02/14/2010 - Alexander River (FL)

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Out of town event: Belton Dykes Memorial River Rat Rendezvous
What: Paddle four rivers in four days.
Base Camp: Camp Kiwanis on Mill Dam Lake in Florida
Today's Paddle: Alexander River, Florida (Day 3 of 4)
Weather: 59 degrees and Sunny
Distance: Approx 7 Miles from put in to take out.

1) Sunrise through the trees at Camp Kiwanis. Some participants camped in tents while others stayed in heated dorm rooms. The breakfasts and dinners served each day were superb.

2) Launching at Alexander Springs is nice because rubber padding on the concrete protects the kayaks. Because there were over a hundred participants in the River Rat Rendezvous, we got to choose which one of the four rivers we paddled each day and there were usually choices between a long paddle and a short paddle on each river. This kept the number of participants in each group to a manageable size. Today we had about a dozen paddlers on the Alexander River trip.

3) We paddled through a lot of vegetation on this river. On the bottom of some of the vegetation were masses of eggs.

4) Waters on Alexander Springs started off very clear and eventually turned a darker tannin color.

5) There was plenty of wildlife to watch like this Big Heron. There were several alligators.

6) Alexander River did get thick with vegetation in some places and could be difficult to navigate when water levels are down.

7) Florida is a birder's paradise. An eagle.

8) A hawk.

9) Airplants.

10) Red maples added a burst of red to the scenery.

11) Back at Camp Kiwanis, the low sun shining on some majestic oak trees full of Spanish Moss was beautiful.

12) Sunset on another perfect paddling day as seen across Mill Dam Lake.

13) Today was also a special day for couples - Valentines Day.

14) The fireplace in the pavilion was the gathering place to keep warm on the cool evenings and cold mornings.

To see a track of this trip, click here.