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.