Whiskey Ditch
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil
While making a last minute check of the website, I read Bob was leading a full moon paddle tonight. Since I am starting to wind down my hard workout schedule, this seemed like a good cross-training change of pace.
Linda and I loaded up the canoe and headed for the old Riverdoc's parking lot on the Causeway to see who else might have read the flash paddle posting. When we arrived, Bob & Avan were ready to go in their canoe and Jeff & Laura were unloading their kayaks. We all took off at 6:15 PM, heading east down Pass Picada towards the Apalachee River. The tide was slightly falling, so it was an easy paddle for the 0.75 mile stretch alongside the restaurants filled with curious customers watching us pass by.
As we turned north along the western side of the Apalachee, we encountered numerous fish either just breaking the surface as we passed or mullet flying through the air. A couple of gators watched us as we paddled by and turned left into Whiskey Ditch.
We hoped to see the early golden signs of burr marigolds and were not disappointed. In addition, there were the last of the lavender blooms on the many large clumps of water hyacinths along the narrow waterway. We were able to make our way all of the way back to the end where the ditch opens up into a small pond. We stopped to relax and watch the sun set.
With the moon coming up and city lights off in the distance in both directions, we had plenty of light to make our way back out and back past the restaurants to our takeout. This is a very easy five mile paddle suitable for beginners in canoes and kayaks.
The burr marigolds should be in full bloom in a couple more weeks. There are plenty of different flowers blooming in all seasons, many varieties of birds and the occasional gator to make this an interesting paddle into the delta which is close to town without any fees for boat ramp or parking use.
While making a last minute check of the website, I read Bob was leading a full moon paddle tonight. Since I am starting to wind down my hard workout schedule, this seemed like a good cross-training change of pace.
Linda and I loaded up the canoe and headed for the old Riverdoc's parking lot on the Causeway to see who else might have read the flash paddle posting. When we arrived, Bob & Avan were ready to go in their canoe and Jeff & Laura were unloading their kayaks. We all took off at 6:15 PM, heading east down Pass Picada towards the Apalachee River. The tide was slightly falling, so it was an easy paddle for the 0.75 mile stretch alongside the restaurants filled with curious customers watching us pass by.
As we turned north along the western side of the Apalachee, we encountered numerous fish either just breaking the surface as we passed or mullet flying through the air. A couple of gators watched us as we paddled by and turned left into Whiskey Ditch.
We hoped to see the early golden signs of burr marigolds and were not disappointed. In addition, there were the last of the lavender blooms on the many large clumps of water hyacinths along the narrow waterway. We were able to make our way all of the way back to the end where the ditch opens up into a small pond. We stopped to relax and watch the sun set.
With the moon coming up and city lights off in the distance in both directions, we had plenty of light to make our way back out and back past the restaurants to our takeout. This is a very easy five mile paddle suitable for beginners in canoes and kayaks.
The burr marigolds should be in full bloom in a couple more weeks. There are plenty of different flowers blooming in all seasons, many varieties of birds and the occasional gator to make this an interesting paddle into the delta which is close to town without any fees for boat ramp or parking use.
posted by brint @ 10:28 PM
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