09/10/2006 – McNally Park

Launch: McNally Park boat ramp. Launch Cost: Free. Route: Southwest to the northern end of Gaillard Island, then south along the west side of the island to the southwest corner, about the only place where you can get out of the kayak and stretch the legs. Then west to the Theodore Industrial Canal, then back up to McNally Park. Distance: 23.7 miles. Average Speed: 3.6 mph. Time: Approx 7 hrs. Pace: Moderate. Weather: Cloudy, waves choppy out of the southeast, current was minimal. The weather looked threatening at the beginning and the end, but it never rained.

(1) Above left. Herons like to eat a crab in one gulp. This crab was a little too big for one bite. (2) Above right. Pelicans are the typical residents of Gaillard Island where there are thousands of them.

(3) Above left. Note the detail on this rather interesting flower known as the Fen Rose, aka Kosteletzkya virginica. (4) Above right. The sulfur butterflies took a liking to the fen roses.

(5) Above left. These silos along the Theodore Industrial Canal are part of the Holcim plant I think and they are rather massive when kayaking next to them. (6) Above right. The largest water fall in the area can be found in the Theodore Industrial Canal. It is definitely not kayaker friendly if you are thinking about doing a little white water kayaking.

(7) Above left. This is the first year I’ve seen these huge walking sticks and there are a bunch of them around. I didn’t realize there was such a size difference between the male and female. (8) Above right. Had to take a photo of these nice green seeds that had pointed texture.

(9) Above left. Purple berries on a sumac plant. (10) Above right. The clouds started to look threatening again and there was lightning off in the distance. This caused me to pick up the pace substantially. Made it back before the storm. This was a nice trip.