Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXIV
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil
The weather conditions were very good for a fast paddle along the Causeway in the lower delta. I put in at Riverdocs at 5:30 PM, under partly cloudy skies, 72 degrees and a slight breeze coming out of the southeast. It was not enough to kick up any chop, so it was going to be paddling tonight. The water level was about mid-level and rising, so my start heading east down Pass Picada was going to be a bit slow. The shore birds were out walking around, while pelicans were in formation overhead.
The trip east was indeed slow, as I made the Apalachee River turn in 8:35. As I approached, I could see a lone paddler also heading east ahead of me, which gave me the impetus to push a little harder, to see if I could catch up before he turned one way or the other. When I caught up, I did not know him and he was not in a talkative mood, so he eased south, while I screamed back west at over 7.5 mph, passing the parking lot in only 70 breaths and on to the Causeway. A few fishermen looked on as I worked my way through the confused water by the culvert and on to the Interstate bridges. I made the second turn in 31:58 and knew I was working on a fairly fast time.
That knowledge gave me the extra mental push to keep up a fast turnover on the return. I needed it, as once I paddled past the culvert, the current turned back west and I had to fight it to the finish. With the sun setting behind me and the conditions conducive, I was able to turn in a good 49:02 time, which I thankful for after having been off the water for a full week now.
The weather conditions were very good for a fast paddle along the Causeway in the lower delta. I put in at Riverdocs at 5:30 PM, under partly cloudy skies, 72 degrees and a slight breeze coming out of the southeast. It was not enough to kick up any chop, so it was going to be paddling tonight. The water level was about mid-level and rising, so my start heading east down Pass Picada was going to be a bit slow. The shore birds were out walking around, while pelicans were in formation overhead.
The trip east was indeed slow, as I made the Apalachee River turn in 8:35. As I approached, I could see a lone paddler also heading east ahead of me, which gave me the impetus to push a little harder, to see if I could catch up before he turned one way or the other. When I caught up, I did not know him and he was not in a talkative mood, so he eased south, while I screamed back west at over 7.5 mph, passing the parking lot in only 70 breaths and on to the Causeway. A few fishermen looked on as I worked my way through the confused water by the culvert and on to the Interstate bridges. I made the second turn in 31:58 and knew I was working on a fairly fast time.
That knowledge gave me the extra mental push to keep up a fast turnover on the return. I needed it, as once I paddled past the culvert, the current turned back west and I had to fight it to the finish. With the sun setting behind me and the conditions conducive, I was able to turn in a good 49:02 time, which I thankful for after having been off the water for a full week now.
posted by brint @ 8:05 PM
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