Gpax Yax

Date with a Surgeon

2009-08-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

My date with the surgeon had been coming all summer and is finally here. Chris dropped me off at the hospital at 6:30AM. I was prepped and in Surgery about 9:00AM and out by noon. I spent the night in Sacred Heart hospital and was released at 3:30PM on Tuesday.

I have one week to recover before I have to be back to work on Monday.

No paddling for a month.

Turkey Creek

2009-08-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

We joined up with aWFCKC paddle down Turkey Creek on Eglin AFB from the Hippie Hole to the next bridge.

Pretty day and clear water. I love that section.

Sheila stops for lunch. The scary thing about Turkey: lots of spiders.

Stopping for lunch. Dog sitting.

Finally we reach the bridge.

Econfina Creek Again

2009-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Chris saw the pictures from the previous Friday and could hardly wait to paddle Econfina. We joined up with Frances and three of her friends at the Econfina Livery. We paddled down to the last spring and back upstream to the highway 20 bridge where we took out.

This turned out to be a very expensive trip. When taking the kayaks off the car top carrier we dropped one which crashed into the side of our brand new Subaru. The driver's side view mirror was knocked off and both the drivers and passengers doors were dented in. $1200 in damage. $500 deductible. And one week in the body shop.

Me in my new Pungo 140. Pictures of fish in the springs.

Frances and me snorkeling in the springs.

Another group of paddlers.

Chris over a spring and under a palm.

Frances loves to swim.

Boiling Creek

2009-08-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

I led a regularly scheduled WFCKC paddle down Boiling Creek and the Yellow River to the take-out next to the SR87 bridge. The water was cloudier than I ever remember. It is usually very clear. We did see powerboats up the creek which disturbs the banks and bottoms. The floria was still pretty.

Econfina Creek

2009-08-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

My to-do list had paddle Econfina Creek above Panama City at the top. I sent out an e-mail to look for someone who wanted to paddle Econfina with me. Bruce replied. We paddled from the Econfina Creek Livery to Route 388 bridge. After getting used to the cool spring water we were in most all the springs swimming. The day was beautiful and the water clear.

The livery is a trailer on a spring run into the creek. But it also has restrooms, a changing room and a shower.

Two characteristics of Econfina Creek were discovered quickly. Wild palm trees and large tadpoles.

Spring runs are obviously a clear blue water flowing into the brown creek. Pitt Spring was posted as closed but people were swimming anyways.

Hwy 20 bridges and a canoe being pulled by two divers.

My 2010 Subaru Outback with kayaks. The highway 388 bridge.

Fern covered creek banks.

A rope swing on the back porch. Bruce over a spring.

Sand in the spring boil. Gainer Spring flows like an endless pool.

Sylvian Spring. Me swimming up from a spring oriface and the oriface without me.

Night Paddle in Fundy Bayou

2009-08-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday August 5th we had cancelled an evening paddle due to thunderstorms. Instead we invited friends to our house for a social hour. We kept peering towards the south. Finally someone said for us to give it a try. So we piled in our cars and off we went.

We arrived at the put-in at twilight. Off in the distance we could see lightning but nothing close. A full moon was rising. We launched our boats in the dark into a bayou I had never paddled. I did bring the gps.

The wind dropped and everyone turned on their flashlights ... mostly headlamps. Ritch had a million or so candlepower spot light. The bayou is a saltwater marsh with reeds and a few trees along the bank. The channels branch out into a maze. We paddled two miles into the dark. Our lights kept scanning the banks looking for gator eyes. All we saw were silver reflections of water spider eyes.

The paddle turned out to be a blast. We had planned to tell ghost stories around a campfire but the hour was lated.

Coldwater Creek

2009-08-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Taking the weekend off for our visitors from Tampa and dodging thunderstorms brought us to Wednesday August 5th. Chris and I decided to paddle Coldwater Creek from Springhill Road bridge to the old steel bridge. Our disappointment was once we passed Adventures Unlimited the garbage was over powering down to the steel bridge. A photo above is of a pile of garbage on a sandbar. Beer cans were strewn about. Disgusting. Bob's Canoes was launching tubers with their cooler of beverages as we were taking out. To make things worse, we accidentally locked our keys in the trunk of our car. We called a locksmith from Pensacola to come out to the creek and open our car.

Springhill Road bridge.

Pile of garbage. Tubers at the old steel bridge.

Chris's birthday and Rachel's shower

2009-08-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had plans that did not include paddling. Alex and Rachel flew up from Tampa for the weekend. Thunderstorms delayed air traffic across the south including 6.5 hours late for our two travelers. Saturday, August 1st we celebrated Chris's birthday. The same day Chris organized a baby shower for Rachel and Ella. Alex and I went bowling until late afternoon. Alex and Rachel flew back to Tampa on Sunday.

Low water on Big Escambia Creek

2009-07-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

What makes Big Escambia Creek interesting is the area where it spreads out through the cypress swamp. Someone said this was Titi Creek on steriods. Today the water was very low which made things even more interesting.

The first part of the creek is open. Then suddenly the creek goes through a wall of trees.

At first we looked down the right hand route but it had a log jam from the last high water. So we went the longer left hand route.

We helped each other and finally found the creek again just before it flowed into the Escambia River. Then we took a leisurely paddle down to the Hwy4 boat ramp near Century, Florida.

Big Sabine Point Primitive Campground

2009-07-24T19:53:00.000-07:00

I had promised Doug Alderson of Florida Paddling Trails Association that I would help by getting some pictures of the primitive campsite made as an Eagle Scout project on Big Sabine Point. I waited for a clear day and off I went. Not wanting a full day of it, I towed my Kestrel 160 to a parking area and pulled the kayak on a cart a quarter mile across the soft sand. Bad idea but we made it.

I had the gps coordinates in my gps. I put the boat in the water and started paddling towards the arrow and watched the distance to the waypoint decrease. The spit of land was covered with dead trees and did not look inviting at first. Finally I spotted a blue sign and beached my boat.

The site had two benches and a fire pit with a plaque on one bench. There was a sandy area behind to pitch a tent. That was it.

The down side of humanity are those who just don't care and just don't get it. The campsite was six months old. One of the benches was broken. Maybe someone had leaned firewood and stomped it breaking the bench instead. The fire pit was full of beer cans and other trash including a leather glove. Trash was strewn about including glass bottles. Two pair of men's underwear were hanging in the bushes. One pair almost on the No Trace Campsite sign.

I didn't get where they chose to locate this campsite. Right beside the campsite was what appeared to be a stagnant pond. It appeared to be a bad spot for bugs.

As I paddled back I could see the Portifino Towers two miles in the distance. I paddled to the sand dune covered with a dark leafed magnolia looking bush. That is where I turned to the parking lot. The parking lot is on the beach side of the island. A concrete restroom with outdoor showers is located there.

Alaqua Creek

2009-07-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Alaqua Creek is a short paddle from RR205 on the east side of Eglin AFB to Choctawhatchee Bay. Not many people appear to paddle the creek which keeps the creek pristine.

Along the way we saw some red berries which may actually be blueberries, some azaleas and other interesting water plants.

Frances got the Alaqua Spa treatment when John found a chair and placed it in Little Alaqua Creek. We limboed as well as went around logs.

Three examples of critters to steer clear of: hornets, spiders and snakes.

Scenes from Alaqua Creek.

Jack on Big Juniper Creek

2009-07-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Jack is a border collie mix and is not a fan of water but we want to take him on a a kayak trip because he likes being with us. As you can see Jack really does not like the wet stuff but he tolerates it to be with us. We paddled from Red Rock Road Bridge to Indian Ford Bridge.

Jacked liked kayaking okay but does not care for water. He will not go for a swim like his sister Sadie does.

We had thunder cells floating by. We though for a while that a cell was coming but it missed. We always need to be prepared to take shelter in case of lightning.

New Redfish 14 Cracks in same place

2009-07-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

Starting out on Turkey Creek I did not notice any cracks. When we stopped at the island I noticed a crack forming behind the right scupper.

By the time I got to the culverts. The crack on the right side was wide open and two cracks had formed behind the left scupper.

I notified the company and was told to immediately take the boat to the dealer. I bought a Pungo 140 while we figure out the warranty on the Redfish. Heritage is being fair about the whole situation.

Turkey Creek in Okaloosa Co. [Eglin AFB]

2009-07-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

Swamp lillies and a blue water plant.

Taking a break at the island.

I jump in above the culverts in my PFD and ride the current through them.

Log with a plant and an interesting plant.

What made that nest? Pitcher plants with an interesting extra shoot.

Clear waters of Turkey Creek.

45.0 miles per gallon

2009-07-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

Road to Pensacola. 45.0 mpg. I think I like my diesel VW.

Last day in Gatlinburg

2009-07-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Gatlinburg we still had shopping to do. Here is the view from our balcony overlooking the babbling brook. We ate at the Pancake Pantry, my mothers fav. Off to the outlets in Pigeon Forge.

Then out and around the artists loop. Here we found quilts homemade by Kathy Pack as well as pottery, photography,painting and crafts. BTW, lots of Packs live in the hills.

We spent the evening in the Aquarium of the Smokeys. It was nicely done. We got to pet horseshoe crags and stingrays.

Back to Gatlinburg

2009-07-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

On the way back we stopped at Blenko Glass Factory in Milton, WV and contributed to the local economy. We love their blown glass.

Was I dreaming or was that a pot plant next to McDonalds in Kentucky?

We made Gatlinburg for dinner and walked around town before going to bed.

Edith's 90th Birthday Party in Charleston, WV

2009-07-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

The morning of the 11th we were off to Charleston, WV, my hometown. My fathers sister and my aunt, Edith, was having a surprise 90th birthday party. We had representatives of the families of her four brothers and sisters. A great time was had by all.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

2009-07-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

We can see the Smokeys off in the distance. Home to Gatlinburg and the Smokey Mountain National Park. We always see flowers in bloom during the summer in Gatlinburg.

The city does a great job putting flowers everywhere.

In many nooks and crannies, bluegrass musicians and cloggers are sidewalk entertainers.

And we love the people watching as people from all over the country come to Gatlinburg to breath some mountain air.

Tennessee Mountain Air

2009-07-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

On July 9th the Smokey Mountains were our destination. The daytime temperature was 60 degrees at Newfound Gap.

Wildflowers were blooming along the road.

The cold trout streams were babbling alongside the road. We had to stop and get the camera.

Mountain Laurel was blooming.

Sepulga River

2009-07-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

Buddy sent me a picture he took of me on the Sepulga River in Alabama.

4th of July in Pensacola

2009-07-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

4th of July in Pensacola starts on Pensacola Beach.

We get a picnic and tailgate in the park across from the bay waiting on dark.

All the family gathers for the picnic.

From 9:00PM to 9:30PM we are treated to a wonderful fireworks. Then we get in the traffic jam to go home.

Joe Settles In After Two Weeks

2009-06-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Joe was spayed and mirco chipped at the vets today. He has become best friends with Sadie our other puppy about the same age. They play chase and tug of war by themselves in the yard. When I picked up Joe this afternoon he was so happy to see me. He widdled on the vets floor.

I am including some uptodate photos of the new cleaned up Joe.

New VW Jetta SW TDI

2009-06-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

Chris has been wanting a car that would replace both our Jeep Grand Cherokee and her Mercedes C240 with lots of cargo room and good gas milage on less than preimum gas.

We shopped around and liked the Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagon TDI diesel. We got the room she wanted and great mpg. Right now diesel is cheaper that gas. If that holds we will be even happier with diesel fuel.

Juniper Creek Revisited

2009-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Frances Stone put together a trip down Juniper Creek the morning before the WFCKC meeting.
Seven of us had a nice trip. Frances asked that I write a report for the Florida Paddling Trails Association and she would write one for Green Wave and the club website.

I published photos and my first ever FPTA report here.

Upper Big Coldwater Creek

2009-06-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

I had planned to launch my new Redfish 14 on Burnt Corn Creek but I was afraid of becoming burnt gpax.

Brutal heat caused me to bow out of Saturdays planned paddle down Burnt Corn Creek in Alabama. I took a pic of my thermometer showing 101 as the outside temperature.

Instead we decided to take Sadie on an early morning trip down the upper section of Coldwater Creek between Highway 4 and the horse stables. Read my trip report I wrote for Green Wave Forum. For a link please click on the previous words "Green Wave Forum".

Sadie did well and we had a nice trip. With the jeep gone we are using the Toyota Corolla and S10 pickup to transport our kayaks. The trailer is light weight aluminium.

New Redfish 14 Arrives

2009-06-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

I received a call from Harriet at Fairhope Boats that my new Redfish 14 had been delivered so I raced over to pick it up before the store closed. Harriet was not the dealer on this particular boat but helping me because I bought my last two boats from her since this one.

David helped me take the boat out of the shipping bag and put it on my truck. The first thing that struck me was that this boat was deeper red than my previous one.

Then I looked up at the rear left side and what appeared as forklift gouges were obvious. I am not too concerned about them from a cosmetic standpoint. But one gouge was deeper than the others and I hope the hull holds up in this area.

I contacted Becky at Heritage Boats and I have to file a claim with the shipper. I downloaded the claims form and need to learn some truckingese to figure out how to fill out the form.

Pictures win in Photo Contest

2009-06-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Two of my pictures were selected as award winners in the Florida Paddling Trails Associations Photo contest. I am honored by their selection.

The official announcement is posted at this link. Click on the previous word "link".

Big Juniper Creek

2009-06-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Chris and I adopted Sadie, a mixed puppy, last December when she and her litter were dropped off during the coldest night on the door step of the Human Society. Turns out that she loves water. Sadie jumps up when we water the garden to playfully bite the spray. She loves to dance in the sprinkler. So Chris and I wondered how well she would behave on a kayak trip.

Juniper Creek is a friendly little creek with shallow water and lots of sandbars. Sadie had fun right from the beginning prancing in the water at the put-in.

We put Sadie on my Hobie at first. Early on she fell off twice as she explored her limits on the boat. I pulled her back onboard. We stopped often so she could cool off in the water. She switched boats, rode with Chris for a ways and then got back on my boat.

Along the way we saw lots of trees down from the erosion of recent floods. None blocked the river though. We did see one snake swimming upstream under water and Chris was not happy about that even though he kept swimming as we passed.

We might take Sadie again but the trips need to be short.

Titi Creek

2009-06-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

Titi Creek is a pretty little creek that flows through a cypress swamp just before its confluence with the Shoal River. 19 paddlers started at the bridge over Titi Creek on Eglin Reservation and paddled down to the Shoal River Wayside Park on Highway 85 by the Shoal River bridge.

I wrote a trip report and pics on Green Wave Forum. Click on the previous words "Green Wave Forum" for the link.

A significant event occured as I waited for Bruce to return from the shuttle retrieval. I noticed a puppy trying to get some food from people and trash cans. With Buddy's help I was able to capture the flea and tick infested puppy and put him in the truck. As I returned home I called Chris to get him to a vet right away. Joe Pack entered our family named for Jojo on the Beatles "Get Back" song. We have a tradition of naming our dogs for names from rock and roll songs.

Farewell Redfish14

2009-06-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

My Redfish14 cracked between the seat and the scuppers. Heritage has a production run of Redfish 14 next week and will make a new one for me. Becky Myers at Heritage has been very good about standing behind their boat.

Before I get a replacement boat I must show that the defective boat has been destroyed.

I stripped the boat of hardware before cutting it up. Then I took a skill saw and cut it apart in small enough chunks to dispose of. While cutting up the boat I examined the crack area from the inside out and I sort of see what happened. The third picture shows a support foam strip put in to firm up the deck area. But notice that the foam is rectangular while the surface is curved. It is that unsupported curved area where the cracks formed. Heritage might head off future cracks were they to form fit a slightly broader piece of support foam. This would eliminate the large gap you can see here and a broader support in the seat area might be appropriate.

Harriet Ingraham at Fairhope Boat has been great as has Matt Cowley at backcountry. However, this highlights why it is best to buy from your local dealer. I bought my last two boats from Harriet and am glad I did. Fairhope Boats owns Pensacola Kayak and Sail.

Max, our nephew passes

2009-06-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

Shocked is an understatement as is saddened. 31 years ago Chris and I went to Truckee, Calfifornia when Chris's sister, Maribelle, delivered Max into the world. Cute from day one, Max was everyone's best friend. He invited Greg [my son] to San Francisco for the Battle of the Bays World Series and they were in the stadium when the game was cancelled due to an earthquake. Max and his brother Jonathan always were close to Greg and Alex. Max stayed with us in Pensacola for a week while growing up. Max graduated from NYU acting school and pursued a career as an entertainer. Max had a role on Law and Order but together with friends formed a punk rock band, Hurry-Up Offense. They were house band for Carson Daly's show Last Call. Max was the leader with his base guitar and talked with Carson some. In pursuit of Hollywood, Max moved to LA where he wrote, produced and acted in a play, Dead; Therefore I am. Max's demise was shocking. Chris attended the funeral as we were caught at Alex's wedding in Tampa and I had to get our car back to Pensacola. Max was buried in San Francisco. My heartfelt condolences go out to Steve, Maribelle and Jonathan. Max was a gem.

Rachel, new daughter [in-law]

2009-06-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome Rachel to our family. Alex and Rachel wed in the county court house in Tampa on Friday June 5th. Chris and I as well as Rachel's parents El and Josey witnessed the civil ceremony. They are planning a repeat in Rachel's home church in Fresno, California later this fall. Rachel is a neurologist doing her residency at the VA Hospital in Tampa. She is a graduate of Notre Dame where she was a manager for the football team. Alex is a graduate of Auburn and is an executive recruiter in Tampa.

Following the wedding we celebrated at the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City where the whole party took in the famous Flamingo dinner show.

My Redfish14 is unsafe to paddle.

2009-05-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

My Redfish14 is grounded due to cracks and safety fears.

First crack is above and you can see it gets longer in the second picture.

Two weeks ago as I was launching my kayak, I discovered a crack between the left hand scupper and the seat. I contacted Backcountry.com and Heritage Kayaks. While working on the issue they said use it as long as I thought it safe.

A crack has developed behind the other scupper.

I missed a couple of weeks of kayaking because of storms but went out on Saturday to East Bay

River. At take out I found a second crack between the other scupper and the seat. I also took a little water in the bilges that I believe came through the cracks on deck. I sent detailed photos to both Backcountry.com and Heritage Kayaks.

Bummer. My Redfish is grounded.

East Bay River and Live Oak Creek

2009-05-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

Jim called Friday. Our conversation led to a Saturday morning trip to scout the East Bay River north of Navarre and Mary Ester, Florida.

As I proceeded to our meeting spot I crossed Yellow River on SR87. Looking back, our Yellow River takeout parking lot for Boiling Creek was underwater. Streams were still very high from recent rain. East Bay River, however, being mostly feed by steephead seeps and swamp drainage, appeared to be about normal.

We met at the McDonalds parking lot in Navarre and drove east towards Mary Ester. Just past the 98 West Package Store we turned left [north] on an Eglin accesses road. The paved road stopped after a mile at a radar station. We continued straight [bearing left] on a dirt road another half mile to a bridge. Just over the bridge on the right was a put in.

Jim had been scouting the East Bay River but lacking a saw stopped at a tree spanning the river a couple of miles upstream. So Jim suggested we bring saws to cut our way through. He knew there was a 4X4 accessible spot but was stopped by this a downed tree from reaching it. He also knew of a bridge further upstream.

Off we go upstream against a 2 mph current. This was a beautiful little creek sized river. The river did not appear to have much traffic. We paddled upstream and trimmed a couple of trees along the way. Since his last trip, someone else had trimmed his obstruction tree.

We stopped at his 4X4 road access and looked around. We decided to see how far upstream we could make it. So we started again until reaching the confluence with Live Oak Creek. Live Oak Creek is the same size as East Bay River but it is a clearer tea colored instead of East Bay River’s coffee color.

We made it four tenths of a mile up Live Oak Creek before we turned around due to an obstruction which would have required a chain saw to cut through. Live Oak Creek is a very pretty little creek. Returning to its mouth we turned left and continued upstream on East Bay River.

We followed East Bay River to an upstream Eglin Bridge. We stopped and looked over the spot for a put in for later paddles. We continued upstream but a few hundred yards up we stopped due to obstructions. We decided a fun paddle would be to put in at this bridge and paddle downstream.

We ate lunch and then returned DOWNSTREAM. Enjoying the current, we were back in no time. However, we had two notable events.

First, I saw my first ever alligator in the wild. That log floating in the river had two eyes and swam with us for a few yards. Jim was between me and the gator. As I was trying to get a picture he submerged in the coffee colored water so as not to be seen again. We guessed he was about six feet. Jim had the better view.

We thought we were getting close to our take out when we heard what must have been trucks crossing our bridge. No, three jet skis that put in at the SR87 bridge had zoomed upstream. They could have easily swamped us but they slowed down. The “river” is too narrow for those kinds of wakes. They stopped at our take out and talked with us for a while before we both left.

Here are the gps coordinates of both our bridges:
N30 25.891 W86 46.330 Bridge Downstream
N30 25.778 W86 44.332 Bridge Upstream

We plan on going back to explore some more on the East Bay River and Live Oak Creek.
I ran a track on my Garmin topo map and from the Downstream bridge to SR87 bridge is about 8 miles. I would also like to explore the possibility of going further on Live Oak Creek.

Working at Home

2009-05-24T18:13:00.001-07:00

My paddling was put on hold today with high water on area streams. So I tended to WFCKC business in preparation for our monthly meeting on Tuesday. As I was working away on the membership roster, I received a cell phone call from Chris who was on the porch. A snake was sunning itself on our hedge. I couldn't resist grabbing my D40X and heading out for a picture. The snake was a two foot long southern black racer snake, who had recently had a meal which was still a lump in his stomach. He was resting in the sun on top of our hedges. I took several pictures experimenting with my camera. He carefully watched me walk around him for shots from various angles. As soon as I stepped away he was gone like a jet. In a minute I saw his head pop out of another area of the hedge looking for me. I have posted the best photo here.

Maybe tomorrow the weather will support me going out. The water gages are up four to six feet as most area streams are carrying storm run off. A group is going down Big Escambia Creek in the morning but I would rather not go through the trees on high water. I will check the water gages in the morning. My sea kayak needs sea trails but I am a little concerned about boat traffic on Memorial Day.

Big Juniper Creek

2009-05-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today is my son's 33 birthday. I had hoped to paddled today but rain poured well into the morning. So instead of paddling, Chris and I took our puppy, Sadie, out to scout out the water levels on Coldwater Creek and Big Juniper Creek. We wanted to see her reaction to water and if she would stay with us. She passed.

The bridge at the horse stables of the Coldwater Creek Recreation area showed high water. Tire tracks and saw limbs gave evidence that crews were at work clearing a log jam against the bridge. But a few yards upstream trees were stacked 10 deep all across the stream in a yet to be cleared log jam.

On our way home we turned on Red Rock Road to the bridge across Big Juniper Creek. Water left about one foot clearance with the bottom of the bridge which made it about six feet high. The normal beach at the bridge was covered.

We began to think of Sound and Bay options should the wind die down on Monday.