03/18/2006 – Bay Minette Creek

Launch: Buzbee’s. Launch Cost: $3. Route: Up Bay Minette Creek to the Bromley bridge and back, then to Yancey Bay and back. Distance: 15.1 miles. Average Speed: 3.5 mph. Time: Approx 4.5 hrs. Pace: Variable. Weather: 60 Degrees, cloudy, 15-20 mph winds out of the north then subsiding later in the afternoon.

Today I tested a Hobie Mirage pedal kayak Adventure, about four feet longer and six inches narrower than the Outback. I give it a thumbs up!

(1) Above left. This is the Hobie Adventure, near the Bromley Bridge where I turned around. (2) Above right. A deserted looking fishing camp.

(3) Above left. The yellow pond lilies are out. (4) Above right. Blue butterwort was abundant along the banks of Bay Minette Creek.

(5) Above left. The banks along upper Bay Minette Creek were loaded down with white flowers. Think they were Titi shrubs. The white flower dotted landscape reminded me of the landscapes Bob Ross would paint. (6) Above right. Toward sunset, I went out into Yancey Bay and was treated to an aerial spectacle put on by thousands of birds that were feeding. How can it be that with so many birds going in different directions, there are no collisions?

(7) Above left. Wild azaleas in bloom on the river bank. (8) Above right. Not sure what this blooming shrub or tree is. The flowers are so small they are barely visible from a distance.

(9) Above left. A photomerge of Golden Club flowers as they lined the river bank. (10) Above right. A blanket of clouds had been pulled overhead and was just shy of the horizon to the east creating an image of a sunset – a nice colorful way to end the kayak trip.