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.