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Cooler weather at last! Trips this month: 7
Back to Journal Index
10/1/07
A big ole St. Marys River Alligator
winks at me
One of the nice things about being a paddler in this area is that we have so
many different options for satisfying your "jones". Most of the time, unless
there is a out and out hurricane raging in the area, you can pretty much find
a place to get in the water and mess around. So with gusts forecast in
excess of 30 mph in the coastal areas I decided that I would head west to the St. Marys River and paddle there. I knew that since most of the river runs in a
north-south direction that the high, tree-lined banks would protect me from
any gusts coming from off the ocean and be dissipated somewhat from being 30
miles inland. Cypress leaning over the St. Marys
I decided to make Traders Hill my destination since, as far as ease of
access and beauty, it is one of the best spots. As I set out from the house
at 7, I was wondering if my decision to paddle at all on this day was a wise
one since the rain was coming down hard as I loaded up. The forecast called
for only a 20% chance of rain for the day and when I checked the radar I
could see small storms racing in off the ocean so I figured it would be a
day of dodging rain but mostly dry. As I headed north on I-95, the rain were
pretty heavy off and on but as soon as I turned west on SR-40 it stopped and
blue sky began to appear overhead.
I figured that by the time I got to Traders Hill that those storms would
catch back up to me and as I pulled into the empty ramp area it began to
drizzle. I set out on a river that seemed to devoid of current and a little
higher than it was the last time I paddled here on my camping trip in
November of 2005. I kept my camera stowed for the first mile or so due to
the rain but soon it stopped and the bright sun broke through the clouds and
began shining through the cypress trees. Unfortunately, it was then that I
noticed a smudge on my lens that I hadn't seen at the house so I knew that
any shots into the direct sunlight would be distorted since I didn't have
anything to clean it with.
A little annoyed with myself, I pressed on toward my goal which was the
place where we had turned around when Hope, Mike and Phyllis had paddled
here the week before my camping trip - Stanley Branch. I had heard that the
Nature Conservancy had purchased some land at Devil's Elbow near there and I
was curious about it. As always on the St. Mary's, the visible wildlife is
scarce but the scenery is incredible and that was true on this day. I could
hear the "keeyah, keeyah!" call of the Red Shouldered Hawks as I passed
through their territory but only caught glimpses of them as they flew
overhead. Occasionally, a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers would cross the river
with their wings flashing the black and white semaphore signals as they
flew. Tree people
I paddled up a couple of side streams to shoot the the "tree people" that
emerge from the cypress knees and tupelo trunks but I was never able to get
very far before a fallen tree blocked my path. At one point, as I was
getting close to the place where we had eaten lunch back in "05, I spotted a
narrow trail leading up the steep bank on the Florida side of the river. I
paddled over to investigate and I could plainly see that this was a busy
deer crossing as the tiny hoof prints were deeply imbedded in the sand. On
the opposite bank was a flat sandy beach and I knew that if I were to hang
out here either at dawn or dusk I would get to see deer swimming across the
river as I have seen in the past along here.
Ramshackle house at Stanley Landing
I arrived at Stanley Landing after about 2 hours on the water and decided to
get out and investigate what I thought was an old barn that I had seen
through the trees on previous trips. I soon realized that the barn was
really a very old house that was raised up on cinder blocks. Nearly a third
of the house was missing and it looked as though a good wind would take the
rest of it down so I kept my distance as I shot it. Although the cinder
blocks were a relatively new addition, I could see that originally it had
been build on brick columns which had since been replaced my the more modern
concrete blocks. I could see that the house was built with the kitchen as
the center and on each end appeared to be four tiny bedrooms - eight in all
so I wondered if it was some kind of boarding house.
As I took pictures I reminisced about the beginning of my photography hobby
just after high school when I would drive the back roads of Middle Tennessee
taking pictures of the antebellum farm houses in the hills surrounding
Nashville. Many of those pictures I did in black and white and remembering
this I switched modes on my camera and took some more pictures of the house
before heading on. A few yards south of the landing is where Stanley Branch
enters the river so I paddled up it a ways to see how far I could get. On my
recent trips to the Okefenokee, I have been crossing it and wondered if at
the right water levels I could navigate it the whole way.
About a quarter mile upstream it branched off and I took the stream to the
left until a tangle of branches turned me back. I retraced my route and took
the left branch until a log stopped me. I could have gotten past it but I
was not in the mood for a lot of work and turned back. I passed an
incredible old cypress that had knees growing up inside the huge cavity at
the base. There were a couple of spider webs that the sun reflected off of
and I worked myself back and forth to get the right angle before heading
back to the river. Spider Web at Stanley Branch
I remembered from my camping trip that landings start to get scarce from
that point on for a few miles but I decided to at least go a little bit
further to see if I could find a good spot to string my hammock and eat
lunch. About a mile south I found an ideal spot and ate, snoozed and read
for about 30 minutes. While I was swaying in the breeze the wind changed
directions and the glassy water I had enjoyed all day began to be stirred up
by the now northerly wind. I packed up and began paddling back into this
breeze which at times threatened to take my hat off and grab my paddle from
my hands. Fortunately, I was beyond the influence of the tide and had the
current in my favor so it was not a strenuous trip by any stretch.
I noticed as I paddled back that some of the cypress were showing just a
hint of burnt orange color and since they are one of the only trees in this
area to actually turn colors I knew that in a few weeks the banks of the St.
Marys would be a colorful place to paddle. I passed a couple fishing from a
boat - the first people I had seen all day - and was paddling a few feet
from the Florida bank when I spotted what I thought was an oddly shaped
cypress knee looping up on the bank and then back into the water. This dark,
thick root had strange symmetrical ridges that ran along it and continued
down to the water where it attached to the biggest Alligator I have ever
seen on the St. Marys.
Huge Gator watches me pass by
Not that I have seen many of the big reptiles in this river but this guy had
to rank in the top ten of all the Gators I have seen in my life. His huge
bulbous head was lying a good five or six feet out in the water and his
enormous tail looped up the bank and then back down into the water. Where it
disappeared into the water was still a good four inches thick which meant
that there was a good three or feet of it unseen. Conservatively, I estimate
him to be at least 10 - 12 feet but he could have been considerably longer.
Fortunately, I saw him in plenty of time to retrieve my camera and my boat,
for once, cooperated and kept a straight line as I cruised past him about
four feet away. He quietly watched me as I passed and then, just as quietly
slid into the water without a ripple. I was reminded that on my camping trip
that I had glimpsed a Gator charging from a beach into the water in
approximately this same stretch of the river and I wondered if this was the
same fella. Back on that day he had lifted a wake so big that it rolled down
the river and rocked my boat like a fat guy doing a belly flop.
After leaving him, I passed another boat and soon was back in sight of the
ramp. I cruised around the basin where the old pier used to be and then
loaded my boat up and headed home.
See the pictures from this trip
10/7/07
Bald Eagle at Cedar Point
The atrocious weather we have been having was supposed to continue today but
since it had been nearly a week since I was on the water I decided to give
it a try. I checked the radar and saw that a small storm front was about to
hit but after that it looked to be mostly clear. I reached the put-in along
Heckscher Dr and unloaded my boat as the skies let loose with some heavy
rain so I took refuge in my truck until the rain passed and then set out. Stormy sunrise on Cedar Point
As soon as I left the shore, the rain returned and I began to question
whether or not I should continue or go home and read the paper with a cup of
coffee. Because of the rain I kept my camera stowed as I headed toward the
first bend but soon it had quit and I began shooting the glorious sunrise
and incredible sky. I realized that in spite of how depressing the weather
has been lately you get a completely different perspective out in the marsh
where I had a 360 degree view of the storm clouds blowing in off the ocean.
To the north over Cedar Point road I could see the rain bands traveling west
and I was glad to be seeing it from a distance. There was an odd sound
coming from the direction of Atlantic Marine - a pair of tugboats that
seemed to be tooting to each other in a kind of conversation that lasted for
about 30 minutes.
As I headed north toward the sea daisy island at the confluence point I
began seeing hundreds of Egrets and Herons flying from the south following
both Cedar Point and Clapboard Creeks as they flew toward the sunrise. I
have seen this many times in my trips out here and at times it seems like
Cedar Point is a Egret freeway at rush hour. I also began to see Northern
Harriers swooping over the marsh - the first winter bird to make its
appearance in the preserve and a harbinger of cooler weather. Great Blue waking up at the
confluence point
I made the turn north toward the sea daisy island and saw what at first I
thought was a crab float ahead of me. I soon realized that the float was
moving and I could tell that it was actually the head of an otter. I paused
to shoot him but he disappeared into the grass and I headed on. As I
approached the sea daisy island I could see a large grey shape there and a
check with my binoculars showed that it was a Great Blue Heron that was
sound asleep with its head tucked under a wing. I approached it quietly but
I soon realized that I didn't have to be that careful. This guy was out like
a light and asleep so soundly that I could almost hear him snoring. After a
few minutes his head slowly emerged and after a big yawn and a couple of
stretches he began to look around. Raccoon taking a look around
I was still enough that I'm not sure that he really knew I was there and I
kept shooting for several minutes. Suddenly, on the scrubby tree next to him,
a furry shape appeared as a Raccoon climbed up and took a look around. I'm
not sure the the Heron was too happy to have his slumber interrupted, first
by a paparazzi, and then a wet rodent but he merely looked at us both with
some annoyance and stayed put. I finally pushed off and circled around the
island and shot him with the sun behind him and he finally flew off. Bald Eagle near the point
I took off toward the north, intending to make it up to the point to eat my
breakfast. The tide had turned shortly after I had set out but there was
lots of extra water thanks to the nor'easter so I knew I wouldn't have to
hurry back to the put-in. The current was stiff but manageable and there was
very little wind so the trip was easy and I enjoyed the appearance of a
partial rainbow that stayed in the western sky for several minutes. I reached the point and ate and then
explored around the road a little but but the mosquitoes were thick so I
returned to my boat. As I was getting ready to depart a Peregrine Falcon
came flying overhead, coming from the direction where I had seen one almost
exactly a year ago. As I made the turn to the north I spotted a blob of white
in a pine tree on an island to the west of the stream. I expected to see an
Osprey but when I checked with my binoculars I could see that it was a
mature Bald Eagle. I paddled into a small stream that ran up along side the
island where the Eagle was perched and got as close as I could. Second Eagle near the nests
The Eagle calmly sat there as I tried a couple of different approaches to
get closer and finally I decided to head on further north to check and see
if the boat squatters were still there. I have been seeing a couple of nests
along the western shore of the small stream that heads up to Cedar Point
Road and one of them looks as though it could easily be an Eagle's nest
since it is located in a live pine tree. The Eagles in this area seem to
prefer live trees over dead ones as opposed to Ospreys who almost always
choose the latter but I have never seen any bird near either of the nests.
As I approached the area where I thought I remembered the nests being, I
could see another Eagle perching in a dead tree adjacent to the nest I
suspected to be an Eagle's. I'm not sure if this was the first Eagle's mate
or not since you can only tell the sex by the size (momma is bigger to
defend the nest). I was able to get fairly close in spite of having to fight
the now swift out flowing current but the creek runs right under the tree it
was perching on so before long it flushed, flying south toward the location
where the first Eagle was still perching.
I continued on up to the place where the creek makes a bend to the west and
runs by where the squatters have been anchored. The tide was high enough to
allow me to just see over the grass that they were still there and for the
first time I could see a person walking around on the mass of boats. I
wasn't planning to go any further and wasn't really in a mood for a
confrontation with homeless boat people so I stopped. I saw what looked like
another Peregrine sitting in the same tree where I had seen the one a year
ago but it flew off into the interior of the island there. Roseate Spoonbill
I turned back and let the current carry me back toward the point. I saw that
the first Eagle had not moved and decided to go back out to the main channel
where I thought I remembered another feeder stream that would allow me to
shoot him from another angle. As I passed by the point I spotted a lone
Roseate Spoonbill perching in a tree so I paddled under him and took a few
shots. I returned to the main channel and found the stream and soon was
approaching the Eagle from the south. As I worked my way toward him he
remained calm with only some movement of its head to show that it was aware
of me. Finally, without a sound, he flew off and disappeared behind the
trees at the point. This behavior is typical of Eagles who never appear to
act nervous when approached unlike Ospreys who chirp and twitch when you
come into view. I've never seen a nervous Eagle and they will merely lift
their beaks into the air as if to try and smell you and then fly off in an
instant without a chirp.
I figured that he was gone for good and made my way back out to the main
channel but I looked back as I began paddling south and saw that he (or his
mate) was back at the same perch watching me paddle away. The current
carried me south without having to do much more than use my paddle as a
rudder. I saw a pair of Falcons swirling over the marsh together and I saw
several more Harriers who appeared to be much darker than what I remembered
them to be. I'm not sure if that is a seasonal thing or a maturity thing but
it was nice to see and I know the Mergansers and other cool weather
migratory birds can't be far behind. I spent the rest of the trip admiring
the Ospreys who were hovering in the now brisk sea breeze and then folding
their wings up to dive into the water.
By the time I got back to the put-in it appeared that the two week long
nor'easter had finally blown itself out and there were few clouds anywhere
to be seen.
See the pictures from this trip
10/12/07 Osprey on Guana Lake
It was a brisk 57 degrees this morning as I set out for Guana Lake. With
only a month to go before Six Mile Landing is shut down for duck season I
want to try to paddle there as much as I can this month. I arrived at the
ramp a little after 8 and was the first one on the water. It was chilly
enough for me to wear my fleece and after shooting an Anhingha and a very
Photogenic Mockingbird who was singing to me near the ramp I set out to the
north. Anhinga near the ramp
I decided to paddle over to the western shoreline and since the water levels
were still up take the small channel that runs along the shoreline for as
long as I could. There was not much to shoot along the way except for quite
a few Moorhens, Coots and Pied Billed Grebes. I paddled as far as I could to
the place where the main channel curves over to the west and the water
begins to get very shallow and weedy. I crossed over and found a path that
took me to the eastern shoreline to an island that had a nice landing where
I could get out and stretch my legs. There was some lumber stacked back in
the woods as if someone was planning to build something at some time but I'm
not sure if the island is private property or is part of the preserve.
I got back in my boat and since aside from the shallow, weedy channel along
the western shoreline, there isn't really a defined channel I spent about
and hour meandering back in forth among the flooded cat tails. At one point I
found a channel that went east to west and began paddling back across toward
the eastern side. I could see some Ibis back behind the vegetation including
some Glossy that I wasn't able to get very close to. As I approached the
eastern shore I spotted a small island ahead and a large gator slid into the
water and disappeared. That turned out to be the only Alligator I saw on the
day. Peeking out from the grass
I headed back south, passing the island I had passed earlier and eventually
made my way back out to the main channel. I took it south until I reached
the big island that lies north of the ramp and I decided to take the path
that runs behind it. I spotted an Osprey ahead of me perching on a tiny pole
in the water. Amazingly, I was able to keep my boat drifting straight with a
minimum of effort and wound up within a few feet of him when he finally flew
off. The last shot of him as he left the pole was pretty special as he is
still gripping the pole with one of his enormous claws as he flies off.
The rest of the trip was pretty easy with the slight breeze at my back and a
little bit of current carrying me back. I was a little disappointed at the
lack of wildlife on the day but it was nice to be out there on such a great
fall day. Being on the water at this time of the year in NE Florida can't be
beat!
See the pictures from this trip
10/15/07
Clapper Rail on Pumpkin Hill at dawn
I had planned to go to the Okefenokee with Hope today but she decided that
with our upcoming trip to St. Joe that she would rather stay home and for
similar reasons I decided to stay close to home and headed to "the Hill".
I was in the water at 7:30, just as the sun rose over Black Hammock. The
tide had just turned so I expected to see a lot of birds feeding in the
shallows. There wasn't much however, save a Rail who was peeking out from
his grassy front porch to see who was around. I headed around the bend at
the trails and made my way toward my shrimping spot. As I reached the next
bend I spotted the silhouette of one of the Alligators that I have been
seeing out here for the last few months. He disappeared before I could get
very close and I headed up the feeder stream that skirts the shoreline of
the Hammock.
After exploring that for a while I headed back out to the main channel and
as I began making my way toward the point the sun broke free from its cloudy
prison and began shining brightly on the marsh grass that is now in full
bloom. The grass must be somehow related to wheat or oats and it reminded me
of my native midwest as I paddled along. The intense sun made it glow and
the sea breeze picked up making it undulate as it blew. Take away the muddy
banks and salt water and I could have been standing in an Oklahoma wheat
field.
I reached the point which, now that the wind was ripping into it was empty
so I exited my boat to walk around a bit and eat breakfast. My arms and legs
were soon covered with mosquitoes the result of the heavy rains we had a few
weeks ago - so I headed back to the water and ate my boiled egg. I paddled
south to the big bay east of the flats and then made my way back.
I stopped at the little point near the trails and shot a tree full of storks
but when they flushed I decided to head back home and do some neglected
chores.
See the pictures from this trip
10/19/07 Deer.....errrr, uhmmm.... Gator
crossing in St. Marks Wildlife Area
The year of the "mini vacation" continues for us as we explore every Florida
State Park with cabins on four or five day weekends. This morning, we got
going early and headed toward St. Joseph's Peninsula State Park which is
located SW of Tallahassee. We are familiar with the area since we stayed at
the "Old Salt Works" cabins south of there for three years in a row but we
had never stayed at the State Park since the cabins are nearly impossible to
reserve. I got lucky when I was making our plans back in February and found
a few days that coincided with my schedule. Unfortunately, when the Jaguars
released their schedule a few weeks later it turned out that the Monday
night game with Indy was scheduled for this weekend so I had to decided
whether or not to come home a day early or let our son, Andrew, take the tix. Red Shouldered Hawk at the St. Marks
Visitors Center
It wasn't really a hard decision to make in the end and once I was assured
that asses would be in our seats at the game we went ahead with our plans to stay
through Tuesday and were heading west on I-10 toward our destination. As
always, I planned out a route that allowed us to visit some areas of
interest that we had not been to. On this trip, we took an alternate route
out of Tallahassee and headed towards the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge area
where the Wakulla and St. Marks Rivers join near the gulf. About an hour
east of the capitol we ran into a deluge that stayed with us off and on the
rest of the day but as we pulled up to the refuge's visitor center the rain
stopped and we got out to check things out.
There wasn't much of interest at the center but there was a deck behind it
overlooking a swampy pond called Plum Pond. About 50 yards away was a Red
Shouldered Hawk sitting on a branch with his wings spread as if he were
trying to dry them out. He was scanning the water intently and after
returning to my truck to get fresh batteries I managed to get a few good
shots before he flew to the opposite side of the pond.
We got back in the truck and headed down the road to the gulf where the St.
Marks Lighthouse is located. There is a long causeway out to the light with
marsh on either side. Much of the marsh was intersected by man-made canals
and pools that were dug out to retain the storm surges from hurricanes. In
these pools we could see a wide variety of wading birds including some
Glossy Ibis. We reached the lighthouse and explored around it a bit but the
rains soon returned so we retreated to our truck and began the trip back to
SR-98. We had wondered if we would see Bald Eagles in this area that seemed
so perfect for them but with the breezy, rainy conditions I wasn't sure. Not
far out of the lighthouse parking lot, however we looked to the west and saw
one of the majestic birds perching in a pine tree about 100 yards away. The St. Marks Lighthouse
As we passed along the area where the canals ran along each side of the road
we suddenly saw something that is clearly an "only in Florida" or at least
"only in the south" thing. A six foot Alligator was slowly walking across
the road! We stopped about 30 yards away thinking that he was trying to get
to the canal on the opposite side but to our amazement he stopped and then
plopped down on the asphalt as if he intended to take a nap right there. I
shot some pictures and then we decided to inch our way forward a bit. As we
got to within about 20 yards he decided that napping on the warm road
surface was maybe not such a good idea and he stood up and began walking
back toward the canal he had emerged from. I switched to video mode and shot
him as he ambled toward the grass but someone came from behind us on the
road and pulled around us. I don't think the other driver even saw the Gator
since he zoomed around us and when he got even with him the Gator's slow
amble became a quick dive down the steep embankment and he disappeared into
the duckweed below. Only in Florida
We made our way back to SR-98 and then found the road that led to the town
of St. Marks where the St. Marks de Apalachee historic monument is located. We
passed through the little fishing village of St. Marks where they were
setting up for a river festival the next day. It reminded us a lot of the
town of Suwannee we visited a couple of years ago - a town centered around
sport fishing industry. The old fort, which was used by the Spanish, French,
Union, Confederate as well as pirates is located at the confluence of the
Wakulla and St. Marks river. We walked around the area a bit and then
decided that we should start making our way toward the park.
We passed through the places we had passed on our trips here earlier -
Panacea, Carrabelle, Eastpoint and Apalachicola - and found that the massive
development of this coastline has STILL not happened - I guess thanks, in
part, to the
housing bust. There were some signs of it, sadly, but for the most part it is
still "the old Florida". We arrived at the park and were greeted by a sign
at the gate that warned of "Red Tide" - something we had been going through
along the east coast as well. When I asked the ranger about it he said the
bay side was worse right now mostly because of the smell but otherwise -
"just don't eat any dead fish". Good advice! Red Tide Fish Kill on St. Joes Bay
As we drove through the park with our windows closed we started to wonder if
the funky smell that began to permeate the cab wasn't the dead fish and when arrived at cabin number 4 we
realized as soon as we got out that it was indeed a very dead fishy smell. The
cabins are located right on the bay and each has a boardwalk out to the
beach there. We walked to the end and could see hundreds of dead fish
laying there within a few yards of our feet. Phew!
As it turned out, the smell kind of came and went depending on which way the
mostly calm breeze blew so it wasn't so bad. We cooked our steaks and had a
pleasant evening relaxing but we were surprised at the facilities at the
cabin. These are probably some of the oldest cabins in the system and it was
obvious that we had been spoiled staying at the new ones we had been in
heretofore. Everything is adequate but sparse in comparison and definitely
not a place you would want to "veg-out" in during bad weather. Of course,
people come here to be outside so it really is not a big deal but something
to keep in mind. We could see that the cabin next to ours was in the process
of being renovated and the three beyond it had already been done.
See the pictures from this trip
10/20/07 Sunset behind the dunes at St. Joes
Peninsula
As usual, I woke up in the middle of the night and somehow managed to not
kill myself as I stumbled down the stairs from our loft in pitch black
darkness. I could see from the window of the loft that the sky had cleared
and many more stars were visible than we see in Jacksonville. I went out on the
boardwalk and marveled at the sky so filled with bright dots that I had
trouble identifying the few constellations that I am familiar with. Port St.
Joe across the bay was brightly lit but the lack of other ambient light in
this area makes it one of the best in Florida for viewing stars. Sunrise over the Bay
I went back to bed and slept very soundly for a couple of more hours and
woke up to a sunset that was about to burst over the western horizon. I
hurriedly dressed and walked out on the board walk where I was greeted by a
cool, brisk breeze and of course the smell of thousands of rotting fish. I
could also see that the entire bay was a sea of choppy waves and since our
plan for the day was to put-in at the beach in front of our cabin and paddle
north it looked like we might want to find another activity or at least
another place to paddle.
As I watched the sky turn orange over the bay I looked above me just in time
to see a mature Bald Eagle swoop along the shoreline with a small bird in
pursuit. A few seconds later a young eagle followed the same path and
disappeared behind the pine trees to the south. I went back inside to start
the coffee and when I returned to the end of the board walk another Eagle
flew past me - its white feathers and yellow feet glowing in the morning sun
that had just risen above the clouds. The beginning of our hike
I decided to brave a walk up the beach and discovered that once I crossed
the line of dead fish that smell was dramatically better. As I walked an
Osprey swooped into a pine tree above me and perched for several minutes as
I shot him. Ahead of me I could see several more Ospreys flying over a bend
in the shoreline. I found a sign that showed that this was the beginning of
the trail that goes all the way to the end of the peninsula and that there
were several branches that led either out to the beach or to the bay so I
knew that our activity for the day had been planned.
I returned to the cabin and for the next couple of hours as I made coffee
and cooked breakfast I would periodically take a walk out to the end of the
boardwalk where it seemed like an Eagle was always there to greet me. It
didn't take much convincing to get Hope to agree to a hike instead of a
paddle so we set out about 11 up to the end of the cabin road where the
trail began. We hiked out to the beach first but the sight of a naked old
man to the north confirmed that we needed to start our hike in the interior
so we headed back and began walking north. Buckeye and sandspurs
We had seen deer tracks in the dunes as we walked out to the beach and now
it seemed as if we were walking down deer highway, there were so many tracks.
We were amazed at the difference in the inter-dune vegetation here. Unlike
the east coast where the area between the dunes in mostly Wax Myrtles and
Palmettos, here it was mostly scrub pine and scrub oak and the ground was
covered with some kind of lichen that looked like sea foam. We were also surprised to see many
mushrooms growing out of the sand which we dubbed "dune-shrooms".
As we walked, we would occasionally see Eagles perching in the pine trees
along the bay shoreline and they would fly up and begin swooping along the
tree line. We soon found a path that led to the bay side and we braved the
stench as we walked past the line of dead fish. We continued north along the
interior trail and were shocked to see a sign several minutes later that
indicated that we had only traveled 1 mile. I knew that we weren't going to
make the whole seven miles to the point but still, it sure felt like a lot
more than 1 mile, but sand walking is a lot more effort. Monarch on the interior trail
A few yards further up was another intersection of trails and as we
approached it a large deer came out of the woods from the bay side, stared
at us for a second and then disappeared into the woods on the gulf side. We
took the bay side trail first and found a trail side on the beach that told
us that this was called "Five Pines Cove". We retraced our steps to the main
trail and started down the trail to the gulf intending to take the beach
back to our cabin. As we were walking down the trail that winds through the
dunes an enormous mountain of sand rose before us. We both were hoping that that the
trail somehow wound its way around it but once we reached its base it became
all too obvious that the only way around it was straight up. "Whaddaya mean we have to go OVER
the dune??!! "You made it!!"
It seemed like a cruel trick to put a 50 foot tall dune in our path after a
couple of hours of walking in the sand but apparently the trail makers had a
sense of humor. After what seemed like forever I reached the summit where I
was rewarded by a spectacular panorama. From the top of this sandy Mt.
Everest I could see the bay, the dunes and, of course, the green waters of
the gulf.
While we took an extended break, a young Bald Eagle soared overhead and a
few minutes later I spotted a Northern Harrier flying along the tree line
near the bay.
We descended the hill and soon found ourselves at the bottom of a basin
surrounded by 50 foot tall dunes. I have read about the dunes of St. Joes
beach and I know that they are the tallest on the Florida shoreline but to
stand at the bottom of these giants looking up at the deep blue autumn sky
really drove it home. Fortunately, the trail makers had mercy on us and
fellow hikers and managed to find a path out of the huge dunes without
having to go over them and we found ourselves back on the beach where we
began the walk home. Dune fencing in Black and White
We got back to the cabin, ate lunch and decided to go into Port St. Joe to
scope out the eatery situation and buy something for dinner. After finding
some fresh shrimp we returned home and as we reached the split in the road
where it goes to either the campground or the cabins we spotted three deer
munching away at the holly berries. We stopped to take pictures and then as
they appeared to move on we drove up a little closer. Just as we pulled into
the cabin road we looked to our left and standing calmly 15 feet away was
one of the deer eating the berries. He eyed us without fear and
continued what he was doing as I sat there shooting. I could see in my rear
view mirror some people walking up the road toward us and the deer suddenly
stopped what he was doing and stared at them nervously. He would glance at
us occasionally but he was far more concerned with the walkers. When we
finally decided to move on he glanced at us and then continued to stare down
the road. Deer staring at hikers in the park
We came home and cooked up our shrimp and then decided to head out to the
beach trail to watch the sunset while they cooled. We got to the top of the
dunes just as the sun began to set so we set up our chairs and watched the
sun disappear into the the gulf. As we were setting our
chairs up we looked over to the dune next to us where a deer was standing -
apparently he wanted to watch the sunset too. While we lingered, watching the
orange horizon slowly darken, the waters in front of us suddenly exploded
with activity as several Dolphin began leaping out of the water. They
appeared as black silhouettes leaping out of the aquamarine water that was
still highlighted by the remnant of the setting sun. We could have stayed
all night but dinner was waiting. As we walked back to the cabin we saw a
huge owl perching on a tree next to the trail ahead of us but he flew off
before I could get any decent shots. Sunset through the sea oats Dolphins putting on a show at dusk
We returned, after dinner to the spot near where we saw the owl and watched
the stars. The half moon was too bright but we still enjoyed sitting in the
cool breeze drinking wine.
See the pictures from this trip
10/21/07 Cypress along the green Chipola
River
I woke up about 5:30 this morning and walked out to admire the brilliant
stars above. I could see, hear and smell that the wind was whipping the
waves up on the bay once again so I was pretty sure that if we were going to
get in the water it was going to be inland. After spending some time
updating my journal, I set out to watch the sunset and headed for the beach
trail. I stopped at the little bench atop the highest dune and watched the
sky lighten to the east.
After several minutes I decided that this wasn't going to be a very good
spot since it wasn't high enough to allow me to see the bay so I walked back
down toward the shoreline there but the smell of the dead fish was too
strong so I headed back to the cabin. The youth camp is located adjacent to
the first cabin on the road and knowing that it was unoccupied I decided to
explore it and wound up getting some photos of a Great Blue feeding at the
water's edge. Terrified Fawn at dawn in the park
I started to walk back to the road but was stopped short by the sight of a
pair of deer feeding on the opposite side of the road not 15 feet away from
where I stood. The doe looked up at me briefly and then continued to calmly
feed as I extracted my camera from it's bag. The fawn, who was standing a
few feet away behind some brush froze and stared at me as if it was
terrified but couldn't move. In spite of the dark conditions I managed to
get some good shots and then a wonderful video of the mom grooming it's
terrified fawn. The baby never moved it's head until after the doe had
groomed it for several seconds and then only to get a better look at me.
Finally, they began walking off deeper into the woods and I decided to head
back to the cabin where I roused Hope and made our plans for the day. My
backup paddling plan for the weekend had been the Chipola River and Dead
Lakes which lie about 20 miles north of Port St. Joe. We had "discovered"
both it and the town of Wewahitchka that is along the shore of the Dead
Lakes on one of our first trips here four years ago and had planned to come
back and paddle there ever since but for various reasons things had not worked out. Put-in at Florida Caverns State Park
As I began to read in my kayak guide book about the Chipola, I realized that
there was a lot more to the Chipola than I realized and it made me wish I
had planned this trip a little better. The Chipola actually begins near the
border where Florida, Georgia and Alabama come together and flows
underground at Florida Caverns State Park. It winds it way through varied
countryside and is fed by several springs along the way before it becomes a
swampy coastal river and joins the Apalachicola NE of St. Joe. North of the
State Park my guide book mentioned a put-in at a place called "Old Bellamy
Bridge" which is the beginning of the historic road that Hope and I have
been exploring for years around High Springs. On our most recent outing at
Silver River we actually traveled a section of it in Putnam County south of
Green Cove Springs which was an unexpected find. Apparently, this section is
where the highway began and at one time the Bellamy Plantation was located
here and is probably the reason it exists. Green waters and green trees
Anyway - that sealed our plans and we set out around 11 and headed up SR-71
toward Marianna. Had I looked and seen that it was a good 70 miles from St.
Joe I might have decided not to do it but sometimes ignorance really is
bliss so we began our drive and were soon past Wewa and on our way toward
Marianna. We took SR-73 and finally arrived in the middle of a beautiful old
Florida town that sits on top of a steep hill. In fact, as we drove north of
Wewahitchka the terrain became quite hilly and the red clay banks that
indicated we were approaching Georgia showed themselves. We drove through
the town and soon passed the State Park but since we wanted to check out the
Bellamy Bridge we continued on. As we drove north we began to see fields
full of cotton ready to be picked - something you don't normally associated
with Florida.
We finally found the road and as we drove toward the river we both said that
it reminded as a lot of the sections of the Bellamy Road we had seen in our
side of the state - a dirt road lined with ancient trees. We never saw the
end or the old bridge because there was a gate that informed us that the
rest of the property belonged to the International Paper company and
trespassers were not welcomed so we turned around. Vultures feasting on a Gar
We drove up to the road that crossed the river where there was a kind of
rough but doable put-in that we checked out. As we traveled down the county
road we passed a cotton gin that had huge bales of cotton lying out under
tarps. We had noticed as we drove that the road was lined with little balls
of cotton and occasionally a semi-trailer would pass us bulging with the
stuff. We turned back toward the State Park and soon were checked in and on
the water at the ramp which located just above the river sink. Apparently,
there is a logging canal which was dug across the sink long ago but it is a
treacherous trip and there were signs on the bridge warning people to stay
away.
We headed upstream against a surprisingly swift current. It was manageable
and we made good progress up the river. The Chipola is a river that in many
ways reminds me of the other rivers I have paddled in Florida - the St.
Marys, the Suwannee and the Santa Fe, in that it is lined with cypress trees
but there was something about it that made it very different. Mainly, it was
the color of the water which was a milky, greenish, brown. It was somewhat
clear but cloudy at the same time. The vegetation was thick, lush and green
and with the overcast skies it gave the whole area a kind of dark greenish
glow which was reflected on the surface of the river. The cypress trees here
were different than the ones in our area as well. For one thing, they were huge and obviously ancient.
I saw some of the biggest cypress trees I had ever seen along the banks and
their knees were sometimes four or five feet tall. The lower trunks of the
trees were covered with a brown lichen that gave them an "treebeard" kind of
look. Lunch break at a spring
Not far upstream we began to smell an all too familiar odor of something
dead and began to see Black Vultures fluttering about the cypress ahead of
us. As we approached, we could see that they were fighting over something on
the bank and realized that it was a four foot Gar that a fisherman had hung
from a cypress knee. I have seen this act done throughout my life and was told
as a child that fishermen would do this to teach the other Gar a lesson.
Sounds stupid, I know, but I've seen it done in the Midwest and here in the
Southeast so it must be a common practice. Of course, if fish could be taught you'd
think they would also be able to teach themselves not to eat worms on metal
barbs! At any rate - we thought we were done with dead fish when we traveled
70 miles north only to discover otherwise. We told the vultures that they
could have all the dead fish they wanted down at the bay but they didn't
listen.
The river winds through the countryside and is often choked with
fallen trees which took a little negotiating. We could see that someone had
been through with a chain saw to make the river passable but it still
required a bit of work to get by some of the tangles. Since we got such a
late start on the day I knew we wouldn't get very far and the ranger had
told us that about 30 minutes up we would see some springs and sure enough
we arrived at a spot where crystal clear blue water and white sandy bottoms
popped out from the banks on either side of the river. Red clay banks
We pulled over to one spot and sat down on the shore to eat our lunch and
enjoy the solitude. After a few minutes, however, a trio in a canoe came
paddling noisily from upriver and instead of finding another landing plopped
down next to us. So much for solitude!
No matter - we were ready to move on anyway but we had to wait for another
group of canoeists to come from upriver. When asked how far they went they
said "until it dead-ends" - or at least until they felt like they didn't want
to try to get around another fallen tree. We had seen them putting in ahead of us
when we first entered the park and figured that they had about a 30 minute
head start.
Another spring along the way
We set out upstream and soon began to pass through an area where the banks
were the distinctive red clay that we had seen on the roads earlier. Not far
past that spot we found a tree that was all the way across the river and
although it we could have worked our way around it or under it we decided to
make this the end of our journey and we turned around. The swift current
carried us back in about half the time it took us to travel up and we soon
found ourselves behind the noisy trio who were having trouble negotiating a
tangle so we pulled over and waited.
We arrived back at the put-in a few minutes later and were quickly packed
up. We spent some time at the visitors center and walked the path down to
the entrance of the cavern before leaving and heading back to the State
Park.
See the pictures from this trip
10/22/07 Red Shouldered Hawk on the Dead
Lakes
I woke up to slate gray skies and stifling humidity that made the rank odor
coming from the bay worse than ever. As much as we had hoped for calm winds
to allow us to explore the bay shoreline north of the cabins we both
realized that it was far too unpleasant to stay around this area. Paddling down West Arm Creek toward
the Lake
So back north we went with our destination the place we had intended to
paddle ever since we stumbled upon it four years ago - Dead Lakes on the Chipola River. We arrived at Wewahitchka and were at the ramp at noon and
setting out into what is called "West Arm Creek" - a stream that winds its
way west from the main body of the lake and crosses under SR-71. We paddled
out into a surreal scene of huge, ancient cypress stumps that lined he
channel on either side. These giant cypress were killed unknown years ago
when the Apalachicola River flooded and backed the Chipola River up so high
that it eventually killed the cypress. It's hard to imagine cypress trees dying because
of too much water but apparently that's what happened and the result is
starkly beautiful.
Four years ago when we were here buying honey, one of the locals told us
that if we ever came at night with a flashlight we would see so many Gator
eyes in the water that we would never paddle there in the daylight. Of
course, that made us want to come even more and I expected the waters to be
teeming with the critters. No such luck and as far as wildlife was concerned
- it was "dead". Not far past the ramp I did spot and enormous Gator tail
slither into the water from between some cypress stumps but he never
surfaced again and that was the only Alligator we saw on the day. Mass of cypress roots
A couple of Falcons were chasing each other from tree to tree as we paddled
and at one point a Red Shouldered Hawk flew overhead with an insect in it's
mouth but we saw very little birdlife on the way down to the lake. The
scenery was stunning and well worth the trip, however. We couldn't get over the size
of the stumps - in some case they must have exceeded 15 feet in diameter at
the base. Now that the water level is low there were many living cypress and
some of them were actually growing out of the middle of the dead trunks.
There were many small islands of cypress where dozens of trees grew together
in a dense clump. We couldn't actually see any land on these islands as they
seem to consist only of a mass of roots tangled together.
After about a mile, we reached the lake itself and as incredible as the
scenery we had been seeing for the last hour was, it paled in comparison to
what was in front of us now. The lake, which a wide spot in the Chipola
River, is only about a half mile across and maybe ten miles long but
everywhere we looked we could see tiny little cypress islands which were
surrounded by the huge dead stumps. Some of the islands were actually fairly
large but were so dense with vegetation that all you could see was cypress
trees emerging from a mass of roots. Out on the lake
We were a bit apprehensive about venturing out into the middle of the lake
but we realized that someone (actually several someones) had clearly marked
the entrance to the West Arm Creek and that we would probably be able to
find our way back. It appeared that there was a definite channel on the west
side of the lake where the creek ended and the lake appeared to be more open
to the south so we headed that way and found our way across to the opposite
bank of the lake and began to travel north on what appeared to be another
channel.
As we paddled, I spotted a large wooden structure along the shoreline that at
first I assumed was a dilapidated dock. As we paddled around it, however, we
realized that it was actually some kind of old wooden vessel. It had large
iron fixtures that could have been some kind of propulsion device and it
clearly had deck hatches on top of it's massive wooden surface. To add to
the oddity of the situation there appeared to be full plastic milk jugs
hanging in the trees on the shoreline. Old barge or boat on the east shore
of the lake
We continued north until the channel on the east side appeared to end and
decided to take our lunch break at one of the cypress islands. After eating
we headed back over to the western shore and began traveling south. A Red
Shouldered Hawk flew up on a cypress stump close by and I spent some time
shooting him. As I shot his mate flew up in a tree nearby and groomed
herself before flying off. We soon found the marked tree and the entrance to
the creek and began paddling back toward the ramp. As we got close to the
park we heard the call of a Pileated Woodpecker and saw him fly up to the
top of a dead cypress where he began peering into the many holes in the
trunk. He flew across the creek to another tree where he was joined by
another Pileated and they search the dead tree for food. Pileated Woodpecker on West Arm
Creek
We made our way back to the ramp, satisfied with our trip and making a vow
to come back. I think an early morning or evening trip or a foggy day trip
on Dead Lakes would be something to experience - not to mention a full moon
paddle!
We decided to stop by the same place where had bought Tupelo Honey four
years ago and found the same old lady as the proprietor. After buying our
"personal use" honey as well as some for gifts, we decided to explore around
a bit and headed down the road to the "Chipola Cutoff" where a natural
channel between the Apalachicola and the Chipola connects the two well north
of their confluence. We continued down that road and found a couple of ramps
along the Apalachicola before returning to Wewa.
We had debated as to where to eat our final evening meal of the trip and as we have
discovered on our earlier excursions - Sundays and Mondays in these little out
of the way places that depend on tourism shut down due to lack of business
and it is nearly impossible to find a place open on those nights. We had
passed a place on the way in called "The Red Roof BBQ" so we stopped in and
got a to go order to take back to the cabin. All we can say is - Wewa is
famous for it's Tupelo Honey - NOT it's barbeque!
See the pictures from this trip
10/23/07 Deer Stalker
I started off our final day at St. Joes by getting up before dawn as usual
and taking a walk down to the youth camp. As I reached the top of the dunes
overlooking the fire circle I spotted a pair of deer standing near the brush
leading out to the bay. As they emerged into the open I realized that it was
a doe and it's fawn - likely the same one I had seen the day before across
the road from the camp. In the dim light video works better so I mostly
stuck with that as they pair fed on the leaves and holly berries.
Last sunrise over the Bay
The fawn came out in the open and began biting at the insects that were
bothering it and finally it walked over to it's mom and the pair began to
groom each other tenderly. They finally moved on into the underbrush and I
walked out to the water to take some pictures of the sun rise. As I was
walking back through the clearing, I noticed some activity to my right and
realized that the entire time I had been there two more deer were grazing
on the other side of some palmettos. I peered under the branches to see one
of the deer doing the same thing but calmly munching away as it did. We
watched each other for a while and I decided to head back out to the road
and begin packing up to leave.
As I reached the road and turned toward the cabin I came face to face with
the same pair of deer who I had seen walking through the woods as I left the
camp. They saw me and continued walking up the road toward me, grazing as
they did. They finally stopped about 10 feet away and then after a while,
walked across the road and disappeared into the thicket.
I returned to the cabin and we packed up and checked out of the park. I
chatted with the ranger as I handed in my keys and he told me what they were doing
to the cabins since we noticed that they were in the process of renovating
them. It sounds like they will be on a par with the rest of the cabins we
have stayed in and I assured him that we would be back.
The Gregory House at Torreya Pines
State Park
We had discussed our route home and decided that it would be nice to see
Torreya Pines State Park which is along the banks of the Apalachicola River
just a few miles east of the Caverns State Park we had visited on Sunday. We
headed back up 71 through Wewa and over to Blountstown where we picked up
SR-12 and wound our way toward the park. We crossed the Chipola and
Apalachicola Rivers and passed by a Nature Conservancy sign that indicated
that there were some trails down to the Apalachicola. We turned down the road
and read the information at the kiosk that made us want to return to the area
when we had more time. It's called the "Garden of Eden Trail" and the area
is called the Apalachicola River Bluffs and Ravines. It sounded like a
really great place and we will definitely return.
As we got close to the park we began traveling down roads that were so steep
that we couldn't believe that we hadn't been somehow transported to East
Tennessee or North Carolina. I'm guessing that Florida road builders haven't
learned the art of making a road wind slowly up a steep grade since these
seemed to literally go straight up and then straight down. The only roads
that I have driven on that were steeper were in downtown San Francisco. Looking down the Apalachicola River
We pulled into the park and drove up to the Gregory House Mansion - an
antebellum plantation house that used to be located on the opposite bank of
the Apalachicola. As we walked up to the house we could see through the
breezeway that it was situated on a high bluff overlooking the river valley
below. Once we walked up into the breezeway itself the view was breathtaking
as we could see the Apalachicola River 200 feet below us as it wound through
the valley. The River Bluff trail led away from the house and a sign there
said it was a 45 minute hike round trip so we started the hike down a
incredibly steep path into the woods. We passed a series of six Confederate
gun emplacements that were used to repel the Union gunboats on the
Apalachicola - one of the major commerce routes in the south during the 19th
century.
After a long hike that seemed to go straight down the side of the bluff, the
trail cut back in front of the mansion above and ran along the river about
20 feet below. There didn't seem to be an easy path down to the river but I
told Hope that if I got a running start I might get pretty close to hitting
water and not the limestone rocks that lined the banks. There were some
other trails that led along some creeks that may have allowed access to the
river but we didn't have time to explore them on this trip.
The trail continued past the mansion and followed a little creek that ran
along the base of the bluff and then began heading back up to the house.
Fortunately, the return trip, although steep, was not nearly as vertical as
the path on the other side and there was a bench about two thirds of the way
up where we could take a break. We returned to the mansion and found a
picnic area where we could eat our lunch and then found a roundabout way
back to I-10 and we were on our way back to Jacksonville. Skipper along the bluff trail
I had reset my trip odometer when I filled up for gas on Friday at the I-10
and I-295 merger but had decided to not reset it on subsequent refuelings. As
we pulled onto the merger to head north on I-295, I watched as the odometer
rolled over from 999.9 to 0. One thousand miles on the road! We only
traveled 10 or so on the water and perhaps another 10 on foot which is not
what I had planned for this trip but circumstances dictated that we go with
"plan B" - or C or D and we went with the flow. In our 29 plus years of
marriage we have learned to do that and we both agreed that it was truly a
great trip - smelly fish and all!
We found several new areas that we will return to and explore - the St.
Marks Wildlife Area, The Chipola River, Dead Lakes, Florida Caverns State
Park, Marianna Florida, The Apalachicola River, Torreya Pines State Park,
Apalalachicola Bluffs and Ravines as well as St. Joseph's Peninsula State
Park. We didn't get to explore the park where we stayed as much as we would
have liked but we will be back and spend more time there.
See the pictures from this trip
10/28/07 Lessee - so far this month we've had
Gators crossing roads and Bunnies swimming across swamps - only in
Florida!
Since I didn't get in the water as much as I would have liked on our weekend
away I was determined to get out there today on my only day off for the rest
of the month. The weather forecast called for a return of the Nor'Easters we
have been having this fall but only a 30% chance of rain so I decided to
head to Guana Lake. The area north of Six Mile Landing will be closing in a
couple of weeks and I want to get out there a few times before it does so I
got going early and was pulling into the parking lot at 7:30.
At first, I thought that they had scheduled an early Duck hunt because there
were several vehicles already there including a Sheriff's truck. I realized
that most of the vehicles belonged to three kayak fishermen who were heading
out and one of the cars was an abandoned vehicle that someone had backed
into the shallow ditch that borders the parking area and that explained the
presence of the cop. Sunrise over the beach
It was a lot windier than forecast and I began to wonder of this was going
to be a very good day to be on the water but I decided to give it a try and
turned up the channel that leads along the eastern shoreline. I decided that
with all the extra water in the lake that I would stay close to the leeward
shoreline and explore some of the areas I can't normally access. The birds,
of course were staying close to the ground which was what I expected on such
a blustery day but I spotted a Northern Harrier swooping above the grass
enjoying the breeze. I spotted what looked like a Peregrine Falcon perching
on the top of a dead palm so I paddled over to see if I could shoot him. It
was still to dark for any shots to come out so I sat there and watched him
with my binoculars and I saw that he had something either furry or feathery
in his claws - probably a small bird that he had snatched. He finally flew
off and I headed north staying close the shoreline. Osprey in the wind
I found a little cove that was completely sheltered from the wind and pulled
over to take a break. As I sat there I noticed something swimming across the
small channel in front of me and realized that it was a large Rabbit who was
chugging it's way toward the shore. It was a much larger rabbit that the
ones we have on Hecksher Drive - the Marsh Bunnies who appear on the side of
the road in the spring time at dusk. He disappeared into the grass so I
paddled over to see if I could find him. As I did, a large Hawk suddenly
flew out from the oak tree above where the rabbit had disappeared. I have to
believe that the Hawks was eyeing the bunny for a potential meal but for
some reason decided not to grab him. Coots running across the water
I passed by the houses that begin to appear along the shoreline there and
not far past them saw what looked like an Otter appear briefly ahead of me.
If so, it would be the first Otter I have seen in the lake since I have been
paddling here. I reached the landing I found on my last trip and got out to
stretch my legs before continuing on. I headed a bit further north and was
able to go behind another set of islands that lie in front the northernmost
house along the eastern shoreline. I chased an Osprey around the area for a
while and then made my way out to the main channel and let the wind push me
homeward.
I took some time to shoot the "rafts' of Coots that were floating around in
the lake. Apparently the Coots gather around in large groups when the water
gets choppy and it allows the birds in the middle to feed while the ones on
the perimeter sit with their backs to the rest of the group. It was fun to
drift in on them and watch them begin running frantically across the water
as they labored to get airborne. Coots aren't very good flyers and they
usually just run across the surface of the water to get where they are going
and it can be an amusing sight to see.
See the pictures from this trip
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