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Paddling Journal September 2008 September is here. It begins with our long awaited trip on the Suwannee Trips this month: 9
* Non Paddling Trip
Back to Journal Index
9/1/08 - 9/2/08
The start of our trip down the
Suwannee River
Our great Suwannee River Adventure began today as we set out for Suwannee River
State Park. It was kind of a logistical nightmare as I spent Labor Day
weekend preparing for the trip - deciding what to leave where and how to
pack our boats for a two night, three day trip of over 40 miles. Since Hope
and I have never camped more than one night at a time and usually in our
"backyard" it took some thinking to figure out how to accomplish this. Since
we were staying at the River Camps, we left our Jungle Hammocks behind and
purchased a couple of twin inflatable mattresses along with some lightweight
fleece sleeping bags. We also bought a couple of new large dry bags that
were slimmer in profile than the big ones we normally use. Other than that,
it was just a matter of what to eat and drink along the way and where to
leave the rest of our stuff.
We decided to leave Hopey's car at Suwannee River State Park and had to pay
$5.00 a night to do so. We were amazed to see how high the water was and how
cool and less humid it was compared to Jacksonville. We then backtracked to
Stephen Foster State Park at White Springs where we had a cabin for the
night. We decided to do this rather than begin our trip from Jacksonville so
that we could get on the river a lot earlier. After settling in, we decided
to head up to Big Shoals to see what it looked like under the Fay induced
high water conditions. We hiked down to the Shoals and it was amazing to see
the black water rushing over the shoals which resembled a mountain stream
except instead of white water it was tea water. Big Shoals at high water
Hopey tried to climb down to take a dip but there was no where to sit so we
hiked back to the parking lot and walked down to the kayak launch and took a
dip on the stairs there. We headed back to the park and had a nice dinner
and made it an early night. We got up the next morning with the goal of
leaving the cabin by 9 so that we could be on the water by 10. We easily
beat that and were heading west on the river by 9:30 am. The Carillion Tower
at the park was sounding as we set off and I told Hope that out adventure
would start "....the Carillion Tower resounded throughout the valley as
Kevin and Hope began their Suwannee River adventure. Little did they know
what dangers lay before them...." The literature at the park said that the
Tower could be heard for a three mile radius and sure enough, every 15
minutes for the first hour, we could hear it.
It was incredible how fast we were going and I kept checking my GPS to see
our rate. Just sitting in the water we were traveling at over 3 mph and if
we paddled lightly we would approach 5 mph. In the first hour we covered
well over three miles and we knew that we would be at Woods Ferry a lot
sooner than we had planned. As usual, wildlife along the river was sparse
and with the water covering up the usual sandbars I was pretty sure that it
would be even sparser. We did see several Green Herons who flew ahead of us
but with the swiftest water near the shoreline there was no way I could risk
trying to shoot them so I was content to take pictures of the wonderful scenery.
At close to 11 we came to a beach where the trees were full of red, white
and blue pennants. Behind the beach was a flooded marshy area that looked
like a great place for Gators and Hopey suggested that the Alligators had
placed the pennants to attract "Hoomins". I think it was probably some
developers attempt to lure boaters and after we took a swim break and set
out we saw more pennants on the other side of the river where a really odd
looking fancy marble kayak launch had been built. It was overgrown with
weeds so hopefully the housing crisis has killed this project but it will
undoubtedly be back. Checking out Swift Creek
We hadn't seen a soul all morning but as it approached noon we could hear
the roar of I-75 and we saw some people fishing at the mouth of a stream
called Swift Creek. We paddled up the stone lined creek before turning
around. We could have gone further but I was worried about being able to
turn around since I was a bit top heavy and there was limestone walls on
either side with a strong current ripping by. We came back out to the river
but never could find the next feature I had marked on my GPS - Louisa
Springs so it may have been covered by the river.
Not long after passing under the interstate we were shocked to hear voices
behind us and turned to see four kayakers paddling up. As they passed, they
told us they had put in at the 41 bridge at White Springs and were going to
stop at Woods Ferry for lunch on their way to Suwannee Springs Music Park.
They arrived at Woods Ferry well before us and had pulled their boats well
up the walkway so that we would have room to unload. They offered to help us
carry our stuff up but we told them we had all day and they went up to the
picnic pavilion to eat. Arriving at Woods Ferry River Camp
We walked up the incredibly long and winding walkway to the camp and since
we had made reservations we thought we should at least notify the campground
host of our arrival and see if there was a shelter we should use. We never
got a response so we picked the closest one which was the handicapped
shelter
and after the other kayakers left we began carrying our stuff up. It was hot
and humid so after a half our of lugging gear we took a dip at the end of
the walkway and then after taking a shower we decided to nap on our
mattresses.
After a while, we saw the campground host working outside his RV but he never
came over and we decided to leave him alone and do our own thing. There were
signs at each water spigot saying that there was a problem with the system
and it was not drinkable but fortunately we had plenty and we set up to cook
our dehydrated dinner of Turkey Fettuccine Alfredo and drink our first bota
of wine. We were done early but we were pretty tired so after building a
fire we retired to our shelter while the light slowly faded.
One of the Woods Ferry residents
I wish I could say that we spent a pleasant night listening to the sounds of
nature but the Woods Ferry River camp is located on a stretch of the river
that parallels the interstate and is only .7 miles from it. As a result, we
both spent the night tossing and turning and got very little sleep. We both
agreed that in the future we would use Woods Ferry as a stopover to take a
shower and re-fill our water and then head down river to camp out of range
of the highway sounds.
See the pictures from this trip
9/3/08 Red Shouldered Hawk near Suwannee
Springs
The second day of our journey was going to be the toughest since the distance
to Holton Creek River camp was in excess of 18 miles. At normal flow I
figured that it was "doable" but only if we got going very early in the
morning and paddled a good ten hours. At this flow, I felt like we could be
a lot more relaxed about setting out which, considering we had not slept well,
was a good thing. Getting ready to start day two
We got in the water at 8:45 am and what a contrast it was to the day before.
Instead of the musical chime of the Carillion Tower sending us on our way we
had the annoying roar of semi-trailer trucks that stayed with us for the
first hour as the river continued to parallel the interstate. As we set out,
a flock of big black birds flew from one side of the river to the other and I assumed
they were Vultures until the last one crossed looking very un-vulture
like. When I caught up to Hope, she told me that she too thought they were
vultures but the last one that crossed revealed that they were Wild Turkeys. Butterfly on deer carcass
After about an hour, the river finally turned to the west and the noise of
the highway faded, replaced by the calls of Red Shouldered Hawks and
Pileated Woodpeckers. We took a mid-morning break at one of the many
sandbars that were located at the inside bends of the river which were
frequent. It was here that we took time to observe what we had experienced
for the whole trip - the huge vortexes that occurred at each sharp bend of
the river. The flow was so strong that the water would rip along the outside
bend - usually against a limestone wall, but the huge pool that was formed
in front of the sandbar was flowing in a clockwise direction and if we got
caught in these we were sent zooming back upstream. As we watched the vortex
in front of us, we could see that an enormous mound of water would
suddenly pop up and send a rim of water spreading out in all directions.
Apparently, there was just so much water trying to get around these tight
turns that it would eventually back up and a "boil" would rise up. It really
made you appreciate how the incredible limestone formations that line the
river were formed. Gilligan my little buddy going on
his three hour cruise
About halfway to Suwannee Springs, we both saw an odd looking log hung up at
a bend and when I went to investigate I saw that it was the carcass of a
young deer that was covered with the beautiful butterflies we had seen all
along the river. A few minutes after setting back out, I noticed that I had
picked up a passenger - a tiny lizard who was clinging to the camp towel on
my deck bag. He seemed to be enjoying the ride and I named him Gilligan
since was going to be going on a "three hour tour" of the Suwannee. He would
gaze out at the river and then look back at me and cock his head as if to
day - "where are we going dude?". I tried to lower my camera to get a shot
of him looking at the river and he took that as an invitation to run up my
arm and around my back. Me and Gilligan at Suwannee Springs
I figured that he had either jumped ship or was somewhere in the back of my
boat but Hope soon pointed out that he was resting comfortably on the bill
of my hat. She said he looked happy and was waving at the dragon flies as we
floated down the river but she also said he appeared to be very interested in the
vent holes on the sides of my hat. Sure enough, a few minutes later, I could
feel him crawling around inside my hat and Hope confirmed that he was no
longer on the outside. I could feel his tiny little claws on my scalp but he
wasn't really bothering me and I knew we were close to our noon time stopping
point of Suwannee Springs and I let him be.
We arrived at the park and beached our boats at the steps of the kayak
launch and Hope took a few pictures of Gilligan on my greasy hair and then
we removed him back to my boat and decided to let him decide if he wanted
Suwannee Springs to be his new home or continue the journey with us. We
walked around the park a bit to stretch and then ate in the company of a
young female dog who we named "condom eating dog" for obvious reasons. As we
got ready to depart, Gilligan was no where to be found but I soon spotted
him on the post where we had tied our boats to. We said our goodbyes to
Gilligan and Condom Dog and passed under the old bridge and the new one
and headed west. Hawk giving me a look
Hope was ahead of me and started pointing to the left where I saw a Red
Shouldered Hawk perching on a branch about 15 feet above the water. I was
able to paddle over and sit in an eddy to get some great shots. As I was
preparing leave he turned and cocked his head to look at me but never flew
away. I caught up to Hope as we passed under the sign marking the "Spirit of
the Suwannee Music Park and Campground". A little ways further down the
river we saw the ramp but we decided to not get out. I now wish we had since
this is a re-supply point and it would have been nice to know what was
available and how far it was. We had a good ways yet to go, however, and
didn't think of it until later. Young Gator and Turtle
We spotted a young Gator sharing a log with a turtle and a little ways after
that we saw a very large one on the bank but he flushed before I could shoot
him. Finally, at about a quarter to four we spotted the shelters on a high
bluff above a tight turn in the river and we knew we were at the Holton
Creek River Camp. This was the camp Hope and I had stumbled into a year ago
and met the host - Doug Carter and had been given a tour which really got us
thinking about doing this trip. We headed up the walkway and were surprised
to see that the place where the host's RV was supposed to be was empty. We
found a luggage cart which made carrying our gear up wonderfully easy and we
were soon settled into our shelter. Relaxing at Holton Creek
After showering, we made our dinner - this time Jamaican BBQ Chicken and
finished off our last bota of wine. At first, we weren't going to build a
fire but someone had left a coffee can full of "fat lighter" in our shelter so I
decided to go ahead and do it. As I was exploring the area looking for wood,
I found a recently expired Luna Moth and laid him on the walkway in front of
our shelter. After an hour or so of sitting in front of the fire listening
to the sounds of the Pileated Woodpeckers the light started to dim and we
began to hear the hoot of the owls. The first owl we heard was a single hoot
but later we head the distinct "who cooks for me - who cooks for you
all?" call
of the Barred Owl.
We were both spent and in bed before it got dark. At one point in the
night I heard what may have been the call of a Limpkin but for the most part
it was the Barred Owls and the other hooter that kept up a constant
conversation. I heard some critter walking around outside our shelter at one
point but it never activated the motion sensor lights that every shelter
has. One of the shelters near us did have it's lights go on but I never saw
anything.
See the pictures from this trip
9/4/08 Starting out on day three - still
smiling!
What a difference our night at Holton Creek River Camp was from the previous
night at Woods Ferry. Instead of the constant roar of I-75, we heard the
wonderful sounds of frogs, cicadas, Barred Owls and the other residents of
the Suwannee River Valley serenading us all night long. I can't say that I
rested much better but at least when I lay awake, it was a peaceful doze
instead of that awful hum. Sign at Holton Creek marking our
progress
I finally got up around 5:30 and took a walk down to the river where I could
see that the step that had been a couple of inches under water was now
almost completely out. There was a light mist skimming across the surface of
the water which was still ripping around the tight bend that the camp sat
on. Occasionally, the sound of the water boiling against the limestone wall
opposite the camp would echo across to where I sat.
As it started to get light, I made coffee and Hope began to stir. An Owl
flew up into a tree above us and although he looked like a Barred it was too
dark to see. I watched him as he rubbed his beak against the limb he was
perching on. At one point, I noticed that the Luna Moth I had laid on the
sidewalk was missing but after looking we found that he had been pulled into
a small hole under the walkway. The mouth of the little cave was lined with
leaves and sticks and I wondered if there was some kind of ground dwelling
spider that had claimed him. We knew that today was going to be an easier day than the day
before so we weren't in a big hurry to get going, but the prospect of a real
bed, real food and cold beer gave us the incentive to finally pack up and
load our gear in the wonderful luggage cart and we were underway about a
quarter to 10. An incredibly beautiful day
We were now traveling the same stretch of the river that I had paddled back
in August of 2007 and even with the high water I started to recognize
familiar landmarks. We passed a little cove with a ramp and I remembered it
as the place where I had taken a lunch break and saw a Red Shouldered Hawk
drinking water from the tiny spring that was now covered by black water. A
few minutes later, we were at Holton Creek which on that day was nothing but
a limestone ledge a couple of feet above the surface of the river. Today it
was a wide, deep stream and we paddled up it a ways before deciding to
return. Hope was disturbed by a fishing line attached to a branch which was
being tugged violently by a 12 inch catfish. I told her that we used to do
the same thing when I was growing up but a lot of "sport" fishermen consider
it unethical. I figure as long as they are responsible and come to check
their lines daily I had no problem with people feeding themselves this way. At the Alapaha Rise - no more smile
The area we were passing through was the Holton Creek WMD and had lot's of
great places to camp but soon we were passing the houses that I remembered
lining the river near Gibson Park. We found the entrance to the Alapaha Rise
which was being guarded by a boisterous Red Shouldered Hawk who followed us
as we paddled up the run. When I was here before, this was a swift flowing
stream with shoals at the mouth but now it was flowing lazily from the pool
a short distance from the river. The water was icy cold and the air
temperature around the sheer limestone walls was a good 10 degrees cooler
than it was on the river. We sat there enjoying the beauty and solitude and
it was hard to leave but finally we did.
Hope had picked some wild grapes along the river before we had entered the
rise so we crossed over and picked some more which were not bad tasting.
Many of these wound up under the seats of our boats and I joked that we were
going to be making "Ass Wine" by the end of the day. We
passed under the CR-129 bridge and pulled up at the Gibson Park Ramp
to take a lunch break and re-fill our water bottles before heading on. Just
a few yards downstream, we saw the mouth of the Alapaha River which normally
is just a sandy river bed but today the Suwannee was actually flowing into
it. We paddled up it a couple of bends and saw that it was a beautiful and serene
river but the cold beer was calling, so we headed on. One of the many Red Spotted Purple butterflies we saw
along the river
By now, we were both dragging and it was turning into a hot afternoon so the
next five miles were hard. We stopped about halfway to the park and took a
swim break at an idyllic sandbar covered in shade. It was hard to pull away
from this spot but we knew that we still had to retrieve my truck back at
Stephen Foster before we could relax so we pushed on. We passed the boat
ramp that we had found the previous summer and I knew that we were well
inside the park boundaries and would soon see landmarks we would recognize
from our previous paddles here. Within minutes, we had passed the place where
we had eaten lunch back in October of 2006 and a little downstream of that, I
spotted the big rocks where we had eaten lunch on our first trip on this
wonderful river back in October of 2001.
About this time, I saw a large object plummet from an overhanging tree into
the water. It looked like a leaf but when it hit the water, it began
thrashing about and I knew that it was another Luna Moth that needed
rescuing, much as the one I had rescued back in August of last year. What is
it about this stretch of the Suwannee and Luna Moths? Do they come
here to commit suicide? I scooped him up and coaxed him to my deck bag where
he clung shivering in the cold. I named him Bob and told him that life was
worth living and we would soon be on dry ground where he could begin it
anew. Bob the suicidal Luna Moth
While Bob dried his wings, we began entering the area where the trails run
along the river and after passing Balanced Rock and the little spring we
were in sight of the ramp. We paddled up the Lime Sink run which is normally
dry and then pulled up to the ramp. I retrieved Bob from my boat and took
him up the ramp where I tried to coax him onto a Palmetto but just as I
thought he was going to climb up my arm he suddenly took off and flew over
to another Palmetto that was sitting in full sun. I clapped and said goodbye
and went to retrieve Hope's car which at first glance appeared unscathed.
After checking in with the rangers and getting the key to our cabin I headed
down to the ramp where we started to load up.
It was there that we noticed that one of Hopey's tires was very low which
really put a damper on things for a few minutes. We got everything up to the
cabin and unloaded and then asked a ranger if they had a place where we
could fill the tire up. After doing so - we headed back to Stephen Foster
and retrieved my truck which, thankfully, still contained my laptop and all
the other stuff we had left in it. After making a grocery stop at Live Oak
we came back and crashed - literally.
WE DID IT!
We ate, drank and got merry and basked in the glow of our accomplishment. We
were proud of ourselves and I was especially proud of Hopey. It was
physically draining but as we looked at the 679 photos I had taken we agreed
that it was a great trip. We learned a lot and there are a few things we
would do differently but not many. We both decided that we were pretty close
to our limit and had the river been flowing at a normal level it would have
been tough. I'm not sure we could ever do the whole river in one trip but we
are definitely going to do it in segments like this and then maybe later the
whole stretch with long breaks at the state parks along the way.
See the pictures from this trip
9/5-6/08 Louisiana Water Thrush at Suwanneecoochee Springs along the Withlacoochee
We spent the day following our trip vegging in the cabin. We didn't stir
until well after 9 am and it was well after noon before we decided to
actually leave the cabin and do a light hike around the Lime Sink Trail. It
was interesting to see the Sink with water flowing through it and I really
wanted to come back at some point and see it in the morning when the
wildlife usually is more active. We took the River Trail and passed by
Balanced Rock where there was a conveniently placed bench dedicated to a
couple of "River Rats". We definitely felt like a couple of river rats after
our trip the previous three days and enjoyed sitting there watching the
river roll by the big boulder out in the channel. The Lime Sink Run full of water
We walked through a grove of trees that was alive with small birds - some of
them we were able to identify as Prothonotary Warblers - a bright yellow
bird with an olive green back. We reached the place where the footbridge
crosses the Lime Sink Run and heard the pounding of a woodpecker nearby but
could never spot him, We retired to our cabin where we grilled steaks and
watched a video before taking to our beds early.
We woke up a lot more refreshed the next morning and after considering
taking a walk up the Lime Sink Run as I have in past visits here, I decided
to stay put and work on my photos and journal. After another hearty
breakfast, we decided to head across the river to find the elusive Drew
Mansion. We had tried to find it on our previous visits but had been unable
to. Now that I had a GPS device we knew its exact location and after
parking at the Ellaville park we set out toward where the former governor's
homestead lay. All that remains of the Drew Mansion
We found the trail markers and headed down a very overgrown trail into a
thicket of Poison Ivy. Eventually, my GPS said that we were within 30 feet
of the mansion and in a clearing where there was a picnic table located. I
remember reading that there was little to mark where the mansion once stood
so I was satisfied that we were here but Hopey was not so we backtracked to
a road that ran along the railroad track and found more trail markers that
took us back into the thicket. Once again we got to a place that was within
30 feet and my GPS announced that we had arrived at the mansion. We still
couldn't see any real tangible evidence but Hope spotted a small depression
full of moss covered bricks and we felt like we had the evidence we needed
to be satisfied. Relaxing at Suwanneecoochee Springs
We hiked back to my truck drenched in sweat and decided to carry our lunch,
beer and chairs down to Suwanneecoochee Springs on the Withlacoochee River
about a quarter of a mile down a trail to the east. When we arrived, there
was a young man there who told us that he had just come from Madison Blue
Springs along the Withlacoochee but it was closed off. As he related this, I
spotted a bird that I had never seen before who was bobbing its tail up and
down as it walked along the water's edge hunting for insects. It was olive
green on top and speckled on it's belly with a very distinct eye stripe. I
later identified it as a Louisiana Waterthrush - a bird that is rarely seen.
The water, of course, was much higher that we had ever seen it in previous
trips to the spring but that actually enabled us to crawl carefully out on
the boulders and jump into the ice cold waters. We spent the next three
hours chilling in our chairs with beer, books and tuna sandwiches as we
relaxed. We were annoyed by a Jetskier who kept coming up and down the
Suwannee and occasionally would head past us on the "With". A couple of guys
hiked down to the springs and spent some time chatting with us about the
water levels in the area after Fay but for the most part we were undisturbed
and very relaxed. "Woody" eating his "spider-ghetti"
We returned to the cabin, only to realize that I had dropped our cabin key
somewhere in our travels but fortunately we found it where I had parked my
truck and only had to take a 15 minute detour. While we were washing up and
preparing for dinner I noticed a Walking Stick on our back porch who had a
gnat in his front claws. He slowly lifted the insect to his mouth and began
eating it as I watched but he was done by the time I had retrieved my
camera. After taking a shower, I checked "Woody" and saw that he now had a
tiny spider in his claws. After telling Hope, we spent the next several
minutes watching him and trying to figure out the best way to shoot him. It
was fascinating to see him suck the spider's legs into his mouth - a kind of
"spider-ghetti".
It was a great trip. We've done over 60 miles of the 200 miles inside the
Florida border this summer and we will be back to do the rest.
See the pictures from this trip
9/9/08
Osprey at Half Moon Bluff on
Simpsons Creek
After spending Monday catching up on yard work and cleaning up the storm
damage after Fay, I was ready to hit the water back in my home area. I
wasn't really in the mood for a challenging trip but after looking at the
tides I decided that a trip down Simpsons Creek would be in order. Spotted Sandpiper with Fiddler
I hauled my boat down to the water, thankful that the level was still high
enough to allow a fairly easy put-in. As I was walking back up to my truck
to get the rest of my gear, I noticed a couple of signs laying on the ground
near the break in the rubble that the state had placed a few years ago in
their attempt to prevent people from putting in here. They were signs
announcing that the area was closed due to the fact that it was designated
as a Tern Nesting site. I knew that this was a bunch of baloney since in the
15 years that I have put-in at this location I have NEVER seen a tern nest
in this area and this was not a location that they would next in anyway. I
wasn't about to haul my boat back up to my truck so I went ahead and
launched fully expecting to have a ticket on my truck or be confronted by a
wildlife officer when I got back.
I felt a little more at ease as I was setting out when I saw someone else
pulling off the road to launch. Since I hadn't launched from here in over
two months, there was no way to tell how long these signs had been up or
even if this was their original location since the tropical storms we have
been having recently could have uprooted them. As I floated with the
outgoing current, however, I began to see some more signs in the distance
along the edge of the the marsh where Big Talbot skirts the shore and once I
arrived at Half Moon Bluff I spotted a couple of more along it's shoreline
that were laying on the ground.
I didn't see too much of interest on my way out to the sound and once out
there I only saw a pair of Spoonbills and some shorebirds. I paddled up the
beach on Big Talbot shooting a Reddish Egret I spotted along the way. After
beaching my boat, I walked back to where I had seen the Egret but he was in
no mood to pose so I returned to my boat. I had some things to do back at
the house and the signs had put a damper on things, so after a couple of
hours of swimming, eating and reading I returned to my boat and let the
incoming tide carry back to the put-in. Sanderling in the glitter
I may be overreacting about the signs but there is something basically wrong
about what the state is trying to do. It's obvious to me that this is simply
another attempt by them to close off this long standing launch point and
force people to use the rarely open Kayak Amelia pay site. I fully
support the protection of nesting areas and have always been opposed to
allowing driving on beaches like Huegenot but for the state to use this as
an attempt to close off this site is wrong and it undermines the value of
the signs when they are used in legitimate areas. Let me stress this - if
someone can prove to me that this site has indeed become a Tern nesting site
I will stand corrected but I think I know a little something about birds.
Terns nest in huge colonies near or in dunes and you cannot miss the fact
that they are there. A nesting tern will let you have it verbally and
possibly physically if you come into their area. There are NOT Terns in this
area! Now, are their nesting birds in the vicinity? Sure - AT NESTING SEASON
- which is not the fall. The entire Timucuan Preserve is a nesting site so
unless you want to close off the entire estuary you have to let people have
access to the marsh.
Enough ranting but I'm sure the state is not done with this stuff and I am
already looking into other options for where I can launch. There area some
places on the other side of A1A that may be possibilities.
See the pictures from this trip
9/12/08
Yellow Crowned Night Heron on Hannah
Mills
This is my weekend to work and with a home Jaguar game on Sunday I knew it
was going to be a long time between paddles so when I arrived home to an empty
house I decided to head out on the water for a couple of hours.
High tide was a little past 7 and with a stiff easterly breeze coming across
the water I had a tough paddle out to the ICW and my shoulders were barking
at me when I finally pulled into the waterway and began drifting northward.
There wasn't a lot of activity and with the exception of a Yellow Crowned
Night Heron back at the put-in and a few plovers along the ICW I saw very little.
It was nice to be out there, however, and although it was still quite hot,
it was a little less humid and I could see some subtle signs of fall out in
the marsh like the grasses blooming and the evening sky being a darker shade
of blue.
I headed back into Hannah Mills and after shooting a tree full of Egrets
gathering on the leeward side of an island to watch the sunset I spotted a
dark, hulking shape on the old cedar tree and floated by shooting the Great
Blue before he flushed. I rounded the bend and began paddling back toward
the big pool adjacent to the road. As I approached the sea daisy island, I
spotted several Little Blues popping their heads above the grass but when
they flushed they took with them a lone Reddish Egret who had been sitting
there as well. He flew off toward the Pelican pool and I crossed the pool
back to my truck.
See the pictures from this trip
9/21/08 Stormy skies at Guana in the morning
Nine days between paddles is way too long to be off the water so when I woke
up this morning to heavy rains and breezy conditions I was kind of bummed
out. When I realized that the Jaguars weren't going to be on television
until 4 pm my options were opened up and I started looking at some areas
away from the house. The radar seemed to indicate that the heaviest weather
was on the north side and Guana looked as though it might clear off a lot
sooner. Bald Eagle after the rain cleared
As soon as I pulled onto A1A at the end of JTB Blvd, however, I saw black skies
to the south about where Guana Lake would be and I knew that I would at
least see some weather before the morning was over. I figured that it would
only be a brief shower and it would still be a good day out on the water so
I proceeded down A1A. When I pulled into the parking lot at the Landing I
was confronted by another situation I hadn't counted on - a parking lot full
of trucks with empty trailers and I knew that there was a duck hunt going
on. I pulled up to the ramp and asked the FWC officers who were running the
hunt if it was OK if I launched and after some hesitation they said that
there was no reason that I couldn't. Rainbow over Guana
I launched and since I figured that most of the gun toting hunters would be
to the north I headed south along the eastern shoreline as the roar from the
pounding surf on the other side of the road was louder than I had ever heard
it. Not surprisingly,
there was a ton of water in the lake and although paddling was easy I knew
that it would mean a lot less visible wildlife. The sky was incredible,
however, and I almost didn't mind the lack of bird life. As I headed south, I
began to notice that the scene ahead of me was disappearing into a thick
mist which after a few minutes reached me in the form of a heavy downpour.
There was no place to take refuge so I stowed my camera and rode it out as
the downpour lasted a good 20 - 30 minutes and began filling my boat. Great Blue Heron in the breeze
Finally, it seemed to let up and since I was now even with the Eagle's nest
I decided to paddle across. I noticed that the extra gallon or two of water
that I was carrying was causing my boat to handle differently but I had no
pump, sponge or other way to bail the water so I continued. The rain started to come down heavier once again
but I could see blue skies to the west and bright sunshine to the east so I
knew that it was only a matter of time before it finally stopped. Once I
reached the western shore I could see that one of the Eagle's was sitting in
the tree adjacent to the now empty nest and I managed to get a few shots in
between showers. I decided to make my way to the north and as I paddled
along I began to hear the distinctive chirp of baby gators coming from the
thick grass along the shore.
I drew even with the path to the ramp and decided to head further north
until I began to hear the sound of shotgun blasts coming far too close for
comfort so I began angling my way across to the eastern shore. As I got
close to the ramp a pair of hunters pulled up to unload so I headed north
along the eastern shore above the ramp and shot some Tri-Colored Herons and
some Great Blues before heading back to the ramp to end my trip.
See the pictures from this trip
9/22/08
Momma Gator and part of her brood
along the Cedar Hammock Trail in Okefenokee
With the annual pass that we purchased to the Okefenokee Swamp due to expire
next week, I wanted to get at least one more trip in there. I was surprised
to find that it had been 8 months since I had last made a visit to the East
Entrance south of Folkston so even though there was iffy weather on the
coast headed out around 8 am. It drizzled for most of the way as I drove
along SR-40 toward Folkston but then stopped once I headed south toward the
park. Red Bellied Woodpecker
I got in the water right at 9 am and headed west on the Suwannee Canal with
gray overcast skies above me. I was struck by how quiet it was and that also
included the wildlife as aside from an occasional Pileated or Red Bellied
Woodpecker there was nothing stirring. With the water levels higher than I
have ever seen them I was pretty sure that I would see very few Gators until
I reached the area where I could head out into the open prairies and that
turned out to be true.
I finally came in sight of the canal split and the path to Cedar Hammock was
soon to my right so I paddled up it. The last time I was here back in
January, the trail cutter had been up the path but there was so much debris
floating in the water that it wasn't much better than it had been before and
since I was coming down with the flu that day I didn't go very far up.
Today, it was much easier going and I was soon getting close to the picnic
platform. I began flushing some small pockets of Ibis, Little Blues and
Great Egrets as well as a few Red Shouldered Hawks who were perching above
the flooded prairies. Red Shouldered Hawk
When I arrived at the Cedar Hammock Picnic Platform, I was amused at the
sight of the Port-a-let that was tipping into the swamp at a 45 degree
angle. I guess it was a "use at your own risk" bathroom. After a brief break
I made the decision that my goal for today would be to go as far up Cedar
Hammock as possible before turning around. I wasn't sure how far the trail
went nor how far the path would be clear so I set noon as my turn around
time and headed north.
Before leaving the platform, I heard the sound of Sand Hill Cranes off to
the north but I had no idea if the path would take me anywhere near them. I
passed some more flocks of Ibis and a few more Hawks but for the most part
there was little to shoot. The vegetation in the swamp was another matter as
it was full of delicate little flowers blooming everywhere so I paused to
shoot them along with the lily pads. There was one particular plant that I
enjoyed seeing and shooting called the Hooded Pitcher Plant. Some more of Momma Gator's litter
About a mile and a half north of the platform I began hearing a low chirping
sound that I knew was the sound of baby gators and since it was on my trip
here a year ago that I had seen the babies and their momma I slowed down and
began looking in the stream ahead of me. The sound was a very steady,
rhythmic frequency but as I floated slowly north it began increasing its
beat. Suddenly I saw movement ahead of me but I couldn't tell if it was
reptilian or just the edge of the lily pads fluttering in the breeze. I
began to see the distinctive yellow stripes against a dark, ridged tail
slithering in the glassy water ahead and soon I could see at least a dozen
of googley eyes warily staring at me.
"Momma - that hairy guy is scaring
me"
As I began shooting them, I realized that there were at least a dozen of
them divided up on either side of the narrow stream with a grove of small
trees to my immediate left where I could see some yellow stripes moving in
the shadows. Wanting to capture the sound, I turned my camera to video mode
and began panning back and forth across the path. It was dawning on me that
so many very young Gators in one area meant that there had to be one very
large protective momma Gator in the vicinity and I wanted to make sure that
she was somewhere where I could keep an eye on her - but where? As I panned
back to the right I had my answer in the form of a large, moss covered head
with enormous brown eyes that were locked on me.
Hooded Pitcher Plant Blossom
Her youngsters were between myself and where she was with the closest of
them less than six feet away while she sat motionless no more than 10 feet
from where I was. I shot more stills and another video before backing off a
bit. I decided that this was going to be as far up the path that I would be
going since it was obvious that mom wasn't about to let me pass without a
confrontation and since it was around 11:30 I was satisfied with my progress
for the day. I stayed there shooting for about 10 minutes while the mom
stayed absolutely motionless the whole time, never blinking. Some of her
kids swam up to her but the extent of Gator motherly love is the menacing
look she was giving me and she paid them no attention. I'm sure that if I
had challenged her she would have been willing to give her offspring a demo
in how to eat a kayaker - "see kids - they are crunchy on the outside, but
gooey and delicious on the inside - now Joey - don't eat the hairy parts -
it'll make you sick!" Bumble Bee
Finally, I turned around but stopped a few feet to the south to shoot a
beautiful clump of pitcher plants. When I looked back upstream, I saw that
Momma had finally moved - about 10 feet in my direction and to the other
side of the stream where she sat still staring at me. The babies were no
where to be seen and I assume that she had given them some kind of signal to
take cover. I headed south and after taking another break at the platform I
crossed paths with some paddlers in a canoe whom I told about the Gator
nursery and then made my way back to the canal.
I could hear the sounds of the tour boats making their way down the canal so
after a while I decided to take a detour on my way back. There is a trail
called the "Day Use Canoe Trail" that parallels the canal from the launch
point all the way to the split but it has always been closed since I have
been coming here - I assume because of the low water. The signs saying that
it was closed were still there but now that the State of Florida has made me
disrespect signage I ignored it and headed east toward the ramp. It was a
beautiful narrow little path that was much more interesting than the canal
that I could now hear heating up with boat and kayak traffic. Sand Hill Crane pair that
accompanied me along the Day Use Canoe Trail
Suddenly, I looked up and saw a pair of Sand Hill Cranes walking just a few
feet ahead of me along a path to my right. Surprisingly, even though I was
just 10 feet away from them. they did not react but simply walked calmly
ahead of me, occasionally looking back at me. At one point, they reached a
pool that was too deep to walk across so they flew across to the opposite
side and then continued to walk ahead of me. Finally, after about 10
minutes of following them, they flew off and I continued on. I began to
enter the area of the swamp where I could clearly see the fire damage from
the 2007 fire along the south bank but close to the water the vegetation was
lush and green. Gator in the grass
As I got closer to the end of the trail, it began to narrow even further and
become quite "boogery" as the spider webs that stretched across the stream
got low enough to cause me to duck. I passed so close to a turtle that I
could have patted him on the back but for some reason he didn't plop into
the water until I stopped and turned to shoot. The same thing almost happen
a few yards further up only this time it was a very large gator that I
passed laying up on the bank a few feet to my left. He didn't stir as I
passed by and when I stopped to shoot him he merely stared at me. He had
found one of the few dry spots to sun himself and wasn't going to give it up
if he didn't have to.
I finally reached the end of the trail and I could barely see the "closed"
sign due to the high water and overhanging branches. I'm not sure why they
have closed this area but I hope they officially open it up because it is a
much more interesting place to paddle than the canal.
See the pictures from this trip
9/26/08 Black Bellied Whistling Ducks at
Guana
I had some stuff to do at the Mayo Clinic so after considering Durbin Creek
I decided to take advantage of the high water without the duck hunters and
explore the north end of the lake. I was in the water at 11 and decided to
take the path along the eastern shoreline as far as I could. It was a bit
breezy as I set out and the wind had shifted so that it was coming from the
south instead of the NE as it has been for the last couple of weeks so the
dunes offered me little shelter.
Because of the wind and high water there wasn't a lot of bird life out in
the open but I did see a large number of Ospreys on the day as well as
several Tri-Colored Herons. There was an odd croaking sound coming from
every clump of grass that at first I though might be a variation of the
Alligator's Growl but I later determined that it couldn't have been. It
sounded amphibian so it was probably some type of frog. I spotted a Northern
Harrier flying above the grass - one of the first winter visitors that I
have seen this fall. Northern Harrier
I paddled easily past the homes that are located just north of the beach
access parking lot and passed by the landing under the big oak tree that I
have visited in the past. There was a boat lying there and I noticed on
Google Earth that this island is connected by a new boardwalk now so it is
definitely private property. I paddled around to the back side of the island
where there are homes located along A1A including the one that had the
boardwalk to the island. As I paddled into the pool there I spotted a couple
of odd looking ducks that had orange bills and a dark stripe down the back
of their necks. As they flew off, they squeaked or whistled and I suspected
that they were Black Bellied Whistling Ducks - which I later confirmed. Baby Gator
From there, I continued on until I was forced to take an extremely narrow
path that took me across to the west side of the lake. As I entered the path
that runs along the houses on that side I crossed paths with a couple in a
canoe who were heading south. I paddled up and found the entrance to the the
pool I had found a couple of years ago that had been full of large Gators.
That was when the water was much lower and today, if they were there, they
were well hidden.
From there, I paddled up to A1A where they were working on the new traffic
light at Mickler Road. I turned around and headed back keeping to the
western shoreline the entire way. I saw a couple of very small Gators plop
into the water and got a photo of two of them as well as a very large one as
I made my way back to the ramp.
See the pictures from this trip
9/29/08
Dinner time on Pumpkin Hill
I found it hard to believe that it had been over a month since I was last at
my favorite paddling spot - Pumpkin Hill and only twice this month that I
had been in saltwater of any kind. As the month draws to a close I
decided to take advantage of Hope being, once again, out of town and headed to
Pumpkin Hill after work. Low tide was around five so I had a few minutes of
outgoing current and I was soon around the first bend on a cloudy but
pleasant afternoon. Clapper Rail
I stopped to shoot a Great Blue Heron who was hunched over the mud as if he
was about to pounce. I fully expected him to come up with a fat mud worm
but he never pulled the trigger and after shooting him for several minutes I
headed around the bend near the trails. As I headed down toward my shrimping
spot I could clearly see a Reddish Egret dancing along one of the big
sandbars and so I headed in that direction. My attention was diverted before
I got there by the sight of a Clapper Rail who was standing at the water's
edge a good four or five feet away from the grass line. Amazingly, he let me
stop and shoot him for a long time before he finally took shelter. Reddish Egret at rest
I returned my attention to the Reddish Egret but before I could get in
position to shoot him I was again diverted by some Terns who were sitting on
the sand bar. They were all fully grown but two of them appeared to be much
fluffier and mottled in appearance and they suddenly lowered their heads to
the ground and began pleading with the adults who were standing nearby. As
they did this, the adults looked at them as if to say - "hey - I got no food
for you kid!" About this time, another adult appeared squawking with a fish
in it's mouth which caused the youngsters to plead even louder. I watched as
the Tern with the fish actually placed it in one of the chick's mouths but then
flew off with the youngsters chasing close behind.
I turned my attention to the Reddish but he was too far away for good photos
and after a while he suddenly flew away. At first, I thought that he was
annoyed by my presence but soon I realized that he had spotted another of
his own kind on the next sandbar and he flew over to chase him away. As I
have seen in the past, Reddish Egrets don't like sharing their dancing stage
with others. From there. I paddled on down to the point but didn't stay long
before turning around and catching the incoming tide back in.
Back near the trails I spotted the remaining Reddish Egret but he was done
with his dance routine for the time being. I was able to get some good shots
of him standing in the shallows as the sun began setting behind him. I
wrapped up my trip shooting a young Night Heron who perched in a tree above
the put-in. |
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