Paddling Lower Alabama
Saturday, July 29, 2006
7/29/2006: Chicory Bayou
Destination: Chicory Bayou
Launch: Cloverleaf Landing
Distance: 15.5 miles
Pace: Moderate
Time: 5 hours
Weather: Humid with high temperature of 91 degrees (felt like 100+ at times). Partly cloudy with afternoon thunderstorms. Low tide - 12:54AM (.4), high - 4:20PM (1.2).
With high temperatures being such a PITA during the summer months I had hoped to be on the water before 7:00AM but it wasn't until 8:00AM that I was underway. My first trip to Chuckfee Bay was a few weeks ago with my friend Tony and a couple of guys from the kayak club (Rob and David). Today I would be flying solo so I left a route map with my wife just in case I ran into any trouble that kept me from making in back before dark (it's happened to me before). We had alot of fun exploring some of the creeks and bayous north and east of the bay last time around so today I would be targeting Chicory Bayou on the south side, west of the Raft River entrance, through to Grand Bay and back to Raft River.
Above: Spanish Moss is an epiphyte (air plant), which absorbs nutrients (especially calcium) and water from the air and rainfall. It is not a parasite like mistletoe. It can grow so thickly on tree limbs that it gives a somewhat "gothic" appearance to the landscape, but it rarely harms the trees, except for the extra wind resistance in hurricanes. In the southern U.S., the plant seems to show a distinct preference of growth on southern live oak and swamp cypress, but it can colonize in other tree species such as sweetgum, crape-myrtle, other oaks, or even pine.
Beauty and the beast - Top Left: These flowering plants bring a touch of beauty to the muddy waters of Raft River. Top Right: OHHHH, GOZIRRAHH!!!! I missed capturing my "extreme closeup" opportunity but this was a big fella and I had the misfortune of catching him in a mood. In fact, the thought of taking a photo didn't even cross my mind until I was at a safe distance. I've heard people say that alligators are shy and prefer to avoid humans. WRONG! Alligators are territorial predators and can be aggressive. This guy chased me for about 50 yards (unprovoked) before I made it out of the kill zone. It's true that the typical alligators I see in the swamp prefer to keep their distance but this one was a definite exception (at least 9 feet worth of exception).
A place to rest my weary back - Top Left: This dock was a great place to get out and stretch for a couple minutes, little did I know this old boat shed would be my safe haven later that day. Top Right: This is the dock view of Raft River to the east, the direction I had just come from.
At Chuckfee Bay - Top Left: Possibly a hurricane victim from many moons ago, these are the skeletal remains of an old wooden river barge. Top Right: This fishing camp's dock looks to be the victim of one of our more recent storms from last season. Although the cabin looks like it's in good shape, the dock is still under construction.
Chicory Bayou - Top Left: Old Glory marks the entrance to Chicory Bayou and the starting point for my bayou run. Top Right: This was not reassuring to see the channel pretty well choked off but I was far from turning back.
The bayou finally opens up - Top Left: After about 1 mile of paddling Chicory Bayou I leave the last of the gator grass behind me. Top Right: Pushing through the grass I couldn't help but think to myself, "man if something bad happens to me out here I'm gonna be in a tight spot," so it was nice to see a clear waterway ahead as I continued south on the bayou.
Time for a lunch break - Top Left: As the temperature continued to rise I figured it was time to break for lunch. This nice shady cypress would be an ideal place to beat the heat. Top Right: This is a downstream photo from the cypress. At this point I was about half way between Chuckfee and Grand Bays.
This real estate is for the birds - Top Left: I passed a number of these large bird houses on Chicory Bayou. I'm guessing ducks to be the primary residents for these little bayou bungalows. I saw quite a few wood ducks and great blue herons along the bayou but they were all too camera shy for me to get a good photo. Top Right: Waterfront property is great, but no one can beat this view. If you click the photo you should be able to see the osprey's head.
Above: I saw more alligators on this day than I think I ever have on a day trip. Fortunately not all of them were as bad as Mean Joe Green back on Raft River. Most of them actually kept their distance and submerged as I approached.
Above: This was the final stretch of the bayou as I approached Grand Bay. This was a great place to paddle since I encountered no powerboats along the bayou but I would not recommend doing it solo unless you leave a detailed route plan with someone.
Downtown Mobile from a distance - Top Left: The RSA tower from the northern-most end of Grand Bay. Top Right: As I took this shot of the Cochran-Africatown bridge I began to realize it was getting Africa-hot out here on the bay.
Leaving Grand Bay. Top Left: Not far down a little canal that leads from Grand Bay to Raft River, I found this little bayou BBQ setup. At this point during the day, the air temperature alone seemed hot enough to grill burgers. Top Right: I didn't see any sign of occupants in this nest but there was an opsrey fishing close by.
Back on Raft River - Top Left: Cedar trees lined the banks as I paddled back north toward Chuckfee bay. Top Right: This was a really nice camp that sits on the west bank of the river just before the entrance to Chuckfee Bay. I took a break across the channel for a few minutes in the shade of a large cedar tree.
Not a welcome sight. These two photos were taken within 2 minutes of each other. Notice the wind change on the water surface. Top Left: As I rounded the bend of the river back toward the east these thunderclouds moved in. It was nice cover from the sun but I was still at least 5 miles or so from the launch when I began hearing thunder. Top Right: This was my last good photo before the wind picked up and nearly blew the paddle out of my hand. I picked up the pace a bit and made it back the boat shed that I stopped at earlier just in time for the thunderstorm. About 10 minutes after the bottom fell out a couple of guys in a powerboat pulled up also looking for shelter. Fortunately my kayak doesn't require much room so they joined me underneath the boat shed. It's a good thing that they stopped too because after getting turned around in the storm they were headed south when they thought they were going north. These guys were at least 30 miles from their launch (Mt. Vernon) and had no idea where they were so I gave them a map and pointed them back in the right direction. ¶ 2:42 PM 1 comments
Destination: Chicory Bayou
Launch: Cloverleaf Landing
Distance: 15.5 miles
Pace: Moderate
Time: 5 hours
Weather: Humid with high temperature of 91 degrees (felt like 100+ at times). Partly cloudy with afternoon thunderstorms. Low tide - 12:54AM (.4), high - 4:20PM (1.2).
With high temperatures being such a PITA during the summer months I had hoped to be on the water before 7:00AM but it wasn't until 8:00AM that I was underway. My first trip to Chuckfee Bay was a few weeks ago with my friend Tony and a couple of guys from the kayak club (Rob and David). Today I would be flying solo so I left a route map with my wife just in case I ran into any trouble that kept me from making in back before dark (it's happened to me before). We had alot of fun exploring some of the creeks and bayous north and east of the bay last time around so today I would be targeting Chicory Bayou on the south side, west of the Raft River entrance, through to Grand Bay and back to Raft River.
Above: Spanish Moss is an epiphyte (air plant), which absorbs nutrients (especially calcium) and water from the air and rainfall. It is not a parasite like mistletoe. It can grow so thickly on tree limbs that it gives a somewhat "gothic" appearance to the landscape, but it rarely harms the trees, except for the extra wind resistance in hurricanes. In the southern U.S., the plant seems to show a distinct preference of growth on southern live oak and swamp cypress, but it can colonize in other tree species such as sweetgum, crape-myrtle, other oaks, or even pine.
Beauty and the beast - Top Left: These flowering plants bring a touch of beauty to the muddy waters of Raft River. Top Right: OHHHH, GOZIRRAHH!!!! I missed capturing my "extreme closeup" opportunity but this was a big fella and I had the misfortune of catching him in a mood. In fact, the thought of taking a photo didn't even cross my mind until I was at a safe distance. I've heard people say that alligators are shy and prefer to avoid humans. WRONG! Alligators are territorial predators and can be aggressive. This guy chased me for about 50 yards (unprovoked) before I made it out of the kill zone. It's true that the typical alligators I see in the swamp prefer to keep their distance but this one was a definite exception (at least 9 feet worth of exception).
A place to rest my weary back - Top Left: This dock was a great place to get out and stretch for a couple minutes, little did I know this old boat shed would be my safe haven later that day. Top Right: This is the dock view of Raft River to the east, the direction I had just come from.
At Chuckfee Bay - Top Left: Possibly a hurricane victim from many moons ago, these are the skeletal remains of an old wooden river barge. Top Right: This fishing camp's dock looks to be the victim of one of our more recent storms from last season. Although the cabin looks like it's in good shape, the dock is still under construction.
Chicory Bayou - Top Left: Old Glory marks the entrance to Chicory Bayou and the starting point for my bayou run. Top Right: This was not reassuring to see the channel pretty well choked off but I was far from turning back.
The bayou finally opens up - Top Left: After about 1 mile of paddling Chicory Bayou I leave the last of the gator grass behind me. Top Right: Pushing through the grass I couldn't help but think to myself, "man if something bad happens to me out here I'm gonna be in a tight spot," so it was nice to see a clear waterway ahead as I continued south on the bayou.
Time for a lunch break - Top Left: As the temperature continued to rise I figured it was time to break for lunch. This nice shady cypress would be an ideal place to beat the heat. Top Right: This is a downstream photo from the cypress. At this point I was about half way between Chuckfee and Grand Bays.
This real estate is for the birds - Top Left: I passed a number of these large bird houses on Chicory Bayou. I'm guessing ducks to be the primary residents for these little bayou bungalows. I saw quite a few wood ducks and great blue herons along the bayou but they were all too camera shy for me to get a good photo. Top Right: Waterfront property is great, but no one can beat this view. If you click the photo you should be able to see the osprey's head.
Downtown Mobile from a distance - Top Left: The RSA tower from the northern-most end of Grand Bay. Top Right: As I took this shot of the Cochran-Africatown bridge I began to realize it was getting Africa-hot out here on the bay.
Leaving Grand Bay. Top Left: Not far down a little canal that leads from Grand Bay to Raft River, I found this little bayou BBQ setup. At this point during the day, the air temperature alone seemed hot enough to grill burgers. Top Right: I didn't see any sign of occupants in this nest but there was an opsrey fishing close by.
Back on Raft River - Top Left: Cedar trees lined the banks as I paddled back north toward Chuckfee bay. Top Right: This was a really nice camp that sits on the west bank of the river just before the entrance to Chuckfee Bay. I took a break across the channel for a few minutes in the shade of a large cedar tree.
Not a welcome sight. These two photos were taken within 2 minutes of each other. Notice the wind change on the water surface. Top Left: As I rounded the bend of the river back toward the east these thunderclouds moved in. It was nice cover from the sun but I was still at least 5 miles or so from the launch when I began hearing thunder. Top Right: This was my last good photo before the wind picked up and nearly blew the paddle out of my hand. I picked up the pace a bit and made it back the boat shed that I stopped at earlier just in time for the thunderstorm. About 10 minutes after the bottom fell out a couple of guys in a powerboat pulled up also looking for shelter. Fortunately my kayak doesn't require much room so they joined me underneath the boat shed. It's a good thing that they stopped too because after getting turned around in the storm they were headed south when they thought they were going north. These guys were at least 30 miles from their launch (Mt. Vernon) and had no idea where they were so I gave them a map and pointed them back in the right direction. ¶ 2:42 PM 1 comments
Sunday, July 16, 2006
7/16/2006: Magnolia River
Trip Leader: Nancy Ward
Destination: Magnolia River
Launch: Rock Street, Magnolia Springs
Distance: Approximately 7.5 miles
Pace: Leisurely
Time: 3.5 hours
Weather: Humid with high temperature of 94 degrees. Partly cloudy with scattered rain and thunderstorms. The neap tide current was quite managable but stronger headwinds toward Weeks Bay created more of a challenge.
We put in 1 block down from the Highway 49 bridge at Rock Street. Top left: Ben gets his Tarpon 140 into the water. Top right: The group heads upstream past the Highway 49 bridge while taking in some sights along the way.
As we headed east on the river past the bridge we were able to enjoy a part of the river that powerboats could not due to shallow water and debris. Top left: Nancy and Bruce lead the way upstream. Top right: Therese gets a photo of the "photographer".
These photos are typical features of the landscape along the banks of Magnolia River
As we passed Schoolhouse Branch we navigated the narrow channel as far as we could. Top left: Faced with a roadblock of debris ahead, we decided to turn around to explore some of the lower parts of the river. Top right: This little guy would have had a better chance of continuing upstream than the rest of us.
Lilly pads and old boat houses are some other features of the Magnolia River banks.
I found it interesting that the United States Postal Service actually delivers mail by waterway in Magnolia Springs. I can't even get them to forward my mail correctly.
The wind picked up a bit as we moved closer to Weeks Bay. Top left: Bruce gets ready for a good workout paddling his Mohawk Solo 14 into headwinds. Top right: Nancy and Ben enjoy the more undeveloped portions of the river banks.
Top left: Although wind became more of a factor as we moved downstream, Ben was able to manage without use of his rudder. Top right: In effort to minimize the wind factor, Nancy led us into Noltie Creek where the weather conditions were more accomodating for paddling.
Top left: Judging from another mail box on this lonely dock, it looks like Noltie Creek is also part of the mail carrier's water route (yet the post office is still unable to get my mail where it's supposed to go). Top right: The saltwater marsh gave us a change of scenery from the upper waters of Magnolia River but with unwelcoming clouds moving in we decided to call it a day.
Top left: Therese takes in one last view of the shoreline as we return from our trip downstream. Top right: A family of mallards challenges us to a race (The Fast and the Feathered). I believe one of them had a NASCAR number.
And the best part of any canoe trip, portaging an 81-pound canoe plus gear 75-100 yards back to the car. ¶ 6:03 PM 0 comments
Trip Leader: Nancy Ward
Destination: Magnolia River
Launch: Rock Street, Magnolia Springs
Distance: Approximately 7.5 miles
Pace: Leisurely
Time: 3.5 hours
Weather: Humid with high temperature of 94 degrees. Partly cloudy with scattered rain and thunderstorms. The neap tide current was quite managable but stronger headwinds toward Weeks Bay created more of a challenge.
We put in 1 block down from the Highway 49 bridge at Rock Street. Top left: Ben gets his Tarpon 140 into the water. Top right: The group heads upstream past the Highway 49 bridge while taking in some sights along the way.
As we headed east on the river past the bridge we were able to enjoy a part of the river that powerboats could not due to shallow water and debris. Top left: Nancy and Bruce lead the way upstream. Top right: Therese gets a photo of the "photographer".
These photos are typical features of the landscape along the banks of Magnolia River
As we passed Schoolhouse Branch we navigated the narrow channel as far as we could. Top left: Faced with a roadblock of debris ahead, we decided to turn around to explore some of the lower parts of the river. Top right: This little guy would have had a better chance of continuing upstream than the rest of us.
Lilly pads and old boat houses are some other features of the Magnolia River banks.
I found it interesting that the United States Postal Service actually delivers mail by waterway in Magnolia Springs. I can't even get them to forward my mail correctly.
The wind picked up a bit as we moved closer to Weeks Bay. Top left: Bruce gets ready for a good workout paddling his Mohawk Solo 14 into headwinds. Top right: Nancy and Ben enjoy the more undeveloped portions of the river banks.
Top left: Although wind became more of a factor as we moved downstream, Ben was able to manage without use of his rudder. Top right: In effort to minimize the wind factor, Nancy led us into Noltie Creek where the weather conditions were more accomodating for paddling.
Top left: Judging from another mail box on this lonely dock, it looks like Noltie Creek is also part of the mail carrier's water route (yet the post office is still unable to get my mail where it's supposed to go). Top right: The saltwater marsh gave us a change of scenery from the upper waters of Magnolia River but with unwelcoming clouds moving in we decided to call it a day.
Top left: Therese takes in one last view of the shoreline as we return from our trip downstream. Top right: A family of mallards challenges us to a race (The Fast and the Feathered). I believe one of them had a NASCAR number.
And the best part of any canoe trip, portaging an 81-pound canoe plus gear 75-100 yards back to the car. ¶ 6:03 PM 0 comments
