05/12/2012 - Demopolis Vacation (3 of 3)

Vacation Paddle Trip - 3 days/2 nights in Demopolis, AL
Camp: Foscue Creek Park (US Army Corps of Engineers)
Launch: Foscue Creek Park Boat Ramp
Destination Day 3: Explore the rest of Foscue Creek, some of Demopolis's Urban Waterways, and revisit a shallow lake in the Demopolis Wildlife Management Area.
Distance: 13.5 Miles
Weather: Mostly cloudy and breezy, 80s.
Caution Note: Currents were negligible. Wind can be a factor on the open waters of the Tombigbee River and Black Warrior River. Water levels may vary significantly. You might want to check out the river guage in Demopolis before kayaking: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=bmx&gage=dlda1GPS Trip Track: To see or download the track of this trip, Click Here.

Header image is a photo of 9 turtles on a log letting the sun dry out their algae caked shells.

Geese and a Great Egret in Foscue Creek.

Saw plenty of Wood Ducks today.

Great Egrets were plentiful along the sides of lakes.

Green Herons were seen around the urban waterways.

Yo, you have food caught in your beak.

I'm happy to see big headed snakes moving away from the Kayak. Don't let these snakes fool you, they can move very fast across water if you threaten them.

A nutria drys out after taking a swim. Note the hairless round tail.

While it may look like a nutria at first glance, note the fuzzy squirrel like tail. In this photo, Momma is getting a Mother's Day Kiss. I think these are Groundhogs aka Woodchucks which is one animal I've never seen while kayaking in the Mobile area.

Boats you may see range from small size fishing boats to...

...to industrial sized barges. I saw very few boats of any type during my three days kayaking in this area. This is the Coast Guard vessel "Wedge" which takes care of river buoys.

Chalk Bluff, White Bluff or as others call it Ecor Blanc is a geological formation sculpted over millions of years, unique to the Demopolis area. Can you see the two kids fishing on the bank? Those paddling on ASRT's Black Warrior Nature Paddle next weekend will get to see this White Bluff.

You can get to see more of the White Bluff geological layer in some urban creeks, too.

Wide open waters of a shallow water lake. Popcorn Trees dominate the shoreline.

Popcorn Tree islands are popping (pardon the pun) up in the lake. I bet when the popcorn tree leaves turn red in the fall that this would make for a memorable paddle.

Submerged aquatic vegetation keeps the water pretty clear in the shallow lakes. No motor boats up in this area.

Up one of the urban creeks the water gets clear and the creek bed holds some of the best skipping stones nature ever made.

Paddling up an urban creek.

Looks like some trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).

If you want to see wildflowers, look no further than Foscue Creek Park.