Blue Gill to Causeway Workout III

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The sky was overcast, no wind, tide low and still falling, 80 degrees and high humidity. The first leg seemed slow, but turned out to be a fast 11:30. Heading west to the turnaround appeared to be mostly into the current and slowed considerably to 31:15. The return wasn't much better, as it seemed I was always paddling into the current and I finished in a relatively slow 49:55, especially for such calm water. My shirt was extremely soaked due to the humidity, which was a definate factor in the slower time. My gator friend was still around to greet me on the return.

Little Bateau Bay-Lower Crab Creek

Sunday June 27, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Rob, Bob, Dick, Susan, George and I met at the Exxon on the Causeway at 8:00AM to start what Rob posted as a fast (3-5 mph) workout paddle. The weather was pretty good, partly cloudy, light breeze, high tide and 77 degrees, although the humidity was pretty high at 85 percent.

We started out at a medium pace to get warmed up, heading NE across Chacaloochee Bay to the entrance of Conway Creek. We found out George just bought his kayak and was on his fifth paddle ever and he lagged behind a little. Once we got to Conway, we waited for him and he told us to go ahead and he would go ahead at his own pace. He had a GPS and assured us he would not get lost, as he would at least be able to return the same way.

The rest of us picked up the pace as we paddled north up Conway. Along the way, we saw several gators, as well as the beginnings of many lotus plants with their large white blooms sticking up between their large elephant ear pads. We passed Savage's Ditch on the left and turned right up toward Little Bateau Bay. We took the right of three forks and stopped at the dock of a fish camp along the way. After a snack break, we paddled into Little Bateau Bay, turned left (west) along a large field of lotus at their blooming peak. It was a sight in need of a camera, which I did not bring along.

We took the middle fork back down to Conway and turned right (NW) on up to the entrance of Tensaw River. We turned north and crossed the river to the entrance of Crab Creek and Lower Crab Creek. As soon as we entered the creek, we took an immediate left (west) on Lower Crab Creek. We followed it around to where it emptied into Delvan Bay. The south wind picked up considerably and we were back in open water, heading right into the wind on the way back down to the Causeway. When we reached the interstate bridges, we crossed under, around Goat Island (3 goats) and back east to the Exxon boat ramp.

The overall paddle with breaks took about 3:45, covering 12.9 miles at a 4.2 mph pace. Susan said we saw about 15 gators along the way, as well as an up-close view of a purple gallinule, several osprey and pelicans, etc.

All of us got what we wanted out of the hard workout along with the great visuals along the way. When we got back, George was there putting up his kayak, so we knew he did make it back alright. He even enjoyed the trip and said he was ready to come along on future trips.

Blue Gill to Causeway Workout II

Saturday, June 26, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was just another day in paradise! I took off from old Riverdoc's ramp at 6:15AM with the sun coming up, no wind, 77 degrees and high tide. My gator friend was there as usual to greet me. My pace started out the same as last Wednesday night, with my first split the same at 11:40 and the turnaround at the Exxon at 30:14. However, I was able to crank it up a notch on the return as I came in at 48:31, about 15 seconds faster, which was a new PR for this course.

Blue Gill to Causeway Workout

Wednesday, June 23, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This is a fast, straight course along the Causeway, easily accessed from Mobile or Baldwin County. I started from the newly cleared site of the old Riverdoc's located on the north side of the Causeway, just east of Ed's Seafood Shed. To get about a 4.5 mile workout course, I head east to Blue Gill's, turn and head back west. My time on the short out and back was 11:40. I continue west towards the interstate bridges and when I get to the shallow area, follow the buoys close to the Causeway. There are usually several fishermen along the highway in this area. When I get to the bridges, I cut underneath and continue between them until I am even with the Exxon station. This leg took me 18:37, at which time I took a short water break, with my watch paused. The return to Riverdoc's was an identical 18:37, for a total paddle time of 48:46. The water was very calm, no wind and a temp of about 80 degrees. As I first put in, there was a gator who looked me over, but as I approached, he decided quickly to submerge.

Byrne's Lake

Monday, June 21, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I really like to paddle Byrne's Lake because it is close, but feels so remote. The county park access is in a heavily wooded area at the end of a 1.5 mile dirt road. There is usually no one there, or possibly a couple of boat trailers, where fishermen go on out to the Tensaw. The cypress are magnificent around every corner.

This night I put in at 6:30PM, set my watch and took off full-speed up river about 1/4 mi. to the fork turnaround and then back all the way out to the Tensaw. The temperature was a little cooler at about 78 degrees and I felt pretty good, even after two paddles yesterday. I made it out to the Tensaw turnaround in 22:17 for the 2.1 miles.

I did see one boat who was out checking about 50 milk bottle fishing lines they set over about a 1/2 mile.

I took a drink of water, started the watch again and hit it again as hard as I could and finished the course in 45:57 at a 10:55 per mile pace. It was a good, tough tempo workout. From driveway to driveway, the trip took right at 2 hours.

Bay Minette Basin to Blakely State Park

Sunday, June 20, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I met Bob, Fritz and Susan Garlow at Buzbee's at 5:30PM and we set out at 5:50. This was a fast group and since Susan and I were looking to start our hard training schedule, this was a good start. We saw a few gators on the way up under ideal conditions, with no wind, waves or current to deal with. We made it to Blakely at 7:00, with only two short breaks, basically to let Susan catch up.

We had a nice feast with a couple of bottles of wine and after about an hour of hanging out watching the sun set, Fritz had enough and quietly took off. The rest of us quickly got things cleaned up, put away and took off after him. The trip back was also very fast and under the moonlight. We arrived back at 9:10, again taking about 65-70 minutes to paddle the 5 miles back.

Boiling Creek in June

Boiling Creek
Sunday, June 20, 2004
by Brint Adams brint.adams@us.army.mil

We drove for about 65 minutes from home to I-10 exit 31 and south to the Yellow River bridge. We put in at the road 211 wooden bridge over Boiling Creek and started down at about 10:30AM. It was another beautiful hot day, with a very slight breeze and nice cool, clear water.

The pitcher plants were very prolific, although most of the blooms were now gone. Further down, we found some pitcher plant blooms ready to open, which may be a second flowering season. There were plenty of blooming cow lilies, water lilies, banana lilies and pickerelweed as well as club-rush, golden club and cattail.

We saw and heard a soaring osprey carrying some recently caught prey, maybe a small rabbit or squirrel. He was agitated about something and reluctant to land to enjoy his feast.

Part way down stream, we stopped for a refreshing dip and walked back in aways on a small connector stream towards a back bayou that connects back to the creek. Further down, we turned back in to the right to the bayou, looping around and back to the main channel. Again, a little further downstream, we took a left on a narrow channel and followed it for quite aways until it came back to Boiling Creek, further down. I would not consider it a shortcut, but did make for an interesting cut through the back bayou. Once back to the main channel, we continued to the lunch spot where the boat ramp comes down to the creek, right before it enters Yellow River. Yellow River was very high, probably flooded, which in turn backed up into the lower end of Boiling Creek. This slowed the current down considerably on the lower end of the creek and turned the water much darker.

Once we started out into the Yellow River, we found it moving along quickly, and it didn't take long to find the shortcut cut-through. The water was moving swiftly through the narrow channel and we soon found a few obstacles to overcome. First, there was a low branch we had to duck way down to get under and then there was a log we couldn't get our canoe under. So, we got out and portaged around it, which was quite easy as there was no bank to climb up and down. The cut-through is suprisingly short and all of a sudden we were back into the Yellow River again, supposedly cutting off about 0.75-1.0 miles of the trip. The rest of the trip was uneventful and we exited at the bridge and headed home.

Boiling Creek in April

Boiling Creek
Saturday, April 24, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

Although our group consisted solely of first-timers to Eglin AFB, we successfully completed our trip with only our map, some telephonic directions from Bob Andrews and a well-placed local fisherman, when we took the wrong road to the put-in. Bill Black, Carl Hlavenka, Linda and I traveled east on I-10 to exit 31 in Florida and headed south on Hwy. 87 toward Navarre. After driving a few miles, we crossed a long bridge over Yellow River and the surrounding swamp and turned left back toward the parking area next to the river. We left one vehicle, got back up on Hwy. 87 and continued south for only a couple more miles. When we reached the top of a long grade and began to slowly turn to the right, there are two roads heading off to the left. The correct road to take is the second one where you will see a small wooden post with the road number 211 on it. It is across the highway from a map kiosk which is the trailhead for a hike south through the woods towards the Gulf. We know what you will find if you turn down the first road on the left as we took this scenic trip as well. It takes you down a very sandy, narrow road to the mouth of Boiling Creek where it joins the Yellow River. It is very likely a regular sedan would not make it back out this road. Fortunately, we were driving a truck and SUV, both with wide tires and were able to overcome this wrong turn. Once you turn left on 211, keep going on the wide dirt road for about 4-5 miles until you come to a small wooden bridge, which crosses Boiling Creek.

We parked along the road without blocking the ramp access and began our trip downstream through a truly awe-inspiring wilderness. The water is crystal clear, without tannins and a mostly white sandy bottom. Almost immediately, we came across our first pitcher plant sighting. Little did we know this was the first of thousands over the next two miles. Many of the stands had round blood-red flowers hanging like lampposts swinging in the breeze. This was indeed a treat to experience.

Thanks to Julie's timely email advice, we received our handy aquatic plant identification deck of cards from the U of FL Extension Service just in time. I became an 'instant expert' in identifying the many different flowering plants we saw in peak, full bloom. We saw golden club, cow lily and water lily frequently seen along the many Alabama streams. Although maybe not as prevalent in Alabama, we also saw lots of banana lily, pickerelweed, knotweed and club-rush. As for birding, we got a fairly up-close view of an Osprey standing guard.

We stopped at the mouth of Boiling Creek for lunch which was about three miles from our put-in. We then continued out into Yellow River and paddled downstream for almost another three miles to the Hwy. 87 bridge and our take-out point. I must say this trip was everything it is advertised to be and is probably the most beautiful paddle we have taken in the area. It is very much worth the price of the permit and is an area we will definitely return to.

Ocean Springs Kayak Festival Race

Saturday, June 19, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This was our first time visiting Ocean Springs for the 2nd Annual event. We were not sure what the participation would be, but found out it was a small event with few people showing up. If it weren't for the MBCAKC members coming, it would have really been bad.

The Ocean Springs Yacht Club is a small, low-key club with a small, older restaurant/bar catering to a few catamarans. When we arrived, there were few cars, a small local rock band starting to play and a couple of jewelry and photography vendors with displays set up. I signed up for the two races along with only about ten others.

We started the first race with a running start, jumped in the kayaks and headed straight out to one buoy about 0.5 mi. out in the bay, turned and back to the beach, where we had to jump out and run about 10 meters to touch a jungle gym to finish.

There were two really fast Seda racing kayaks, so I knew it was going to be tough to hang in there. However, I managed to make it to the buoy first and turn back to the beach. On the way back, the two Sedas caught and passed me and we all reached the beach within a few seconds of each other. The guy from LA, who was first to the beach, was not interested in running to the finish, so Rob N. finished first and I came in second.

As we were getting ready to start the second longer race, a thunderstorm came up and dumped rain on the area for about an hour. Once it was over, we started the race out into the bay on a figure eight configuration over the three mile course. This time, one Seda and two surf skis took off and got pretty far ahead, while I headed up the remainder of the ten entry race. The one difference with this race was that out in the middle of the course, all racers were required to perform a self-rescue. When I got ready to do a roll, I was pretty winded, but ready to go. I rolled over, but forgot everything I learned and couldn't get back up. I had to bail out and try to get back in. Well, it took me several tries to finally get back in, by which time, everyone behind me had gone on ahead. I was so confident I would successfully do an eskimo roll, I didn't even bring along a pump. So, once back in the kayak, I tried to bail out a little water with my hands. I finally gave that up and struggled back in to the beach with a kayak full of water.

As it turns out, the winner (Seda from LA) basically cheated, by going way in to shore in knee-deep water and quickly turning over, emptying his kayak and jumping back in. He did not even have a spray skirt, as he had no intention of doing a deep-water self-rescue. Linda was highly steamed, but our friends, Dick and Marilyn saw the funny side of the finish. Marilyn said they should give me the DFL (dead f**king last) award.

Trip Report: Bay Minette Basin to Blakely State Park

Bay Minette Basin to Blakely State Park
Thursday, June 17, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

Bob, Julie, Gene, Carolyn and I met at Buzbee's at 5:30PM and took off up Bay Minette Basin, took Fisherman's Ditch to the Apalachee River, the Cutoff and on to Blakely.

The weather was excellent for June, with no wind and water like glass. We took about 1.5 hrs. to go the 5 miles to Blakely and paddled with a magnificent sunset along our left side.

The Cutoff is a beautiful fairly wide cut through the delta with a surprising number of beautiful cypress trees fully dressed with Spanish moss. Water hyacinths were apparent, but not clogging the passage.

Once at the shelter, we popped open the wine - a white from Perdido Vineyards and an Aussie Cabernet to accompany our collective salads and couscous. It was truly picturesque and memorable, as we gazed upon the sunset reflecting off the still and quiet Tensaw.

We found it difficult to leave, as we lingered around until the mosquitoes finally encouraged us to push back out into the river.

Paddling at night is an adventure, as the shadows, darkness and increased sense of hearing, bring out an air of anticipation of the unknown. We paddled back at a strong clip, with the lights of the causeway and Mobile off in the distance guiding us back.

Trip Report: Styx River (lower end)

Styx River - Lower End
Saturday, November 1, 2003
by Brint Adams brint.adams@us.army.mil

Richard Kozik, David Haynie, Linda and I met at the I-10 exit 53 BP at 9:30 AM and headed 1 mi. north to right on Linholm Rd, went 4 mi. to right on Hwy 87 for 2 mi. to the put-in bridge. After shuttling a vehicle to the take-out point at the Seminole Boat Launch, we began the paddle at 10:35 AM.

The day was glorious, with a light breeze, clear skies and temps in the 70's and low 80's.

When we reached the I-10 bridge we encountered a downed tree we could not paddle around with the low water level on the river. Fortunately, there was a sandbar right there which made for an easy portage of about 20 ft. We continued down a fairly swift current making good time and lunched at 12:15 on a beautiful white sand bend in the river. So far, we saw no sign of civilization other than crossing under the I-10 bridge.

We continued and at about 7 mi. into the trip, we were not so lucky this time and came upon a very large log jam which we could not get through. We carried our kayaks and canoe up a steep bank, portaged about 50 yds. through the trees and Palmettos and back down the steep bank and continued after about a 15 min. delay.

At about this point, the river seemed to run out of steam and we no longer had the help of the nice current. So, for the remaining 5 miles, we paddled on still, flat water. It was still very beautiful and remote until just before reaching the Hwy. 90 bridge, when we came upon a number of houses along the bank. From the bridge, we paddled about 1.5 mi. to the take-out at the Seminole Boat Launch which is listed on the Baldwin County Park and Public Access Inventory map legend as number 59. The total paddle distance was 12 mi. and paddle time ended up being 4 hrs and with lunch and the portage detour took 5 hrs.

Trip Report: Bottle Creek Indian Mounds

Bottle Creek Indian Mounds
Saturday, September 13, 2003
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

With this paddle representing my directorial debut, I wanted to do everything possible to insure that all who came, left 100% satisfied. So, I ordered up perfectly beautiful weather and it came through, as we met at the Conoco at the I-65 & Hwy 225 exit just south of Stockton. Dick, George, Randy, Karen and David + wife met and we left by caravan at 9:35 AM to the Rice Creek boat launch area. The lot was already half full with fishing boat trailers and we filled up the rest with our vehicles. All of us were in the cool water and on our way at 10:00 AM, heading down Rice Creek to Richardson Island. Once there, we crossed over to the cut-through and made our way through Richardson Island to David Island on the Tensaw River. We paddled down river to the mouth of Jessamine Bayou and headed into the narrow, winding and fully tree-covered bayou.

At about 1/2 mile in, we took an unscheduled stop at marker 5 on the south side, where George had heard there was located the largest cypress tree in Alabama. Four of us got out and trekked back into the forest about 200 meters. We started out on dry ground, but the deeper in we went, we encountered ever-increasingly deeper mud. Eventually, George and I continued barefoot in over calf-deep mud, until we found the Cypress, which was quite impressive. Although not extremely tall, the very old tree was massive around the base of the trunk. We made it back to the boats, cleaned up and moved on to catch up with those who didn't stop. Bruce came along and joined us there, as he must have needed his beauty rest and Starbucks, and was a little late starting out. Along the many twists and turns, we made our way around, through and over many fallen trees. We woke up numerous turtles, sitting out on logs across the water, trying to find a little sunlight, as well as a few small gators sliding down the bank into the bayou. We exited the Jessamine into Bottle Creek and headed down stream about 1/4 mile to the next major left-hand turn and got out on the small sand beach on Mound Island right on-time at 12:00 PM.

After pulling our kayaks up into the woods and out of sight and applying large quantities of Swamp Buddy spray, we began our 1/2 mile hike inland to the Indian Mound site. We stopped briefly along the way as a Cottonmouth crossed our path, but I think he slithered away as much from smelling the Swamp Buddy, well in advance of our arrival, as seeing us invade his territory. We made it to the site and first walked around awhile surveying several of the supposed eighteen mounds. We split up and several of us ascended the steep incline, about 50 feet vertically, up the highest of the mounds. We stayed on top for lunch, contemplating how the Indians may have built the massive mound and then lived atop it, while having to hunt, fish, haul water and grow maize in order to eat their own lunch.

We collected the group, ventured back to Bottle Creek and began the 4.5 mile return trip on the water at 1:30 PM. We gained a little time as the Jessamine had a slight current pushing us along as we traveled back to Rice Creek and arrived at 3:00 PM, also right on schedule. All were reasonably tired and hungry upon arriving at the take-out point and so, of course, could not pass by the Stagecoach Inn without stopping for some well-deserved carbo loading. So, my first lead seemed to fully satisfy everyone, although maybe any trip ends that way as long as it is at the Stagecoach

Trip Report: Magnolia River - Weeks Bay

Magnolia River / Weeks Bay
Saturday, November 22, 2003
by Brint Adams brint.adams@us.army.mil

Our paddle group met at 9:00 AM at the Exxon at Hwy. 98 and Magnolia Springs Hwy. and began our put-in at the County water access at the end of Rock St. Our group consisted of Randy Hunter, Frank Laraway, Bruce Zimmerman, Joe & Helen Rodgers, Brint & Linda Adams, Brad Banks, Jason Farrell and Jake Jacobs. After shuttling two vehicles to the take-out point on the northeast corner of the Hwy. 98 bridge over Fish River, we shoved off at 9:30 down the beautiful Magnolia River on what turned out to be a magnificent day under clear skies, no wind and temperatures in the mid to upper 70's. We soon came across many migratory ducks and what turned out to be hundreds of migratory Brown Pelicans. In addition, we saw dozens of Anhingas and several awesome Sandhill Cranes and an Osprey. We continued into Weeks Bay and followed up the eastern shore until reaching the Hwy 98 bridge over Fish River. We added a short tour of the canal on the west side of Fish River and reached the take-out at Noon. After retrieving our cars, several paddlers crossed over to Lulu's on the other side of the bridge to enjoy one of the last lunches to be served at this institution on the upper corner of Week's Bay. Lulu's will close for good on Dec. 14, while moving down to their new location in Gulf Shores. We will miss this favorite restaurant location.

Trip Report: Magnolia River

Magnolia River
Saturday, March 27, 2004
by Brint Adams brint.adams@us.army.mil

Steve & Terry, Randy, Wendy (a first-timer) and Linda & I set out from the Rock St. access and first headed upriver on a beautiful, warm, sun-drenched, spring morning. The dogwoods, azaleas of all colors and wisteria were all in full bloom. After exploring as far as we could go, we came back and turned up the small creek leading to the springs, where we found more azaleas and a large stand of bamboo.

We then headed downstream and began to see all of the varied waterfowl typical to the area from the many Cormorants to a few osprey, pelicans, cranes, egrets and ducks.

We turned around down towards the entrance to Weeks Bay and returned to the put-in point. Afterwards, we had a fabulous lunch, a block away, at Jesse's.

Trip Report: Fish River (upper)

Fish River (upper)
Sunday, March 14, 2004
by Brint Adams brint.adams@us.army.mil

We met at the Baldwin County Wetlands Conservation Park on Keeney Drive E. located below the West end of the CR 32 bridge over Fish River. Carl, Tom, Linda and I headed up river on a warm, mostly cloudy morning with no breeze and glass-like water conditions. As we passed waterfront homes, we saw many colors from Azaleas, Camelias, Daffodils to wild Jasmine and Blackberry flowers along the banks. We explored the many tight turns around white sand beaches up Cowpen Creek and an unnamed hidden waterway a little further up the River on the left. We then then turned up Polecat Creek and followed it up as far as we could, well beyond the CR 9 bridge. The water was flowing fairly swiftly at the upper end and we gladly turned around and quickly floated back down, stopping for lunch at one of the many beaches along this traditional blackwater creek. There were fresh deer hoof prints along the beach. We saw several turtles out sunning as we returned back to the wetlands park.

Trip Report: Escatawpa River

Escatawpa River
Saturday, October 25, 2003
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

Linda & I arrived in Wilmer a little early, so we went west one mile to left on Natchez Hwy and traveled 7 mi. to the Hwy. 612 bridge take-out point and left our shuttle vehicle. We returned to Wilmer, met David there and traveled west 5 mi. to the Escatawpa Campground on the left. While putting in our canoe and kayak, Randy showed up after taking the scenic route north around Wilmer for several miles. We took off at 10:00 AM under near perfect conditions with partly cloudy skies, a light breeze and 72 degrees. The river level was low, but very clear. The only remarkable sight before we stopped for lunch was intruding on the nesting area of a large group of about 15 Black Vultures. If we didn't know better, we might have thought there was a dead body around somewhere, as they circled high above us, until we were well past there habitat. We stopped for lunch on one of the many beautiful white sand beaches on every turn of the river. The sand was every bit as nice as sitting out along the Gulf Shores coast. David caught and turned loose a couple of fish during our stop. The total paddle time took approx. 2 hours, as we arrived at the take-out beach just past the Hwy. 612 bridge on the right.

Trip Report: Byrne's Lake

Byrne's Lake
Saturday, October 18, 2003
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

The morning was absolutely gorgeous for a paddle with a light breeze, clear blue sky and 70 degrees. Mike Ward, David Haynie and I met at Bruno's in Spanish Fort at Hwy 31 & 225 and headed north on Hwy 225 for nine miles and turned left at the sign to Byrne's Lake boat launch. We traveled on the dirt road for about two miles until it dead-ended at the parking lot, pier and launch. We started leisurely paddling at 10:00 AM and first went to the right or upstream and explored several forks as far as we could go and returned to the pier, taking about 20 minutes. We then headed further downstream and turned around when we reached the main channel of the Tensaw River, looking across at Gravine Island. On the return, we also explored a couple more sloughs and reached the pier at 11:45 AM. Along the way, we saw numerous ducks, terns, egrets and cranes among the Cypress. It was a most beautiful fall morning with some leaves turning color as well as several varieties of flowering plants still showing color on both the banks and in the water.

Trip Report: Styx River

Styx River
Saturday, May 22, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

Our trip group included two canoes and a tandem kayak putting in at the CR 64 bridge located about one mile north of Wilcox Road I-10 exit 53. While waiting at the BP truckstop, we noticed numerous truckloads of innertubes and their riders, and thus had a good idea what kind of afternoon we had in store.

This was a point-to-point trip covering about five miles of easy down river to the CR 87 bridge, which is non-strenuous and suitable for both beginning paddlers in canoes and most types of kayaks. The put-in is from a white sand beach along a well-shaded shoreline and off into a nice current of clear blackwater. The river meanders around many curves, most of which have white sand beaches suitable for picnic stops.

Unfortunately for our group, we picked a hot, sunny Saturday with schools just out for summer, and so encountered an unexpectedly large quantity of wildlife. When we passed the exit for one of the tube/canoe outfitters, we found out he had rented 400 tubes and 50 canoes that afternoon. We felt certain we passed at least half of them.

But, the weather was beautiful and all had a good time, including our interaction with the summer wildlife just out of hibernation. For a quieter paddle, I would suggest touring on a weekday during the summer months.

Trip Report: Cloverleaf Landing

Cloverleaf Landing
Sunday, May 16, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

Cloverleaf Landing Road is located on the left about 6.3 mi. north of Hwy. 31 on Hwy. 225. Follow the dirt and blacktop road until you reach the put-in on the Tensaw River. We had six paddlers take off upriver on a breezy, partly cloudy afternoon. After about 0.3 mi., we angled off to the right and entered McVoys Lake. This takes you through an open grassy delta area for awhile and then turns into a well protected Cypress swamp. We followed McVoys as far as we could and on the return, turned left up the Bluefield Branch. There were still numerous flowers blooming as well as waterfowl fishing. Up and back, including Bluefield is about a five mi. trip.

On the return, we paddled past Cloverleaf and the bluff at the turn of the river, down to Blakely State Park on the left. We stopped for a well-deserved and scrumptious potluck and walked around the boardwalk along the river. As we returned back north, about 50 yds. past the Delta Explorer pier, we turned in between two Cypress to a very hard to find creek on the north end of the park. It is worth the look, as it is a welcome break in the cool, calm and dark woods.

The total trip was about seven miles taking about four hours including the supper stop.

Trip Report: Boiling Creek

Boiling Creek
Saturday, April 24, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil


Although our group consisted solely of first-timers to Eglin AFB, we successfully completed our trip with only our map, some telephonic directions from Bob Andrews and a well-placed local fisherman, when we took the wrong road to the put-in. Bill Black, Carl Hlavenka, Linda and I traveled east on I-10 to exit 31 in Florida and headed south on Hwy. 87 toward Navarre. After driving a few miles, we crossed a long bridge over Yellow River and the surrounding swamp and turned left back toward the parking area next to the river. We left one vehicle, got back up on Hwy. 87 and continued south for only a couple more miles. When we reached the top of a long grade and began to slowly turn to the right, there are two roads heading off to the left. The correct road to take is the second one where you will see a small wooden post with the road number 211 on it. It is across the highway from a map kiosk which is the trailhead for a hike south through the woods towards the Gulf. We know what you will find if you turn down the first road on the left as we took this scenic trip as well. It takes you down a very sandy, narrow road to the mouth of Boiling Creek where it joins the Yellow River. It is very likely a regular sedan would not make it back out this road. Fortunately, we were driving a truck and SUV, both with wide tires and were able to overcome this wrong turn. Once you turn left on 211, keep going on the wide dirt road for about 4-5 miles until you come to a small wooden bridge, which crosses Boiling Creek.

We parked along the road without blocking the ramp access and began our trip downstream through a truly awe-inspiring wilderness. The water is crystal clear, without tannins and a mostly white sandy bottom. Almost immediately, we came across our first pitcher plant sighting. Little did we know this was the first of thousands over the next two miles. Many of the stands had round blood-red flowers hanging like lampposts swinging in the breeze. This was indeed a treat to experience.

Thanks to Julie's timely email advice, we received our handy aquatic plant identification deck of cards from the U of FL Extension Service just in time. I became an 'instant expert' in identifying the many different flowering plants we saw in peak, full bloom. We saw golden club, cow lily and water lily frequently seen along the many Alabama streams. Although maybe not as prevalent in Alabama, we also saw lots of banana lily, pickerelweed, knotweed and club-rush. As for birding, we got a fairly up-close view of an Osprey standing guard.

We stopped at the mouth of Boiling Creek for lunch which was about three miles from our put-in. We then continued out into Yellow River and paddled downstream for almost another three miles to the Hwy. 87 bridge and our take-out point. I must say this trip was everything it is advertised to be and is probably the most beautiful paddle we have taken in the area. It is very much worth the price of the permit and is an area we will definitely return to.

Trip Report: Bay Minette Creek

Bay Minette Creek
Saturday, April 17, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

Our group met at Bruno's in Spanish Fort and drove 5.5 mi. north on hwy. 225, turned right on Bromley Rd., and drove 1.5 mi. to the Bromley bridge over Bay Minette Creek. We had eight kayak paddlers who took off down river at 1:30 PM under beautiful sunny skies with a moderate breeze and temperatures in the upper 70's. We soon came upon many stands of Mountain Laurel in the first stages of full bloom both in white and pink. We continued for about 2.5 mi., not quite to Buzbee's and stopped for a break on a small sandy area under low covering Oak trees. Along the way, we explored a small hidden pond, circled a small island and paddled up a side tributary. Various water lilies were starting to bloom all along the creek.

After the three hour paddle, most retired to Blue Gill's outside deck for some well deserved carbo loading.

Also, we unknowingly blocked water access on our trip on Bay Minette Creek. A guy in a canoe with a motor on it caught up with us and told us we blocked the launch with our vehicles. He wasn't happy. Also, the locals who were hanging out at the bridge when we got back weren't too friendly toward us either. The 'launch' is a dirt/sand ramp just barely as wide as a truck and pretty steep. At the time, it didn't register in our brains it was a launch, but it would be good info to pass on; especially since we can reach so many others through the club. It would be important to keep good relations with the locals. We depend on access like this and leave our vehicles unattended for hours.

Trip Report: Whiskey Ditch

Whiskey Ditch
Thursday, May 20, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

For a quick, easy mid-week afterwork paddle, you just can't beat starting out on the causeway and heading north into the delta. This late afternoon paddle started at the unmarked state-owned property (site formerly known as Riverdoc's), on the north side of the causeway just east of Ed's Seafood Shed. There is plenty of parking and a protected boatramp for easy entry/exit with no put-in charge.

This night we decided to head east past Bluegill's and turn left up the Apalachee and left into the delta by way of Whiskey Ditch. For most of the year, you can paddle all of the way back to a pond along an everchanging view of many waterplants and birds. But, we are now entering the summer months, when mats of alligatorweed and hyacinths spread across the waterway and make it tough to get anymore than about halfway back to the pond. It is still worth the trip anytime of year to see what is new.

Along the Apalachee, we spotted about a dozen alligators well out in front of us, only to submerge as we got a little closer. The roundtrip is about four miles and is suitable for beginners, when the wind is not too brisk. After our return at dusk, we loaded up and headed to Semolina for some well-deserved carbo-loading.

Trip Report: Dauphin Island to Ft. Morgan

Dauphin Island-Ft. Morgan-Sand Island
Saturday, June 12, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil

I met Rob Nykvist, our trip leader of two, at 6:45 AM adjacent to the auto ferry on the east end of Dauphin Island. There is a very nice, white sand beach suitable for launching kayaks, with 15 min. parking right in front, to allow unloading of equipment. After moving our cars down the road, we returned to launch promptly at 7:00 AM under near perfect conditions, with partly cloudy skies, very light breeze, only slight tide movement and about 0-1' seas.

Our first leg took us across to the fishing pier on the north side of Ft. Morgan. We only encountered a few fishing boats with little ship traffic, as we crossed the channel. It took us about 1 hr. to travel the 4.2 mi. and reach the beach.

After resting for a few minutes, we decided to lengthen the paddle by heading over to the west end of Sand Island. Visibility was excellent as we focused on a couple of oil rigs in the distance, until the red buoy on the end of the island came into view. As we approached the ship channel again, we picked our spot to get across, as the ship traffic picked up. We reached Sand Island, also in about 1 hr., covering about 5 mi. We travelled down the calmer, north side about half way, until we came upon the large black skimmer nesting area. We got out and walked over towards the grassy dune area, until we got too close to suit them, and they began to voice their disapproval. We continued paddling down along the island, with about five dolphin just out in front of us, lazily surfacing and checking us out.

We turned back toward the east end of Dauphin Island and our last leg back around Ft. Gaines, to the takeout point. Again, the 4 mi. leg took about 1 hr. It was a very nice trip on a beautiful morning.

Brint Adams

Ocean Springs Kayak Festival

Here is a schedule of events for the 2nd Annual Ocean Springs Kayak Festival to be held at the Ocean Springs Yacht Club in Ocean Springs, MS on June 19, 2004:

8:00AM- 9:00AM Koffee & Kayaks - Intro to the sport of kayaking
9:00AM on Art & food booths open (all day)
9:00AM-11:00AM Kayak lessons - basic and advanced instruction (no charge)
11:00AM on Volleyball tournament begins
11:00AM-2:00PM Kayak demo's - test drive a variety of models
2:00PM-4:00PM Kayak race - approx. 1-1.5 miles (no charge, low-key, family-oriented)
Kayak challenge - approx. 3 miles with a self-rescue thrown
in (no charge, will be competitive)
4:00PM-6:00PM Live music & volleyball finals
5:30PM Awards ceremony

For more information, call: 228-818-9255

Trip Report: Douglas Lake

Douglas Lake
Sunday, June 13, 2004
by Brint Adams - brint.adams@us.army.mil


To paddle Douglas Lake, is well worth the few extra miles to Bryant Landing. We met Bill and Donna Davis at Hwy. 31 & 225 in Spanish Fort and headed north, crossing I-65 and into Stockton. For those coming from Mobile, you will want to travel north on I-65 to exit 31 and turn left. Once into Stockton, turn left on Hodgson Road and left again on CR 21. Go a couple of miles past the turn to Rice Creek and after passing an elementary school by about 1/4 mi., make 2 lefts to head to Bryant Landing.

The put-in fee for kayaks and canoes is $2, which you pay up in the convenience store. The landing has a large, nicely shaded parking area. There is a wide ramp with a grass area and sandy beach to the side, perfect for launching.

Rather than take the full trip, we opted for the cut-through shortcut. As we left the ramp, we headed west or to the left and paddled about 0.3 mi. until we reached a narrow entrance into the woods on the right side. The cut-through meanders for about 0.2 mi. through the woods, until reaching Douglas Lake. We turned left and followed the lake up to the end.

The weather conditions were almost ideal for June, with an overcast sky and light breeze cooling off the normally hot, humid temperatures. The water was like glass, as we only met one fisherman.

One of the most striking aspects of the paddle is the abundance and beauty of the Cypress. Around every turn, there seemed to be another, set off by itself, more majestic than the one before. We also followed several varieties of crane, egret and hawk, as we paddled in.

About half way in to the 3.5 mi. deadend, we were entertained by a circus of large performers. For about 1 mi., we were continuously delighted to see dozens of paddlefish (in mating season) jumping straight up, fully clearing the water, trying to outdo each other.

After a brief rest at the turnaround, we returned the same way, taking about 2.5 hrs. to complete the paddle. The only way to top off the day, was to stop on the way back at The Stagecoach, in Stockton. They didn't disappoint, with an excellent oyster poboy and onion rings for Linda, and all-you-can-eat whole catfish for me. The trip was a real keeper.

Brint Adams