Point Aux Barques Paddle Report, August 31, 2008

My son Tom and I (Jerry Inman)launched our kayaks at the base of the break wall pier at Port Austin on Lake Huron taken August 31. We had driven form my Tom’s Cottage located on M-25 just 8 miles southwest of Port Austin. Our paddling destination being the shoreline caves that Tom had seen in a movie highlighting remote scenic places in Michigan.
The Lake was flat nearly undisturbed by the light wind from the north east. The only chop experienced, were wakes from boats leaving and entering the Port Austin Harbor. As we paddled out along the break wall Tom mentioned that we may be headed in the wrong direction, that the caves may be to the South and not North. We agreed that it would be a good paddle even if we didn’t see any caves. In the distance we could see the Port Austin Lighthouse that marked the end of the Port Austin reef and the mouth of Saginaw Bay to the south. The Reef was about two miles off and we hoped that we could find a way through without having to paddle out and around the end. Fortunately we did, and that cut off an extra mile of paddling. Once to the north of the reef, we were encouraged by high shoreline cliffs that came into view and were likely to support caves. In only a few minutes a first shallow cave came into view. Soon thereafter, others were seen, with some deep enough to paddle within. The caves were formed from the eroding action of the waves against the soft sandstone and shale that make up this section of the Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay eastern shoreline. The view and geography reminded us of the Pictured Rocks at Munising in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
We hung around this area for a while paddling in and around the caves. Tom, while positioning his kayak in one of the caves for a photo opportunity commented about some frogs sitting on a ledge. Looking further, he was startled by a large snake positioned close by and ready for a frog lunch. With our picture taking complete, we paddled out and around a cliff face and made another discovery.
The rock shape ahead was somewhat familiar as it has adorned postcards depicting the thumb shoreline area and is sketched as a logo on the front page of an area weekly newspaper. We had discovered “Turnip Rock” that stands alone, 30 yards out from the shoreline and stands about 35 feet high, 40 wide. Continuing on, we discovered a series of cement and stone pilings that at one time supported a pier or break water that extended at least 500’ out from a road ending.
This mile section of the Saginaw Bay Shoreline remains remote and inaccessible from the land, as the property is privately owned, gated, and guarded. The only access is by water and even that can be difficult, as 100 yards out from the shore the water is rock laden and very shallow.
The time had come for our return paddle, and as we approached the Port Austin Reef we could see water extending between the shoreline and high parts of the reef. If we could paddle through there we would cut off significant distance and paddle time. With slow and careful maneuvering we were able to pick our way through into the deeper waters on the southern side of the reef. Not more than three more long scratches were added to the bottom of my kayak. As Tom says, “a scratched kayak is a loved kayak”.
As we paddled the two miles back to the Port Austin Harbor we made a third discovery. Through the clear water we saw the remnants of a shipwreck. The main beam timbers were clearly visible as were many other planks. We took a couple of pictures, marked it with our GPS and then paddled on. We would save the exploration of the shipwreck for another time.

Okatoma Creek Paddle

My nephew Keaton and I headed to Seminary, Mississippi (just north of Hattiesburg on Hwy 49) on Monday, July 14th to check out the Okatoma. We rented the sit on top kayaks and launched about 2:00 in the afternoon. For the most part, the creek is very well covered by the canopy of trees so I never really felt any discomfort from the heat at all. The only time I got really hot was when I first got in the kayak and the kayak was hot from being in the sun. Needless to say, we decided to dunk ourselves in the water right away to cool off. Next time I’ll know to cool the boat off first!

Being a weekday, the traffic on the creek was almost nonexistent which gave us the opportunity to quietly approach more wildlife. The turtles we saw sunning on many different logs were simply too many to count. Sometimes there were as many as three or four in groups and in all sizes including babies. Where the water was shallow we could see fish swimming. I don’t know what they were but had the shape of a mullet and darted around very quickly. We also saw a few bream. After we had covered the better part of our course I commented to Keaton that we had seen a lot of wildlife but not so many birds. I had hardly got the words out of my mouth when he spotted a very large buzzard of some sort in a tree right overhead just as we made the next bend! I guess I spoke too soon. It appeared to be as startled as we were and took off abruptly.

The creek winds around a lot and over the seven miles or so that we covered offers quite a variety of scenery. There were sections of sand and gravel and then dark muddy muck. We saw some really pretty purple flowering plants. For the entire trip we only saw about three houses along the creek and a couple of cabins so it is largely undeveloped along the banks. The water was actually a little on the low side but I only had to portage once because I wound up on the wrong side of a log jam. There were a few times the bottom of my kayak scraped on the rocks and got hung up but I was able to scoot my way off. If the water was much lower you would have to portage more often in places. If you were careful about picking your way, there was usually a spot deep enough to go thru.

There are plenty of sandy banks along the way to stop and take breaks to swim in a hole or have a picnic. The water has a current to it and also several places with rapids and a few drops. If the water was higher this could be a lot more intense but we had no trouble going thru. We had just enough to give us a little thrill and grab our attention but we paddled enough to get a good workout. We arrived at our takeout point about 5:30. I would say that this creek is more suited for a shorter boat because you need to have the ability to maneuver quickly. The Okatoma Outdoor Post looks like a neat place to camp out as well. We intend to come back and camp out the next time.

I’m basically new to the club and have just purchased a Pungo 120 so you should be seeing me more often. I just bought it yesterday. Patti Street

Sunday, July 13th Pelican Point
We again cheated the weather, or, maybe the weather was good to us, and we were just barely able to have a paddle. I almost cancelled everything when it was raining and thundering at 3 pm. I got a call from folks who lived near the launch site. They said the weather seemed to be clearing. As I promised I went to the launch site. There were dark clouds in a couple directions and thunder could be heard. It wasn't raining and two groups of people who were packing up power boats said the clouds were moving away from us---hugging the eastern shore of Mobile Bay and heading south. There was a cloud of concern over the eastern side of the Fish River Bridge. Three people showed up. I made #4. The situation kept getting better so we launched a bit late---maybe 4:20 pm. We paddled on very smooth waters up the western shore of Weeks Bay. A bit past Camp Beckwith we didn't like a cloud that was coming toward Weeks Bay so we decided to turn around. If the weather held we could do other things. The weather stayed O.K. We paddled up a tidal creek on the west coast of Weeks Bay just north of the houses near the launch site. We saw fiddler crabs and thousands of little snails on the mud. They climb the grass stalks during high tide. There were also lots of birds. The tidal creek got very narrow. When we finally decided to turn around I had to back up quite a ways before I could turn my 13 1/2 ft tampico. We paddled past our launch site and went bearly into Mobile Bay and floated. Someone said they'd never seen the Bay so calm. Usually you're bounced around by waves at that spot. We ended the paddle about 7 pm. Nancy Ward

July 6th, Sunday Pelican Point
We actually had a paddle. Lots of folks who'd planned to come chickened out. I can't blame them. I heard reports of rain and storms in Spanish Fort, Pensacola, and maybe even Fairhope. I took a chance and drove through sprinkes from my house to Pelican Point. By the time I arrived the weather had cleared. In future, even if the weather is questionable, I'll go to the launch site and have my cell phone turned on so people can contact me at the last minute. I could have reassurred them. Poor Sherry left Pensacola way early but got tied up in bumper to bumper traffic on I10. She got off early but got into more bumper to bumper in Foley and wasn't able to make it. Jan took a chance and came from Spanish Fort. Phil came all the way from Baton Rouge, LA. He's been reading our website and decided to spend a few days in the area. The three of us paddled past Camp Beckwith and made it to Weeks Bay Reserve before returning. Lots of tiny fish were jumping. We saw a ray of some kind flying/swimming through the water. We didn't see any dolphins. Maybe next time we will. I'm trying again 7/13/08. We returned to the launch site before dusk. Nancy Ward

Sunday, June 8 Upper Magnolia River
Led by Nancy Ward
Three people told me I was crazy to schedule a paddle in the afternoon, but seven people showed up. One was new to kayaking and two had new boats they wanted to try out. Everyone appreciated a very relaxing paddle and chance to just fool around plus they agreed that you're much cooler on the water than on land. When we arrived at Rock Street put in at about 1:45 pm there were several cars, people, and boats about. Many were coming in after earlier morning paddles. A grumpy man seemed to be taking pictures via his cell phone and asked one of our group where we were from. We wondered if he was a neighbor who objected to people launching at Rock Street. That IS a public put in. The road leading down to it is on no one's property plus only a canoe or kayak could launch beside that tree. We got onto the water and paddled up stream past the usual big boats at the cold hole. We continued up stream as the river got narrower and narrower; turning around when we could go no further. At our play in the water spot we noticed three kittens in the bushes and gave them part of our snacks. One was bigger and fatter than the others and almost looked eight weeks old. Was he outcompeting for food? The other two were skin and bones and looked to be maybe six weeks old. They were active however. One climbed partway up a tree. We decided we couldn't leave them and put them in our boats. Mr (or Ms) bigger was all over the cockpit of his host kayak. He really had to be watched. His sibling wasn't as lively but moved around. I took a runt I called Mouse into my kayak. Despite being skin and bones it moved and climbed (including up me) until it got onto my dry pack and was able to see over the cockpit. Others said it looked cute to see that little head sticking up watching the river and boaters. It later went behind my seat then went into the bow where it curled up in my pfd and slept for about 1/2 hour. Probably the first time it felt safe in a long while. A woman got hold of her vet via cell phone and was given instructions regarding special food to purchase. Dispite our extra passengers we continued down river until the boundry where boats can make wake. We returned to Rock Street and let the kittens walk up the trail with us to the cars. We hoped they'd get their pooping over with before being put into the back of a car. The woman went to the nearby home of another paddler and borrowed an animal carrier. She planned to take the kittens to her vet's office the next day. I think he's involved with rescue efforts. Pending determination of gender the kittens were named Magnolia, Tampico, and Santee. Nancy Ward

May 6, 2008 paddle on Fish River from County Road 48 to Cowpen Creek
Frank Laraway led this paddle. He phoned me and one other paddler, Dave Owen, to go along. Dave has canoe paddling experience. Dave says Larry McDuff gave Dave his introduction to kayak paddling. We put in at Frank's house. If you want, you could put in at the county park called Bohemian park, on Fish River near C.R. 48 and Langford Road. But Frank has been eager about this paddle since last year when a government grant paid a contracted crew to clear the tree falls on Fish River. Development up stream has been going on for some time. Frank has lived on this river over 30 years and only in the past few years has he had problems with flooding. For a while, after the clearing work, the river was clear. The flood the week before deposited a new jam down stream, but I'm getting ahead of myself.The river flow was pretty good for our paddle. The river gauge at the intersection of Fish River and C.R. 104 reported a river height of 1.7 feet. To check on any gauge go to :http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mob/hydro.shtml We put in about 8 a.m. The air was a little cool and the water was really cool and tea colored. Paddling downstream we hit the first chute between sunken logs which squirted us to the left and the riverbank went to the right. Wheee. A double switchback and the first obstacle was in the way: a newly fallen pine tree. I used the butt skootch method to cross this obstacle. The other two had paddled ahead of me so I was doing catchup when they reached the first logjam, a very impressive construction of logs to a height of five feet above the river and connecting both banks. An inflatable blue and white raft was hanging from the third log up. We would be seeing more of those. Frank nosed his boat into the right side of the river and a length upstream of the jam. He clambered up the bank quickly and found a trail had already been cut through the trees for a portage. One by one he helped us pull the boats up on top of the bank and we dragged them single file through the trees down the path to the river below the log jam. The river is narrow here and the banks are steep. The trees in the log jam were cracked and smelled of cedar.On the other side, our put in was a small bar on the inside of the curve. Frank was the first to get underway and he promptly snagged a branch overhead and rolled over. He surfaced saying, "That is the sort of thing I tried to warn you about, Dave." Dave said, "I didn't see it." I said, "Do it again." We worked together to dewater Frank's boat and once again we set out in quick current between high steep banks decorated with titi, white cedar, pine (Name That Pine!), and the ever present privet which are in bloom.We paddled a little ways and stopped at another tree fall, a large cedar that trapped some smaller limbs. Frank was first to climb out of his boat and stand on the tree. He put his boat over and tied it off then helped Dave and then me to cross. Short branches could have impaled any one of us had we fallen on one of them.The river flowed mainly south, but switchbacks appeared often enough to give us some variety. The next obstacle was a treefall in a wider, shallower reach of river; the leafy top of a tree was in the river collecting bits of flotsam. The portage was extremely easy over the right sandy bank. From here on down we were free and clear to navigate. We were also leaving the wilderness for the beginnings of development near Red Barn Road. I do not own the Silverhill topographic quadrangle map so I was still waiting for some navigational fix to place us on the Magnolia Springs Quadrangle map on my boat deck. A series of four switch backs seemed to fit the squiggles on the map. Then Clay City homes showed up; Wow have they upgraded after the hurricanes. Then the Leatherwood home showed up where the club stopped one afternoon to take shelter during a thunderstorm. Polecat Creek enters Fish River and formed an island, but someone had to blow up a bit of land and change the course of the water. We explored two inlets on the right, below the juncture of Polecat Creek. The first inlet was a dead end for a home. The second was Horseshoe Pond which we followed all the way around and came out the other end which had enough water to float us over and back into Fish River.Now we really were in the thick of developed land and we followed the river to Cowpen Creek and entered that to go to our takeout. The creek water became clearer as we proceeded upstream. We took out at a residence and loaded the boats in Frank's truck. The time was 12 noon when we went out the gate.

Kayaking February 10, Upper Tensaw River Delta Paddle to Indian Mounds

Harriet Ingram, Pres. of the MBCAKC, organized and led this paddle in farewell to Mareike & Andre' who will soon be leaving the U.S.. This is a paddle I learned about last year and hoped that I would be able to participate in at some time. So this was a special full day event for me. I left the condo at 6:50 am for Stockton where the paddlers were to meet in the Stagecoach parking lot on the corner of 225 and 59. Fifteen enthusiastic paddlers showed up ready to paddle. We caravaned to the Rice Creek Landing to the north and west of Stockton. From the creek launch point we paddled west on Rice Creek then to Bayou Jessamine leading to the Tensaw River. Russ led with a machete though some sections of the Creek hacking back brushy tree tips from windfalls that blocked our way. We continued on through the Bayou connecting to the Bottle River finally reaching the trail head leading to the Indian Mounds. The Mounds are located on the north of Mound Island off Bottle Creek. The Island, to the north and west of Stockton is labeled on Google Earth. More information on the mounds can be found at: http://www.usouthal.edu/archaeology/bc-bottle%20creek.htm. The hike to the mounds was a quarter mile led again by Russ who was wielding his machete once in a while to open a wider path through jungle like foliage along the water laden path. The trail extending through a swampy cypress forest was generally prominent but without fresh signs of human traffic. We had hiked about a quarter mile when the mounds appeared on our left as low hills covered by trees and low brush. A steep path led us to the flat top of the first mound that stood 45 foot high. We were greeted by a sign from the Alabama State Historical Commission warning us that the mounds could not be disturbed in any way without prosecution. There were many additional mounds, all with lesser elevations. The 15 mapped mounds served for hundreds of years, as safe platforms for the Indian encampments, houses and temples. We marched around in awe of how the surrounding soil could be gathered by hand and piled so high. After our tour we hiked back to the trail head and enjoyed our sack lunches before starting back.
On the return paddle we pulled off the Bayou to visit a monstrous native cypress tree. A tree that would stand taller and have a larger girth than the Monarch White Pine that stands in Hartwick Pines State Park North of Grayling, Michigan. From this point we paddled nonstop to our take out place on Rice Creek and headed home. I arrived back to the Condo at 5:30 pm. This paddle was one of the best and most interesting in which I have participated over the two years coming to Alabama. 15 paddlers, and per GPS 13 miles, Max. Sp. 6.2 mph, Avg. 2.0 mph, Time moving 3:Hrs. 12 min. Keep on paddling, Jerry Inman

Mardi Gras/Meeting Paddle REPORT - Feb 5, 2008

Awoke to a day of wind and threatening clouds. After consultation with multiple weather readers, decided our window of paddling opportunity was there, so we headed on - and a wonderful day it was.

10 boats, 11 kayakers ventured onto Soldier Creek. Turned out to be a brilliant day - stiff and strong wind from the south-southeast - however, it pushed us up the creek (more on the return home against the 15 mph wind). We had 9 solo boats and 1 tandem. Our youngest paddler was an energetic 7 (or 8), who led us with enthusiasm and eagerness (Laura Brown will soon be moving into her own boat - she is the next generation of paddler, believe me!).

To add a new diminsion to paddling, I introduced kayaking-football. If you are interested in signing up for a league team, just contact me (but remember, the first team on this newly formed league has already had one day of practice). Try throwing - not to mention catching - a football from your kayak. I can imagine we will have some wet paddlers as spring arrives, the weather and water warms, and practice becomes frequent (by the way, doesn't have to be a football, can be a soccer ball, volley ball, tennis ball (I don't recommend a bowling ball), even a frisbee. BUT, what a fantastic way to practice balancing skill in your kayak - not to mention having a good laugh at yourself and your fellow paddlers. AND, as the weather warms, what a pleasant way to practice rolls or re-entry skills - something every paddlers needs to know and practice!

A bald Eagle was spotted (and photographed, I believe), a wonderful gator was caught lounging in the sun on the bank - we tried to sneak by without disturbing it, but she slipped into the water, abundance of turtles sunning themselves on logs. Much wildlife was evident and enjoyed.

Anyone know Alec Thigpen???? Well, if you do, ask him if he will (1) carry his own kayak bilge pump (instead of sharing one with his wife, who happened to be seperated from him when he needed it), (2) carry a change of clothes and a towel with him. You guessed it, he took a spill - and NOT while trying to catch the football - it can happen to any of us at any time - always come prepared........ because those car seats don't take kindly to having a wet body sit upon them for a drive home.

The return home........always be aware that the turn-around point is only halfway throught the paddle - watch the wind, tides, weather. We were all keenly aware of the wind today, but every one of us felt the last mile of 15 mph headwind..........no problems, but a good lesson is always learned - know your limits.

This was the meeting paddle (due to Mardi Gras tonight)- lots planned for the spring. Next meeting will be March 4th. Stay tuned to the website for updates. Don't miss an opportunity to paddle and enjoy the bounty that our area offers. Upcoming various paddles: Camp Rapahope fundraiser on March 16, Bayou La Fouche the end of March, Grandman Triathlon the end of May, a spring trip to Boiling Creek will be posted soon (have you purchased your pass?), and much more before, during, and in-between - there's always someone on the water - take advantage of their knowledge and learn our water-ways.

Paddle on......
Harriet

Pelican Point Paddle 10/14/07
Nancy Ward, Leader
Eleven of us met at 2 pm for a leisurely afternoon of paddling. The wind was coming rather briskly from the east so we quickly crossed the channel and wound our way through a salt marsh. The path through the vegetation was extremely twisty and turny. We saw an osprey nest plus a great egret and a great blue heron. The water became extremely shallow in places and paddles dipped into deep muck. We soon decided to turn around. Shallow water over sand can be a bother; especially if you have to get out. Attempting to get out in deep muck might be a real problem. After coming back into Weeks Bay we decided to paddle along the eastern shore in order to be sheltered from the wind. Fritz’ daughter, Rachel, paddled a sea kayak for the first time. The number of pelicans on pier posts was incredible. One former pier hosted at least 20. People gradually turned around when they needed to leave. They were experienced enough paddlers that I did not worry. Those who remained went into the Magnolia River and paddled upstream for a bit before they too turned around. The last of us finished about 5:30 pm.

Magnolia River Paddle Report

Five people plus the leader were on the paddle. We had a lot of fun and I plan to lead this paddle again in the near future. It's very easy, there's opportunity for swimming, plus people can do as much or as little as they want. It's easy to go home early when we pass the put in spot. Boats on the Magnolia River are good about observing the no wake zone. We paddled up river and very soon came to the bridge of 49 over the river. Just beyond that is what locals call the "cold hole". It's one of the springs. Lots of power boats stop there, party, swim, etc. There are kids with adults as well as young people. We paddled further upstream and soon got to where no power boats can go. We continued upstream until we had to turn around. Couldn't go any further. On the way back we stopped at a shallow place (most of it is shallow up there), got out and played in the water. It's only about knee deep and chilly compared to Mobile Bay. There must be more than one spring. We paddled down river, past the cold hole. One woman left us at the put in. The rest of us continued down river. The river gets wider and wider. The homes are nice to look at. People are in boats or in their yards or boat docks by the water. There are kids being pulled in tubes, boats, etc. but still no wake. We turned around just before the no wake sign. The boats were picking up speed beyond that point. We returned to our put in. Across the river from it, on the opposite bank, is a sand bar. We got out there and swam. The water at the sand bar is shallow, but you soon can swim into deep water. We swam out only a little ways keeping an eye out for boats. People liked this paddle because it was relaxing, there was opportunities to get in the water or swim, and members could do all of it or leave early, etc. We didn't have a gps but may have done 4-5 miles total.

Two paddlers, Jerry and son Tom Inman put in at 9:00 am at the Public Access on the Susquehanna River in the Montoursville Recreation Area near Williamsport Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna is like many rivers with long flat stretches followed by drop of between 2-6 feet that translates into a rapid. The class of which depends on the water level. The river is low at this time of year so the drops are generally a combination of rocky shoals and islands, with a deep Vee with a few strategically placed large rocks. We headed up stream from the access and encountered the first rapid in about 500 yards. This would have to be classified as a class one, with plenty of rocks and standing waves about 1-2 feet high. Having not negotiated one of these with a kayak ever, I followed Tom’s direction, as he had been up this rapid many times before. He advised that we paddle up on the right side of the main Vee and take advantage of each eddy, moving from one to the other. The left side wasn't an option as that was where most of the water flowed, was deep and had a very swift current. I stayed just off to his left in a little deeper water so as not to break my wood paddle on a rock. This strategy was working until I strayed a little too far to the left and soon found myself in fast water right in the middle of the deep Vee I was paddling hard and thought I was still making progress until I checked the shoreline and realized I was paddling a flowing treadmill. I dug in harder and faster, then even harder, but wasn’t getting anyplace, plus I was tiring, so I knew I had to move over to the right into slower water. I was able to drop back, keep the boat straight with the current, and not hit anything, and finally ferry the boat to the right side of the rapid. Tom was now about 50 yards upstream from me working his way from eddy to eddy. Once out of the main stream I was able apply the same technique and work my way up to the flat water. From this point, the river is about a quarter to half mile wide and with a light current that made for easy paddling. There are a few homes along the South Shoreline while the North Shore is bordered trees as it is part of a recreation area. The river passes between Bald Eagle Mountain on the South and another not named to the North. We traveled up about another mile or so and saw many geese, ducks, and one deer before we turned and headed back. We likely would have spotted and heard many more birds had Bob Andrews been along. With the current now in our favor it was a quick and easy return paddle. As we approached the rapid, a sharp eye was kept for the best opening to take us all the way through. Of our choices we wanted to take the longest and deepest Vee. We hit it right and only paddled to avoid a few Volkswagen size rocks. On exit from the rapid we were only a short distance from the take out point which was reached in short order.

Bon Secour River; Wednesday March 8, 2007

Jan Temler and Jerry Inman put in on the Bon Secour River at the Aquilar Seafood Plant on East River Road just at the end of CR-10. The river flows into the Bon Secour Bay and on to Mobile Bay. Here the river is wide and marked with navigational markers and middle channel buoys to guide the fishing boats up the river. As we paddled upstream we passed two more fisheries and additional commercial fishing boats. The lower portion of the river is interspersed with grassy islands and channels typical of a river delta. As we proceeded much of the shoreline was lined with summer and year round homes. One summer place was only a screened place about 16 x 16 built out over the river on stilts, and with a boat lift. Jan took a picture of me sitting a little downstream from the place. The river looked muddy or cloudy where we put in and was that way a mile upstream, we learned this was called red or green tide caused from algae. Less than a mile upstream from our launch point we were accompanied by dolphins. First Jan saw them next to his boat and when I turned to look they were already 40 yards downstream, but then a minute later two more appeared less than 10 yards away. Jan got his camera out to take some pictures but they never reappeared, so we went on our way. As we continued upstream the river became more clear and meandered more with numerous islands. It was hard to know which way to go or to find a main channel. We went the long way a couple of times, one of which was a dead end inlet just behind The Galleyrestaurant on CR-10. Further upstream the water became clearer, and there were more and more magnolia trees. We took a lot of pictures along the way. After 4½ miles the river became very narrow and as it was getting near three-o clock, we decided to turn back toward our launch point. Both, paddling up and downstream there was an abundance of pelicans and cormorants. At one point we were entertained by Ospreys demonstrating their fishing skills. Overall the birds we saw were mallard ducks, American coot, great egret, great blue heron, loon, brown pelican, and osprey. Distance 7 miles, (we were able to take some shortcuts on the way back) moving average: 2.4 mph, and time moving 2 hr. 46 min. This was to be the last paddle with my friend Jan as we have to ready ourselves to return to Michigan. We will be seeing him next year when we return in January 2008. Submitted by: Jerry Inman, Michigan Snowbird.

Sunday February 11, 2007

I launched my kayak on the north side of Battleship Parkway into Chacaloochee Bay, a northeastern extension of Mobile Bay, along with 6 members of the Fairhope Canoe/Kayak Club, 5 singles and one tandem. The group was lead by Bob Andrews an experienced kayaker and resident delta expert. This location is just east of Mobile AL, off I-10 and a mile east of the USS Alabama Museum. It was sunny and 59 degrees and would cool down after 3 pm.

We were going to go to Little Bateau Bay and make a loop back down Conway Creek. We are in the delta of the Mobile and Tensaw Rivers the second largest river delta area in the United States. The delta is a vast area of bays, independent rivers, creeks, and drainage like ditches or canals that change depth with the Gulf Tide.

The first leg was 2 miles across Chacaloochee Bay into Big Bateau Bay. On the way we saw a variety of coastal and delta birds. As we neared the upper portion of Big Bateau Bay the waters became very shallow. The couple in the tandem kayak turned back for home as they could not float the shallow water and generally were having difficulty keeping pace. Although this bay covers an expansive area, there can be a number of very shallow sections. The lead kayaks moved back and forth to find a deeper area or channel, with no success. So we headed back to the Southwest, back into Chacaloochee Bay, around a point and entered the mouth of Conway Creek. As we rounded the point we found a dead pelican that had become snared in a fishing line, attached to a wood piling.

Conway Creek flows from the Tensaw River and has several branches. Along the way up, we passed by a small ditch like canal with called Savage Ditch (like a Michigan creek with varying depths) that was planned to use on the return. Once on Conway Creek we could no longer see any landmarks as the bank and/or tall grasses blocked the view in almost all directions. New bright green grass and Iris about 8 inches tall along the shoreline were hints of the Alabama Spring. We took two right hand branches before entering Little Bateau Bay. By now, I was pretty well turned around as everything looked the same. I had marked our launch point with my GPS so I may have found my way back if I had to. There were only a couple of places along Conway Creek where any current was encountered, the wind seemed to be more of a paddling factor. On the return down the Creek we took a break at the Savage Ditch we were going to use as a shortcut back to Chacaloochee Bay. Here we chatted and ate stale peanuts supplied by one of the paddlers. My food source, a box of trail bars purchased especially for this paddle, was back at the Condo. Bob commented that he hoped the ditch was deep enough the whole way or we would have to turn back and continue on Conway Creek. With hopes for deep water we headed single file down Savage. Fortunately it was, and we would soon see Chacaloochee Bay. At the mouth of Savage Ditch we saw an unrecognizable steel frame, two miles from the nearest road that Bob said was a tractor trailer frame deposited there by hurricane Camille in 1969. The full aluminum body was intact until most recently, when scrap aluminum prices went up and the scavengers harvested it for scrap metal.

When entering the top of the Bay we could see the tall buildings of Mobile to the right, tree covered hills to the far left, and a vague dark windowed stripe across the horizon connecting the two. We now had the wind in our faces with light chop on the Bay. It was only after paddling for a half hour that I could see little dots moving back and forth on the vague dark windowed stripe, and realized that they were cars on the I-10 causeway. With the head wind and distance I thought I would move up close to Bob's stern so as to make it a little easier to paddle. Well that didn't happen, and I can only describe the last 2 miles back to the launch site as "one long ass paddle". The birds today were Great Blue Huron, Great Egret, Cormorant, Sandpipers, Long-billed Curlew, American Coot, Myrtle Warbler, Pelican, Red Tailed Hawk, and White Ibis. The GPS trip data: distance, 11.5 miles, max Sp. 5.8 mph, moving avg. 3.5 mph and time moving 3hrs. & 16 minutes.

Jason Smith has provided some more paddling reports from the local area and the broader state of Alabama, including Perdido, Big Escambia Creek, and the Sepulga. Check them out on his website at:

http://alabamafloatfishing.blogspot.com/

Boatyard Lake and Pinelog Creek October 31, 2006
by Bruce Zimmerman

To get there from Spanish Fort, drive north on Alabama highway 225 then highway 59 north past the town of Tensaw to Montgomery Hill. Turn left on highway 80 and drive towards Ft. Mimms County Park.

The put in at Boathouse landing is a commercial ramp with both hard ramps and soft shoulder ( gravel and sand) put ins on Boatyard Lake near Ft. Mimms county park in Baldwin County. The ramp owner charges $4.00 to launch. Sanitary facilities with flush plumbing are behind the store in a separate building.

The Lake is a banana shaped body of water that starts up near Holley Creek to the north. The lake extends southward bending towards the south west and then west. Dry ground surrounds the lake with mature hardwoods all around.

Heading south on the lake, Laraway and I paddled easily listening for bird calls and boat traffic. Up ahead on the left bank we spotted a house boat tied to shore. We cut left through an opening and found ourselves in Pinelog Creek. The water quality changed abruptly from gray-green turbid water to clear deep water.

Pinelog Creek was wide near the mouth. Higher ground than we saw from the lake rises away from shore. The understory is sparse so the view into the forest was pretty good. I used a topo map, Tensaw Quadrangle, to keep track of our location in the river by turns and compass heading. The creek gradually narrowed down to 20 feet or so as it split around islands. The land looks uninhabited, but signs on the trees warn No Trespassing, no hunting, no fun. Shiny beer cans dot the bank and shoreline until you get to The Swamp.

We followed the creek until we were heading due north and the banks became less well defined. We slid to a stop in amongst some cypress knees and had lunch afloat.

After lunch we cut through the trees to the east to find the creek again. About this time we saw the only pines on Pinelog Creek and these were young, about 6 feet tall, at the crest of a ridge on the right. Laraway took the lead into The Swamp because he really likes that kind of exploring. We just followed the current into the swamp because the map was pretty useless once we left the bank of the creek. We continued upstream to the first deadfall across our path. The water was rather shallow on our side and it looked more shallow on the other side of the deadfall so we did a lot of back and fill maneuvers to turn around and try to find our way out. I'm pretty sure we did not leave The Swamp the same way we came in; what fun is that?

We left the creek behind and returned to the lake. The topo map showed some waterways entering the map, but they may have filled in with forest. Way down near the end of the lake, the map shows a significant waterway, a cut through, that heads down to Pierce Landing, but this way was blocked at the first turn with two substantial logs. The water beyond the deadfall seemed stagnant and uninviting.

We returned to the lake and paddled against a little current for a while and dodged two motorboats. The paddle back to the take out sure seemed to take a long time. As the day was getting late, we left exploring north of the landing for another day.

A Paddle to the Big Tree
October 10, 2006

Frank Laraway has wanted to see the big cypress tree for some years. So we watched the weather and the calendar for an opening and we went. I looked in the club archives for some information about the cypress and I found the directions I needed from Gary and Tom's paddle of March 5, 2005.

We planned a late start, 11 a.m. just because Frank had stuff to do. We launched at Rice Creek Landing about 12:15 p.m. The water was low. The wind was calm. The air was getting warm, into the 80's. Some things I noticed were exposed bases of long gone cypresses that made jagged islands about 10 feet in diameter. We heard few birds and no insect sounds. And best of all we heard very few motorboats all day.

As we crossed Briars Lake, we saw a wire cage style trap, half exposed with something in it. We headed into the passage to the river against a light current. The water was clear enough to see the length of a paddle blade easily. The water color was light gray-green, not the usual brown. Ageratum is blooming. Cardinal flower and white asters also peek out of the swamp, but not very many plants.

We headed downriver beside Larry Island, noting exposed river bank, which Frank was examining for shell middens. We reached the end of Larry Island and looked across the Tensaw River for the entrance to Jessamine Bayou. It is a straight line approach, just adjust your track for the current coming across from right to left in the Tensaw River.

In Jessamine Bayou, guess what? More current! We paddled against the flow and went around snags and stobs as we looked for the big 5 painted on a tree that the paddle report indicated was the mark for the trail to the big cypress. Because Tom had made mention at the kayak meeting he chaired, we took a magnetic compass and a topo map into the woods on this trip.

We found a big blue 5 on a tree and we tied up to some roots on the left bank and we had a snack before disembarking. It may be our last meal. The bank looks less steep today than 2 years ago when I paddled here last. Stepping out onto roots and sticks helped give a lot of traction, even when they break. On top we followed a path that had been bush hogged parallel to the water. The path curved south almost inline with the trail to the big cypress. We followed surveyor's tape flagging tied to trees. From the tree with the big 5, I took a compass bearing on the first two flags and used that to bridge the gap where some trees have fallen leaving a gap in the blazed trail. The mosquitos were pretty bad, and some of the vines we tripped over were poison ivy, but we made our way south-southwest through a patch of wild rice into an area that had almost no undergrowth, just trees including the big cypress.

Check that off the list of things to do.

The return trip to the water was challenging because the blaze marks are hidden by the trees. We had the compass to give us a reciprocal heading, and we looked behind us for the marks we followed into the forest. Once in a while we spotted a tree or bush we had stood by so we felt confident we had the right track. Perhaps taking some surveyor's tape along to retag trees would be a good idea.

We made a quick visit to Jug Lake so Frank could see the floating platform for the first time. The current out of Jug Lake wasn't so bad; I just hoped the lake would not get much lower before we left. The water depth had us scuffing bottom near the exit of the lake. We were a bit late to include this extra tasking to our trip so we had to put on some speed to get back to the take out before dark. We passed the wire trap in the cut through to Briar's Lake. With a lower water level now, the trap was exposed and the thing inside was a decomposed alligator.

In Rice Creek on our return, I noticed a doll's head ornamenting a cypress knee. Have you seen it?

Verde River Trip Report
courtesy of: Gary Worob

THE VERDE RIVER: FIRST TIME

Imagine yourself in a valley that once was surrounded by wooly mammoths and saber toothed tigers and ancients no longer known on this planet. Then imagine all of that disappearing before you and replaced by a peaceful society that farmed and spent days by the river making arrowheads and spear tips and hatchets from the abundance of natural raw materials. Then see the end of that civilization through the remaining cliff dwellings once around every turn. Now view the high banks and cliffs with a new appreciation as every turn is a historical monument and each bank and cliff contains ancient artifacts and legends. This is the Verde Valley and we are in Cottonwood, Arizona only minutes from now infamous Sedona and the red rocks, but a light year from civilization.

It was an incredibly beautiful day, mid 70’s and of course no humidity, something that has become a blessing after 7 years in the South and not having to think about allergy or sinus medicine here. There are 8 of us, my brother and three of his four children ages 10 to 23 and 4 of us who don’t talk about age anymore. Of the 4 vessels my Wenonah sandpiper is the ranking vessel and certainly the Kevlar 16 foot solo canoe is misplaced and soon enough a huge mistake on this trip.

We put in at Tuzekoot National Monument Park, an easy enough launch with a short carry down to the banks of what looked like an easy enough adventure until the very first turn and one of many, very many portages, drag throughs and overages and round abouts and cliffs and waterfalls and vast number of chutes to experience without a clue of the next turn. It was great.

In a minute I was staring down the throat of a class 4 rapids, short but luring and looking at alternatives and not wanting any part of chickening out. This was a must do as it may not have a mate to match and what the heck, we were there for a good time, not a long time, so I thought.

I braced for the onslaught and was catapulted through and spit out onto flat water in seconds but loved every second of it and wanted to do it all day. It was great. Then everyone followed, screaming and laughing all the way through. We wanted more, lots more. We got what we asked for. Almost immediately we ran into lots of chutes and areas where we hadn’t a clue what to expect. Worst feeling of all was water totally backing up and sounds of waterfalls and not knowing anything upcoming. Only Oland had paddled this before in the spring with his son in an inflatable kayak and said it was an easy paddle. NO PROBLEMO! WRONG!

We hit places where there was no visible exit and dragged boats over and around lots of growth and undergrowth and found chutes appearing where waters had seeped through what looked like myriads of beaver damns but were more likely the results of monsoons flooding the valley and leaving lots of debris. Once we came out of a maze and the water turned into a class 3 series of chutes that careened around bends like hair pin turns on a bumper car or go kart track. These were great and fast and no time for anything but full speed ahead and who cared what was next. I usually went first and tried to holler back the results but the chutes were fairly long in places and I doubt that anyone heard me. They were too busy holding on, two big barges and one too long Kevlar cruiser.

At one point we came upon what looked like a recent bulldozed damn that ticked us off as it was rude looking and obtrusive and we portaged everything and cursed the bulldozer that unnaturalized what should have been a neat rapids. Then way more chutes and some signs of civilization but we were pretty oblivious. My youngest nephew was obviously excited by the whole ordeal as he devoured a whole bag of chips…big bag. And then the coup de gras.

I had moved back to see how the Kevlar was doing and came around a bend to just in time to smash into a tree downed across the river and started to get out when the Kevlar came sideways too fast to avoid an upset and flipped upstream, pinning the canoe exactly between both banks and filling up too fast to be able to pull it out before the big sound hit. I was yanking and prying as hard as I could but the current had it trapped and then it bent right before me and gave in. I managed to pull it out then but the damage was done and it looked like the Kevlar racing canoes I used to see in the north, only the two bulges, one on each side were amidships and not desirably located. So much for this brand new misplaced vessel. The metal gunwales were defiant as I tried to reform the boat and evaluated that it was not going back into any former shape with them on, and fortunately there was only one 5 inch crack that was not leaking. The boat was paddle able but not new anymore. It did take all my effort to keep it tracking and the faster I paddled the worst it got.

Well, the crew, when we caught up was alarmed and relieved as we were quite a ways from them and not at all looking like we were pleased. But, we were okay and continued more chutes and more amazing scenery and paddled to the main bridge and happily shuttled the vehicles back and then most went to George’s great Greek restaurant for a wonderful dinner of spanakopita and gyro’s and Greek salads and smiles all the way around.

One piece of advise: don’t do this trip.

My brother did, however, say after that it was the most he had laughed in a long time and actually we all laughed a lot. Rivers can do that to you.

TRIP FACTS:

Put in: Tuzekoot Nat’l Monument =easy carry to the river, maybe 200 yards

Water flow: varied but not much more than 70 cfm with water at about 64 degrees

Degree of difficulty: not for beginners at this time of year; varied from Class 1 to 3 but with lots of carries/portages and wrestling

Take out: rt. 89a bridge=easy

Total paddle: about 4 hours without lunch break and plenty others, and about 5 miles?

Magnolia River II (attempt 2)

September 3, 2006.  Leader:  Nancy Ward.  The weather co-operated this time.  A
few sprinkles at the meeting spot that cleared up right away.  Wonderful weather
the rest of the paddle.  Six people showed up in addition to myself.  It's
important to have beginner friendly paddles.  People showed up who I've never
seen at meetings or other paddles.  Experienced paddlers can still enjoy
themselves on an easy paddle.  We launched from Rock Street put-in with the
intension of going downstream this trip, visiting the salt marshes, and making
it to Weeks Bay.  That's all  beautiful areas.  We soon discovered the
powerboaters were out in force, holiday weekend and all.  We soon split into two
groups.  Jane took her 9th grade daughter, Lily, and Lily's classmate,McKenzie,
upstream---beyond where the powerboaters could go and where they could swim.  I
would not have encouraged this except Jane is an excellent, experienced paddler.
She and her brother Mickey paddle often on their own.  Gail and Mary, who are
sort of beginners, decided to join them.  Mickey and I continued with the
original plan.  I promise that in future I will seldom abandon my group.
Circumstances this time made it seem O.K.  I really wanted to explore the down
stream area and Mickey had specifically come on the paddle for that reason.  He
checked out future fishing spots as we enjoyed the views.  In many stretches
there are no homes.  The homes we did see were interesting.  Lots of folks were
out having picnics.  We passed an area that is either the last house in Magnolia
Springs or a park.  There was a hugh picnic going on there.  Power boaters
coming one after the other caused wakes but we handled them.  We saw a small
gator in a cutoff.  We saw a juvenile blue heron plus a couple other herons we
couldn't identify.  Mickey saw some other kind of marsh hen he couldn't
identify.  I was surprised at the number of pelicans and gulls sitting near each
other on a set of pilings.  Not only were they together they let me get very
close then sat for several minutes before flying away.  Mickey and I went into
Weeks Bay and paddled to just even with the channel buoys before returning.  A
couple of the others phoned me afterwards and said they had a good time.  

Danny has posted an excellent trip report with pictures from the Oak Bayou/Chuckfee Bay paddle (along with some other great trip reports!) on his website.

http://www.tensawdrifter.blogspot.com

here is the southwest trip report:

Watson Lake and the Prescott Paddling Club>>>>>

Several days after i landed here and unloaded way too much stuff i had to do a water thing.....strange to say in the high desert but there are four beautiful small lakes close by and my all time favorite has this wonderful feeling about it.....it is all boulders and islands of boulders and i have been back several times to be awed by the lack of sand and the abundance of hard as hell dunes of stone.

Last Saturday the club organized a trip and included many "seniors" who had the opportunity to paddle on a perfect day with the rental kayaks and canoes that are in abundance ....or were until 70 people showed up to rent and get the thrill of being on the water there. the lake is lower than usual because they are putting in a new boat ramp for me....ha.....little do they know i will practically live there. My brother and two nephews and i rigged my boat the Sunday after the first canoe paddle and sailed around this lake chasing small sailboats as we had to tack quite often or run into the boulders...it was great fun.

i am tearing my place apart and rebuilding...already put in new floors and now ordering countertop to be made out of alligator juniper, can't get away from the alligators or the juniper. it is quite an amazing wood and will make my new kitchen island beautiful. in two weeks i head for british columbia and sailing and fishing in the inside passage.

hope you are all staying cool and doing well....

in the fall several of us plan to paddle and camp on the verde river near here....will let you know how mbcakc west is doing

gary worob...canoeman....