05/20/2006 – Mobile River

Launch: Public triple boat ramps in the middle of the Causeway on the North side. Launch Cost: Free. Route: Cross the Tensaw River, across Delvan Bay, up Spanish River, down Mobile River, around Choctaw Pass, and then back up to the Causeway via Tensaw River. I also explored a few miles up Three Mile Creek. Distance: 27.3 miles. Average Speed: 3.6 mph. Time: Approx 8 hrs. Pace: Leisurely. Weather: Sunny & Warm. Today I wanted to test out the Hobie Turbo Flippers on the Outback. They worked pretty well.

(1) Above left. I’ve experienced a lot of sunrises from the water, but today was my first RSA tower reflection sunrise. It was quite beautiful. (2) Above right. Headed south on Mobile River, about 2 miles north of the Cochran bridge. The yellow objects are plastic floats on dredging pipe.

(3) Above left. A swallow eyeing me cautiously as I paddled under the Telegraph Road bridge while exploring Three Mile Creek. As much bad press as Three Mile Creek has received, I was impressed with how clean it was and the amount of wildlife in terms of birds, flowers, and alligators that were present. (4) Above right. Escape wildflowers growing on the banks of Three Mile Creek. After going 2 miles up Three Mile Creek to about Conception Street, I give it a thumbs up and look forward to exploring it again.

(5) Above right. Now, if you want to talk ugly, check out this photo of the bank on Industrial Canal. Where this mountain of autos go from here is anyone’s guess. (6) Above right. Down at the entrance to Mobile River, inside Little Sand Island, you can see another once valuable product, rotting away.

(7) Above left. Over near the State Docks, a lone worker was painting the outside hull of a docked ship. (8) Above right. The Niagara Prince, docked near Cooper Park, is a long way from home. The unique building behind it is the Mobile Government Plaza.

(9) Above left. The Mobile skyline is really becoming quite impressive, especially from the perspective of a kayak. (10) Above right. A couple enjoys the skyline and big river traffic as they fish near Little Sand Island at the entrance to Mobile River. The RSA building is about 2.5 miles away in this photo.