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After 110 trips and 626 miles in 2005 we start another year on the water - no goals this year - except having fun getting wet. Trips this month: 10
1/3/06
Well, my first paddle of the year was a little frustrating to start off. There were 15-20 mph winds in the forecast and the rains over the weekend had spiked the flow on the St. Mary's a bit so after some consideration I decided that a paddle at Guana's Six Mile Landing would be in order. I had checked the web site to make sure that there were no hunts scheduled and set off confident that I would get a good paddle in. Once I reached the parking lot I found it chained off but no signs telling me why it was closed. I bypassed the dam area since my last experience with the pay station was a bit frustrating and after pulling into the parking area below the dam I decided that the wind was a little too intense to make a return trip to the river any fun. I decided to head further south in A1A - not really sure where I was going to go but in the back of my mind I was thinking of Pellicer Creek - an area I have been wanting to visit for some time. I looked at some other areas as I headed south toward St. Augustine but finally hit US 1 and decided to head toward Pellicer. I crossed over the creek and saw a kayaker putting in on the NE side of the bridge. It looked as though the put-in would be a bit crowded for a simultaneous put-in and since I had passed the turn off to Faver Dykes State Park I decided to head there instead and found my way to the boat ramp a few minutes later. Since this was yet another unplanned paddle and I had not gathered any information about Pellicer ahead of time I was flying blind. I figured that the tide had already turned and with a 15-20 mph westerly wind I decided to head inland so that my return trip would be easier. As I got my boat ready to go I could see an otter just downstream of the ramp but by the time I got ready to go he was no where to be found and so I headed west. I passed some inlets where some Herons were feeding but it was too shallow to explore especially since I was under the mistaken impression that the tide was headed out. I continued west and soon began to pass houses on the northern banks of the creek. This continued on the successive three loops of the creek as I headed toward the rumble coming from I-95. That rumble soon became a roar as I got in sight of the highway but as soon as I passed under the bridge the noise was diminished considerably since the strong west wind was carrying it away from me. I passed what appeared to be the remain of an old bridge that crossed the stream and soon was in sight of the US-1 bridge. As soon as I passed under the bridge I saw a stream heading off to the north and decided to follow it. This turned out to be a beautiful little creek called Schoolhouse Branch which I followed for a about 3/4 of a mile before returning to the main channel of Pellicer. I continued on up this for another mile or so before deciding to turn back. The rest of the journey was uneventful - once I got back in the park I realized my mistake about the tides and explored some of the inlets I had bypassed on the way down. See the pictures from this trip
1/4/06
I was supposed to be back at work today after a two plus week vacation over the holidays but I got a call asking me to come in on nights instead so I took advantage of the extra hours off and another day to paddle. It was a completely different day weather-wise from the day before with calm winds and glassy waters and as I set out from my Hannah Mills put-in I was the only thing making a ripple. I decided to make my northerly route up to the old cedar and then north from there to the ICW. I didn't pass much along the way but that was OK - it was a great day to be out. Once out on the waterway I decided to make my way north to Deep Creek to complete my circuit. As I was about to cross over to the eastern side of the waterway I glanced toward the west and saw dozens of the White Pelicans circling over the marsh near their pool. I could see that there was a column of Pelicans rising to well over a thousand feet but I couldn't tell at first whether they were getting ready to land or getting ready to depart so I pulled over the bank and walked out on the flats toward their pool. I could see that there still remained about half of the group that I had seen the week before and that clearly the group that was in the air was departing slowly to the south as they rose on the thermals. I could see that there were beginning to form smaller groups as they disappeared into the sun. I got back in my boat and crossed over to Deep Creek. As the current carried me into the channel I looked back to see that another large group was beginning to depart in the same way. I have to guess given what I have observed in the past that this is the norm. They are such a large group that they only have the room to leave their pool a few at a time but they catch the thermals and circle directly above the pool until they are at least several hundred feet above and then they break off and head off to search for food. When they return later in the day they do so in the same small groups - this time flying low over the marsh until they reach the pool where the do a quick circle and then land. This seems to be the most efficient way for such a large group to come and go. I wondered what signaled them it was time to leave? Did they sense that the thermals rising from the marsh at mid-day were strong enough to allow them to depart with a minimum of effort or was it just the collective rumbling in the tummies that said - "Let's go eat lunch!". I was carried into the marsh east of the ICW by the strong incoming current and had an easy paddle down to Shad Creek. Part of the reason for coming this way was to check out the ramshackle boat I had seen from a distance last week. At first I couldn't see it but as I got closer I could see that it was indeed still there. I watched from a distance to make sure no one was there and then entered the lagoon behind our campsite. The boat is actually a barge with a ratty, windowless structure on it. It was tied to a tree on the island and the plywood door was locked with a brand new lock and several "No Trespassing" signs were posted around it. There is an AC unit on the roof but no windows and no signs of ventilation and there were some propane tanks strewn toward the back. I am greatly disturbed by this vessel. At first I wondered if it was the same "squatters" that the beaches community dealt with last fall but I don't thing so now. Obviously the vessel had to be towed there since it has no means of propulsion. What is it? Who does it belong to? I wondered who I could report it to or if I should. As I left, it crossed my mind that it might even be a floating "meth" lab. I'm going to keep my eye on it and ask others to do the same. I'm sure whoever is using it must be doing so at night and weekends. The registration number incidentally is FL 3352 BA. The rest of the trip was uneventful as I cut across at the Kingfish Park and headed home to rest up for what promised to be a long night at work. See the pictures from this trip
1/8/06
It was by far the coldest day of the year this morning and I was pretty much resigned to staying home but since I had to run into work to fix my time sheet I decided it would be a shame to waste a trip in that direction without going out to Pumpkin Hill for a quick trip. Actually, in spite of the cold it was a beautiful day - no wind at all and by the time I got to the water it warmed up considerably and was approaching 50. Good thing too since I had left my spray skirt hanging on my kayak rack. I was actually almost hot as I set out toward the point on the last of the outgoing current. As I was preparing to shoot some Sandpipers I heard the unmistakable "huff" of Dolphins exhaling and a bit of a commotion coming from near the shoreline as well. I turned and saw five or six Dolphins making the commotion - splashing and sending water flying up on shore as they chased fish so I headed that way. They were right at the bend where the hiking trail comes down to the water at two places and there is a large sandbar directly in front of the trail terminus. Knowing that the side of the bar nearest the land was too shallow to be passable I went on the other side but to my amazement I soon realized that most of the Dolphins were on the opposite side. I paddled up to the head of the sandbar and waited for them to come my way - which they soon did - passing directly in front of me. I watched as they made their way on the other side of the sandbar and suddenly they took off with their dorsal fins exposed and flew down the channel causing a huge wake to wash up on shore. They may have been crossing another shallow spot and the only way they could get across was to get up "on plane" - or they might just have been racing each other and having fun - either way I had never seen that before. I followed them all the way out to the point where we parted company - they on toward the Nassau River and I into Edwards Creek. It had only taken me a little more than 30 minutes to make the trip since I was paddling steadily to keep up and not stopping for other photo ops. I didn't stay at the point long and never exited my boat. I headed back into Pumpkin Hill and found my timing to be perfect. The tide had just turned and my paddle back to the put-in was easy, See the pictures from this trip
1/11/06
Boy I'm glad that we are on our way to summer time. You can already tell the difference in the amount of daylight available each evening and it is increasing by about a minute a day. In another month it will be light well after 6 pm. This was just a quickie - I had planned to do this yesterday but had to stay over at work so I put it off until today. I got in the water and made my way toward the confluence point - not seeing much but enjoying the glassy water and beautiful sky as the sun began to set. As I approached the place where I was going to turn back I saw a large group of small herons and Ibis basking in the waning light on a bank about a half mile away so I paddled that way. There was no way to sneak up on them and they all flew off well before I got close but it was fun to see them sitting there. I turned back just as the sun was setting behind a low cloud bank just behind the Dames Point Bridge. I paddled back in near darkness but a nearly full moon had risen an hour or so earlier and provided me with enough light to find my way back. As I made my way home long lines of all types of herons flew low overhead toward the western horizon - their feathers glowing in the moonlight. See the pictures from this trip
1/13/06
I got up this morning well before sunrise and after some consideration I decided that a quick pre-dawn paddle was in order so I headed to Hannah Mills. I was in the water about 20 minutes before sunrise but the overcast skies meant that the sun was going only make a very quick appearance on the horizon. There was a nice pre-dawn glow on the horizon, however, and it made the paddle pleasant on the glassy waters. I decided to reverse my usual route and headed directly east to the Kingfish Park where I shot a few herons and then headed north on the ICW. I cut back in toward the old cedar pausing there to drink some coffee before heading on. I was content to enjoy an easy, pleasant trip back to my truck when I caught a glimpse of a dark, sleek body disappearing under the surface of the water nearby. A few seconds later I spotted an otter swimming along the edge of the grass - popping his head up to investigate. I paddled over to get closer and as I did he surfaced fairly close to my boat. He turned to look at me raising his head completely out of the water to peer at me. He disappeared and I never saw him again so I continued on to my truck. One of the sea daisy islands was full of more than a dozen Little Blue and Tri-Color Herons but they were skittish and flew off before I could get any shots. See the pictures from this trip
1/15/06
I like to think of myself as an "all weather/year round paddler" but as I stood at the water's edge this morning 30 minutes before sunrise I was beginning to think of myself as a "complete idiot". Well - I think that's been already proven more than once but since I could barely feel my fingers as I undid the straps on my boat I was on the verge of chickening out and heading back home to my warm bed. For some reason I decided to give it a try - maybe it was the beautiful full moon setting to the west while the sun began to rise to the east but I got in the water. I was barely able to get my spray skirt on since my fingers were so numb but I did and headed south. I could see clouds of white birds - probably Ibis and Egrets flying low over the water at the place where the creek runs beneath the dredge spoil pile - kind of reverse of what I have seen them do in the evenings except that once again they were heading into the light. It was very breezy and the wind chill was in the low 20's. After a few yards paddling into the teeth of the wind I could barely feel my fingers so I ducked into the first inlet and tried to warm them up while I decided whether to continue. Fortunately, I had thought to bring along the old hand warmer my father had given me some 30 years ago in Oklahoma so that I could practice basketball outdoors in the winter. Somehow, even though I haven't used it in nearly 30 years, it has made every move I've made over the years and last year I finally decided to see if it still worked. It works so great that the first time that I used it two weeks ago I burned my belly through three layers of clothing. This morning I was glad I had it and after a few minutes I was ready to continue but I decided to stay as much as possible in the little streams and inlets off of the main channel. I could see that there were huge masses of herons gathering everywhere on the leeward side of the grass banks so that they could be shielded from the wind while they warmed in the bright sunlight. Herons are a lot like us - they hate the cold wind and love the sun. After exploring some of the streams that I haven't been into in years - scaring up some Mergansers - I emerged into the main channel and began harassing the herons. For the most part photography was a futile effort - my shutter finger felt like a log at first but the sun soon warmed things up enough that I didn't have to use my hand warmer. Trying to sneak up on a group of 20 or more herons is nearly impossible since at least one will spook causing a chain reaction. Often, however, at least one won't get the message and I did manage to get a few shots. It took me nearly two hours to travel what normally takes me less than 30 minutes and by now the temperature was warming up nicely so I decided to head to the sea daisy island at the confluence point and eat breakfast there. I took a leisurely break enjoying the solitude before heading back - harassing some more herons and taking my time as I headed back. See the pictures from this trip
1/20/06
I had made plans to paddle on the St. Mary's today but our minor car problems of a week ago became a full fledged disaster and so I scaled things back a bit. In addition - I was felling a bit crappy at the end of the week and wasn't even sure that I wanted to get on the water at all. When I got up this morning I felt a bit more refreshed and so I headed to the west end of the island and put in at Browns Creek a few minutes before sunrise on a beautiful morning with a light fog hovering over the water. I really had no plan in mind and with the tide at dead low I just decided to go with the flow and follow the scenery. I spotted some Great Blues on the east side of the first island and so I paddled over to take some shots. As I sat there a pair of Raccoons emerged from the grass and began scampering along the water's edge searching for food. I spotted a female Osprey sitting on a branch nearby and so I paddled directly beneath her and sat for several minutes as I waited for the setting moon to fall behind her. It was pleasant to sit there in her presence as I waited for that perfect shot to be set up and she didn't seem to mind me being there. At one point she yawned one of those yawns that are so big that they actually hurt and she shook her head violently afterward - I could certainly relate. After we parted company I headed into the area between the three main islands of the Brown Island chain and kind of lost myself back there. I don't mean that I got lost but I just drifted in with the tide and didn't really care where it took me - I just floated in and enjoyed what I saw. One thing that I did see was a lot of activity among the Great Blue Herons who seemed to be engaging in a lot of pre-breeding territorial fighting either between the males or possibly between the sexes. I managed to find a path between the second and third island in the chain and wound up in the channel on the western side of the islands and so began to make my way back to the bridge. I passed a flock of a dozen Mergansers and another Osprey who was feeding on a small fish. See the pictures from this trip
1/22/06
I was awaken in the middle of the night by the sound of a ship's foghorn wailing away as it headed down the river and I knew that for third consecutive day we would have fog when daylight came and I could hardly wait. I had been thinking of heading to the St. Mary's River but I love fog and so with the tides low I headed to Pumpkin Hill and got in the water about 15 minutes before sunrise. Not that it mattered since the fog was one of thickest I have ever seen I knew that the sun would rise unseen. As I got my boat ready to go I scared three or four White Pelicans who were lurking nearby and a few more flew overhead as I floated down the creek. As I headed toward the point in the surreal setting it reminded me of growing up in the Midwest when it would snow - changing what was familiar into something totally unfamiliar. The fog was so thick that I had no reference points to tell me where I was. I was floating along with the outgoing tide and I knew it would eventually take me out to the point but it was nearly impossible to tell what kind of progress I was making. It was disorienting to the point that at times I actually felt a bit of vertigo when I tried to look in the distance. It was almost like flying since there was no way to tell where the water ended and the sky began. As I rounded the first bend I could see the White Pelicans gathered on the big sandbar there but they flew off as I approached. I could see several Great Blues also on the bar but they were merely dark silhouettes who flew off as I got close. Throughout the entire trip I could hear the croak of unseen herons and egrets and hear the "splash, splash, splash" of Mergansers and Cormorants scampering away.
Finally, the dark shape of Tiger Point slowly emerged from the fog and I knew that I was at my destination. I made a pass shooting a White Egret who was feeding on the shoreline while a pair of Great Blues perched in the fog overhead. The silvery gray of the sky turned the water into an almost perfect mirror that reflected the egret as well as everything else. I floated on into Edwards Creek a ways before returning to the point where I set up my hammock and ate breakfast. I also walked around the point taking pictures - especially of the many spider webs which were drenched in dew, looking like strings of pearls. There was one of the early signs of spring waiting for me at the point - a Robin which means we should begin to see them a lot more in the coming weeks. After a nice break I headed back out into Pumpkin Hill as the fog began to slowly lift. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go - out to the river or into the Edwards Flats to the Broward Islands. As I was considering this I spotted a familiar shape crossing the creek and I was sure it was an otter. I paddled quickly over to where he was headed and began shooting. Instead of a sleek black body what emerged from the water was a somewhat stubby reddish brown body with a fat, flat tail. As he approached the bank that he was headed for a tern dived on him forcing him to duck under the water. He crossed a muddy pool and disappeared into the grass. I'm still not sure what he was - Muskrat? Nutria? (Note: I looked him up - Nutria)
I continued on around the bend that takes the creek near the houses on Black Hammock and was debating where to go when I saw a creek that headed south into the flats on the eastern bank. I followed this stream escorted by a flock of Red Winged Blackbirds (another harbinger of spring) until an oyster bed blocked my way. At a higher tide I probably could have gone further and so perhaps I will return another day. There were several other branches to explore and some of them may connect with other streams that I have explored in the past but I will save that for another day. I continually came upon Cormorants ahead of me in the stream and at one point one surfaced just below my paddle blade. At first I thought it was a fish but a second later a Cormorant emerged a few feet away and flew off in a panic. A little bit later I came upon one who instead of clumsily flapping upstream as he took off headed right for me. I was sure that he wouldn't get up enough speed to clear my boat or my head so I pointed at him and yelled "watch out!" He cleared my head by less than two feet and went his way leaving me to shake my head and laugh at the absurdity of the situation. My trip back was easy with the now incoming tide. See the pictures from this trip
1/29/06
It's been a while since I have been able to make it out to the St. Mary's River but this morning with Hope in Connecticut for a few days and bad weather on the way I made sure that I got a trip in this weekend. I finally got my ass in gear and hit the road at 7:30 heading in the general direction of Macclenny - not sure exactly where I was going to put-in but thinking of the Stokes Bridge so that I could explore Brandy Branch or else further west to continue my explore of the entire route. As I approached the exits I made my decision and headed north on 121. I knew that there was a road that went down to the location of the old bridge but I wasn't sure about access to the water. I passed a road called "Old Steel Bridge" road and knew that must be it so I turned down it. The road took a sharp u-turn right where it appeared to go to the water but the road appeared to be private so I continued on down the main road. A mile or so west of there the paved road came to an end at a county park and boat ramp with a nice put-in. This area was just west of the ramshackle dwellings that I had passed by back in September when I put-in at the Stokes Bridge but the they appeared to stop just east of the ramp. There was a negligible current flowing past the ramp so my paddle upstream was easy. I soon passed the location of the Old Bridge although the only thing to mark it's location was the Gaging Station that I have been monitoring online for the past year. The few dwellings along the Florida side soon petered out and for the most part they were few and far between for the entire trip. About a mile past the Gaging Station the river began to narrow and twist and turn. The flow, which had been negligible, suddenly became quite intense and it was a struggle to paddle against. The scenery in this area is quite beautiful with more white sandy beaches on either side than anywhere else I have seen so far on the river. There were plenty of great places to camp and few areas were posted. I passed what appeared to be a small creek and I paddled down it a ways before turning back. I could see on my Terraserver photo that I brought with me that it appeared to cut through a large loop of the river and there would be another entrance to it a mile or so upriver. I found it and surprisingly the current was flowing in instead of out. A short distance in it branched off with part of it flowing strongly to the east where the other end of it I had just paddled came back out on the river. The other branch headed south into the interior of the land and I decided to follow that for as far as I could. I probably paddled at least a mile and for the most part I was able to easily negotiate past the fallen trees and overhangs against a pretty good flow. About midway in I passed some old rotten pilings - perhaps the remains of an old bridge. Finally, I reached a point where it would have taken some effort to continue so I turned back. I briefly paddled down the other branch but the current was swift and there were a lot of obstructions so I decided to try it again at another time from the other direction. I paddled back out to the river and took a lunch break on a sandbar nearby. While sitting there a father and his two young sons came by in a jon boat and he informed me that the creek I had just traversed was the "Little St. Mary's" or as I later discovered "the South Prong" of the river. After a little bit of a break I pressed on and finally decided to try to make it all the way to the 121 bridge. The flow remained pretty steady but at times the river would widen out a bit and slow things down considerably. Finally, I began to hear the rumble of traffic and soon came in sight of the bridge. I looked around a bit and it didn't seem like a very decent put-in but perhaps I missed something. At any rate - I turned around and began my journey back. It began to drizzle off and on as I headed back but I lucked out as far as missing the worst of the weather which was soon to arrive. At one point I passed through and area that was full of Robins but for the most part I didn't see any wildlife. The usual calls of the unseen Red Shouldered Hawks occasionally serenaded me as I passed through their territories. I made good progress back going with the current and was back at the ramp in under two hours since I had left the 121 bridge. See the pictures from this trip
1/31/06
I got up this morning with the intention of trying to explore a new place so I headed north to Fernandina Beach. I wanted to find a place to put in on Egan's Creek or else at Ft. Clinch State Park so that I could paddle in the Amelia River and explore the islands in that vicinity in preparation to finally make it over to Cumberland Island. It was cold and clear and a lot breezier than I expected when I left the house and that made me a bit apprehensive about trying an unfamiliar place but I decided that at worst it would be a day to drive around and explore potential put-ins. I had heard a vague reference about a new park and ramp on Egans Creek so turned down 14th and crossed Egans Creek. The last time I had explored this area I was disappointed that there didn't appear to be a public put-in but I knew that there was supposed to be a ramp in the park itself. As I came to the end of the road across Egans Creek I was surprised to find a huge new park just east of the Ft. Clinch boundary with a brand new boat ramp and fishing pier. When I got out to investigate I was blasted by an icy wind howling across from Georgia and greeted by a river full of white caps and I knew that I wouldn't be paddling here today. I took some time to hike along the beach that led toward the state park and walked all the way out to where the St. Mary's River runs beneath the fort. Cumberland Island lay temptingly close across the way - separated by less than half a mile of choppy water. At the point where I stood on the beach were some submerged rocks on which a dozen or so Oyster Catchers stood. Unfortunately, I realized that I had completely forgotten my camera so I was unable to shoot any pictures whatsoever. I headed back to my truck and decided to try and see if there was any places to put in at the bridge over the ICW so that I could paddle down to Crane Island that they are trying to save. I was disappointed to find little in the way of public launch places save a mudflat along the road to the Down Under Restaurant. I headed home to pick up my camera and paddle in my home waters. Once I got my gear I decided that on a windy day like this the island of Browns Creek would be full of birds seeking shelter so I put-in there. With the wind coming almost directly out of the west the eastern side of the first island was full of herons so I cruised past and then began making my way on my usual route toward the runoff pond. I shot some herons and an Osprey and after finding little in the runoff pond I began skirting the western edge of the creek. At one point near where I had seen the wild hogs last year I suddenly heard a single loud pig squeal coming from the woods nearby. I never saw the hogs but clearly they were still in there. I began paddling eastward to complete my usual circuit. When I was near the bridge at Shrimpers Creek I looked above me to see a single Bald Eagle soaring high overhead. As I paddled along the northern edge of the third island I saw two small creatures at the waters edge squeal and then run quickly into the woods. I'm not sure what they were - they seemed too small to be pigs but the sound they made was somewhat pig like. I completed the circuit on an outgoing tide in pretty rough waters. It was a beautiful day to be on the water. See the pictures from this trip
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