pool but I think at a higher tide and with a few branches sawn off I could squeeze by. I went back around to the ramp and exited my boat and found a path someone had cut through the woods down to the edge of the pool. It was empty of wildlife but I could see in the muddy shoreline that it is indeed a popular place. There were hundreds of Raccoon tracks and also what appeared to be Hog tracks as well as lot's of Herons footprints. I can imagine that at dawn this location would be a great place to set up to shoot.
It was getting late so I packed up and headed back. There were storm clouds to the west obscuring the sun and the NE breeze was picking up a bit blowing a cool wind across the water. The water was a little choppy but not bad as I paddled toward Pinders Island. As I got close I spotted a dark shape in one of the tall pines there and a check with my binoculars confirmed the Eagle's presence. I shot a few pictures as I cruised in toward him but he flew away and headed toward Browns Creek. As I rounded the point yet another Red Tailed Hawk flew from another pine near where the Eagle had been perched. The rest of the trip was easy and since I wanted to get back in time to eat with Hope before she left for the evening I didn't stop to shoot along the way. See the pictures from this trip
2/18/07
We decided to do something a little different for our pre-outage get away weekend and came down to High Springs to stay at the Grady House B&B. Not only had we never stayed here during the winter but we have never paddled on the Santa Fe River when it wasn't at least 90 degrees out so we knew this would be a different experience. To top it off - the Grady House is under new ownership and we were anxious to check out the new proprietors - Lucy and Paul. We took our time getting here on Saturday taking some backloads off of 121 which I hoped would find us a new put-in on the Santa Fe to the west of Worthington Springs. That didn't work out but as we drove on toward Alachua we spotted a sign for the Old Bellamy Road - the historic cross Florida road that we had first learned about when we came here a few years back. We followed several sections of it but often had to backtrack since it is no longer contiguous and mostly amounts to several unpaved but very scenic back roads. Once in High Springs, we still had a couple of hours to waste before we had to check in so we headed toward O'Leno State park with the intention of eating our lunch there.
I accidentally took the wrong turn but it turned out to be another section of the Old Bellamy Road and it took us to a trailhead that led down to the River Rise. We hiked for about an hour toward what the signs said was the Rise and also a place called Sweetwater Lake. We stopped before we got there to eat and then continued on. We finally came upon a small lake in the middle of the woods with an island the middle of it but no apparent creek or river feeding it or draining it. I surmised that this was possibly a place where the Santa Fe seeped to the surface on its way to the actual rise and I remember seeing a couple of other lakes on the topo maps that I thought might be part of the same chain. The lake was beautiful and serene and there was a small flock of Hooded Mergansers hanging out there bathing. While we sat there a young man with a German Shepherd puppy came walking up and they sat there on the river bank enjoying the scenery. We headed back to our truck and checked into the Grady House where we were treated to a lavish Valentine's weekend meal that we couldn't finish and waddled up to our room where we crashed. This morning we were treated to an equally lavish breakfast and met the usual assortment of new friends that you find at a B&B. Most of them gave us funny looks when we told them of our plans to paddle the river today since the temperature outside was in the 30's and very blustery. The night before we arrived the temperature overnight had reached a record of 18 and froze the water in the garden fountains. We were undeterred since I knew that it was supposed to warm up by the time we got going and I knew that we would be out of the wind for the most part down in the river valley. When we reached the put-in at the ramp west of the 441 bridge we were greeted by a blast of freezing wind and I very nearly changed my mind and headed back to the comfort of the house. Just a few yards east of the ramp, however, was a flock of Ibis busily poking away at the duckweed and across the river I could see a lone young Wood Stork standing on the bank. Dipping low over the water were dozens of Yellow Rumped Warblers along with some Swallows so it bode well for a good day of photography and we pressed on in spite of the conditions.
We passed by a flock of Wood Storks in a tree just west of the bridge which I paused to shoot and then we padded into the teeth of the wind as we passed under the bridge. Not far past the bridge, however, the river begins to narrow and the trees close in and the wind diminished considerably. We could hear the call of a Red Shouldered Hawk but we never saw him as we passed the entrance to Hornsby Springs and continued on. The Warblers were literally everywhere we went and seemed to be particularly interested in whatever was living in the masses of duckweed that grows everywhere in this section of the river. They would hover above it and pluck things from the water and often land in the plants itself before flying off. We soon began to see Great Blue Herons along the banks and for the most part they didn't flush easily but were content to warm themselves in the morning sun or else hunt for food along the water's edge. We also encountered several Anhingas along the way sunning themselves in the branches of the trees overhanging the water.
About halfway up we passed a group of about 7 or 8 college kids who had obviously camped overnight inside the River Rise Preserve - something we also have been wanting to do so we mentally marked down the location of their campsite and headed on. As we approached the rise the river turned to the north and we were once again greeted by a blast of chilly wind that came ripping down the valley. At this point the river gets quite shallow as it works its way through a rocky shoal area that we had to pick our way through but we were soon past and found ourselves approaching the pool where the river rises up from the limestone caverns below. There was a lone Osprey who circled the pool several times before finally departing the area. We didn't stay long at the rise but I hiked up to the end of the trail we had been on the day before and confirmed what I had suspected about the lakes that dot the area between the rise and the sink.
We headed back and were passed by about a dozen canoes from the local outpost heading toward the rise. We realized that we had seen more people on this day than we had seen on all of our other trips on this section of river combined. Our trip back was pleasant. The current was negligible so it wasn't much help but the wind was now mostly at our back and the temperature was up in the 50's. We passed several more Great Blues, Anhingas and of course the ubiquitous Warblers. I had mentioned to Hope that I wondered if I would see "Mr. Limpkin" referring to the Limpkins which I had only ever seen on this section of the Santa Fe. As we passed under the bridge I looked to my right and saw one staring at me from the shore line. As I paddled over to shoot him I realized that he was with a pair of other Limpkins who calmly began walking up into the woods and then hid behind some trees where they peeked out at me.
I left them and found that the Wood Storks I had seen earlier were just a few yards downriver standing together on the bank. There were several juveniles amongst them and they finally flushed and entered the trees where I had seen them before. When I got back to the ramp the flock of Ibis we had seen earlier were still there but had moved to the opposite bank. After a nice "light" dinner in Alachua and another huge breakfast at the Inn we departed with the intention of putting in at O'Leno and paddling down to Bible Camp Road where we put-in a couple of years ago. When we arrived at the front gate we were informed that we couldn't put-in there because of "low water". Sheesh! The last time we tried this they also wouldn't allow us to put-in because of "high water" conditions. You'd think the state would let us make that decision on our own.
We decided that we would hike the trails instead but of course when we got to the trailheads we realized that there was plenty of water for us to go in the direction we wanted to but we went ahead and began hiking the "Pareners Trail" which runs about 4 miles from the sink and heads toward the rise where it joins another trail that takes you the rest of the way. We passed by several of the lakes and ponds that we had read about that were formed along the route of the underground river. One of them called the "New Sink" only appeared a few years ago when the roof collapsed and exposed the river. The whole stretch is in a kind of valley that you can tell is a cypress swamp at very high water levels and in drought conditions the sinks will tend to open up.
It was a beautiful hike and we paused at each lake to enjoy the solitude of the area. We could hear Red Shouldered Hawks flying overhead and on occasion we see them circling. We saw a few Great Blues in the Lakes along with some more of the Warblers we had seen the day before. All in all it was a good day and a great weekend.
See the pictures from the paddling
trip
2/20/07
I got an extra day off due to my annual outage night shift getting underway tonight so I decided to put-in at Clapboard Creek and catch the incoming tide up to Buckhorn Bluff. It was a glorious day and by the time I got in the water it was warm enough to go without my spray skirt. There was not a breath of wind which meant that the waters of Clapboard Creek were unusually glassy. I rounded the point at Pinders Island and ducked behind Magnolia Island that lies in front of the big cove on the north side of Pelotes Island. Once west of the island I headed toward Buckhorn but I spotted another Osprey nest located to the west of the birdge of Island Drive near the culvert that I passed under a few months ago. With my binoculars I could see that it was occupied by a lone bird and as I got closer it was joined by it's mate on the nest. I paddled slowly until I was just a few feet from the base of the tree with the pair watching me and chirping occasionally. The male flew off and circled me menacingly before returning to a perch on a branch above his mate as if to say - "This is my woman - you get your own!" I left the Ospreys and spent some time paddling along the eastern shore of the bluff trying futilely to find a shortcut to the bluff. I finally backtracked all the way out to the main channel and made my way around the point to the west side where the entrance to the pool lay. I had hoped that I would time my arrival so that the water would be high enough to allow me to squeeze past the fallen cedar and after some work I was able to do just that and I found myself in the pool.
Of course, it was nearly noon by now and close to high tide so the place was deserted but I know now that I can get in and I will return at another time when I expect the place to be occupied. I brought along a terraserver photo of the area and decided to explore the section directly west of Buckhorn in the hopes of finding an entrance to another pool of water visible on the satellite photos. The old study done before the Dale Joyner Preserve at Pelotes Island was opened called it "Heron Pond" but that name does not appear on any map that I have seen. I could tell from the photos that the chances of actually finding a navigable stream into the pond were slim but I knew it would be fun to try. As I skirted the shoreline I spotted a Red Tailed Hawk up in a pine tree and I was reminded that it was very near here that I saw my very first one several years ago. He flew off and headed toward Browns Creek and I meandered my way toward the area that I was sure held the pond. After many dead-ends I finally managed to figure out some landmarks on my photo and a short time later was heading up a very promising stream that led toward a clearing in the trees.
I had plenty of water to paddle in but the dense rushes finally stopped me from continuing further. I realized, however, that the ground beneath the vegetation was very firm so after exiting my boat to look around I took off for a clearing under some cedars which was only about 10 yards away. I was able to easily make my way to more the more solid ground under the cedars and although I still couldn't see the pond I could see that the stream I had been following continued on ahead of me into a definite clearing. I continued on along the shore line of the stream until I could see a small, shallow pool of water full of dead trees and lined with palms, cedars and pines. The pond was empty save a lone Great Egret who was perched on a downed cedar along the shore. I didn't see any Gators in the area but some of the tall grass leading from one of the clearings under the trees had been flattened by something quite large. I'm not sure what the source of the water is - obviously the tide affects it some but I have no doubt that it has a fresh water source as well and since our plant adjacent to the preserve has always had gators I'm sure there are some in this area too. At any rate - I know that this pool - like the one at Buckhorn has to be a gathering place for wildlife in the morning and evenings. I knew that the tide was beginning to turn and I had to get home to begin my night shift so I walked back to my boat and made my way back to the ramp. See the pictures from this trip
2/22/07
My 500th trip! Actually, it's my 500th journal entry but its a significant milestone and one that I wanted to share with my wife and paddling buddy - Hope. I thought about picking a place that would be interesting or challenging but my time was limited due to night shift so I finally settled on putting in at the Ribault Club and making it a quick "veg out" paddle down to one of our hammock spots at the mouth of Simpsons Creek. The more I thought about it the more I realized that this was the perfect location to commemorate this trip since it was one of our early favorite places to paddle when we first bought our Poke Boats eight years ago this month. When we got our boats back then the main reason was to be able to have some quick, cheap fun while we started to put the first of three kids through college. Throughout the past eight years my paddling has evolved into much much, more and I have had my share of "adventures" and paddled in some pretty spectacular places but one of my favorite things about paddling in Jacksonville is the ability to grab some beers, paddle out to an island, hang a hammock and veg out while reading a good book.
When we arrived at the ramp we could see that the trees in the yacht basin were full of birds so we made a circuit flushing out the Snowy Egrets, Brown Pelicans, Ibis and several Black Crowned Night Herons from the trees before heading back out into the main channel. I spotted a Great Blue Heron standing in the grass across the way who was shaking his head vigorously. I shot a couple of pictures and realized later that he had a small snake in his mouth that he was trying to subdue before he tried to swallow it. We made it to the island west of the mouth of Simpsons Creek and I hung our hammocks up so that we could enjoy the warm sea breeze while we read a bit. We ate lunch and drank our beer and then headed on back to the ramp. A far too short a trip but a good one. See the pictures from this trip
2/28/07
When I found out that this year's annual spring outage schedule had me working 12-14 hours a night, 7 days a week, I decided that I would likely take the entire time off the water. Five days in, however, I realized that getting off at 6 am instead of 2 as in past outages meant that I would get very little good sleep and no matter how hard I tried I simply could not sleep past 11 am. This morning I was about to collapse from exhaustion but still found myself wide awake before noon looking at 75 degree weather and a bright blue sky. I loaded up and headed for the Ribault Club with the intention of heading for the nearest island to do an intense "veg-out" paddle with my beer, book and hammock. I skipped the yacht basin and made a bee-line at low tide for the same spot Hope and I had celebrated my 500th trip a week ago. As I approached the end of the grass island I spotted someone coming out of Simpsons Creek and feeling even more misanthropic than usual I started paddling hard for the beach trying very hard to NOT make eye contact in the hope they would get the message and leave me alone. As I cut in front of him I could tell that he obviously was not real attuned to my obvious attempts to ignore him and as I continued on I could sense that he was keeping a very close tail on me. Hoping against hope that it was pure coincidence that he had changed directions and come my way I beached my boat and without glancing toward the water I began to unload my essentials for a day of hammocking. He was undeterred, however, and before I could leave the beach I heard his voice and turned to see a guy in a sit-on-top a few feet away. When he asked what I was doing I told him as curtly as possible that I was here to "veg-out" hoping that he would somehow get the message that "vegging out" was usually done without the uninvited company of strangers but even then he was insistent on engaging me in conversation. Finally, after I had told him that his plan to travel Myrtle Creek might be a little difficult at low tide he left me in peace but it may well have been that fact that I was finally walking away from the beach toward the trees that gave him the clue he needed to depart. Well, it was a little late in starting but my day of hammocking couldn't have been more relaxing. After eating my sandwich and drinking only my third alcoholic beverage in a week I retired to my sling and read a little and dozed a lot for the next couple of hours. I departed the island feeling refreshed and decided that with the tide now incoming I would go the long way around the grass island to stay out of the current. I was a little disappointed to not see a single Reddish Egret but as I crossed back over to the ramp I decided to make a circuit of the basin and shot several Night Herons before packing it in. See the pictures from this trip
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