Kayak Canoe Alabama

Moved to Central Florida

2006-10-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

I have a new site started up and running now that we moved to Auburndale, Florida. I am still doing alot of kayaking and kayak racing, just in a different part of the South. If you wish to follow my trips and races in Florida, just click on Kayak Canoe Florida. Since we moved here, I have another toy, a Wilderness Systems Northstar tandem, so Linda and I are now out exploring the rivers and coast in Central Florida. I will most likely no longer post on this site, but keep it semi-active for the present.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXXII

2006-05-29T20:03:00.000-05:00

Monday, May 29, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

We had a great, albeit short, vacation hiking up in the Smokies over the weekend following a day of officiating the NCAA Mideast Regional Track and Field meet in Knoxville. Then it was back to Spanish Fort and another rare chance to get out on the water.

This morning was another very nice day for paddling. I got out a little late at 8:00 AM, so the sun was already rapidly rising and heating up. There was just a slight breeze which barely rippled the water, while the skies were clear with a temperature of 78 degrees. The water level was fairly low and rising.

I greeted a gator who was protecting the little cove where I put in at Riverdocs. He yawned and ducked underwater as I passed him on my way down Pass Picada. The leg down to the Apalachee was 8:42, slower since the tide was rising faster than last week. On the return, I rode the tide back, with mile splits of 8:17, 8:51 and 11:40 after crossing under the Interstate bridges where the tide reverses.

With the sun heating up, I passed three fishing boats who were hanging out in the shade under the bridges. They just shook their heads as I passed them by out in the sun. On the return, I hit 8:33, 11:15 and a total of 59:50. Alas, it will be another two weeks before I get the opportunity to enjoy paddling the bay and delta once again.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXXI

2006-05-25T18:12:00.000-05:00

Thursday, May 25, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

After two and a half weeks off of the water, it was great to get back to the bay and stretch out a little on the water. Conditions were close to perfect at 7:15 AM under partly cloudy skies, 72 degrees, no wind, high tide and still rising.

I was not sure how I would respond after the layoff, so it was best to just go for it as hard as I could. A couple of lazy gators were out to greet me as I started paddling down Pass Picada. There were no changes to speak of, as I paddled past the restaurants, reaching the Apalachee in 8:04.

The return was better with mile splits of 9:09, 9:35 with the rising tide and 10:37 against it. On the return, with hardly a ripple out in the open bay, the splits were 9:25, 10:13 and a total time of 59:18. Ahhh... I miss the water and really look forward to moving the boats to Auburndale, so I can get back to a normal routine.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-05-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday, May 7, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I wanted to see how Bay Minette looked after being away for awhile, so I headed for Bromley Creek in the morning. At 8:30 AM, the water level was high and not moving, while the temperature stayed up at 78 degrees, with no wind and clear skies. The mountain laurel ran its course and was no longer in bloom. But, the spatterdock and water lilies were up along the upper end of the creek.

I started out a little slow, but the creek was rising a little, which slowed me a little. My splits on the way downstream were 9:53, 9:44 and 9:52. A few fishing boats were out, which were the only objects to slow me down as they tried to slowly pass me from behind. On the return, I hit 9:30, 9:42 and 10:08. I really like this course and will miss regularly paddling it.

Robinson Bayou - Dog River

2006-05-06T21:23:00.000-05:00

Saturday, May 6, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This afternoon was club party time at Gary and Avan's beautiful spot on Dog River. Linda and I took the canoe out joining a large group of old friends and new acquaintenances for an easy paddle up into Robinsons Bayou. We paddled up about 1.5 mi., as far as we could go, as the bayou narrowed leading to the DIP bridge. The flowers were bursting out in abundance, as we saw large patches of pickerelweed, as well as acacia, spatterdock and waterlilies.

There were a few pelicans out fishing as we returned, looking for the Organic School's new sailboat out on its maiden voyage. There was very little wind, but George, Gary, Bob and others made valiant efforts to coach the beautiful 16' craft along in the main channel of Dog River. The other new boat of interest was Harriet's pedal boat, as several tried to best her fast 7 mph bursts.

Once everyone had enough fun on the water, we dug into a vast array of potluck to go along with Gary's delicious smoked chicken. All had a great, relaxing time. Hopefully, it will translate into more participation in upcoming group paddles.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXX

2006-05-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

Saturday, May 6, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was great to get back and out on the water after two weeks in Orlando with no boats nor access to any water. I arrived at Riverdocs lot at 7:45 AM under partly cloudy skies, 72 degrees, no wind, low water level with the tide rising.

Everything looked to be in place with the same fishermen taking their usual places, the houseboats in the same places and even the shorebirds and gators taking their familiar places.

My times were even similar after the layoff with a 8:17 to the Apalachee turn and mile splits heading west of 8:39, 9:02 and 10:40. On the return, I managed 9:16, 11:17 and a total of 59:39. It was a great morning return to the delta.

BluzCruz in Vicksburg, MS

2006-04-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

Saturday, April 22, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The weather this morning turned out to be cool and partly cloudy, providing ideal race conditions for a fast trip down the Mississippi River to Vicksburg. Yesterday, on the trip over from Mobile, we drove through a nasty thunderstorm with roughly 40 mph winds for a short time. We hoped the front would clear out by morning and we were not disappointed.

We got up at 6:00 AM to make the 35 minute trip over to Tallulah, LA and north to the put-in by a grain dock on the west side of the river. About 35 boats of various types and sizes carried a like variety of paddlers down the Mississippi on a 22 mile journey to the mouth of the Yazoo River and upriver to the finish. The scenery was a beautiful spring green with corn and other southern crops starting to come up in the rich, black riverbottom soil. We passed several large tugs pushing long triple wide barges fully loaded and riding low in the water.

The race started late at 8:35 AM, with the serious boats up front, including two Thunderbolts, four Seda Gliders, two Epics and two QCC 700's taking the lead. The water level was down about 13' from a year ago, so the fastest current was probably about 4 mph, down from 5 mph at last year's race. This meant it was even more important to find the right line and stick with it to get the fast water.

I felt good from the start and decided, if I could, to hang with Keith, in another Glider, for 3/4 of the race. I knew he was probably the most knowledgeable at reading the Mississippi, so I figured we would not make many mistakes, stay close to the frontrunners and give us a chance at the end. The strategy worked well, as Wim, the frontrunner in a Thunderbolt, put some distance between himself and the next four of us. Keith and I were actually about 100 meters behind another Glider and an Epic, paddling together in 2nd and 3rd.

Once we all got to the grain depot on the right at about five miles above Vicksburg, I decided to split away from Keith and try to chase down the two guys out in front of me. Actually, they did me a favor by hanging along the west bank a little too long, while I moved over to the middle of the river into faster water. Once they figured out I was rapidly gaining on them, they cut sharply over and ended up right in front of me. So, in about 2 miles, I was able to close a 100 meter gap and pull right in behind them.

As we made the turn up the Yazoo and into the current, the other two boats were side by side, which gave me the chance to tuck my nose right in between them and ride their double wake for maybe a half mile. It made all the difference, as I was really able to cut down my breathing and heart rates, paddling with less effort in the "sweet spot". When we got to within 100 meters of the finish line, I pulled around to the right and we all sprinted in side by side, vying for overall spots two through four. I was able to overtake the Epic, but not the other Glider. It was still very satisfying to finish this race only a second behind Richard, who had beaten me soundly in the last two Phatwater races. It was equally exciting to finish ahead of another Glider, an Epic and a Thunderbolt as well as both QCC700's, all of which I would consider faster boats than mine.

The group in front all finished in around 2:15 with the remainder of the competitors finishing in 2:20 - 3:30. I was able to talk a nice contingent of other Mobile paddlers to come over for the race and all performed magnificently, taking away a good percent of the hardware given out later during the awards ceremony. Roland, Juli and the tandem of Dick and Marilyn all took first place awards in their boat categories. We all hung out in Vicksburg for the rest of the day with a nice street fair, Riverfest taking place over the weekend as well.

Results:

1 - 2:14:47 Wim Nouen 21' race - Thunderbolt
2 - 2:17:36 Richard Savoie 19' fast tour - Seda Glider
3 - 2:17:39 Brint Adams 19' fast tour - Seda Glider
4 - 2:18:03 Phil Capel 18' fast tour - Epic Endurance
5 - 2:22:40 Keith Benoist 19' fast tour - Seda Glider
6 - 2:24:58 Andrew Balogh 21' race - Thunderbolt
7 - 2:26:57 Christoper Murphree 18' fast tour - composite
8 - 2:27:13 Don Chesler 19' fast tour - Extreme
9 - 2:27:16 Doug Cousineau - C1 fast - outrigger
10 - 2:28:07 Greg Jacob - 18' fast tour - Epic Endurance
11 - 2:31:30 John McDaniel - 18' fast tour - kevlar
12 - 2:33:22 Roland Bodt - 17' tour2 plastic
13 - 2:34:07 Dave Genzler - 17' tour2 plastic
14 - 2:41:53 Sam McLemore, Mel McFatter - C2 fast tour - kevlar canoe
15 - 2:42:12 Clyde Atkinson 18' fast tour - composite
16 - 2:42:34 Melissa Morrison 19' fast tourF - Seda Glider
17 - 2:42:45 Roger Dunaway 19' tour2 - wood
18 - 2:45:05 Bryan Stephens 18' tour2 - plastic
19 - 2:46:35 Dick Becker, Marilyn Craig 16' touring mix - plastic
20 - 2:48:02 Chuyler Freeman 15' tour1 - plastic
21 - 2:51:08 Alan Katzenmeyer 15' tour1 - plastic
22 - 2:58:10 Wayne Pratt 14' tour1 - plastic
23 - 2:58:11 Heather Zack 17' tour2F - plastic
24 - 2:59:02 Juli Day 14' tour1F - trylon
25 - 3:00:10 John Gorman 12' tour1 - plastic

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXIX

2006-04-12T20:34:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This was my last paddle training day before the BluzCruz race on April 22nd. First, we are off to Knoxville for the weekend and then I travel to Orlando next week, before returning in time to make the drive over to Vicksburg, MS for the race. The weather was pretty good at 6:00 PM, 72 degrees, partly cloudy, south wind at 10 knots with a falling tide.

I forgot my Forerunner GPS tonight, so it was strictly a mental thing to push as hard as possible for the whole six mile distance. There were a couple of cormorants out fishing, but most of the shorebirds had flown further north into the delta to their evening roosts. A few kids came out on the walkway off of Bluegill's back deck to wave as I paddled by. Then it was off to the open Chacaloochee Bay by myself.

This will be one of the last times I paddle along this course, now that we are moving to Orlando, and I will miss it. I pushed myself as hard as I could and am pretty sure I broke just under the 1:00:00 mark. So, now it will be some cross-training for a week leading into the BluzCruz.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXVIII

2006-04-11T20:21:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Wow, another beautiful spring day on Mobile Bay! I was anxious to get out on the bay again under better conditions, to verify if I am still on track after a week away from paddling. I went out at 6:00 PM, under sunny skies, 75 degrees with a southerly 10 knot breeze. The water level was up fairly full and falling, so my first leg east was fast. When I arrived at Riverdocs, there was guy sitting in the back of his pickup truck, pickin' his guitar, inspired while looking north out over Chacaloochee Bay.

With a later CDT start, the restaurants were full and Bluegill's had a live band rockin' out on the deck. I tucked in along the south shore, right below the restaurants, to paddle the calmest water, reaching the Apalachee turn in 6:47. The return west was slow with mile splits of 10:42 and 10:43, before the tide directional change gave me a push in the third mile with a 8:56 split to the Tensaw River.

The return started very slowly with a 11:00 into the current, until after the tide change, when I paddled a 9:06 and finished in 59:04 at 6.1 mph. An hour later and the guitar picker was still busy plucking away, while the shore birds started to head north to their roosts.

Bay Minette Creek - 10 mi.

2006-04-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

Sunday, April 9, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning was still very windy out on the bay, so I went for Bay Minette to concentrate more on form and not fight the chop. It cooled off nicely to where at 8:30 AM it was 54 degrees, sunny with a north wind, which did not affect me except for miles six and seven. The water level was pretty low and rising. Once I got started, it was obvious the mountain laurel were peaking. Within the first mile, the shorelines were ablaze with pink and white blossoms.

The morning was so beautiful, there were probably a dozen fishermen out working their favorite hidden spots. I breezed by quietly through the tight s-turns in the first mile and as the creek widened and straightened out in miles four and five, the breeze at my back was a thankful push. On the way downstream, my mile splits were 9:24, 9:24, 9:14, 9:48 and 9:43.

The return was into the wind in miles six and seven with splits of 10:27, 10:35, 10:00, 9:34 and 10:12 for total ten mile time of 1:38:25. This was a true time, with no watch stops for water breaks. After the weeklong break from paddling, I was glad to see I had not lost any speed or endurance yet, heading into the upcoming race.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXVII

2006-04-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

Saturday, April 8, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I was off the water for almost a week, while working in Orlando, so I was ready to do some paddling anywhere. After working at home all day today, I finally got out to the bay by 6:00 PM, where it was partly cloudy, still 78 degrees with a stiff 20 knot northerly wind. The water level was high and the tide starting to fall, so when I finally got away from the choppy launch area, I tucked in along the north shoreline of Pass Picada to try and escape the wind. The restaurants were full, but no shorebirds were venturing out in the brisk wind.

I was able to paddle in fairly protected water, reaching the Apalachee in 7:04 and back past Riverdocs in 15:30. Once I got out into the open bay, the chop really rocked me around as I hit mile splits of 10:42, 11:03 and 10:29. The return wasn't much better, as I just got soaked on the other side. I tried to work with the chop, but in a number of places, it was coming together from two directions, making it difficult to ride. My splits on the way back were 9:55 and 9:50 with a total time of 1:01:04. Rough conditions were much better than not paddling, as I was glad to get back home.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXVI

2006-04-02T21:43:00.000-05:00

Sunday, April 2, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I was surprised this morning, coming off of the hill out of Spanish Fort to see a fogbank hanging over the bay. At 9:15 AM, the visibility was starting to clear, but still only about a half mile. The temperature was a mild 72 degrees, calm wind with a rising tide. After a hard workout yesterday, I wanted to back off just a little as I started out.

The current was running pretty fast, so my speed down Pass Picada was fast, reaching the Apalachee turn in only 9:02. On the way back past the parking lot, my time was still a fairly slow 15:35. Interestingly, on the way west on Pass Picada, an 8 foot gator was slowly crossing from north to south off in front of me. By the time I reached him, I was on a collision course and he wasn't going to submerge. So, I changed course towards his rear and barely missed running over his tail. He must have just come out of his winters sleep and wasn't thinking very clearly, as he finally decided to submerge long after I had passed him.

My splits on the way west were 8:22, 9:09 and 10:37. The sun still had not broken through the foggy cloud cover which suited me just fine. On the return I hit 9:11, 10:28 and finished with a 59:15 at 6.1 mph, which was surprising fast, since I tried to reduce the workout effort to about 85%.

Riverdocs to Spanish River

2006-04-01T21:44:00.000-06:00

Saturday, April 1, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The conditions were pretty good for a longer workout on the bay as I arrived at Riverdocs at 6:30 AM. It was cloudy and 72 degrees with a 5 knot southerly breeze, a medium water level and a rising tide. To simulate closer to race conditions, I did not take any stopped watch water breaks. I decided to take water twice, at 3.33 and 6.66 miles and quickly did so without stopping my watch.

My mile splits over to the Tensaw River were 9:08 and 10:08, before turning up into Delvan Bay to Spanish River. My splits upriver were 9:52, 9:56 and 9:32. On the return, I tried to push it hard into the breeze and rising current, hitting 10:23, 10:14, 9:50, 9:36 and 9:57 for a total 10 mile time of 1:38:36 at 6.1 mph.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXV

2006-03-30T21:41:00.000-06:00

Thursday, March 30, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

After a few days of vacation with our son, Bob, it was back to work today, followed by the normal Thursday workout routine. I started out at Riverdocs at 5:15 PM with mild conditions, 72 degrees, cloudy, a 10 knot southeasterly breeze with a medium water level and falling tide. Nothing remarkable was going on, no outdoor bands playing, just a few lazy coots out on the water, not wanting to fly far if they didn't have to.

My split east was 6:33 and mile splits west were 11:10, 10:28 and 8:30. On the return east, I paddled 11:02 and 9:15 for a six mile total of 58:52 at 6.1 mph.

Bay Minette Creek 8 mi.

2006-03-29T21:52:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

On a beautiful afternoon, my son Bob and I headed for the Bromley Bridge on upper Bay Minette Creek to get on the water. It was sunny and 76 degrees with a full pool and very little current movement. Bob decided to give my Glider a try, so I knew I was going to be in for a good workout trying to keep up with him.

We started out easily, paddling under tai tai heavy with blooms. We saw an occasional White Egret, GBH and a pair of Wood Ducks leading around the early s-turns. Linda asked us to keep an eye out for mountain laurel, which we found in the early blooming stages across the creek from the group of several houses. I stopped for a second to pick a branch, to take back to prove we had seen them.

Due to our time constraint, we went for the eight mile course. We turned in to a side branch to see a small beaver dam, which was almost submerged due to the high water.

On the return, I picked up the pace and Bob decided to eventually pass me and take a solid lead. Our last few mile splits were in the 10:30 range, as we finished in a total of 1:46.

Rice Creek to Jug Lake

2006-03-28T23:42:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

My son, Bob, and I decided to paddle in the upper delta this afternoon wanting to stay off of the bay during breezy conditions. We took the easy drive up Hwy 225 to Stockton and on to nearby Rice Creek Landing. When we arrived, the parking lot was flooded, so we parked along the road as close as we could. This was the highest I have seen the water level on Rice Creek, although high watermarks on the trees indicated the level was still another 4-5 feet higher at some time.

The high water made for an easy entry and no problems with blockages as we just glided over the tops of all treefalls. We kept a medium pace of 4 mph, but not a workout pace, so we could enjoy the scenery. The trees are all greening and filling out nicely. We found the cutthrough from Briar Lake to Tensaw Lake was flowing rapidly from west to east, so we had to work a little harder to make any headway.

Once we reached Tensaw Lake, we turned right and then circled back to the left around Larry Island, to get the benefit of the Tensaw River current about half way down the island. We were able to easily get up to 8 mph once we found the current. Just below Larry Island, we turned right into Bayou Jessamine. Fortunately, it was equalized and not running much in either direction. With the water level up, we had an easy time traversing Fisher Island into Jug Lake and back to the floating platform.

We did not stay long, turning around and taking the same basic course back. When we exited Bayou Jessamine this time, we stayed to the right side of Larry Island where the current wasn't as fast. The total trip was 7.82 miles, which took us 1:51.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXIV

2006-03-27T23:31:00.000-06:00

Monday, March 27, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Later in the afternoon around 3:30 PM, I decided to go out for a workout and went for the Causeway, even though the wind was up pretty good. The temperature was around 68 degrees with a 15 mph southeasterly wind, somewhat protected by the Causeway. The water level was medium and just starting to drop from high tide.

I was able to get off to a decent start, reaching the Apalachee River in 7:49. On the return, with a little push from the wind, I hit mile splits of 9:17, 9:44 and 9:24 over to the Tensaw River. On the return into the wind, I hit 10:21, 10:02 and finished in an overall time of 58:52.

Fly Creek and Rock Creek

2006-03-27T14:16:00.000-06:00

Monday, March 27, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Linda and I are off paddling today with our son, Bob, who is back from Kuwait on leave. The day was beautifully sunny, 64 degrees with a southerly breeze. We put in our canoe at the Fairhope Yacht Club beach and first paddled leisurely up Fly Creek. You start out passing through the marina with all of the large yachts and sailboats, some of which were being cleaned and repaired following Hurricane Katrina. Spring flowers were out in abundance including wild blue flag and many azaleas planted along the shore in resident's backyards. We made it up to the Scenic Hwy 98 bridge (about one mile) before returning to Mobile Bay and turning north along the shore.

We saw a great deal of erosion from the hurricane, some of which waterfront owners were in the process of trying to repair. All of the piers out into the bay to the covered gazebos and boathouses were damaged in some way or completely destroyed. About a half mile up the bay, we turned into Rock Creek and followed it up to the Scenic 98 bridge as well. There were a few tame mallards hanging around to greet us.

Once back to the bay, the wind picked up considerably, giving us a strenuous workout on the return. The overall trip was 4.5 miles, which took 1.5 hours to paddle. We followed up the paddle with a relaxing picnic lunch a mile down the bay in the Fairhope Municipal Park.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXIII

2006-03-26T20:25:00.000-06:00

Sunday, March 26, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The winds died down considerably today, so I headed back to the Causeway for a late afternoon paddle. The sky was cloudless, the temperature about 62 degrees with a northeasterly breeze of about 10 knots. The water level was about medium and at this time, was rising.

Following an easy day of paddling Boiling Creek yesterday, I was feeling pretty good and got off to a fast start down Pass Picada. The restaurants were crowded, with an overflow crowd on Blugill's outside deck listening to a live electric blues band. It got me pumped up and and I cruised in to the Apalachee turnaround in 8:06 and back in 6:45 on the way to mile splits of 8:33, 9:11 and 10:12. The bay was a little choppy, but manageable for the most part. The waters around the culverts and the Tensaw River turnaround were a little dicey, but I made it through both ways unscathed.

My splits on the return were 9:31, 10:36 with an overall finish time of 58:33. This was considerably faster than the paddles in the stiff winds last week and much appreciated.

Boiling Creek and Little Boiling Creek

2006-03-25T21:04:00.000-06:00

Saturday, March 25, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

A SPECIAL PLACE
by Gary Worob

Boiling Creek has always been a special place to me as well as almost everyone who has ever been there, but Saturday was even more exceptional. I purposely canceled for the first time, as far as i can remember, the camping/paddling trip with other activities when i saw the weather forecast for freezing and near freezing weather. Who wants to camp in Florida at the end of March and freeze, not this old bird.

Anyhow, Harriet led the charge, triumphantly, to carry the flag to one of the greatest paddles i ever experienced. I decided at the last minute to go and shuttled with Ian and there were eight of us who were treated to a wonderful experience. We decided to honor Brint for the extra hard work he did in clearing the trail on Little Boiling Creek and did a quick shuttle to the "lunch spot" right before Yellow River. We then carried boats across the road to the upper section and paddled up into an area that none of us ever were in before. It was like a scene from the original Tarzan movies, really deep crystal clear water with submerged logs and huge fish. We were all amazed at the serenity and beauty there and went much farther than i thought it would go, weaving in and around the many stumps and branches but awed by the depth and clarity of the water.

We had a real treat on the way downriver as we got to run the chute under the road and scream through the tunnel. Then we went on the Brint Trail and wove our way through the many narrow channels and laughed as we had to get out several times in the pristine water to drag boats around and over and through different scenes. At one point Harriet pointed out this huge snapping turtle and it was amazing to watch it make choices in directions with our boats around and then disappear. Brint had done a wonerful job of clearing and we could easily see all the hard work he put into the underwater trail and then we came to the open water, or so we thought only to be surprised at two downed pine trees that i think were beaver cuts, nothing else made sense. But Brint dispatched them with his hand saw and we were once more on our way to Boiling Creek and lunch.

The pitcher plants were in bloom and they were as beautiful and welcomed as ever. We stopped at the wooden bridge for lunch and then went downstream and were treated to a rare site. There were 5 cottonmouths sunning themselves all in a ball on a dead fall across the river. Fritz and I, with appropriate caution, got close and took pictures of the lazy group and you almost, but hardly, could feel sorry for the frozen critters, trying to warm up after a real freezing night. I won't look forward to ever seeing them again. We saw more large birds than I have ever seen on Boiling Creek and we experienced more of the area than ever before.

What could have been a disaster turned into a group effort as we had to push Brint's and Fritz's vehicles out of sand bogs. The grader guy had turned the road into a disaster while we were paddling, making it extremely hard to drive on the road to the lunch spot. I don't reccommend going there without scouting and definetely not alone. It was fun having all of us push and work together to help each other. It reminded me of why I never want to live in the snow belt again, not to ever push another stuck in the snow vehicle again without tons of friends.

So, thanks to Brint and Harriet for the absolutely wonderful day a day dedicated to the great efforts of Brint to make this club and the paddles more than wonderful.I don't recommend the Little Boiling Creek trip to anyone who is not prepared to drag and walk their boats. If you are looking for a lazy day paddle, this is not it. It took a good part of the day for this trip and was worth every minute, but not for long boats and fragile limbs.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXII

2006-03-23T20:13:00.000-06:00

Thursday, March 23, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Tonight was almost identical to last Tuesday, with not quite the wind speed blowing in from the northwest. Roland and I put in around 5:10 PM, and set off down Pass Picada with the falling tide pushing us along. We reached the Apalachee River turnaround in 7:17 and started back west. My mile splits were 10:18, 10:36 and 10:35, which were a little better, but still tough going out in the open bay. Roland followed, opting for his plastic boat due to the meaner chop.

Once I reached the Tensaw River, the water was quite confused and difficult to turn around in. After a wide loop and waiting on Roland, we started back with splits of 9:51, 9:51 and a total finish time of 1:00:28. It was much more consistent and felt alot better than the fight of two nights ago.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XXI

2006-03-21T19:35:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The first day of spring and oh what a night! It was actually a very pleasant 75 degrees and sunny, but the 20-25 knot northwest wind stirred up quite a chop. Against my better judgement, I headed for open water along the Causeway and got banged around pretty good.

The water level was high with the tide starting to drop as I pulled out at 5:00 PM from the Riverdocs launch area. I was all alone today, as no one else in their right mind would have been out on the water, all except for a lone Cormorant, who was out bobbing around trying to do a little fishing. The first leg east was fun as I surfed my way down to the Apalachee in 6:56. The return was ugly as I hunkered down and fought my way into the wind, sometimes at no better than 4.5 mph. My splits on the way west were 11:36, 12:00 and 10:50. It was particularly crazy around the Causeway culverts, as I bobbed my way along next to the highway.

The return was not much better as I recorded splits of 10:12, 9:52 and a total of 1:03:23 at 5.7 mph. I was just glad it was over and I got back in one piece.

Boatyard Lake Pine Log Creek Alabama River Little Bear Creek

2006-03-19T21:28:00.000-06:00

Sunday, March 19, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The weather this morning was not very promising, but turned out to be quite comfortable with overcast skies, no wind and 61 degrees. Ian and I met at the Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton, AL and traveled north on Hwy 59 for 13 mi. to left on CR 80 for 3.3 mi. to Boatyard Landing. There is quite a little community of fish camps congregated there next to the Fort Mims Historical site. The launch/parking fee is $4.00.

We put in just before 10:00 AM and proceeded down Boatyard Lake for 1.3 mi. to the entrance on the left to Pine Log Creek. Pine Log is a rambling creek through a picturesque thick Cypress forest. Although the water was up, it was obvious that the level gets much higher, maybe by ten feet, during flooded seasons. After following it for about a mile, it became difficult to find the channel, so during a flooded condition it would be very easy to just use a GPS and paddle wherever you wanted through the forest for another three miles.

We returned back to Boatyard Lake, continuing west to the Alabama River. We entered it on one of two big bends where there is only a slow current. We paddled downstream with the slight current for another mile until we reached the Fort Mims Cutoff. It quickly became apparent where the bulk of the waterflow comes from and goes. Once we got past the incoming water from the cutoff we picked up current and speed to just under eight mph. The current pushed us quickly around the bend and south for another mile to the entrance on the left to Little Bear Creek.

After a very short distance, we took a sharp left, paddling mostly east back to another section of the Alabama River. This section of Little Bear Creek is very reminiscent to Bayou Jessamine in channel width and plenty of tree falls across the water. We weaved our way around most of them, but did have to exit our boats once to slide over about 6" of an exposed large log. After about a mile of working our way through the beautiful maze, we came back out to a different large slow bend in the Alabama. Fortunately for us, the current was almost non-existent in this section, as we paddled upstream.

We found an inviting floating fish camp, where we stopped for lunch before continuing up the Alabama. Our plan was to paddle past the entrance to Majors Creek to an unnamed north cutoff to Boatyard Lake. However, we miscalculated the various branches and mistakenly turned into Majors Creek. After paddling for about one mile, not checking a compass and passing various clues that should have told us we were heading in the wrong direction, we finally came across a large fall and a couple of side branches that finally convinced us to look at a map.

So, we turned around and got back to the Alabama and continued north to what turned out to be a hidden entrance to the cutoff we were looking for. Right at the entrance, there were two fishermen along the shore loading some long wooden-slat traps onto their boat. We asked them if we were close to the cutoff to Boatyard and they proceeded to direct us around the Alabama about four miles around the bend. When I mentioned there was supposed to be a narrow cutoff stream somewhere around where we were, they turned around and said it must be right behind them. There was no mouth, just cutting in through a grove of trees.

After getting in and away from the Alabama by about ten meters, we found the creek we were looking for. It did not look like anyone had been in there for years. There were big fish jumping, herons, egrets and a Barred Owl all warily watching us invade their private space. We slowly worked our way north through and around many falls until we hit a bend with several falls one after another. We got out and portaged for twenty meters before continuing until reaching a dead end. It turned out someone cut in a dirt road across the stream with a culvert, which did not show up on our map. So, it was back to a portage again to get past the road. During flood season, the road would have been well below water and not even visible.

After another half mile of weaving around, over and under various blockages, we finally exited back into Boatyard Lake. As long as it took us, we may well have reached the same point faster by going four miles further around on the Alabama River, but it wouldn't have been as much fun.

All we had left was about 1.5 miles back up Boatyard to the landing. It was quite an adventure that neither of us had paddled before and well worth the effort. Our total trip was 17 miles taking about 4:45 with another 0:30 for our lunch break. This will be another great early summertime paddle once all of the flowers and other greenery start to pop out.

Pass Picada to Spanish River

2006-03-18T21:45:00.000-06:00

Saturday, March 18, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Roland and I wanted a two hour paddle workout and decided to try a course along the Causeway and up into Delvan Bay. We met at Riverdocs at 2:30 PM hoping the wind would die down a little. The wind started to pick up to about 15 knots from the north under cloudy skies, 68 degrees, a full pool with the tide just past high and starting to fall.

Roland decided to use his plastic boat and dropped behind early. I picked up the pace and decided to go for six miles out, no matter what the time was. The chop wasn't too bad until we passed the Tensaw River and turned north up into Delvan Bay. We were heading straight into the wind and a falling current, which killed our pace. On the way out, my splits were 10:03, 10:09, 10:31, 11:22, 10:55 and 11:10 for a six mile split of 1:04:13.

When I turned, I couldn't see Roland and figured he came up about five miles before turning around. On the way back, with the wind to my back, I surfed all the way back down Delvan to the Interstate bridges. My return splits were 9:02, 9:10, 9:14, 9:41, 9:53 and 10:51 for a six mile split of 57:51 and a total twelve mile time of 2:02:05. We both felt pretty good afterwards and ready for the next Mississippi race, the BluzCruz in Vicksburg, MS next month.

Byrnes Lake

2006-03-17T21:01:00.000-06:00

Friday, March 17, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today's paddle was definately a new and different experience. Earlier in the week, I received a call from out of the blue, from a writer with Men's Journal magazine, about helping him organize a day paddle and photo shoot for their upcoming July 2006 issue. My task was to outfit his crew and lead them to a location typical of the delta found in lower Alabama. I had no idea how legitimate this was going to be, if it was a hoax, or if I was going to be taken advantage of in some way.

Later in the week, I heard from his editor and was asked how they might obtain the services of a male model for the photo shoot. I had no idea about that, making sure he knew I probably did not fit the profile of a rugged 30's model for an adventure, travel and fitness mens magazine.

I lined up a couple of canoes and had my kayaks ready to go as well, when I heard from the writer this morning. I met with Guy (the writer), Aaron (the model they found), Craig (the photographer) and Cesar (the photographers assistant) at Starbucks near my house and we made a plan to do a dry run checkout of Byrnes Lake. We also met their driver, who was pulling an enclosed trailer with a new Lexus Hybrid (I think a GS450).

We stopped by our house, dropped off the car, loaded the canoes in the trailer and drove up to Byrnes Lake. The day was beautiful, with clear blue skies, 75 degrees and no wind. We put all of the boats in the water and I gave Aaron quick instructions about the forward stroke. I just hoped he would be able to stay upright in my Perception Eclipse plastic boat. He was a quick study, having been a local athlete at McGill Toolen HS and a scholarship baseball player for Carson-Newman College.

We paddled out Byrnes Lake, almost to the Tensaw River and found several promising locations for some interesting pictures. On the way back, we came across three more kayakers, two brothers and their female cousin, all in their twenties and quite photogenic. I doubled back to ask them if they might be interested in hanging out for some pictures later in the afternoon. They said they would be around and would be back to the launch area around 4:00 PM.

So, we headed back to Spanish Fort and the Beach House Grill for a mid-afternoon lunch, while waiting for the sun to drop to the right level for the photo shoot. Craig brought out his $7,000 Mamiya and proceeded to take some interesting closeups of our raw oysters, gumbo, etc., amusing the restaurant staff.

When we returned to the Byrnes Lake launch, Craig and Cesar jumped into their professional, full-tilt work mode. They loaded up all of their cameras, lenses and film and we were off for the shoot. The three locals came up as we were ready to go, and they joined us for the fun. It was quite a treat to see Craig at work, as he directed all of the models through the various photo sequences. We paddled through groups of cypress, while he used all of his various cameras, including an underwater camera half-submerged to get the effect of someone watching from water level or just below. The water cooperated as well, so he could get some great reflection shots on the glass-like black water, as we paddled back to the launch area.

When we arrived, a father and son came up in their flat bottom skiff, with a couple of 10-15 pound catfish kicking around. Guy proceeded to befriend them and Craig got some great random shots of the catfish, showing just a little more flavor of life in the bayou. By that time, the sun was just about down, so we loaded up all of the boats and headed back to my house to drop off the boats and reload the Lexus.

After good-bye's, the crew was off for a long drive to do some fishing in Apalachiacola, FL tomorrow. Then they are to circle back through middle Alabama and Mississippi for some more adventure, before returning to New York and Los Angeles. It will be very interesting to see how the roadtrip through the gulf south article and photos turn out. You might want to check out the July 2006 issue of Men's Journal, and see what life in the Mobile Delta looks like. If I am lucky and they hide me real well, I might just show up in the issue as well.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2006 II

2006-03-16T20:45:00.000-06:00

Thursday, March 16, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Tonight was alot better for paddling with the wind changing around to southerly. Roland and I put in at 4:40 PM with cloudy skies, 68 degrees, medium pool level and a falling tide. We decided to do the five mile course and Roland got away quickly. I hung with him on the first leg, which we turned in 6:41. On the way back against the current, I hit 11:09 and 10:48 splits, while Roland really took off and left me. As soon as I got to the bridge turnaround, Roland was through waiting and took off right away. I took a drink and checked my watch to see the half mile split was 4:46, before I turned and tried valiantly to make up some ground.

Roland was too good today, further increasing the gap between us. My split on the return was 10:19, with a total five mile time of 50:10. I accused Roland of sandbagging his training or that he was just better with a two week layoff.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XX

2006-03-14T21:23:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

There was a wild north wind blowing 20 knots this afternoon, playing havoc with Chacaloochee Bay and driving the water out to a very low level. There was still enough water to get away from the boat launch area at the old Riverdocs lot, but not much to spare. It was partly cloudy and a warm 74 degrees, with the water level still dropping a little further.

Somehow, I left my wing paddle at home and in its place, used a Werner carbon blade, still lightweight, but not what I was used to using every day. I tucked in along the north shore of Pass Picada to get a little wind break, reaching the Apalachee turn in 7:30. As I passed Bluegill's, I heard the sounds of an amplified guitar warming up for the happy hour crowd. I think tonight was the first night of the free first Tuesday outdoor concerts, since the Bluegill recently opened, following the Hurricane Katrina blowout.

They were definately playing into their first set as I came by again and paddled out into the unprotected lower end of the bay. The chop really slammed me directly on the side, to the extent I wished I had gone to Bay Minette Creek instead. My splits down to the Tensaw were 10:10, 10:34 and 10:54. It wasn't much better on the return, as I was only able to negotiate a 9:42, 10:17 and a total finish time of 1:01:27. It is good practice to occasionally work out in difficult wind and chop conditions. There will always be races with adverse conditions, so I look at tonight as just needed preparation. Anyway, there is always tomorrow when the wind will eventually die down.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XIX

2006-03-12T20:41:00.000-06:00

Sunday, March 12, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The wind died down completely from yesterday, leaving the bay relatively flat this morning. There was still a pretty quickly receding tide and at 7:30 AM, under sunny skies, it was already 76 degrees. I got off to a fast start, tracking right down the center of Pass Picada to take advantage of the current. I made the Apalachee River turn in 6:56 and back in 15:08, passing a leisurely paddling single kayaker.

I pushed on by with only a nod and on to the Causeway, between the bridges and to the Tensaw River. My splits were 10:13, 9:58 and 8:51. On the way back, the sun was a little higher and hotter, so I ducked in under one of the Interstate bridges for as far as I could, before cutting back out into Chacalooche Bay. A Sheriff's Deputy boat pulled slowly past me as they were still searching for the third (last) missing fisherman from last week's tragedy. My return splits were 10:39 and 9:50 with a total time of 58:26 at 6.2 mph.

(Later note: the last of the three fishermen came to the surface on the Blakeley River sometime Sunday, so all have been recovered. I am not sure if they are going to try and locate the boat or not).

Whiskey Ditch - Full Moon

2006-03-11T21:48:00.000-06:00

Saturday, March 11, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The wind was strong all day today, but fortunately began to slow by late afternoon. At 5:00 PM, eight paddlers, seven with solo kayaks plus Gary in his canoe, showed up to test the waters. On the plus side, the water level was high with the tide still rising, so the effects of the southeasterly breeze were minimized. The temperature was a very comfortable 72 degrees, absolutely perfect.

We took off at a leisurely pace eastward down Pass Picada, past the already full restaurants, to the Apalachee River. The wind easily pushed us upriver to the entrance to Whiskey Ditch. Once we made the turn, the narrow waterway calmed down to still, flat water. We were still a little early to see any spring flowers, but found the delta and it's grasses, plants and trees in pretty good shape, making a quick recovery from Katrina. With the water level up and over the defined banks of the waterway, the ditch looked quite different, but easy to paddle.

We made our way back to the little lake, where George promptly exited his kayak and proceeded to climb a cedar tree, guarding it's entrance. We hung out for awhile, watching the moon pop in and out from behind the mostly cloudy sky, before heading back. The wind had calmed even more once we came out into the Apalachee again, making it easier to get back to the Pass. It is always fun to finish up a paddle in darkness, passing by the bright lights and bustle of outdoor restaurants. The total trip was 5 miles and took us about two hours.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XVIII

2006-03-11T14:21:00.000-06:00

Saturday, March 11, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I drug out of bed a little later than I wanted to and did not get to the water until 7:15 AM. The southeast wind was picking up and now between 10-15 knots, while the temperature 74 degrees and rising. The tide was almost at low and still falling, but the water level was up about normal pool, due to the continued south winds and the overnight rain.

The combination of tide and wind meant a little worse chop than normal, as I turned east down Pass Picada. No one was around as I fought my way down to the Apalachee in 7:21. The return was slower going, as I passed the parking lot at 15:30, with westward mile splits of 10:26, 10:07 and 9:11. After crossing under the Interstate bridge, I noticed the large dumpster sitting in the boat launch parking lot along the Causeway. This morning, volunteers were gathering to start with today's Derelict Crab Trap Recovery Program.

On the way back, I had a hard slog at the start, getting away from the Tensaw River, with splits of 10:42, 9:51 and a total finish time of 59:46. It was slower than on calm water, but under the circumstances, I was happy with a sub one hour paddle.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-03-09T21:54:00.000-06:00

Thursday, March 9, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Tonight was a warm 74 degrees with high south winds of 20-25 knots and the threat of thunderstorms. As I crossed the bay, the water level was high with large white caps breaking over the wall along the Causeway. It did not look like much fun out there, so I headed north to my usual comfort zone out of the wind, at the Bromley Bridge over Bay Minette Creek. It was well protected with high water and still rising.

It was a little strange to head downstream into the wind and rising tide. As I rounded one tight turn near the start, the wind even pushed me over behind a downed tree, so I had to back up to get around it. That obviously slowed me down, as my splits downstream were only 10:19, 10:13 and 10:22. I also scared up about six egrets, who were hiding out in a tree on a protected turn.

On the return, with the wind mostly to my back and with the rising tide, I hit 9:01, 9:25 and 9:44 for a total time of 59:06, not my fastest, but good considering the rougher than normal conditions.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XVII

2006-03-07T21:42:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, March 7, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Tonight was great weather once again for a fast paddle. At 5:15 PM, under partly cloudy skies and 68 degrees, there was a slight south breeze with a full pool and still rising tide. There were plenty of helicopters and rescue boats all around the area, looking for the three missing fishermen. They didn't bother me, but were certainly visible. So, the atmosphere was electric, which got me stoked for a fast paddle.

I made the Apalachee turn in 8:08 and back in 6:50. There was no chop and with high water I was able concentrate on form and not worry about getting into shallow mud flats. My mile splits heading west were 8:48, 9:11 and 9:56. On the return, I hit 9:20, 9:41 and finished in a total of 57:22 at 6.3 mph.

Little Bear Creek from Hubbard's Landing

2006-03-05T20:42:00.000-06:00

Saturday, March 4, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today was just another spring day in paradise with sunny skies, only a slight breeze and temperatures rising from 45 degrees in the early morning to 70 degrees in the afternoon. Carl, Jimmy and I met at the Stagecoach Cafe in Stockton, a few miles north of I-65 exit 31 on Hwy 225. Once assemblied, we went up Hwy 59 a few miles and turned left on the county road to Hubbard's Landing.

Once we pulled in around the store, it was evident the Tensaw Lake water level was up to a partial flood level. The road down to the summer cabins, which were all on stilts, was well under water as was the boat launch area. We parked and talked with the proprietor for awhile about conditions in the delta and left without having to pay the typical $5.00 launch fee. We loaded up our boats and took off upriver, heading for the top end of Tensaw Lake.

There was a noticeable current, so I kept off to the side, dipping in and out of the treeline where there was room to check out the flooded timber. We passed the normal left turn into Big Beaver Creek and continued north to Farris Creek. It was apparent no one had been there in quite some time. We proceeded around the various treefalls, at least not having to pull out our saws. After about a half mile of picking our way around, trying to guess where the creekbed was, Jimmy noticed a small gator sitting up on a log, watching us go by. I turned around and pulled in close by for a few photos, while he held his pose and never blinked.

Little Gator Buddy

We finally either ran out of creek or lost it somehow and decided to turn around. I dragged out three decoys and a nice water cooler and carried them along on the back deck of my boat.

We paddled south on Tensaw and turned right on Big Beaver Creek. We passed up the entrance to Globe Creek, continuing to paddle around the several s-turns until reaching the mouth of Bear Creek. It was around 1:00 PM, and with high water everywhere, we decided to eat lunch at the Canal Island floating platform. To get there we continued west on Big Beaver and eased to the south down Little Lake, taking the first right into the Canal Island loop. We had paddled 7.5 miles so far and Carl decided he had enough for the day and stayed on the platform to read and enjoy the sunny afternoon. It was so beautiful out, I wanted to explore some areas I had only seen on the map before. Jimmy headed back to Hubbard's Landing, so we parted ways at Bear Creek.

Since I was by myself, I decided to turn the afternoon into a fast workout, while exploring new territory. Bear Creek heads straight north, so I pushed it hard against the current to a couple of tight turns. There were some huge cypress trees along the way, some bursting with bright green new growth. After passing the turns and the turnoff to Little Bear Creek, the creek petered out into the woods. With high water, I lost the creekbed, so turned around and turned up Little Bear Creek. The current was swifter, so I had to push even harder just to make headway.

The map I brought only covered the first mile up Little Bear Creek, so I was unsure what to expect as I pushed forward. The narrow creek, with a tall full canopy, was nicely shaded and quite beautiful. After about a mile, I came to a clearing and crossed the clearcut east-west pipeline. Another quarter mile farther, I ground across what I thought was a log, but after closer inspection, found it was a concrete curb of a bridge across the creek. The bridge and dirt road to either side was flooded and not visible. Rather than grinding over the next curb, I paddled off the bridge to the road and skirted around the bridge and on my way further north.

After paddling against another mile of increasingly faster current, I came to another clearing and the clearcut for the powerlines. I only went about another quarter mile further north before turning around. Later, after checking the maps, I learned I was only a half mile from the Alabama River and the reason for the fast current. After turning, I really turned it on, while taking wide turns in the current and tracking my speed. I was able to hit 9+ mph coming back down. I slowed and carefully traversed around the bridge this time and continued back to the floating platform behind Canal Island. By the time I returned, I had paddled 18.35 miles for the day.

Carl was still there, had set up his tent and was still relaxing. I was fairly well tired out and took a short nap before the sun started to set and the mosquitoes came out for an early evening appearance. After dinner, it was early to bed and some sleep. But, there were about four barred owls surrounding us that decided to call all night long, making it difficult to sleep for any long periods.

In the morning, we broke camp and made the easy 5.25 mile paddle back to Hubbard's Landing, most of which was downstream. When we arrived, it was interesting to see the water had already receded about two feet from yesterday. This will be great place to visit again in the other seasons, with lush forests and plenty of waterfowl and other wildlife.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XVI

2006-03-03T07:34:00.000-06:00

Thursday, March 2, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Great weather, conditions and competition allowed for another PR! Roland and I met at 5:00 PM under mostly clear skies, 69 degrees with a southerly breeze, full pool and slightly falling tide. Roland got right with it from the start and took off ahead of me. I tried to maintain contact as we reached the Apalachee turn in 7:04 and back in 7:45.

On the way we passed a Sheriff's boat and saw several helicopters circling around the area. They were in their second day of searching for three missing fishermen and their boat. On the way back west, Roland took off ahead again, and this time continued to lengthen the gap. The higher water made it easier avoiding the muddy shallows areas and keep our pace up. The mile splits were 9:53, 9:50 and 8:54.

Since Roland was ahead, he wasn't quite sure where the turnaround was and went about 100 M too far. So, when I arrived, I turned, took a quick drink, and this time, I took off a little ahead. On the way back, I hit splits of 10:19, 9:30 and while watching for Roland and maintaining the same lead, finished in 57:29 at 6.3 mph, for a new course PR.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XV

2006-02-28T21:00:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, February 28, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today was perfect weather for Mardi Gras and paddling. Due to working later than I wanted, I made it to Riverdocs to put-in at 5:20 PM, with the sun dropping fast over downtown. It was still 62 degrees, clear with a south breeze, medium water level and slowly rising tide. I started out fast, anticipating a sunset coming soon. The restaurants were crowded with Mardi Gras revelers, as I paddled on down to the Apalachee. I made the turn in 7:50 and back in 7:00 with little chop to worry about.

There wasn't any turbulence by the culverts, so I made good time all the way through the bridges to the Tensaw, just as the sun was going down. My splits were 9:04, 9:53 and 9:07. I didn't want to hang around long, so I quickly turned and started back, with splits of 10:20, 9:44 and a total time of 58:03 for a 6.2 mph average speed. After the rough time on Saturday, I was glad to get back on some faster water again and hit a good finish time.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-02-26T14:54:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 26, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today is absolutely beautiful, clear and sunny after the thunderstorms cleared out last night. The temperature dropped to about 45 degrees at 9:00 AM. The wind was still up to about 10-15 knots with low tides, so I headed for my safe spot on Bay Minette Creek. The water level was down some, but running fast from yesterday's runoff.

I jumped right in and set my Forerunner for my virtual partner "Roland" and took off downstream. There was not much activity in the upper sections, except for a couple of GBH's, who led my way. The wind was not much of a factor, as I hit splits of 8:54, 9:09 and 9:01 to the turnaround. As I came around the bend, there were three fishing boats working the shoreline in a fairly confined area.

I turned and started back, to find the wind in my face and trying to stay out of the newly found current. I chased the same GBH for about a mile on the way back up as well. My times slacked off considerably, with splits of 10:03, 10:08 and 11:14 for a total run of 58:36. I do love that flat water.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XIV

2006-02-25T18:32:00.000-06:00

Saturday, February 25, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I got off to a late start this morning at 10:15 AM with thunderstorms threatening in the west. The tide was rising, with low water, south winds of about 10 knots and 65 degrees, when I started. There was nobody crazy enough to be out, except a fishing cormorant and a large flock of coot sitting on the water. I tried to stay along the south side of Pass Picada and out of the wind, but it didn't help much, as I reached the Apalachee in 8:01, but back past the parking lot in 6:45.

I continued out into Chacaloochee Bay in rougher water and very confused churning water along the Causeway in front of the culverts. It was tough to stay out of the shallows on the way to the bridges, which I was grateful to reach. I not only was able to increase speed a little, but try and stay out of the rain starting to fall. My mile splits on the way west were 8:32, 9:07 and 10:23.

On the way down between the bridges, there were a couple of bass boats hiding out from the rain, under the bridges, watching as I sprinted by. On the way back, I was motivated to beat the heavier rain, which I could see was coming quickly. My splits were 9:24 and a horrible 12:26 as I was heading into the quickening wind, rising tide and heavier white-capped chop. I finally hit the finish in 1:00:53 and quickly put my boat on the SUV before the wind kicked up another notch and the skies really opened up.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XIII

2006-02-23T18:29:00.000-06:00

Thursday, February 23, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

If you like the weather one day, just wait a day for the wind to change directions 180 degrees, for a big change. Roland and I put in at 4:45 PM under pretty iffy conditions with 15 knot north winds coming in against a rising tide. The temperature was a warm 65 degrees under cloudy skies, but the water level was low, giving us little room for error through the mud flats along the Causeway.

We started off trying to find a place out of the wind along the north side of Pass Picada and found our way to the Apalachee River in 7:53 and back past the parking lot in under 15:00. Roland was staying ahead, while I was trying to not lose him. But, once we got out into the open bay, where the wind really knocked us around, I was able to catch up and move on ahead. The water out in front of the culverts was boiling around, making it a little tricky to manuever. The chop go even worse, until we reached the bridges. Roland decided to turn at the turnaround for five miles, while I paddled on between the bridges to the Tensaw River. My mile splits heading west were 9:02, 9:42 and 10:00. On the return, I hit 9:50 and 10:33, for a total paddle time of 59:11. Considering the windy circumstances, it was not too bad.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XII

2006-02-22T18:26:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

For the open bay along the Causeway, tonight I had almost ideal conditions with 10 mph south winds, 60 degrees, cloudy, medium water level and a rising tide. I didn't really know how good the conditions were until I was well into the paddle. It started off normally with a relatively slow 8:05 time to the Apalachee, against the current. On the return, I hit some pretty good splits of 8:43, 9:33 and 9:30 to the Tensaw turnaround. There was no turbulence around the culverts and no boat traffic between the Interstate bridges.

On the way back, I was able to maintain a 9:50, 9:54 and come in with a new course PR of 57:51, without the help of Roland out front pulling me along. Who knows, maybe I do better on my own without the pressure of trying to hang on.

Red Maple Slough

2006-02-19T17:59:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 19, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The shortest and most direct route to Red Maple Slough is to start on the north side of the Causeway at the old Riverdocs launch located 100 meters west of Ed's Seafood Shed. On this blustery afternoon, we had four singles and two tandems launch at around 1:30 PM into a northerly 10 knot wind with a rising tide. With the north wind blowing for the last couple of days, Chacaloochee Bay was lower than normal. We had to skirt around to the west to try and avoid shallow water before entering Conway Creek about one mile north.

There were large flocks of seagulls, great egrets and a few cormorants standing around on the open mud flats along the way. After a short distance on Conway, we took the first right fork into Big Bateau Bay and continued north. We had to stay way out in to middle to again avoid the shallows. Once we reached the north shore and after paddling by an old runabout hull blown up in the woods from a recent hurricane, we entered a narrow channel up in the northeast corner.

The main channel turns west and connects back to Conway Creek, but only a short distance in, we took the first right fork and paddled into Red Maple Slough. It snakes around many sharp turns and eventually ends up in the woods, normally with an abundance of Red Maples. We were shocked to see the storm surge devastation Katrina layed on the area and in particular, the Red Maples. There were dozens of trees blown over, with debris still clinging high in the branches. So, we ended up disappointed to find few standing trees and fewer yet fully budded out.

On the way back out, we stopped along the channel, near where the boat had settled in the woods, to get out, stretch our legs and investigate. The boat turned out to be an abandoned relic that no one would have missed and with nothing of value. So, we jumped back in our boats and upon reaching the mouth, made the turn right on the connector to Conway Creek.

Conway had plenty of water, so it was more pleasant paddling back on it rather than returning down Big Bateau Bay. We passed up the entrance to Savage's Ditch, deciding to wait until later in the spring to venture in it, once the flowers start to bloom and the gators come out to sun. Once back into Chacaloochee Bay, the group again skirted around to the west. With a few more hours of rising tide, it was much easier to paddle back to the launch area.

The total distance traveled was 8.7 miles, which took us 2:35 of paddling time.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 XI

2006-02-19T11:46:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 19, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was another chilly, breezy morning, but I wanted to check out the bay, so I went for it anyway. The north wind over the last couple of days kept the water level down pretty low, but there was enough to get away from the Riverdocs launch area. At 8:45 AM, it was only 39 degrees with about a 10 knot northerly wind and a rising tide.

There were no boats, fishermen or even any shore birds out to greet me this morning, so I just crouched forward and got into the workout. On the way east on Pass Picada, I was only able to make 8:16 and back in 7:00. The lower bay chop was considerably worse than yesterday and slowed me down. My splits on the way west were 9:15, 9:50 and 10:42. On the return, I hit 9:25, 11:27 and finished in a tough 1:01:24. What a difference a day makes!

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 X

2006-02-18T20:18:00.000-06:00

Saturday, February 18, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning started out real iffy, so I decided to wait awhile and head out at 8:30 AM. The weather was very overcast, 59 degrees with a 10 knot northwesterly wind and a rising tide. I was surprised with my first leg time of 7:29 into the rising tide and moreso with a 14:33 past the start. The wind was not kicking up much chop, so I was able to keep up a good rhythm through the open bay, on to the bridges to the Tensaw turnaround. My splits out were 9:15, 9:33 and 9:47.

On the way back, I was able to hang on with 9:40, 10:17 and a total finish of 58:13 at 6.2 mph.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 IX

2006-02-16T20:29:00.000-06:00

Thursday, February 16, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

After a quick few days in the sunny paradise of Scottsdale, AZ, I was glad to get back where there is plenty of water. It was nice enough for a visit, but going on for 120 days without rain and still counting, with no paddling available, I was ready to come home.

Roland and I put in at old Riverdocs at 4:40 PM, with a 10 mph southeasterly breeze, clear skies and 70 degrees. We were just after neap tides, so there was little movement as Roland took off like a shot down Pass Picada. We hit the Apalachee turn in 8:31 against the slightly rising tide and returned by the parking lot in 6:44, with mile splits of 8:45, 9:19 and 9:03.

On the return, Roland took off ahead of me again, and I just tried to hang on. My splits on the return were 10:41, 10:02 with a total six mile time of 58:30 at 6.2 mph. Roland lamented about how he had not trained much since the Wakulla race, but I would never have believed him as he came in a full minute faster.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-02-12T15:26:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 12, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

We had a great family reunion at Felix's last night for Mom's 80th birthday. This morning was still chilly, so we waited a little while and this time I took Barb out for a nice morning paddle on the upper end of Bay Minette Creek. We arrived and put in at 10:30 AM, with calm winds, 45 degrees and clear skies. Again, Barb explored the upper end while I paddled down and back on my regular six mile course.

With a little warmer temperature, I seemed to move a little better around the upper tight turns. My downstream splits were 9:29, 9:22 and 9:17. On the return I paddled 9:32, 9:47 and 10:15 for a better total of 57:44, still at 6.2 mph. It was really great to be able to let Barb and Ken experience a little different kind of paddling environment than the Pacific NW they are accustomed to.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-02-11T14:46:00.000-06:00

Saturday, February 11, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was even chillier and breezier this morning, so Ken and I headed for Bay Minette Creek to try and find some shelter from the wind. At 8:10 AM, it was still only 40 degrees, but at least the water was up and protected. Ken explored the upper end, while I hit it hard on my regular course. There was not much happening out on the water, as all sane life was tucked away out of the wind and cold, leaving me out by my lonesome.

On the way downstream, I tried to get warmed up and loose, but my fingers still numbed-out on me. My splits were a consistent 9:17, 9:22 and 9:14, while on the return I hit 9:54, 9:56 and 10:12 for a good total of 57:58 at 6.2 mph. Ken enjoyed the different scenery and kept warm, including gloves, which I should have worn.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 VIII

2006-02-10T13:36:00.000-06:00

Friday, February 10, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning was cold and windy, but I went to the bay anyway to see how well I could do in the chop. At 7:30 AM, it was 45 degrees with a 15 mph northwesterly wind kicking up a 1-2 foot chop with a slightly falling tide.

No one was out, not even the shore birds, except for the morning commute traffic along the Causeway. My first split down to the Apalachee was 7:21, and on the return, my miles were 10:10, 10:11 and 8:43. The return was tough with splits of 11:38, 10:00 and a total finish of 1:00:11.

Jug Lake

2006-02-09T18:11:00.000-06:00

Thursday, February 9, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today was the big trip for my mother's birthday celebration. Barb, Ken, Mom and I set out for the same area we took Mom to last year at this time, when we paddle to the Indian Mounds. This year we settled on a paddle from the Rice Creek Landing over to the covered floating platform on Jug Lake, around the back side of Fisher Island.

We travelled up Hwy 225 to Stockton and to Rice Creek, where we found the water level up to a nice full level. At 10:30 AM, the temperature started out at about 50 degrees under clear and sunny skies. My Mom and I paddled our canoe, while Ken was in the Seda and Barb in the Perception. Everyone got used to their boats quickly and we started off down Rice Creek to Briar Lake.

We took the cut-through, against a current, over to Tensaw Lake and turned left downstream, along Larry Island. At the bottom of Larry Island, we cut across the muddy and swifter Tensaw River, to the entrance of Bayou Jessamine. Along the way, we came across Turkey Vultures floating overhead and Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets either walking the shoreline or standing up on high tree branches.

Bayou Jessamine had a slight current coming out from Bottle Creek, but the water was high on the bank and relatively easy to negotiate around the several treefalls across it. We made our way up to Jug Lake and paddled easily around Fisher Island to the platform. We enjoyed lunch there in the sunshine before starting our trip back over the same course. Two Great Egrets led us back up Rice Creek past the magnificent Cypress trees and back to the launch.

One thing we noticed were the red maple trees bursting out with color. I will make sure we schedule a paddle next weekend out in the lower delta and up Red Maple Slough, which should be real showy by then. Our trip ended up covering 7.5 miles, which we did in an easy 3 hours of paddling time.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 VII

2006-02-07T20:57:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, February 7, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This afternoon was a warm 60 degrees, but blustery with a 10-15 knot north wind kicking up the Chacaloochee Bay. I decided at the last minute to try my Causeway course even with the wind, to get in a little rough water workout. The water level was fairly low due to the north wind, even though the tide was rising and almost at high tide. For the first time in about forever, I even put on a sprayskirt, to keep out the waves that were lapping over the bow.

My first leg was a slow 9:18 down to the Apalachee and on the return heading west, my mile splits were 8:24, 9:25 and 11:35. On the way back, my splits were 8:48, 11:19 and a six mile finish time of 1:01:21 at 5.9 mph. What a difference the wind and chop makes in time and performance.

Fish River

2006-02-05T17:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 5, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This afternoon was a sunny 55 degree gorgeous day for a paddle on the lower section of Fish River. A large group of club paddlers met at the parking lot and launch area on the west side of the Hwy 98 bridge over the mouth of the Fish River into Weeks Bay. We started out with two canoes and several kayaks and were joined later by another four kayaks.

We started out heading north on the river and were immediately greeted by many Cormorants and Pelicans and even a Loon out fishing while several Great Blue Herons walked the shoreline. There were also Osprey and Vultures circling around overhead.

After passing two small islands with dozens of Cormorants sitting in the trees, we turned up Waterhole Branch on the west or north side, following it up as far as we could go. On the return, we also explored Turkey Branch, also on the west side. This was where the second group of kayakers caught up with us and we all headed back out and down the Fish back to Weeks Bay.

This was a nice lazy paddle of about eight miles, just right for getting everyone ready to go back and watch the Super Bowl festivities.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 VI

2006-02-05T16:18:00.000-06:00

Sunday, February 5, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Super Bowl Sunday started out pretty cool down on the bay. At 7:30 AM, it was only 40 degrees and sunny with a 15 knot northerly breeze. It was just past low tide and with the north wind blowing the water out of the bay, the water level was very low. It was not the lowest I have seen, so I was still able to get out and away from Riverdocs launch area.

I am not sure what I was thinking about, since I left both my watch and Forerunner at home. So, I was off on my usual six mile course, just guessing on times. I passed the Bluegill Restaurant, which is putting on the finishing touches and should be ready to open next weekend. There was not much else going on, as I fought my way through a pretty good chop the whole course. Without a watch to keep me motivated, I know I was paddling at only about 80% effort, which was still a pretty good workout, but not at maximum. I even wore gloves, but was glad to have them as the wind still kept my hands frozen most of the way. I would guess my overall time was in the 1:04 range.

Little Boiling Creek

2006-02-04T22:16:00.000-06:00

Saturday, February 4, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The plan was to meet the group at the Yellow River Bridge at 10:15 AM. I got off to a late start and crossed the bridge at 10:18 and saw a few parked cars, but the group had already left. I drove on ahead to the head of Little Boiling Creek, but no one was there. So, I turned around and went to the normal put-in on Boiling Creek at the wooden bridge. I found four vehicles there, but the group had already left. It was apparent, with the location of vehicles, the group had changed plans and headed downstream to take the normal Boiling Creek/Yellow River route to the take-out at the Hwy 98 bridge.

I was interested in seeing just how far I could get heading upstream on Little Boiling Creek, so I took off solo, at 10:45 AM on a beautifully sunny 60 degree morning. The water level was a little higher than last month due to the recent rainstorms. Along the way south, there were plenty of colorful signs of spring popping out as well as many turtles basking in the sun. I followed a Great Blue Heron to several roosts upstream, until he finally had enough of my interruptions, so he flew back towards me, almost overhead, and unloaded a large bomb, which fortunately landed only about ten feet away.

I reached the Boiling/Little Boiling split at 1.37 miles and continued up Little Boiling Creek. Around one turn, I startled a large gator, out sunning on the bank, who came crashing into the water just ahead. I made it about another half mile, before I started to come up against some blockages across the creek. The water was so warm and comfortable, I just got out of my kayak, took my hand saw and went to work. It was pretty slow going as I worked my way upstream, walking and pulling my kayak upstream, as I cut my way ahead.

I got to one point, where it was not apparent where the channel went, as it spread out, flowing down through a stand of trees. I walked ahead, leaving my kayak for a little while, to find the best route back to the channel. I cut a narrow passage through, which took about an hour to get maybe 20 meters. At this point, I had no idea I was near a jeep path, but all of a sudden, I saw Gary's van coming down along the bank. I yelled out to him and he stopped to decide where he would park and put in. There was a landing back about an quarter mile, which he drove to and paddled back up through my newly created water path.

Once Gary caught up to where I was still sawing my way along, most of the rest of the stream was fairly clear. There were a few blockages I stopped to clear, while Gary went on ahead. I finally caught up to him and found him standing in the creek, next to his canoe, with a sheepish grin on his face. Somehow, he hit a current, which flipped him over, for the first time in 30 years (he says). Gary didn't have any dry clothes, so he decided to get out and walk back to his van.

I continued up to where the road crosses over and the creek comes shooting through a large round culvert into a big pool. I tried to paddle up into the culvert a couple of times, but didn't get far. So, I decided to get out and portaged my kayak up across the road to the other side. By that time it was about 3:15 PM and I had only travelled 2.86 miles. Rather than go exploring further upstream, I jumped into my kayak and shot down through the culvert and spit out into the pool below. It was a pretty wild whitewater ride with nowhere to go but straight ahead.

I wasn't sure what Gary was going to do, so I figured I better get started back downstream, as it was going to be close to dark before I got back. But, after paddling for only about a quarter mile, I saw Gary coming out again. He stopped and offered to take me back to the bridge. I was very grateful, as I was pretty exhausted from spending the day sawing and blazing the way. We made a plan to come back soon and this time do the downstream trip we had intended for today. It should be a breeze, now that I got the stream cleaned out the whole way.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 VI

2006-02-03T09:58:00.000-06:00

Thursday, February 2, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning started out pretty rough with a strong storm raging through with 50 mph winds and a couple inches of rain. By the afternoon, the skies cleared with 72 degrees and a light southeasterly 10 mph breeze. It is the day after neap tides, so there is little movement and at 4:30 PM the water level is high and inviting for a nice afternoon workout paddle.

The water on Pass Picada was pretty flat, so I got off to quick start, getting down to the Apalachee in 7:22. On the return, I had mile splits of 9:59, 9:48 past the Causeway and 9:04 between the bridges to the Tensaw River. While turning around, I was in perfect position to see the sun set right down on top of the USS Alabama.

On the return, the splits were 10:25, 9:25 and a finish time of 58:04 at 6.2 mph. The conditions were just right and I was psyched for a fast paddle, so put it all together and I set a new PR for the course!

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-01-31T23:50:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today was a glorious day to close out a very productive month on the water. While coming home across the bayway, the USS Alabama flags were still as well as Mobile Bay. The water level was pretty low, so rather than come back and fight the shallow water, I decided to try Bay Minette Creek. At 4:30 PM, it was still 68 degrees and the water was like glass. The tide was slowly rising, so at the upper end of the creek, there was very little movement.

I felt pretty good following a rest day after the Wakulla race. So, with the warm sun shining and my spirits lifted high, I took off downriver through the s-turns at a strong pace. The water was so calm and undisturbed, there was still the same dust-like scum on the surface that had probably been accumulating since the night before. My mile splits on the way down were 9:46, 9:35 and 9:23.

I did not see anyone out, either on shore or in their boat, so I had the whole river to myself. It felt great to paddle truly solo, concentrating solely on technique, breathing and mental focus. My splits on the return were 9:22, 8:58 and 9:45 for a six-mile total of 56:52 at 6.3 mph. This was close to my course PR, which has me phsyched for the spring racing season.

Wakulla River Race, St Marks, FL

2006-01-30T15:10:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 29, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I just cannot stay away from a good race and the FCPA stages well run races with very tough competition. So, after last week's misunderstanding long forgotten, I loaded up the SUV and took off Saturday afternoon for the Wakulla. I rolled into St Marks around 7:30 PM and parked by the main intersection, walked across the street for some seafood and beer.

After I got my fill and traded stories with a couple of locals, I went a mile further to the San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, parked under a palm tree and stretched out in the back of the 4Runner. When it was light enough in the morning, I noticed a couple of other vehicles with boats on top had come in during the night as well.

The morning weather was not nearly as nice as last week. The temperature was fine at 63 degrees, but there was a strong southerly wind blowing in some sporadic rain, while the tide was just past bottoming out and starting to rise again. After some last minute instructions, about 25 boats, half racing canoes and half kayaks tried to avoid the low muddy shoreline and lined up for the start.

After we made the right turn from the St Marks to Wakulla River, I made a tactical error. There were alot of boats all starting out at pretty much the same pace, so I got boxed in a little close to the west shoreline where the water was shallow and which slowed me down. It took me probably a half mile before I could get away from it and into deeper water where I could keep up and try to catch up with some of the frontrunners. At the Hwy 98 bridge at the 3-mile mark, I caught up and passed one canoe and was hot on the tail of a kayaker. There were only about two others within sight while maybe five more were further ahead.

We worked hard trying to find the best combination of deeper water, but into more current versus shallow shoreline water with less current. The canoes tended to opt for the shallows while the kayaks stayed out in the deeper water. It wasn't until I got almost to the second bridge turnaround that I could see who was in front and by how much. The two clear frontrunners had a big lead on the next group, who were not too far in front of me and the two others in my group.

My splits on the way upriver were10:02, 10:38, 10:54, 11:29, 10:54, 11:41 and 10:25 including some on the return. About four boats had just made the turn when I was about 50 meters away, so I had a glimmer of hope I might keep them in sight once I made the turn. On the way downriver, I was able to make up a little distance and caught up with the two near me and we stayed right together for the rest of the race. When we got back into the wider, but shallower water, we were paddling straight into a stiff headwind. The canoe headed for the inside turns which were shallower, while I went wider, looking for deeper water with a little more downriver current. In the end, it did not make much difference as the three of us were still very close together.

In the last mile, we caught up to another kayak and canoe and the three of us blew right on by, as all five paddlers made the final turn and sprint to the finish line. I was lucky to have a little more left in the tank and finished in front of the group. What was more gratifying was mine was the only touring boat paddling against much faster and lighter hulls. My splits on the return were 8:32, 9:08, 9:36, 10:43, 11:10 and the last 0.83 miles in 9:21 for a total race time of 2:14:40 at5.7 mph over the 12.83 mile course. With the better conditions last week, I finished six minutes faster, but you just have to deal with what you have at racetime.

So, I was very happy with how the race turned out and my finish among all of the racing hulls. I will post the complete results here as soon as I get them. We were lucky to finish when we did, as the rain started up again right after we loaded up and took off.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 V

2006-01-26T23:36:00.000-06:00

Thursday, January 26, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Tonight was even better, with the wind slightly reduced, the tide not as strong and my cold congestion not affecting me as much. I put in a little earlier at 4:15 PM, with a temperature of 60 degrees, low water level, but rising and a 5-10 knot northwesterly breeze. I was feeling pretty good and got off to a good start into the current heading down Pass Picada, reaching the Apalachee turn in 8:33 and back in 6:30, and heading on to the Causeway at 7.2 mph. The water was really roiling around in front of the culverts, so I carefully passed by the Causeway and continued aggressively out into the lower Chacaloochee Bay.

For my three splits heading from east to west, I went 8:21, 9:01 and 11:01, most of the last mile between the Interstate bridges and into the rising current. I stopped briefly at the Tensaw River for a drink, noticing the sunset barely visible at the horizon, below mostly cloudy skies. On the return, I cranked out splits of 8:50, 11:03 and finishing in a total of 59:20 at 6.1 mph.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 IV

2006-01-24T20:09:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was good to get back on the familiar course again, although it turned out to be somewhat windy. At least the temperature was 64 degrees, under sunny skies at 4:30 PM, with a strong northwesterly breeze kicking up a little chop. The water level was fairly high and still rising, as I started off down Pass Picada. I tucked in along the north shoreline, where the water was a little calmer, but I was still heading into the current.

The turn at the Apalachee was in 9:00, and back in 6:30 as I headed out into the open waters of Chacaloochee Bay. The water along the Causeway by the culverts was very choppy and confused. Once back in normal bay waters, the chop was regular again, but quartering and not easy to gain much speed in, until I got to the Interstate bridges and out of the wind again. My mile splits from the Apalachee to the Tensaw were 8:29, 9:30 and 11:15, as I got back into the rising tide again from the Tensaw side of the culverts.

The sun was just setting behind the battleship, as I stopped for a drink at the Tensaw turn. On the way back, I was able to take advantage of the current for the first mile, clocking 8:50, before hitting a 10:54 wall, back on the east side of the culvert and finished at 5.3 mph at the end, to come in with a total time of 1:00:28, at 5.9 mph over the 6 mile course. It was not great, but the wind and trying to get rid of a nagging cold were my excuses for the slower time.

Wakulla River, St Marks, FL

2006-01-23T16:35:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 22, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Roland and I arrived bright and early at the San Marco Park, unfortunately for us, one week too early. As it turned out, by not being members of the FCPA, we were not on the current email distribution, to know the race director moved the race date to January 29. So, it was up to us to make the best out of a deflated situation.

The weather was beautiful, with partly cloudy skies, no wind at 8:30 AM, with a slightly falling tide. We knew where the start line was and decided to stage our own two-man event on the official course.

Roland started out strong, so I jumped in behind him over the first couple of miles, following the same route we took in yesterday's warmup. At this point, I pulled ahead and stayed there the rest of the way upriver. We passed the Hwy 98 bridge at about 3 miles, where there was a canoe rental business, and continued to pass many wooded areas, full of summer houses lining the shores. The river started to narrow here and continued to narrow significantly over the next 3.3 miles, to the Highway 365 bridge and turnaround.

We saw many anhinga, cormorant, great blue heron and white egret fishing along the way. There were several small islands in the center of the river where we had to decide which way was best to paddle. It was hard to tell at times where the best course was, and it would have been helpful to follow an experienced racer, to make sure we were on the most efficient course.

My mile splits on the first half of the course were: 10:18, 10:34, 10:31, 10:45, 10:56, 11:21 and 10:25 which incorporated the turn and some back downriver. At the turnaround, the water was very shallow and difficult to find any narrow channel to even get to the bridge.

On the return, we had splits of 8:53, 9:08, 9:24, 9:47, 10:11 and a partial 6:41 over the last 0.69 miles to the finish line. Unfortunately, during the last two miles, we ran into a pretty good headwind, which slowed us down at the end, so our total course time came in at 2:08:59, at 5.9 mph over the 12.69 mile course.

So, now after experiencing the Wakulla race course without a race, it will be up to me to come up with an appealing argument, to convince Linda I need to come back next weekend for the real deal. Time will tell how convincing I am.

Wakulla River, St Marks, FL

2006-01-23T15:56:00.000-06:00

Saturday, January 21, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Linda and I drove over to the Wakulla Springs State Park today for a relaxing weekend and a little racing. Once on I-10, go to exit 196 in Tallahassee and go south on Hwy 263 for about 10 miles, turn left on Hwy 61 and left on Hwy 267 to the entrance of the park. The lodge is an old mansion overlooking the magnificent springs and is fantastic. They have great old-style rooms and excellent food in their dining room. We took the one hour safari boat ride around the springs and were amazed at the abundance and variety of birds, gators, turtles and snakes. It was like a zoo where the animals all posed for photos as our boat paused right next to them.

Later in the afternoon, Roland and I set off for St Marks and the San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park, which dates back to 1528 when found by Spanish explorers. Once we found it, we put in and set off on a little warmup exploratory paddle to get ready for the race the next morning. We turned up the Wakulla River, past the yacht club and towards the Hwy 98 bridge. We turned around after paddling two miles and returned in a total time of 41:58 at 5.7 mph over the 4 mile course.

Bayous Tallapoosa & Jessamine loop

2006-01-15T18:31:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 15, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Saturday's wind died down and left us with very calm water for a beautiful, but very different paddle for the fortunate five who came out this morning. The temperature was around 48-55 degrees throughout the day, with a mostly overcast sky. Our group gathered at the Stagecoach Inn in Stockton, AL and drove the short distance north to Baldwin County's Rice Creek Landing.

When we arrived, the expected low water level was even lower than we had imagined, with barely enough water trickling by to let us drag along the bottom, until we got about 20 meters away. Rice Creek was very eery, as it seemed like we were almost below ground, seeing cypress trees and knees uncovered, exposing huge trunks usually underwater. There was even a sand bar exposed out at the mouth of Rice Creek, which we dragged across for the first time.

We turned north up Briar Lake, passing several fish and hunting camps, some on land, some floating and some sitting on the exposed muddy shoreline. A couple of us spotted a buck squatted on the shore, his head laying off to the side, appearing to be dead. As we approached to get a closer look, he bolted up and away through the palmetto. We continued paddling north on the much wider Tensaw Lake, until we reached the mouth of Bayou Tallapoosa. It is located only about 1/2 mile south of the two covered platforms hidden behind Dead Lake Island.

The water level was low into Tallapoosa and we didn't figure we would get very far. So, we decided to go in and come back out to the platforms for lunch. To our surprise, and although we had to do alot of weaving and manuevering around, we never came upon a fall we could not paddle over or around. There were some tight spots, but none requiring us to exit our boats.

So, we continued slowly up Tallapoosa the whole distance of about three miles until we reached the Tensaw River on the other side. Along the way, we saw many signs of deer, beaver, hogs and even watched a pair of otters scamper playfully along the bank and down into the water. At the Tensaw River, we decided to stop for lunch at a large 3-story camp, sitting around their empty fire pit.

We continued paddling down Tensaw River to make the loop, rather than retrace our paddle on Tallapoosa. So, off we went downstream with about a 1.5 mph push, making good time at about 6 mph for the next four miles. We passed the entrance to Middle River and the primitive public campground on the way to Bottle Creek. After a short distance down Bottle, we turned east into Bayou Jessamine. It was similarly very low and slow going as we dodged around all of the many exposed falls. We finally came across our one and only log of the whole trip, we had to stop and drag our boats over. It was about halfway down to the Jug Lake split, which we decided to pass this time, since we were about 12 miles into the paddle so far.

The rest of the way was uneventful out Jessamine, back up Tensaw along Larry Island, and through the cut to Briar Lake and Rice Creek. Our total trip was 15 miles, taking about 4 1/2 hours paddling time. All of us were sufficiently worn out and glad we had a chance to see the delta from a different "down under" perspective.

Bay Minette Creek 10 mi.

2006-01-14T17:05:00.000-06:00

Saturday, January 14, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

A cold front blew in last night, leaving this morning with clear sunny skies, but cool temps. Roland and I decided to go for an afternoon paddle to avoid freezing our hands again this weekend. So, we met at the Bromley Bridge at 1:00 PM, where the water was very low, but navigable and rising. The temperature was 50 degrees and the wind was still hanging around and even affected us on the protected creek.

Roland was determined to turn around his finish outcome today, and started out fast to our five mile turnaround. Once we got past the first mile, where the creek opens up a little, the wind started to play havoc with both of us, as I continued to follow closely behind. Finally, when we got into mile four and five, I was able to pull even and on the long straightaway down to Buzbee's, was even able to pull ahead for just a little while. Once under the Hwy 225 bridge, with only about 500 meters to the turnaround, Roland pulled even again, and we made the turn together.

Our mile splits on the way down were 9:42, 9:11, 9:19, 9:33 and 9:33 again. On the way back upstream, we were basically heading into the wind in the first two miles, trying to find anyplace we could, to get out of it. Our splits on the return were 9:53, 9:55, 10:16, 10:02 and 10:33.

Once we hit two miles to go, Roland found another gear and started to pull away from me and ended up finishing about 30 meters ahead. The overall time of 1:38:03 at 6.1 mph, was not great, especially compared to last week's 12 mile paddle on the same course. But, taking the wind factor into consideration, we were both happy with the effort and are ready for next weekend's race.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 III

2006-01-12T19:50:00.000-06:00

Thursday, January 12, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The conditions improved somewhat from Tuesday, as the temperature was 65 degrees with very low wind and a more slowly rising tide at 4:30 PM. The skies were partly cloudy, so we still had some light as we started out with the setting sun. Roland was there also to give me a little extra inspiration as well.

We started off at a spirited pace into the current and past the Oyster House, started to fill up for happy hour. The water was very flat, so we were able to make the turn at the Apalachee River in 8:45 and back to the parking lot in 6:15. Roland was a little off his game tonight, maybe still affected by the cold 36 degree workout last Saturday. He was not able to stay even as we passed along the Causeway and went for the turnaround of the new six mile course at the Tensaw River. My mile splits were 8:03, 9:09 and 10:45 as we paddled with the current to heading into it in the last mile. Roland came in about a minute later, where we took a quick drink, turned and hit it hard on the return.

On the return, my mile splits were 8:44 and then 10:21 after we passed the Causeway culverts. I hit the finish line in 58:19, while Roland came in about 0:45 later. The conditions were good for a 1:05 improvement over Tuesday's paddle.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 II

2006-01-10T19:22:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, January 10, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The skies were very dark and threatening imminent thunderstorms when I pulled into the old Riverdocs parking lot this afternoon. At 4:30 PM, the temperature was 67 degrees and there was a slight southeasterly breeze. The water level was up and still rising rapidly as I pulled out into Pass Picada. I made slow headway eastward into the current at only 4.9 mph and made the Apalachee turn in a slow 9:31. I forgot to click my watch on the return as I passed the parking lot, but at 7.8 mph, it was probably around 5:45 for the same distance.

I kept up a good pace of 6.7 mph along the Causeway and even through the confused water and on along lower Chacaloochee Bay. Once I reached the Interstate bridges, I was heading into the teeth of the rising current again and it slowed me down to 5.8 mph, as I made the Tensaw River turn in 36:31. The three miles straight from Apalachee to Tensaw took exactly 27:00.

The return was pretty much in the dark, so I had to watch carefully for the markers along the Causeway and follow the highway and restaurant lights off in the distance. The first mile took 9:28, but once I got into the reversed tide, it slowed me down to 5.4 mph to the finish. My overall time was 59:24 at 6.1 mph.

Boiling Creek - Upper

2006-01-08T23:34:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 8, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Following a short cold snap Friday night, we are back to warm sunny days once again. For less than an hours drive from Spanish Fort, Boiling Creek is just a great little hideaway to sneak off to. It is a swift, narrow, crystal-clear, white sand bottom creek, deep in the middle of a cypress and pine forest. It is full of pitcher plants and plenty of other flowering water foliage, waterfowl and other critters on the Eglin AFB firing range.

With an Eglin recreation permit in hand, head out on I-10 to exit 31 in the Milton, Florida area and turn south on Hwy 87 to the Yellow River bridge. I met seven other lucky souls, and we drove the last few miles on dirt roads to the put-in, near a low one-lane wooden bridge. The temperature at 11:00 AM was about 66 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and a southerly breeze, which did not affect us deep in the woods.

We started out heading upstream against about a 2 mph current through twists and turns, deep pools and flowing underwater grasses. A great blue heron led us upstream to the split where Little Boiling Creek joins. Several of us took the right fork up Little for about 400 meters until we came across the first small fall. We returned and met the rest of the group and continued up the main channel for another mile to the landing on the left. This turned out to be the border to the red zone, so we decided to stop for lunch. There had been a burn about a year ago and the underbrush was coming back strong, but there were still alot of blackened trees and branches you didn't want to touch.

While on the way up, we noticed a burn was going on with a large smoke cloud and odor coming out of the southwest. As we sat around eating lunch, the cloud began to cross the sun, creating an eerie sunset and then darkness. Once we started back, the wind changed directions slightly and the smoke no longer blocked out the sun. We saw evidence of several beaver, who were helping keep the stream clear and had not begun any dam or house work, at least along the route we took.

The return trip only took us about 45 minutes with the nice current downstream. It is definately worth the trip to paddle the upper section, as it is quite a bit different from the stream on down to the Yellow River. I would like to combine both sometime and make a full day viewing one of the nicest, cleanest inland streams along the Gulf Coast.

Bay Minette Creek 12 mi.

2006-01-07T21:38:00.000-06:00

Saturday, January 7, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

A cold front came through last night dropping the temperature below freezing. By 9:00 AM, the temperature rose to 36 degrees under clear sunny skies and only an occasional slight breeze out of the southwest. Roland and I met and put in at the Bromley bridge and started out strongly downstream. It didn't take long before the cold started to affect us; Roland more than I. Roland lost most feeling in his fingers and had difficulty gripping his paddle. But, we continued and as the temperature rose a little, I became more comfortable and pulled ahead.

We were alone on the perfectly still water for most of the paddle, except for a lone great blue heron, who led us around the twists and turns for about a mile in both directions. My mile splits on the way out were 9:52, 9:27, 9:21, 9:36, 9:53 and 10:20. The end of the last mile slowed down as we passed under the Hwy 225 bridge and got out into some shallow water in the basin. Roland was about a minute behind and was still having problems with the cold.

We turned and started back together, at least for a little while, when I decided to take off. My return splits were 9:42, 9:13, 9:19, 9:33, 9:45 and 9:52 for a total of 1:55:59 at 6.2 mph. The whole paddle felt very good to me, as I am just about ready for the Wakulla race in two weeks.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2006-01-05T21:59:00.000-06:00

Thursday, January 5, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

For the first time in a couple of weeks, Roland and I were able to hook up for a workout. It was fairly windy out on the bay, so we put in on the sheltered upper end of Bay Minette. We put in at 4:20 PM as the sun was getting ready to set with a still warm 66 degrees and no effects from the breeze. Roland had not paddled for two weeks and wasn't expecting much, but when we hit the water, he pushed it out fast and I did all I could to try and keep up.

Our splits on the way out were 9:20, 9:10 and 9:17. In the last mile, I finally pulled even and slightly ahead, making the turn about 15 seconds in front. On the return, as daylight started to fade, Roland really put it into high gear and maintained about a 5-15 second lead on me the whole way back. The weather really cooperated giving us ideal conditions for a really fast paddle. Our return splits were 9:21, 9:28 and 9:48 for a total time of 56:28 at 6.4 mph. This matched my 12/22/05 PR for the course.

Fairhope Beach - Mobile Bay

2006-01-04T19:08:00.000-06:00

Wednesday, January 4, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was such a beautiful day, we took Brad & Misha for lunch to the Fairhope Municipal Pier and the beach just to the north. We brought both kayaks along so I could do a workout and Brad could paddle around by the pier. At 11:45 AM, it was already 65 degrees, mostly sunny and about a 10 mph southwesterly breeze.

I started out heading north along the shoreline, but had to move out about 200 meters to get into a little deeper water. The tide was still falling just a bit, which created about a one foot chop. On the way up, I used it to ride my way along the rear quartering waves. The first mile mark came as I passed the Fairhope Yacht Club in 10:02. The second mile was out from the big red bluff adding another 9:46. The third mile to my turnaround point was about a half mile before the first big point, which I did in 9:42.

There was no boat traffic to speak of, but I did come across a group of about 15 cormorant who were busily fishing and didn't seem to even notice me. On the return, it was a little tougher go as I turned in mile splits of 10:34, 10:25 and 10:52 for a total six mile trip of 1:01:27 at 5.9 mph. It was good to get in some varied water conditions, so as not just paddle perfectly calm water all of the time.

Bay Minette Creek

2006-01-03T19:31:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, January 3, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Brad and Misha came in for a few days of extended holiday vacation, so we took advantage of the great weather and headed for the water. By the time we got everyone organized and loaded up, we arrived at the upper end of Bay Minette at the Bromley Bridge and put in at 2:45 PM. The temperature was a very nice 67 degrees under sunny skies and no wind.

Brad paddled the plastic Perception Eclipse, while Misha, Linda and I took the Mohawk canoe. Although at a fairly leisurely pace, we didn't stop, so made pretty good time as we would our way downstream for about two miles. The water level was at low tide, but we had no trouble paddling and actually found a small tributary at about the two-mile mark I had not noticed before. We took it in about 300-400 meters before having to back up a little before finding a wide enough spot to turn around and come back out.

We saw osprey, great blue heron, snowy egret, kingfisher and wood duck along the way as well as a couple of stands of pitcher plants. Since I usually paddle this area at an all-out fast pace, I had noticed the pitchers before either. We will have to keep up with them as they bloom in the next couple of months. All in all, it was a very relaxing and fun paddle for everyone, as this was Brad and Misha's first paddle trip down Bay Minette Creek. We ended up going 4.25 mi. in about 1:20, and were off of the water by 4:30 PM, as the sun started to drop behind the bluffs. It was then off to Felix's Fish Camp for some great food and comaraderie.

Apalachee River to Tensaw River 2006 I

2006-01-02T09:38:00.000-06:00

Monday, January 2, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

After last night's excitement in the fog, I wanted to get on and off the bay early to avoid more of the same today. At 7:20 AM, the temperature was a warm 70 degrees, with a 10-15 knot southwesterly wind under mostly cloudy skies. The water level was medium and dropping when I started out. Not only did I have the falling tide, but the wind was at my back, so I got right out in the middle of Pass Picada and kicked into high gear from the gitgo. A majestic snowy egret decided to move from one bank to the other, crossing right in front of me, while I picked up speed. My first split at the Apalachee was probably close to a PR, with the favorable conditions, as I clicked on 6:04 at 7.7 mph. Of course, the return was miserable at 9:32 and 4.9 mph.

While I passed the parking lot, it started to rain a little, but I had no plans to give in and stop. The rain quit, but the wind stayed steady and continued to harass me the rest of the way to the Tensaw River turnaround. To make matters worse, when I got between the Interstate bridges, where the falling tide was moving forward, the opposite wind kicked up a good chop, so I wasn't very efficient, only able to get up to 6.3 mph. The return was equally tough, where I was able to only make about a 5.6 mph headway. Once I got back to the Causeway, where the tide shifts directions, I was back to having the wind and tide to my back, so I could cruise back home at over 7 mph.

The final time of 1:01:00 (5.9 mph) was a little disappointing, but considering the conditions, I was reasonably satisfied with it. I am just glad to be able to get out on the water and enjoy the balmy weather during the end of this four-day New Years weekend.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2006 I

2006-01-01T20:38:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 1, 2006 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Well, after sleeping in to the middle of the morning and with low tide at noon, I decided to wait until late afternoon to go out for a paddle. Unfortunately, thunderstorms moved in and dumped a couple of inches of rain on the area around 4:00 PM (which we needed badly). I waited as long as I could before dark, and then went out to the Causeway to see what the conditions were. When I arrived at Riverdocs, the rain had stopped, but fog started to roll in while daylight started to fade.

I decided to go for it anyway, and started out at 4:40 PM. The temperature was a still warm 65 degrees, with a southeasterly breeze coming in. The water level was medium and rising as I turned down Pass Picada. My speed down to Apalachee was only 5.3 mph, but 7.3 mph on the return for a split of 15:10. I continued down to the Causeway culverts which were pushing alot of water through, leaving confusing swirls to paddle through. The fog started to get pretty dense, so I tried to stay along the shore, where I could see car lights and hear engine noise.

But, as I paddled over into Chacaloochee, I moved slightly away until I decided it was time to turn around, rather than continue on to the bridges. I stopped for a drink and thought I turned around, but the wind turned me around and I really started heading north and further away from my return course. I flipped my Forerunner to GPS mode and saw I was off course, so I turned around and headed into the wind and towards the road noise. Finally the shoreline popped into view and I followed it the rest of the way back. The paddle, with all of the twists and turns out in the middle of the bay, turned out to total 4.66 mi. and took 47:03.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XCVI

2005-12-31T15:49:00.000-06:00

Saturday, December 31, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning was foggy until noon, so I decided to go out and see what it was like later in the morning. When I put in at 10:15 AM, the Causeway was still socked in with about 0.25 mi. visibility, 60 degrees and calm. The water level was very low and still dropping. There was alot of activity with duck hunters coming off the water and a couple of new kayakers just getting on.

I decided to do the new 6 mi. course again this morning, getting off to a good start down Pass Picada. There were fishermen both along the shore and on the water as I cruised by on the way to the Apalachee. I turned in 6:37 and back past the launch area in 8:02. I was close enough to the shore the whole way to not lose sight of it, but forward vision was reduced as the Causeway and numerous fishermen finally came into view. The water level was low enough, it was hard to avoid the muddy shallows, so I cut straight down to the bridges to get into deeper water as soon as I could. Once there, the falling tide helped me get back up to 7.2 mph, as I made the turn at the Tensaw River in 36:04.

On the return, it was slow going at 5.5 mph again, until I got to the Causeway culverts, where the tide direction changes and was able to sprint in the final 0.75 mi. at 6.6 mph. The total time was a better 58:34, still at 6.1 mph for the whole workout.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XCV

2005-12-30T15:58:00.000-06:00

Friday, December 30, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

At 11:30 AM, we had another beautiful winter morning for paddling in the lower delta. It was 62 degrees, no wind, partly sunny with a low water level, but rising. I decided to increase the course distance from 5 mi. to 6 mi., by moving the western turnaround out further to where the Tensaw River crosses and empties into Mobile Bay.

As I paddled out into Pass Picada and turned east, there were plenty of shorebirds and fishermen out enjoying the noontime sunshine. The Oyster House was full for lunch, as I cruised by the long northside picture windows overlooking the water, high up on the stilted structure. I started out fairly strongly with a 7:16 to the Apalachee and 7:29 on the return, which motivated me to give it a good push the rest of the way. But, the water level was low, with no way around the shallows in the lower Chacaloochee, which slowed me down considerably for awhile, until I was able to get to the bridges. Once in deeper water, I was able to at least get back up to 5.8 mph heading into the rising current. My new turnaround time at the Tensaw was 36:35, where I stopped for a quick drink.

The return between the bridges was better at 6.4 mph, until I got back into the shallows and then into the rising tide in the last 0.75 mi. Under the circumstances, I was pleased with an overall 59:04, at an average speed of 6.1 mph. I like the new longer course and will probably start using it from now on, as the afternoons are starting to stay lighter just a little longer. Now, it is off to New Year's Eve celebrations. Hopefully, I will be in decent enough shape for a good paddle on New Years day.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XCIV

2005-12-29T20:56:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 29, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Another day of great weather! At 4:00 PM, the temperature was 60 degrees with no clouds and a slight southeasterly breeze. The water level was medium and rising, as I pulled out into Pass Picada. It was a hard slog heading east, as I was only able to make 5.3 mph in 8:51 at the Apalachee turnaround. On the way back past a full Oyster House happy hour crowd, I cruised by in 6:03 at 7.8 mph on the way to the Causeway. There were a few fishermen hanging out around the culverts as I passed through the 'confused waters' and on to the bridges. I had a little slowdown through the south end of the bay and paddled to the turnaround in 30:47.

There was another magnificent sunset, helped by a few clouds on the horizon over downtown, as I started back. I made good time until I passed the culverts again and headed back into the rising tide. Over the last 0.75 mi., I was back down to 5.3 mph again, but still able to finish in a total of 48:36, which was quite satisfying.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XCIII

2005-12-27T20:23:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, December 27, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This afternoon was so warm and beautiful, I could not resist the temptation to take off work a little early and head for the water. At 4:00 PM, the temperature was 71 degrees with a slight southeasterly breeze. The water level was medium with the tide rising.

As I paddled down Pass Picada, it was evident others had the same thoughts. There were several fishermen along the south shore, three boats fishing along the north shore and already a full parking lot at the Oyster House for happy hour. Although I started out strongly, my time of 8:39 (5.4 mph) at the Apalachee turn was indicative of the actively rising tide. The return over the same distance was 6:24 (7.3 mph) which continued past the confused waters at the Causeway culverts and continuing on along Chacaloochee Bay.

My bridge turnaround time was 31:04 and just in time to see the sun setting along the downtown skyline. It is already noticeable the days are getting just a little longer. The last stretch from the Causeway on, was back into the tide and although I pushed as hard as possible, was only able to make 5.3 mph and finished in a good overall time of 49:10. I love this winter weather.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-26T17:48:00.000-06:00

Monday, December 26, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

All of our Christmas day company left this morning, so I decided to go for the water on a gorgeous afternoon. After eating way too much turkey, fresh oyster dressing and pumpkin pie I had to deal with a heavy ballast in hopes I might work off a little of the load. The sky was clear, brilliantly blue, with a southerly breeze and 60 degrees.

I decided to go for the calm of Bay Minette and was not disappointed, as there was not a breath of breeze nor a ripple on the water, save for the occasional fish breaking the surface. I didn't feel like I was getting off to an efficient start around the s-turns and only turned in a 9:46 for the first mile. The next two miles to the turnaround were better at 9:14 and 9:29. I passed several fishing boats along the way, who were working the shoreline and not where I might bother them.

On the return, I tried to kick up the pace even more and came back with miles of 9:21, 9:18 and finished up with 9:50 for a total of exactly 57:00. For this I was pleasantly surprised, considering the heavy load I was carrying. It will now be appropriate to push away from the dinner table a little sooner in preparation for the Wakulla race in four weeks.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XCII

2005-12-24T19:17:00.000-06:00

Saturday, December 24, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning was much warmer as the wind switched around and was coming in from the south. When I arrived at Riverdocs, the wind was only about 5 mph, leaving Pass Picada and Chacaloochee Bay almost flat. At 7:45 AM, the temperature was 58 degrees, while the water level was low, but still fine for fast paddling. The tide was barely moving, although still falling a little before soon reaching low tide.

There were a few shotgun blasts off to the north as I took off to the east to Apalachee River. There was not much activity, either wildlife or man-made as I made the turnaround in 7:21 and back past the parking lot in 15:04. Once out in the open water, it was still very flat and I was able to keep a good pace going as I rounded past the culverts and on towards the Interstate bridges. I made the bridge turn in 31:52 and decided to go for it on the way back, as the sky was darkening considerably from the south and rain was coming very soon.

I cruised in along with one of the hunting boats just ahead of the rain. I was pretty pleased with the overall time of 49:02 for the five mile course.

Perdido Estuary

2005-12-23T21:06:00.000-06:00

Friday, December 23, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Bob called in a flash paddle yesterday afternoon, so my posting it on the blog only netted Ian to join Bob, Julie and I on what turned out to be an excellent day for paddling an area new to me. To get to this beautiful area, we drove on I-10 to Florida exit 5, turned west on Hwy 90 for 2.5 mi. and then south on CR 99 for another 5.9 mi. to the small community of Hurst Hammock. The commercial put-in is close to the Perdido River and only a mile north of the top end of Perdido Bay.

I arrived a little early to get in a workout, so put in at 10:15 AM and promptly headed south to the bay. The water was very calm as were the waterfowl who did not seem to mind my paddling by. There were lots of brown pelicans and a group of about a dozen cormorants who were lazily out trying their luck at a little fishing. The tide was running out ever so slightly, but enough to where even at not all-out effort, I was able to paddle mile splits of 9:41, 9:31 and a 2.5 mi. turnaround in 24:02. On the way back, the fishing birds were likewise unphased by my presence, as I tried to compensate for heading back into the tide with splits of 9:45, 10:10 and a total 5 mi. time of 48:37.

As I sprinted past the launch area, I noticed the others were just loading gear into their boats and ready to head out into the estuary. We started out northward into the beautiful estuary, where we came across osprey, red-tailed hawk, great blue heron, white egret, wood duck, kingfisher and cormorant. But to our delight, we soon came across a number of loon out swimming and fishing along the much warmer climes of the border of lower Alabama and west Florida.

After paddling around and through many small islands in the estuary, we found the main channel of the Perdido and continued north to where we cut back in to the Florida side, to Black Lake. We had to do a short portage from the clear Perdido water to the very chocolatey water of Black Lake. We continued into the delta around s-turns, past several beaver houses, turtles and more wood ducks, until we went as far in as we could without another portage around an old beaver dam. We stopped for lunch there, where I walked a little further to get a photo of some pitcher plants.

On our way out, we decided to take the more exciting exit from Black Lake by shooting down through a narrow culvert, which dumped back into the Perdido. We added to the excitement by having to dodge a fallen tree, as we came flying out of the culvert. While on the return, we decided to take a detour on the Alabama side, into nice-sized Reeder Lake. I followed three loons into a back cove and when they went under, I waited patiently for a picture of them surfacing. I waited and waited and then noticed they had swum probably another 100 meters under and past me, out into the middle of the lake.

After missing that photo opportunity, we continued back and came across about six more loons. While the others were taking a little break on a beautiful island camping spot, I paddled around in circles, trying in vain to get a closeup shot of the loons. Now I see where the phrase "crazy as a loon" comes from. They about drove me crazy, as they submerged and wouldn't come up until they were long gone across to the other side.

This was a beautiful place to paddle, with many more miles of water to explore than the 10 miles we toured. There are little lakes hidden in the delta and other larger lakes, as well as dozens of small islands to explore. This is definately a place to return to in the springtime to paddle and camp, as the flowers start to bloom.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-23T08:25:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 22, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

More perfect paddling workout conditions again tonight. Now that we are a day after the winter solstice, the days will start to lengthen once again. We also have neap tides and no wind, so there is very little water movement. At 4:00 PM it was 52 degrees, so I couldn't ask for more.

Bay Minette Creek water was very clear, cool and flat as I felt very good getting into a strong even rhythm from the start. I made some good turns in the tight first half mile, minimizing the slowdowns, which got me off to good start. I had my virtual 'Roland' partner set at only 6 mph, so I was able to monitor how much I was continuing to pull away from him and new I had a chance for some good splits. On the way downstream, I hit miles of 9:33, 9:16 and 9:12. On the return, I hit 9:18, 9:21 and 9:46 for a total six mile time of 56:28 at 6.4 mph for a new PR!

As the light started to fade, I followed a great blue heron upstream as he stopped around every turn, waiting for me to catch up.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-20T20:56:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Wow! Another afternoon of near perfect conditions, with no wind or clouds, produced a new PR. I arrived at 4:00 PM to beat the sun before it set, and try to get in a strong six mile paddle. The temperature started out at 50 degrees and when I finished it was 45 degrees.

The level was very low across the bay, with continued north winds helping to push out the water. It would have been difficult to find an area along the Causeway with enough water to even put in, let alone paddle unimpeded for any distance. So, it was back to Bay Minette, which is not a bad thing anyway.

I started out pretty well through the narrow s-turns with a 9:26 mile and added consistent splits of 9:21 and 9:22 to get to the turnaround. On the return, with the temperature dropping, I pushed the pace to hit splits of 9:30, 9:28 and 10:02 for a total time of 57:11 for speed of 6.3 mph. I didn't scare up too much wildlife with only a few wood ducks taking off in front of me as I came around a corner and a kingfisher leading me back upstream. The weather looks good for the next few days, so I will definately be out on the water alot over the holiday.

Bay Minette 10 mi.

2005-12-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

Sunday, December 18, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

The stormfront passed through last night, but left some residual north wind, so I headed back to Bay Minette once again. I wanted to get in a hard 10 miler and didn't want the distraction of chop out in the open water of the bay. I got started at 7:45 AM under overcast skies, 43 degrees and no wind by the Bromley bridge.

The paddle downstream started out through a low hanging mist with a couple of blue herons and snowy egrets leading the way. I passed close by a cormorant, who was busy fishing and didn't want to be bothered by me paddling by only five meters away. Once I reached miles four and five where the creek widens and straightens out, the wind began to ripple the water, but wasn't much of a factor.

My mile splits on the way down were 9:42, 9:35, 9:27, 9:23 and 9:15. On the way back, I was paddling into the wind for the first two miles and hit 10:13 and 10:09. Once into the narrower channel with no wind, I finished up with 10:03, 9:59 and 10:23 through the tight s-turns in the last mile. The total time was 1:38:13 for an average of 6.1 mph.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-17T11:18:00.000-06:00

Saturday, December 17, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning was pretty ugly, so I tried to reduce the effects of some of the factors by heading again for the protection of Bay Minette. By the time I arrived at the Bromley bridge at 8:00 AM, there was a light rain, a temperature of 40 degrees, but fortunately no wind. I decided to go with a longsleeve capilene, shell and no gloves.

The waterfowl were noticeably absent, as they were probably a little smarter than me. I did scare up a pair of wood ducks, but that was about it. On the way downstream, I hit mile splits of 9:32, 9:31 and 9:20. At the turnaround, the rain stopped, so I stripped off the shell for the return run. My splits were 9:43, 9:40 and 10:17 for a total of 58:05 for an average speed of 6.2 mph.

Bay Minette Creek 5 mi.

2005-12-15T20:20:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 15, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Once the stormfront cleared out this afternoon, we were left with a beautiful winter afternoon. The sky cleared out ready to greet the Major Lunar Standstill tonight. The temperature was 60 degrees with a slight breeze back up in the Bay Minette area. I arrived and put in at 4:15 PM, early enough this time to make sure I would get back before dark.

The water level was up a little with the current flowing downstream in the upper section. I started out fast in the s-turn area with the current, hitting mile splits of 9:12, 9:09 and the turnaround in a total of 23:00. On the return, the splits were 9:32, 9:54 and a total time of 47:45 over the five mile course at a speed of 6.3 mph. On the way home after dark, I was able to witness a brilliant full moon in standstill, higher in the sky than it will be for the next 18.6 years.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XCI

2005-12-13T20:38:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, December 13, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This afternoon was one of the calmest days on the bay I have seen in a long time. As I drove along the Causeway at 4:00 PM, the sky was clear, the bay was perfectly flat and the temperature was a balmy 62 degrees. What a great day to be alive and paddling in LA.

I put in at 4:16 PM and with the approaching Major Lunar Standstill in two days, the tide was moving in pretty rapidly as I sped eastward down Pass Picada. There were lots of shorebirds, fishermen and diners along the way, all enjoying the afternoon sunshine. My time to the Apalachee turnaround was a slow 9:11 and 0.12 mi. behind 'Roland', my virtual partner set at 6.0 mph. On the way back, I quickly reduced the deficit with mile splits of 7:55 and 8:51 and pulled ahead before I passed the parking lot.

The water was so flat and deep enough, I was able to work into a strong steady pace and continued to pull ahead, even after I passed the culverts and started against the current. Fishermen were lined along the Causeway, as I pulled in parallel to the shore and quickly left them behind. The last half mile slowed considerably as the current stiffened while paddling under the Interstate bridge. I hit the turnaround in 31:17 and stopped for drink while the sun sank behind the downtown skyline.

My return started out fast enough with a 10:03 split, before hitting the tide wall and finishing the five mile course in 49:28. As soon as I started to pull out, the wind started up out of the south as the temperature dropped about 7 degrees. I was glad to have gotten on and off the water when I did, for a good winter paddle workout, and satisfied to beat 'Roland' by 0:32.

Fish River (upper)

2005-12-11T18:51:00.000-06:00

Saturday, December 10, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Today warmed up nicely to the mid-50's by noon, partly sunny and only a slight breeze. Steve met Linda and I at the intersection of Hwy 181 and CR 32, southeast of Fairhope, AL. We continued east on CR 32, to just before the bridge and turned down to Keeney Drive East to the put-in at the Baldwin County Wetlands Conservation Park.

We started out at 11:30 AM heading north on Fish River, under the bridge and past many houses and boathouses festively decorated. This was the first time for us to paddle this area since before the hurricanes of the past two seasons. The area did not look too bad, either from Katrina flood surge or from Ivan winds. We decided to try Polecat Creek first and wound our way around the narrow waterway, into ever increasingly stronger current. Once we passed under the CR 9 bridge, we continued for about a quarter mile further and decided to stop along the way for lunch. There were plenty of signs that a hungry beaver was also around. We thought we might even find him house or dam-building, but no such luck.

Upon returning back southwest to Fish River, we started back downriver until we reached the mouth of Cowpen Creek along the west bank just north of the CR 32 bridge. This is another beautiful clearwater tributary, however with almost no current. We paddled back through many tight s-turns past a small but pretty sand beach peninsula, before coming across a large treefall across the creek. That was enough for us, so we turned and headed back out to the Fish River and down to wetlands county park. On the way back we paddled underneath about 75-100 buzzards circling high overhead. The overall trip took us about 2:40 paddling time covering 6.66 miles. This was a great little trip on a beautiful afternoon.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-11T09:38:00.000-06:00

Sunday, December 11, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

It was a little warmer this morning at 38 degrees, otherwise identical conditions as yesterday. I started a little earlier at 7:09 AM, just as the sun was breaking over the treeline. The mist was heavy again, hanging in over the crystal clear glass-like water conditions. As I made the s-turns heading into the sun, it was difficult to see through the mist, so I just pulled my cap down lower over my eyes.

I scared up a pair of wood ducks and spied an osprey out hunting over the water ahead. This morning, I decided to go without gloves, which meant the first half of the paddle was pretty painful as my hands got pretty cold. But, as the sun started to come up, I peeled off a layer on the return and my hands warmed up just fine.

My splits on the way down were 10:04, 9:56 and 9:22. My hands were so cold at the start, it was hard to grip and feel the paddle. But, on the return, I hit 9:34, 9:27 and 10:01 for a total 58:29 over six miles for an average speed of 6.2 mph. It doesn't get any better than this.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-10T09:15:00.000-06:00

Saturday, December 10, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This morning was probably the coldest of this season so far, at 32 degrees. I put in at the Bromley Bridge at 7:42 AM under partly cloudy skies, no wind and close to low tide. I don't know if it was from probably dressing too warmly or with gloves on or what, but I apparently just could not get into a good rhythm, pace, etc. as I was just a little slow the whole way.

The winter scenery was beautiful with a light misty fog hanging over the water. On the way downstream, I could only hit 9:49, 9:39 and 9:29 mile splits. On the return, splits were 9:42, 10:04 and 10:25 for a total of 59:15 over the six mile course. I am not complaining at all, as I was just grateful to be able to get out on the water, while a good part of the country is buried under a winter snowstorm.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 XC

2005-12-09T11:33:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 8, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Conditions at 4:30 PM were pretty good with overcast skies, 60 degrees, 10 mph easterly breeze, medium pool depth and a slowly rising tide. I got a late start as I had to go retrieve a paddle, so tried to push hard to get back before it got too dark. The chop was not much of a factor, so I was able to keep a good pace throughout the whole course. By the time I got back it was well after dark, but the glow of the lights along the Causeway kept me on course, without running into anything. My overall time was an average 50:00. Just as I was loading up, the sky started to open up and I was glad to not have to paddle both in the dark and rain.

Bay Minette Creek 5 mi.

2005-12-06T20:47:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, December 6, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

On another blustery night on the bay, I decided to head for the protected confines of Bay Minette Creek. I was a little late arriving on a day with ever shortening daylight, so went for the five mile course to try and get back before I started hitting trees and stumps along the narrow course in the dark. The conditions were actually just about perfect, with 50 degrees, no wind, glass-like water and no perceptible current.

I started out at 4:44 PM, by hammering the course with mile splits of 9:19 (6.4 mph), 9:08 (6.6 mph) and halfway at 23:00 (4:33 - 6.6 mph). I agitated my one junkyard dog friend, but otherwise did not see any signs of life. On the return, as the sky quickly darkened, I had splits of 9:14 (6.5 mph), 9:34 (6.3 mph) and finished in almost total darkness in 47:09 (5:19 - 5.7 mph). Over the last couple of turns, I slowed just a little, counting strokes and paddling more by memory, to make sure I did not smack into something hanging out into the water.

As it turned out, I think this was my fastest five mile workout ever, especially gratifying with the tight s-turns in the first and last half mile of the course.

Byrnes Lake to Causeway

2005-12-04T20:33:00.000-06:00

Sunday, December 4, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

A group of six kayak paddlers met at the Byrnes Lake public launch access off of Hwy 225 about nine miles north of Spanish Fort, AL. We had beautiful winter weather with partially overcast skies, temperatures in the upper sixties, a southerly breeze and an outgoing tide as we started out at 9:30 AM. Our spirits were high as we paddled briskly but easily out Byrnes Lake to the Tensaw River and started heading south.

We made good time at 4 mph down to Blakeley State Park, where we stopped for a late morning snack. The boardwalk along the river had large sections in ruins due to the storm surge from Hurricane Katrina. Fortunately, the small covered picnic spot at the southern end of the boardwalk where we stopped, was not damaged.

We continued downriver, where it turns into Blakeley, crossed over to the west side and entered the delta by way of Mudhole Creek. We immediately came across a couple of gators lounging around in the warm winter sun, protected from the wind. When we approached the southerly cut to Little Bateau Bay, we split up, as part of our group wanted to explore more of Mudhole Creek.

Those who continued up Mudhole, found the water level low, so we were not able to make it all of the way back north to the end. But, we did encounter a large gator whose head was sticking out of a hole in the side of the bank. As we approached, he backed himself into the hole and out of sight. I would guess by the size of his head, he was about a 10-12 footer. We paddled about 1.5 miles roundtrip and back to the cut-through where we met back up with the whole group.

Although the water level was somewhat low, we continued down to the north end of Little Bateau Bay. That is where the slow slogging started. We found little water in Little Bateau and depending on the type of kayak used, some of us had more difficulty than the others in mucking our way around. We cut across the west end and found our way into the most westerly of the three tributaries out of Little Bateau on the south end. Unfortunately, it is the shallowest, and we had to continue to slog through too shallow water and too much mud.

We finally escaped our punishment and got into some deeper water as we approached Conway Creek. We were all sufficiently tired with the mud-slogging ordeal, we opted to head straight down Conway and on to the Causeway. As such, we were sufficiently off to the eastern part of Chacaloochee Bay, which was also just about out of water. So, we were back to some slow slogging again for the last half mile.

The old Riverdocs parking lot along the Causeway never looked so good as we at least had enough water to get to the launch and park our boats in the lot. It was then off to Byrnes Lake in our shuttle car to retrieve our cars, back to Riverdocs to load and head home. At least we had very nice weather, had good supportive company and got in an excellent workout, covering the 14 mile trip in about four hours paddling time. I would recommend trying this trip again, as long as one goes with at least another two feet of water depth.

An alternative perspective in verse:

Mud in Mobile Bay

Well it's Sunday
December the 4th
Six kayakers have gathered
To paddle a course.

With GPS's in our packs
And kayaks on our racks
We are all so sure
That Brint knows all the facts.

Putting in at Byrne's Lake
Paddling to Blakeley
Eating lunch on the bank.
What could be more stately?

Making great time
Tide going out
Cut through Mud Hole Bay
Great to be out and about.

But Brint, out there things can happen
And frequently do
To people as experienced
And prepared as you.

Sadly it's true
Kayakers will get stuck
When the tide goes out
And leaves fields of mud ruts.

We are not having fun
Pushing through mud.
Where is the way out?
We could all us a Bud.

On we went
Though the alligators howled
And our arms got sore
With our kayaks covered in mud a galore.

At the end of the day
On December the 4th
With a tow from Brint
We finished the course.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-12-03T20:28:00.000-06:00

Saturday, December 3, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This afternoon was sunny, warm, partly cloudy but with a brisk southerly breeze. So, as I have done for some past windy workouts, I headed for the calm confines of Bay Minette Creek. I arrived at the Bromley Bridge at 3:30 PM and found perfect glass-like conditions. The water was low and rising.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a working watch with me, so I was unable to time my workout. The water was very clear with some fallen leaves both floating on top and visible on the bottom. It was very calm with no boats or people around the whole paddle. I did the six mile course and with my effort, figure I finished in about one hour.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXIX

2005-12-01T15:12:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 1, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Finally a little real competition as Roland showed up tonight for a workout paddle. We got away at 4:39 PM as the sun was already setting behind cloud cover. There was very little wind, 60 degrees, medium water level and a rising tide, so the water conditions were ideal for fast paddling. Even though Roland had been off the water for two weeks, he is always ready to push hard and did so tonight in his K-1.

We started paddling east down Pass Picada against the tide, reaching the Apalachee in 8:55 and flew back in 6:23 for a split of 15:18. Roland took the lead and I attempted to hang on, although I could not gain any ground on him. We pressed on past the Causeway (no fishermen tonight) and back into the tide on the other side of the culverts. The water level was deep enough, we did not have to hit a perfect line, which was just as well in the dark. We picked up time, making the bridge turnaround in 31:15.

Since it was already dark, we didn't hang around long and started our sprint back. I got a little too close to the shoreline in a couple of places on the return, which slowed me down a little. Once past the culverts again, the tide slowed me down to 5.3 mph, but we were still able to cross the 5 mile finish line in a good 49:15. Having a faster partner along made a big difference in my performance, as we are starting preparations for a race in Florida in about two months.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXVIII

2005-11-29T20:37:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

While there is a blizzard crossing the country today, I feel so lucky to be able to go out and paddle in the winter. This afternoon, I rushed out to the Causeway to get in a workout before darkness, arriving at Riverdocs at 4:30 PM. The temperature was 59 degrees as the sun was going down fast across a perfectly clear sky. There was an uncharacteristic westerly breeze coming in with a rising tide. This caused an interesting dichotomy with part of the paddle on calm water and part with a 1-2 foot chop.

I started out paddling east down Pass Picada with the wind to my back, but into the rising tide. Although it seemed like I was riding the waves, it was obvious by my time and the number of strokes that I was moving slowly. I reached the Apalachee River turnaround in 8:40 at 5.4 mph. While turning around, there was a nice 25 white pelican V formation crossing overhead. On the return, I was crashing through the chop into the wind, but moving along at 7 mph and passed the parking lot in 16:00.

The chop continued to the Causeway, where the tide changed direction. When the tide and wind are moving in the same direction, the water surface is basically calm, so the rest of the paddle west was much easier, albeit slower. I reached the bridge turn in 33:27, which was slow, but knowing the return would be much faster. The sun was down, but there was still a lingering glow on the horizon, while the lights on the Interstate bridges turned on.

With the light fading and no moon out, I was motivated to get back before it got much darker. The first part of the return was quick over calm water, until I passed the Causeway culvert again and got back into the chop. Even so, I pushed through the waves, reaching the parking lot in 50:44. The temperature dropped another 5 degrees, which motivated me to get loaded up and out of the wind. I am still grateful for the good weather and just hope it continues for a few more weeks.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-11-27T15:33:00.000-06:00

Sunday, November 27, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I was greeted by a warm, brisk breeze this morning following an overnight shower. So, I opted for the safety of Bay Minette Creek for an early morning workout. At 6:50 AM, it was overcast and 62 degrees with no wind in the well-protected valley. The water level was up and didn't seem to be moving much in either direction.

I took off, but didn't seem to be able to get going in the first mile, barely able to keep ahead of my 10:00 pace virtual partner "Roland". There was no one out to greet me, not even the dogs when I passed the subdivision. Other than a few fish jumping, the only living thing I saw of note was an osprey. In the third mile out, after the creek widens out some, he swooped down about 50 meters in front of me, picked up a fish and flew off to the top of a nearby cypress. It was absolutely awesome to see him at work, successfully fishing for a fresh breakfast.

My mile splits on the way downstream were 9:48, 9:38 and 9:36. On the return, I was able to get into a little more focused mindset, and against the slight downstream current was able to hit splits of 9:49, 9:59 and 10:19 for a total time of 59:12. The osprey sighting made the trip all the more satisfying, while I got in a great morning workout.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXVII

2005-11-26T17:25:00.000-06:00

Saturday, November 26, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

New morning, more shotgun blasts! I arrived at Riverdocs at 7:00 AM again this morning during day two of the start of duck season. The sky was heavily overcast with a strong southeasterly breeze, 58 degrees and a medium pool level that was rising.

With the wind in my face and into a rising tide, I pushed off eastward down Pass Picada. There were a couple of brave pelicans and a few shorebirds who were oblivious to the constant gunfire along the pass. I had to really fight to try and minimize my lagging behind my virtual partner. I managed to reach the Apalachee in 8:16 and back much faster, passing the parking lot in 15:25. The chop wasn't overly bothersome, but it did have some effect on my paddle rhythm, as I caught up to and passed my partner. I will need to think of a name for him (maybe I will substitute Roland for now).

The temperature was a good ten degrees higher than yesterday morning due to the change in wind direction from north to south. I pushed on down the Causeway along the bottom of Chacaloochee Bay and cruised in to the bridge turnaround in 32:38, just ahead of pace. On the return, I knew the last leg home past the drainage culverts was going to be slower, so I tried to maintain a lead as I started back to try and maintain a little cushion. Well, it pretty well dried up by the time I got back by the culverts, so I knew it would be all but impossible to beat 50:00 without trying an all-out sprint. I hung on pretty well, finishing in 50:09, but still :09 over my fast little partner.

As I pulled into the launch area, there was another paddler just shoving off. I spoke to him briefly, never having seen him around before. He had an interesting wood kit kayak and paddle. Then, while I was loading up, one of the duck hunters came back with his daily bag limit of six, laying out neatly side by side in his boat. The hunters will be off now for one week, before they are allowed back to hide out again in the delta for the next two months.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXVI

2005-11-25T10:53:00.000-06:00

Friday, November 25, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

Duck hunting season opened this morning with the sounds of many shotguns off to the north of the lower delta along the Causeway. I arrived at Riverdocs and put in at 7:00 AM just after sunrise on a crisp, clear morning with a northwesterly breeze accentuating the many nearby shotgun blasts. There were even four boat trailers at the lot, when usually none, as I put in during a falling neap tide. The water level was still low due to the north winds from the previous cold snap and again this morning. The temperature was a cool 48 degrees, perfect for a hard paddle workout.

I started out down Pass Picada at a 6.4 mph clip, reaching the Apalachee River in 7:06 and back past the lot in 15:05. The pass was protected and perfect for paddling. As such, I was able to gain almost 400 ft. on my virtual partner pace of 6.0 mph. But, once I hit the open water of the lower Chacaloochee Bay, the chop whipped up a little, which slowed me down just a little and I gave up most of my lead by the time I reached the Causeway. With the conditions a little brisk, there were even a few early morning fishermen along the Causeway as I passed through the confused waters around the drainage culverts. My slower pace continued all the way to the bridge turnaround, due to fighting the northwest wind, putting me about 300 ft. behind my pace.

With the wind partially to my back, I gradually lowered the deficit, even against the rising tide until I reached the last leg, just past the tide switch at the culverts. Once I had the falling tide and wind to my back, I started to really make up time and almost caught back up to my partner. But, alas, I fell just short, with a time of 50:06, with the quarter wind and resulting chop, my excuse. As I put my boat up, there were many more sharp reports from the hunters off in the distance. It was hard to tell who won, the hunters with full bags, or the ducks and coot escaping for another day.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-11-22T19:29:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

With more north wind and low tide, the Causeway was extremely low again, so I opted for Bay Minette Creek. This was my first try at late afternoon dusk paddling on the well protected creek. Already at 4:30 PM, the sun was down behind the hills, even though not fully set across the bay yet. The weather was great at 60 degrees, no wind at all and very clear skies.

I shoved off, debating whether I would have enough light to go 4, 5 or 6 miles before too much darkness. I was really set on going 6 miles in about an hour, but along the way, did think about cutting it short. The water level was low, but still much better than if I tried to paddle out along the Causeway, which was also windy and choppy. My mile splits down to the turnaround were 9:37, 9:30 and 9:20, so I was happy to stay under my goal of 10:00 miles (6 mph speed) in the rapidly declining sunlight.

On the way back with less visibility, I had to be careful not to take a couple of wrong turns and had to quickly avoid a couple of logs at the last second, which seemed to pop out of nowhere. I also scared up a couple of blue herons and barred owls. With almost no light left back at the Bromley bridge, I came in with a total time of 58:07, with the return mile splits of 9:44, 9:46 and 10:08. The temperature had also dropped down to 48 degrees when I got back to the car. The paddle was exciting at dusk, as the landscape looked different while I tried to push hard to get back before darkness.

Bay Minette Creek 10 mi.

2005-11-20T20:50:00.000-06:00

Sunday, November 20, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I had so much fun yesterday, I had to go back for more and a longer course this morning. I put in at the Bromley bridge at 7:52 AM under clear skies, 48 degrees, no wind and a slight falling tide. I set my new toy for ten miles at a 6.0 mph speed and took off. This morning I scared up a couple of great blue herons and came across a few early morning fishermen, but that was about it, as I pretty much had the creek to myself all the way down to beyond Buzbee's and the Hwy 225 bridge.

On the way downstream my mile splits were 9:55, 9:41, 9:38, 9:23 and 9:26. The turnaround is almost a half mile out into Bay Minette basin beyond the 225 bridge.

On the way back upstream, I had to fight harder to try and maintain pace, although I continued to hit over 10:00. My splits were 10:21, 10:22, 10:16, 10:13 and 10:16 for a total ten mile time of 1:39:34. So, again I was able to hold on and beat my little virtual buddy, this time by only 26 seconds.

Bay Minette Creek 6 mi.

2005-11-19T19:29:00.000-06:00

Saturday, November 19, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

With a stiff northerly wind coming down with the cold front, I opted to paddle with the protection of the upper section of Bay Minette Creek. I put in at the Bromley Bridge at 8:12 AM, with a beautiful sunrise spilling through the woods. The water level was down due to the north wind keeping the bay level down, but it was very clear and calm. The temperature was 40 degrees, perfect for a hard workout.

I set up a couple of new options on my Forerunner 201 to spice up the personal competition. I have the capability to race against a virtual partner, which I set up for six miles and one hour. So, I started out fast and tried to keep the pace going as fast as possible the whole way. There were a few kids out fishing in their backyards along the section with a subdivision backing up to the creek. I also automatically marked one mile splits, which were 9:46, 9:36 and 9:18 at the three mile turnaround.

On the way back, I passed a couple of fishing boats, one with a couple of dalmations aboard. The fishermen were all bundled up as I flew by in my t-shirt and shorts. My splits on the return were 10:06, 10:03 and 10:19 for a total of 59:11. So, this time I beat my virtual opponent. Next time, I will lower his time to make it a little tougher competition.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXV

2005-11-17T18:50:00.000-06:00

Thursday, November 17, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

What a difference a couple of days makes. A major cold front dipped all the way down to our area and is supposed to drop the temperature down to freezing tonight. When I arrived at Riverdocs, my suspicion of low water was confirmed, as the north wind blew out the bay water to the lowest level I have ever seen yet. It was so low tonight, I could not even put in at all, as there was only deep goopy mud out for at least 100 feet, before reaching the channel. I decided to drive back east and try to find another access to Pass Picada. I settled on the old Eco Tours property just east of the still shutdown Bluegill Restaurant.

There was a no trespassing sign which I drove past and parked next to the old inlet launch. I should have gone a little further all the way out to the main channel, as I ended up walking out in high ankle-deep mud to put in. It was a mess, but I was able to wash my sandals off before getting fully into the cockpit. By this time, it was 4:54 PM and the sun was already setting with a chilly northwest wind and 38 degrees. I followed my same course, just starting and finishing about a half mile east from Riverdocs. At least the water level was rising a little from the record low level as I started out. My split from Apalachee River east to Riverdocs was 7:15 on the way to the Causeway. The sun was already down and getting dark as I continued to make good time at 6.0 mph, even through the shallow lower end of Chacaloochee Bay to the turnaround.

But, the return in the dark was a totally different story. I misjudged a marker and got too close to shore in the wrong place and got hung up in the mud. The only way to get back, against the wind, was by hand. So, I moved forward on my fists until my kayak finally cleared the mud and I was able to get a little speed going again. At that point, I was paddling against the rising current, so my pace was slow anyway as I tried to sprint down Pass Picada to my new finish. When I arrived, I decided to take out along the main channel bank and scramble up about a four foot bank. It was still windy and getting even colder, so I hustled around with numb fingers and in wet clothes to get loaded and out of there. After I got home, I checked my watch to see I finished in a slow 52:26, but just glad to be back home and dry.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXIV

2005-11-15T19:48:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

This was another beautiful fall late afternoon, as I arrived and put in at Riverdocs at 4:40 PM. The temperature was 72 degrees, clear sky with a southeasterly breeze. The water level was high and still rising as I turned east down Pass Picada. There was not much activity going on, other than a few mullet jumping. I fought the current down to Apalachee River, hitting the turn in 8:21. On the way back, I let the current help me to a split of 15:08, as I pushed on to the Causeway.

There were about a dozen fishermen out enjoying the great afterwork weather. With high water, I concentrated more on technique than worrying about shallow water. The southeast breeze kept the chop down, so the water was relatively flat along Chacaloochee Bay heading over to the Interstate bridges. I made the turnaround in 31:41 as the sun was just setting behind the downtown skyline.

The way back was slightly slower into the current, but I was able to surge ahead as the sunlight faded without losing sight of the buoy markers. With only a faint glow on the horizon, I crossed the finish line in 49:28, quite satisfying at 6.1 mph over the five mile course.

Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXIII

2005-11-13T10:30:00.000-06:00

Sunday, November 13, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil

I arrived and put in at 8:25 AM with the water level low but starting to rise. The temperature was 65 degrees, no wind and partly cloudy skies. Somehow, I left my wing paddle at home, so I had to break out my older carbon Werner. It felt pretty good, so this would be a good test to see if there is much time difference in paddles.

I made the first turn in 8:00 against the current and back again 15:32. I was able to maintain pretty good form and cadence, making the bridge turn in 33:12. With the current at my back for the most part on the return, I was able close with an overall 50:07, which was pretty comparable to recent workouts, but still a minute slower than Thursday night. So, it was still hard to tell if there was a minute spread between paddles or something less. I will have to give it a few more test paddles to make sure.