12/27/99 Paddling Flagler Beach:
Florida! The weather drove me out of Georgia before I had a chance to even get my paddle wet. I'm at the Gamble Rogers State Recreation Area Campgrounds in the town of Flagler Beach, mid-way between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach. Route A1A (what kind of route number is that?) runs down a very narrow peninsula between the Atlantic and the Inter Coastal Waterway (ICW). The campground lies between the ocean and A1A. Some campsite are just a few yards from the road. The roar of the surf drowns out most of the traffic noise, for me at least.
Last night the temperature was in the 40's and today is supposed to be in the 60's, heaven for me. It was still in the 40's at 7am when I started my run. An hour later when I got back, the sun was up and it was warming up quickly.
A 10 knot wind made things kind of blustery when I launched from the campground boat ramp onto the Halifax River and the ICW. I got distracted while launching by a pelican. It kept circling around the tiny little cove I was launching from and then would dive into the water with a fair amount of speed after a fish. That kept me occupied for 5 minutes or so and I shot a couple of pictures. It's a wonder it didn't break something hitting the water that fast and hard or at least get a headache.
I checked out the boat ramp yesterday afternoon and got a good dose of 20 knot winds out of the northwest. I certainly didn't want to be battling them on the way back today so I headed north on the ICW while the wind was only 10 knots and I was still fresh (or as fresh as I ever get).
This section of the Halifax River is less than 100 yards across. I always imagined the ICW as much wider to accommodate tankers and such. I guess depth rather than width is the key. The Army Corps of Engineers are responsible for keeping the ICW dredged to an appropriate depth. Most of the water I paddled in was 1.5-2 foot deep but of course I was out of the channel most of the time.
Immediately to the south of where I entered the ICW is a Manatee Zone. This is an area Manatees are known to frequent and boat speed is limited to help protect them. The signs probably refer to the summertime because the manatees are elsewhere this time of year.
Soon after turning onto the ICW I saw a group of 18 or so pelican sized white birds on the other side of the river just standing around, not doing much of anything. They seemed to have the same body structure as a pelican but were larger. Their bright orange bills seemed longer and narrower than a pelican's. A 35 foot sailboat motored by spooking the birds into the air where I could see their wing tips were black.
In the air, they broke off into smaller groups of 3-5 and just flew around waiting for the sailboat to move on. They didn't seem to mind me too much and flew directly overhead a couple of time so naturally I snapped off a shot. I usually carry the camera in a waterproof pouch and then have to fumble with it to get a picture. Today, I simply carried it inside my PFD but forgot to bring the camera case.
I turned my head just in time to see an osprey (I think) hit the water (I don't think it dove into the water) and come up with a fish. The fish might have been a little more than the osprey bargained for because it kind of wobbled as it flew away for dinner.
A pier for a house under construction jutted out into the shallow part of the river. It consisted of 30-40 pilings and each piling had a cormorant or a pelican perched on top. There must have been 20+ cormorants and 20+ pelicans on that dock.
Paddling north, I was enjoying the scenery and wildlife and didn't hear a tug pushing a barge, sneak up behind me. I tend to stay out of or at the edge of a channel so there was no problem and he passed me with very little wake.
A number of white headed pelicans with gray bodies flew overhead. These were different from the other white ones I saw earlier. Those had white bodies and wings and black wing tips. Some of then were flying around at the same time though. They both had the same type of wing spreads and flight formations.
Lots of blue herons and some smaller dark colored wading birds lined both sides of the river along with a few of what I choose to think are egrets. I thought blue herons were on the endangered species list but I've seen too many of them between New England and Florida to believe that any more. There is a huge blue heron rookery in northern Vermont in a protected Wildlife Management Area (apropos of nothing).
I poked around in some coves and some dead end rivers (which I guess means they're not rivers, duh). Every once in a while the possibility of alligators crossed my mind. The mud banks along some of the feeder streams looked ideal for 'gator sunning spots and I started looking behind to see what might be gaining on me
Kabloona is a book about a woman kayaker paddling through the Northwest Territories. She tells about being in an area with lots of seals and walruses. Paddling along one day, she had the distinct impression of being watched. Looking around, she saw a black nose and two black eyes set in a white head not far behind her. It was a polar bear stalking her with every intention of having her for lunch.
That's what I felt like looking behind me for alligators. After a while I decided not to look for the 'gators themselves but for signs of them, like tracks, mud slides, etc. Hopefully that would be sufficient. Somewhere, I think it would be a good idea for me to find out how to behave around those gruesome, toothsome reptilians.
The river bottom is a hard packed sand with no vegetation. So, even with the Manatee Zone a little to the south, I didn't think they would range up here. But if they did inhabit these waters, I didn't think they would do so with alligators nearby. The manatee has no defenses at all, other than its size, and would be easy prey for the 'gators, at least I would think so.
Much of the banks are covered with 15 foot, thatch trunked (cabbage?) palm trees with long droopy palm fronds all bunched pretty close together. (1/4: Actually Sabal Palm is the offcial name and it's known as cabbage - it is also the Florida State tree). Only an occasional oak or pine tree jutted up above them. But a short distance up the river, the landscape changed dramatically with the hardwoods and bushy pines dominating the many 40-50 foot palm trees scattered in between. These palm trees were more like the ones I'd expect a monkey to climb and toss coconuts down at you.
I saw a crab trap over in the shallows and had to investigate, hoping I wasn't going to get shot. Don't mess with anybody's traps. This trap was about 2.5 feet square and had a little trap door at the top, presumably to remove the crabs. I could see about a dozen live crabs in the 3-4 inch range. Maryland has a 5 inch limit on blue crabs but I don't know how that applies to these here in Florida.
I'm going to get a Florida non-resident fishing & shellfish license for the year after the Jan. 1st. Unfortunately the state has gotten involved and requires bait shops to put up a $5,000 bond which they're not doing. Now, the only ones who can afford to sell them is Walmarts, etc.
A fair number of 35+ foot sailboats went motoring sedately by as I had lunch, one flying a British flag. A couple of 35+ foot power cruisers went by, not so sedately. I paddled up to what I assume was the route 100 bridge by noon, had lunch and started back. A variety of birds were congregated on a sandbar, including the white pelican like birds and some brown pelicans. Sure enough, my first impressions were correct, the white ones were much larger or the brown pelicans were young ones. They did have the same body structure though.
I also saw a smaller pelican with a blackish body, white head with some yellow coloring near the top and a black pin stripe along the side of the head. I don't know if these were the guys I saw flying around earlier or not.
I'm paddling along, minding my own business when I look up and see 6 turkey buzzards circling overhead. They went around and around with me pretty much near the center of the circles. Geeze, I certainly hoped they didn't know something I didn't. Eventually I paddled out of their circle so apparently they had their eye on something else. Phew!
When I got back to the pier full of birds, there were even more on it. And right near the end were a pair of larger, yellow topped pelicans.
Nearing my little cove I saw a large power cruiser coming up through the Manatee Zone with pretty large bow waves pushing out in front. As I reached the edge of my cove, he exited the zone and zoomed by me. His large wake hit the shallow waters I was in and started breaking, right over me. I was in 2 foot water and these were about 2 foot, nearly vertical waves, one right after another. I tried to nose into them but each one broke over the deck or over my side as they pushed me around.
They didn't cause me any real problems except to turn a nice dry trip into a soaking wet one. I was wearing a waist length jacket with note paper in one pocket and money, cards, etc. (in a baggie) in another. Of more concern was the camera tucked into my PFD. It got wet but is a water resistant model so I should be OK.
When I landed I saw the Manatee Zone sign said 30mph speed limit and I have to admit the dork wasn't going any faster than that. I don't see how he'd avoid a manatee at that speed though, if he even saw one.
11-28-99
After a balmy night with temperatures in the 50's, albeit a little damp from some rain, I got my butt out of bed to do a little shelling before everyone else woke up. The eastern skies over the ocean were pretty as the sun was forcing the storm clouds out of the way, producing lots of different shades of purple. With groups of pelicans flying low over breaking waves in the foreground, there were some really pretty pictures to be had. I may have gotten one or two but I doubt it.
The beaches in this area are an unattractive reddish brown. I dunno why. They were telling me a 500 pound leatherback turtle washed up on the beach last night and the rangers buried it. I had gone up the beach in the opposite direction so didn't see it.
From May through September, Loggerhead turtles come up on these beaches to lay eggs. They do this on a full moon and the campgrounds are closed to campers then. When they hatch, baby turtles head for the strongest light, which is supposed to be the sun rising over the horizon. Because of the condos and such nearby, they frequently become disoriented and head in the wrong direction and need help to find their way to the water.
The ranger station has a shell display so I now know my conch shells are really whelks (probably a conch relative though) and my scallops are really cockles. The other day I found several dead starfish. Their backs were like leather and they looked as though they could be worn on a jacket like boy scout or army patches. I've found some thin, delicate shells called angel wings because of their shape and a large fan like shell called pen shell.
I signed on for another two days, not wanting to make a longer commitment in case the weather turned cold. The ranger told me it would be tough luck anyway because everything was reserved for the millennium. I didn't know if the whole world was going to be out camping that night or what but thought I better find a camp site ahead of time. Fortunately that turned out to be fairly easy since there's another state park about 10 miles away.
The one I'm in is popular because it's right on the ocean and is out in the open. People come from all over to watch night shuttle launchings from Cape Canaveral, 20-30 miles away. They say the whole area lights up and the earth trembles from the power of the take off.
In the afternoon I took a ride through a nearby scenic drive, along canals, through palm and oak canopied roads. Really pretty.
In the afternoon I went on a self guided nature walk at the park. As soon as I stepped into the walk it was like entering another world. The overhead foliage was so thick much of the sunlight was filtered out. Saw palmettos amidst live oak provided a definite jungle atmosphere while the bent and gnarly oaks provided a surreal sense of the unnatural.
12/29/99 Paddling Knox Drawbridge:
After an hour run, shower and breakfast, I was ready to head out for a paddle around 8:45am. A couple from Pennsylvania had kayaked Merritt National Wildlife Refuge below Daytona Beach yesterday and I wanted to hear their report. Merritt Island is now on my list when I move a little farther south.
Another couple I had made friends with were leaving so we had to chat for a while too and it was 10am before I got out on the river. The Knox Drawbridge crosses the ICW on that scenic drive I took yesterday and that seemed as good a place as any to put in.
Heading north would bring me to the put in at the state park where I launched yesterday. This would only be a couple of miles but I could always turn around and go the other way too.
A 10 knot wind was blowing in my face when I first started, making the temperature seem lower than the stated 40's. Plus I forgot my gloves so my hands were cold. I scared up a couple of blue herons that must have been feeding in a small channel running parallel to the Halifax River. Each of them went squawking off like some big, clumsy, prehistoric bird.
Lots of egrets were flying around a couple of hundred yards away beyond the other side of the river. I also noticed several water hawks soaring in the area. I say water hawks because they are definitely birds of prey but whether they were osprey or not I don't know.
I went poking around in little bays and coves and dead ends. Lots of oyster shell stuck up from dead beds in the shallows. I had to be careful because they were just waiting to rip the bottom right out of my boat.
I was watching an egret as it fished for its lunch when a blue heron swooped down and scared the egret off. I don't know if the heron did it on purpose or not.
The trip quickly became less interesting when I came to a bunch of condos and homes right on the bank of the river. These went all the way up to the entrance to the state park boat ramp.
The only thing mildly interesting about this stretch is that most of the docks had electric boat hoists and had several 25+ powerboats hoisted up for winter as well as one 25+ sailboat.
When I got even with the state park ramp, I swung over to the other side of the Halifax. Almost immediately I saw something scoot away from the bow of the boat towards shore. Little puffs of sand hung in the water as the thing disappeared. A little farther on another one took off. My first thought was some little marine animal then I thought of a fish a foot or so long.
And then I saw one. A sting ray! Just this morning we were talking about the Florida Keys and I said I hope to see a sting ray, not step on one. And there was one.
It was plate sized and kind of a brownish, purplish color. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I began to see many of them in the foot deep water, some of them the size of a platter, but most dish size. I tried to maneuver the boat to get a picture of one but they were too skittish. They were easy to see but hard to get near enough for the camera.
I started noticing ray sized indentations in the sand and assume that is where they rest or feed or whatever and cover themselves over with sand. In 50 yards or so I saw 10-20 stingrays and then none. The indentations were still around, but no rays. I gave up on them and picked up speed and then would glide over one. I would be moving too fast to snap off a picture or stop and try to work back to one.
It appeared (notice I say appeared) that they had little tadpole type legs or some kind of protrubance at the base of their long spiked tail. I really didn't get a real good view looking down at one but that was the impression I had so I may not be as crazy as I sound. Tadpoles grow up to be frogs. Maybe this was some sort of species that grows up to be alligators or something. I'd half expect those suckers to chase me up on shore and then run after me on those hind legs like those hooded lizards that run on water and whack me with that long stinger thing. Hey, what do I know? I'm just an old Yankee boy from up north. (12/31: A park ranger later confirmed this. He said they were appendages used by the sting rays to help steer, so there!)
As I neared the drawbridge, its horn blasted, the access gates on the road went down and the bridge went up. Gee, just for me? Of course there was a 35+ sailboat coming the other way but when it went through, I paddled through, tipped my hat to the attendant and said thank you very much but I think I might have squeezed through on my own.
I hadn't brought any lunch or water but had the makin's in the truck. After a quick lunch and a pit stop I was back on the water heading south this time.
The western bank of the Halifax at this point has short mud banks while the eastern shores are more grassy. The mud banks have tons of little holes but I don't know if they're critter holes or what.
The banks here are eroding out from under a lot of the palm trees. The thatched trunk ones have really thin and short roots but there are hundreds of them. They must be sufficient for nourishment but can't do much for stability. The root systems seem even shallower than white birch. With all those tiny little roots hanging down they look like tall, skinny ladies with hula skirts.
I think the tall palm trees may be grown up thatched trunk palms because they also have a little thatch at the top near the leaves and skinny little root systems. Regardless, when passing a bunch of these palms you get the feeling you're paddling down some jungle river in the Amazon (.com - ha, ha) or off some deserted island in French Polynesia.
As the sail and power boats move up and down the ICW you can't help but wonder where they've been or where they might be going. Maybe to a New Years rendezvous with fellow sailors for an extended cruise or an around the world voyage. Maybe to the Caribbean or the South Pacific. Maybe Scandinavia or the Mediterranean, East Africa or the Indian Ocean. Sigh!
12/31/99 Paddling Ponce de Leon Inlet:
For my last paddle of 1999 I drove down A1A to Ponce de Leon Inlet, about 15 miles south of Daytona Beach. This is still the Halifax River and the ICW but with lots of channels and backwater areas to paddle.
As I drove out of the campground I was passing runners (and walkers) at the tail end of a local marathon. I had the window rolled down and would give a thumbs up to each runner I passed. It was amazing at the huge smiles I got in return, especially some of the women. Their entire face would light up. They knew they were doing something special. All I did was remind them that others thought so too.
Well I hate to say this to you folks up north. Today I officially traded my dry suit in for a bathing suit. Yup, that's what I wore paddling on this last day of 1999. I unloaded the truck wearing bathing suit, T-shirt and sandals. I did put a sweater on in deference to the wind. After all, the forecast was only for the mid-70's.
I had a large brick lighthouse to act as a beacon to guide me back to the ramp. I took a waypoint with the GPS anyway.
I paddled out into a 1.5 knot current as the tide was still ebbing. Several large, yellow topped pelicans eyed me as I struggled out of the little channel into the Halifax River. A couple of snowy white egrets stalked the banks in search of breakfast and pretty much ignored me.
I wanted to get off the main river and into the back channels as soon as possible. A large number of boat trailers littered the parking lot when I arrived and I didn't want to be dodging them all day.
I took the first channel I came to and just started paddling. I had the GPS and a compass so I wasn't worried (much) about getting lost. I also had the lighthouse for a landmark to return to.
The channel was lined with lots of egrets, blue herons and some smaller gray and some white wading birds. A lot of (red tailed?) hawks soared overhead and a few perched on the limbs of dead trees. I saw a new bird, for me anyway. A moderate sized white bird with a long, thin, orange bill and black tail or feet.
I came across what looked like 3 or 4 generations of Chinese working through an dead oyster bed. They said they were after shrimp, which I guess bury under or around the oyster clusters. One guy had a 5 pound sledge hammer so I guess maybe they were also collecting live oysters they found among the shell clusters. At $5-$6 a pound around here, I'll be doing that too after I get my license.
I passed over several fairly large whelks but when I reached in to grab them, I saw the original inhabitants were still in residence. Some smaller whelks ride piggyback on the larger ones. Probably not related.
As I had lunch, I spotted a baby conch about an inch long and kept an eye on it because I was going to grab it. Just as I was getting ready to reach for it, it got up and walked away. Bummer. A hermit crab had inherited it.
Many baby jellyfish floated around the area. I couldn't actually spot them on the surface because of their transparency. I would see a little round shadow on the bottom of the sand and when I'd look on the surface I would see who cast the shadow. They were about the size of a quarter for the most part.
I found a real conch shell in one of the backwaters, green from the algae growth. The difference between a conch and a whelk is the spirals on the fat end of the conch stick out farther, more like an outie.
While drifting past another oyster bed in a backwater, I started looking and thinking (oh, the strain) a little harder. These dead oyster beds are everywhere. What happened? Did all the oysters mysteriously die at the same time? Or was the Chinese guy carrying the 5lb sledge to break away dead shells from a living oyster. I plucked a couple of clusters but couldn't tell much from my examination. I thought a couple of them might just be closed but without opening them I couldn't be sure.
I paddled past the put in to the Ponce de Leon Inlet a few hundred yards beyond. The tide was on its way in now so I wasn't worried about getting swept out to sea, getting swept in from sea would be more likely. The barrier islands and peninsula run 60-80 miles or more with only this one break in them. I would expect some really strong currents to flow through the inlet. I'm guessing but I think it was an hour or so into the high tide but not much current yet. The wind was blowing in around 10 knots but nothing too bad.
The maniac powerboats and jet skis were of more concern as were a couple of sight seeing boats. The far side of the inlet held a white sand beach and lots of people were out sunning their body parts. I bet many of them will greet the new millennium with coughs and sniffles.
I was just paddling along with no particular goal in mind when I saw a dorsal fin 150 feet or so away. I just happened to be looking where it was. It didn't reappear right away so I marked it off as a porpoise. But a minute or so later I saw two of them appear together and realized they were in fact bottle nosed dolphins.
They started surfacing every 5 seconds or so, sometimes lunging forward with a splash. Then I saw there were 4 of them, one out in front and 3 in a row behind it. I gave chase and would estimate their speed at maybe 3+ knots. I was able to catch up to them without a lot of strain and pain.
I had the camera around my neck, turned on and zoomed out. I had a little feel for when and where they would surface and was prepared when I was correct and snapped off one picture.
I'm sure they saw me but didn't really pay any attention. What is more amazing is they didn't get run over by the powerboats. Nor did I. After getting my picture, I thought it might be a good idea to get my butt out of the main channel.
12/31/99 Paddling Tomoka Basin:
After writing up today's trip report, I thought it would be a good idea to greet the new millennium on the water. Accordingly, I went back to camp for a nap, woke up at 11pm, rushed to get on the water by 11:20pm and here I am at 2am writing another report.
I don't paddle at night very often as it holds no particular enjoyment for me, at least not by myself. Directly overhead the stars shone down brightly while off in the distance was all clouds.
I put in at the Tomoka State Park Campgrounds boat ramp. This is a truly gorgeous campground located just off the Halifax River in Ormond Beach, north of Daytona Beach. To get to the park you have to drive along the river through an upscale neighborhood. That gives way to a mile or so of a scenic highway tunneling its way through overhanging oaks and palms. The park is more of the same and the camp sites are surrounded by palms, palmettos and oaks, providing a little privacy.
The temperature was still in the upper 50's as I launched.
The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to meet the future on the water that has become such a big part of my life. I wanted some quiet time to sit and reflect and let my mind wander wherever it chose and think whatever thoughts it wanted; a time for introspection, thinking about who I am, where I am, how I got here, whether I like me and what I wanted to or should change in my life.
I dragged out some of the old baggage we all carry around. I held some of the stuff up to be examined and determined if now would be a good time to discard each item. Most of it I just folded up and stored away in the back of my memory again. After all, that is what makes me who I am (for whatever that's worth).
I paddled out into the Tomoka Basin and just drifted, letting the out going tide slowly take me along. When I got too far from the put in, I just paddled back to it. It never occurred to me I might get stranded until my paddle hit bottom in the middle of the water.
The sky and shoreline reflected themselves in the water making it seems as if there was twice as much of everything.
I didn't solve any of life's mysteries or even any of the mysteries of my own life. I did firm up some priorities and a couple of truths became a little more self evident. I decided I'm very happy and very satisfied with what I'm doing with my life and there's nothing I would rather be doing. There may be one or two things I would change if I could, but since I can't, there's no point in dwelling on them.
At midnight I had my eye on my digital watch as the seconds ticked down. It acted up a little on 9-9-99 but I was hoping for the best for this event and it did flip over OK.
Several locals put on their own small fireworks display and I could see several more in the distance. Farther away, beyond my horizon, the sky flickered with the lights of some larger displays. A couple of tugboats or whatever let fly with their fog horns. Do you know how annoying that can get in a really short time?
I wish I had thought to bring the camera. Not that any of the fireworks were really spectacular, but because this was the millennium and I'll never see another one. At least I got a picture of the sunset a little earlier.
When things settled down a little I paddled off towards the Halifax River. I wandered off into the shallows and a bunch of small fish started jumping out of the water. All I heard was splashing and my thoughts immediately went to alligators. Believe me, I picked the pace up after that. To make matters worse, I started to notice crab pot buoys but of course they looked like 'gator heads gliding towards me. I got back safe and sound though.
Peace, joy, and prosperity to you all on this, the first day of the new millennium.