Tallahassee Kayaking and Geocaching: 04/01/2005

It's a conspiracy...

I was all set for a trip with a local canoe and kayaking group (Apalachee Canoe and Kayak Club...no link, they don't have a website) set for 8:30 today from the Wakulla River to St. Marks, stopping at the Riverside Cafe for lunch. I was excited to go since I wasn't able to get out last weekend and it would be cool to see a part of the Wakulla I haven't seen and to meet a group of like minded people. Another reason is I had a closing Friday (I'm a Realtor) and wanted to take a few hours to have fun.
So, Friday morning, even though the weather reports say it is going to be storming with severe thunderstorms by 8am Saturday, I go to The Wilderness Way and rent a Wilderness system Pungo 120 for the trip.

I did this for several reasons. The first is that I really want a one person kayak. I have demoed this one and it was really nice but I wanted to go on a longer trip and see if there was a dramatic difference between this kayak and the Perception Acadia II that I own. If there isn't, I'll stick with the kayak I have and enjoy the extra storage.

The second reason is I didn't want to meet this group and then spend the entire morning flailing around in my kayak like I'm having a seizure while trying to get an aggresive beaver out of my boat. This is otherwise called (by me) paddling my kayak down the river.

However, Friday evening, I got a call from the trip planner, understandably cancelling the trip. This is the forecast for earlier this morning and this evening:

Saturday: Periods of showers and thunderstorms after 8am. Some of the storms could be severe, with damaging winds. High near 82. Breezy, with a west southwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to between 15 and 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Saturday Night: Periods of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Some of the storms could be severe, with damaging winds. Low around 61. West wind between 5 and 10 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Of course, when I woke up, it hadn't rained a drop and the skies were only slightly overcast. But, instead of brushing my teeth, kissing the wife and kids and heading out for a paddle anywhere, I figured the storm was probably only minutes away.

8am: Look at the campmobile with the Pungo strapped to the roof. Glance at the sky, note there is only a faint breeze.

8:10am: My son wakes up. I spend the next few minutes sitting with him, looking out the window at the Pungo, strapped to the roof of the campmobile.

8:30am: Wife and stepdaughter get up. They silently pray for rain so they won't have to listen to me all day complaining about not being able to go out in the boat.

8:40am: Wife makes an excellent breakfast. I'm still glancing out the window at the Pungo strapped onto the Pungo strapped onto the roof of the campmobile. The sky is still cloudy, there is still no breeze to speak of and I'm still expecting torrential downpours at any minute.

9am: The Pungo is still strapped onto the campmobile. There is still no wind or rain. I am getting grumpier.

10:30am: Wife and stepdaughter deicde they really need to go to the store for birdfeed. Birdfeed. Really.

12:30pm: Son finally gets tired of me moping and goes to sleep.

12:45pm: The wife and stepdaughter come home. I am still sitting in the living room, with the Pungo strapped to the roof of the campmobile framed by the bay window. I have now developed a serious dislike of weather forecasters.

1pm: Check on the Paddling.net forums and see trip reports from people in New England and worse, out enjoying the weather and paddling til they die of sheer exhaustion and happiness.

2pm: It starts to sprinkle.

2:30 pm: It finally rains enough that I wouldn't be very comfortable out on the water.

2:35pm: Lightning and thunder start.

Bah!

But, on a brighter note, I called The Wilderness Way and they graciously told me to keep the Pungo (which is still strapped on top of the campmobile) for an extra day. Good shop, there.

Tune in tomorrow.... either for a happy post about paddling in the beautiful Florida Panhandle or a post much like this one.

How cool is this?

I bought a copy of Canoe and Kayak 2005 Destinations magazine today, since I wasn't able to actually go kayaking today or tomorrow, for that matter. I like this special edition because it lists a large number of excellent spots for canoeing and kayaking. I was sitting in the living room and the TV was on so I was skimmimg over the magazine and came to the section where they list the issues choices for the Southern US. I skimmed over the names; Mobile-Tensaw (Ummm, Mobile, Alabama...), Calusa Blueway (where?!), Chatooga (Whitewater in Georgia, right?), Wakulla (somewhere else...wait a second, WAKULLA?!)

How cool. I usually think of the trip reports in the paddling magazines as really far off locales with rivers or oceans that require a top of the line boat or a lot of paddling experience, or at least a long trip to get to, but the Wakulla is 'my' river. Scroll down a little and my pictures look exactly like the one in the magazine. How cool, indeed.

But then I got to thinking. The Wakulla river is fairly exotic for many reasons. You have the manatees and alligators, which are fairly unique to the South, at least. You have one of the largets springs in the world, in which a Mastodon skeleton was found, along with eight other Ice Age remains. This is also where some of the old Tarzan movies were filmed.

So, I guess this fairly short river I had decided I was 'tired' of paddling down isn't so mundane after all. I suppose it, along with it's history and the local area, is worthy of a trip for people who aren't lucky enough to live a short drive away. The Wakulla is definitely worth including as a destination in a paddling magazine.

I still really wish I had been able to get out on the water today, though. But the campmobile needs a new alternator belt and since the weather said there were going to be 25 mph winds, I decided not to push it to get on the water.

I have gotten a little tired of paddling on the Wakulla, though, so I started looking at other potential rivers. My Mom, Aunt and Grandmother rented a house on St. George Island (the most beautiful beach in the world, in my opinion) and I took my son down to stay for a few days. On the way back, I went a different way, mainly because the state park my stepdaughter camps with her Dad was only seven miles north on the detour. So, I drove by the park and passed over the Ochlocknee River. Then a few minutes later, I passed over the Sopchoppy River. They were both beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The whole way back, I was wondering if there were good trips to be had on those two rivers.

When I first got into kayaking last year, my wife bought me the book,
Florida's Fabulous Canoe and Kayak Trail Guide , and I had skimmed over most of it. When I got home, I pulled out the book and took a look at the two rivers.

The Ochlocknee is 102 miles long, including a 14 mile long lake, Lake Talquin. It has a lot of free camping sites and can be broken up into smaller day trip sizes. Hmmm. Needless to say, although I'll still paddle on the Wakulla a lot, I think I am going to do the Ochlocknee. All of it.

It's funny how you never realize how cool your own backyard is.

I have decided to take a kayaking camping trip...

I am sort of planning a trip on the Suwannee River. I think I can go for three days and paddle maybe 20 miles and end up at the Suwannee River Campground. From various sites (which are now linked on the left), it sounds like an amazing trip and easy, too.

Now I have to figure out all the logistics. Hmmm, guess I need a new, lightweight tent, some dry bags... whatever they are, a porta potty, head lamp, map, GPS thingy....

Doing a little work on the site...

I added a few links I received on the Kayak/canoeing site I have been frequenting. I like to read other peoples trip reports, to get a bit of knowledge about kayaking and because they are entertaining. I started a thread asking for otherl inks and a day later had several, so I added them here. One that really interests me is the Lewis and Clark trip site. I haven't had much time to read it yet, but that would have to be an incredible journey.

Anyway, enjoy the links and leave a comment if you have a site you want to let me know about.

The campmobile, with my Perception Acadia II on the roof. No, it isn't as stylish as a new SUV, but the roofline is a lot lower and it has more room for all my stuff!