01/16/2011 - Bay Minette Basin

Launch: Buzbees on Bay Minette Creek
Destination: Bay Minette Basin
Distance: 5.8 miles
Paddle time: 2 1/2 hours
Weather: Mostly cloudy, temp 55 degrees. Winds calm.

Header Image

1) Paddling conditions were absolutely calm creating mirror-like water surface.

2) The bird took off before I could get the camera turned on.

3) Smooth paddling on Yancy Cut.

4) The cloud cover was thin.

5) Interesting wood formation.

6) Interesting bottle formation.

7) This plane was flying much lower when it passed over head. It might have been doing an aerial survey of the duck populations.

8) A party boat at Buzbee's Landing was leaving an unhealthy trail of noxious fumes.

03/28/2010 - Golden Club Paddle

Launch: Buzbees on Bay Minette Creek

Header Image

1) Despite a dreary forecast a day or two early, the rainy weather stayed away and the day turned out nice for the paddle that I led for the kayak club today.

2) John in his "Storm" kayak is about to pass under the hard to see hanging sign that says, "Slow Ahead."

3) Golden Club flowers (the highlight of this trip) were lining the bank of Bay Minette Creek.

4) A closer look at a Golden Club flower, also called Never Wet (Orontium aquaticum). What may appear to be an oil sheen on the water is actually the reflection from a bridge. Golden Club contains calcium oxalate which even a small bite will cause intense sensations of burning in the mouth and throat, swelling, and choking. If greater amounts are ingested, there will be severe digestive issues & breathing difficulties, and if enough is consumed, convulsions, coma, and death.

5) There is a small area near Bromley Road bridge where we got out and had a short lunch break. I thought it was 6 miles to the bridge but it was actually about 4.5 miles.

6) There are some trails leading into the woods near the bridge that could be hiked. Wildflowers like this violet were abundant. Spring is finally here!

7) We decided to explore Bay Minette Creek north of the bridge and managed to get about half a mile upstream before approaching log jams like this.

8) North of Bromley Road bridge, the current also picks up and the water becomes clearer.

9) On the way back we crossed paths with several kayaks and canoes. Winds increased out of the southwest meaning we had to fight a headwind on the way back.

10) This was a wonderful day for getting outdoors, even for Dogs.

To see the track of this trip, Click Here.

01/23/2010 - Bay Minette Creek

Launch: Buzbees

Header Image

1) 5-Rivers Delta Safari hosted a kayak paddle today. Forecast was for windy small craft advisory conditions and cloudy all day. That is exactly how it was at start time.

2) Pedal kayaks are becoming popular.

3) The group went up into narrow Sibley Creek.

4) A couple of us also went up into Muddy Creek.

5) In the afternoon clouds started to vanish making way for blue skies and warmer temps.

6) The day turned out to be really nice for about a dozen kayakers who participated in this event.

7) Delta Safari plans on hosting about two kayak events a month. Interested in joining a trip but you don't own a kayak? Call in advance for a rental.

8) When the creek has little in way of places to get out, the usual procedure is to connect all the canoes and kayaks together for some great snacking and conversation.

01/21/2010 - Bay Minette Creek & Basin

Launch: Buzbees

Header Image

1) Barry, a kayaker that I met on the Isaac Creek Ghost Paddle last year, was in town today. We got together and kayaked from Buzbee's Landing. Yesterday evening this area had flash flooding and today Bay Minette Creek had a 2+ mph current - worst I've ever seen it.

2) We found one tributary that didn't have much current and the normally dark water was quite turbid.

3) After lunch, Barry tried his luck at fishing for a little while and never got a bite.

4) Lichen.

5) After Barry left, I went out into Bay Minette Basin and Yancy Bay. A fog bank started rolling in and this was the last time seeing the sun today. Winds picked up to a steady 15 mph. Had to put on the spray skirt. Conditions on the water can change without warning. Always take your spray skirt with you - and a GPS with a launch site waypoint.

6) Another photo of the fog bank rapidly approaching.

7) This is what it looked like in the fog bank. Fog banks can appear quickly and limit navigation to compass, GPS, sound and wind/wave direction.

8) I kept hearing birds overhead but rarely could they be seen. This flock was close enough to the water to be seen.

9) Had planned on watching the sunset back in Bay Minette Basin but the fog obscured the sunset.

10) Kayaking in the fog is fun but it can be dangerous along busy waterways. When in dense fog, keep your noise maker (fog horn, whistle, etc.) handy.

12/19/2009 - Bay Minette Creek & Basin

Launch: Buzbees

Header Image

1) Despite a small craft advisory, conditions on Bay Minette Creek were great.

2) Did some exploring up side creeks.

3) Went up the side creeks about as far as a kayak can go until the vegetation got to thick to paddle through.

4) To get up those creeks, it did require paddling through grasses and shallow waters.

5) The shadow is waving at you and saying, "Happy Holidays!"

6) Ahh, another sunset nears.

7) Sunset over Bay Minette Basin.

8) I've seen large flocks of migratory birds overhead before but never was I in the landing area for such a flock, until this evening. There was a non-stop wave of red-winged black birds flying overhead with many of them dropping out of the sky and disappearing into the grasses. The noise from the birds was loud and I was only on the edge of their landing zone. Watch the video below in HQ for a quick clip of what I experienced for over half an hour. Some of the birds came close to hitting me and the whole experience left me with goosebumps. The steady stream of birds was still flying in when I decided it was too dark and cold to stay out there any longer. I wonder what a hundred thousand birds eat...

12/09/2009 - Gravine Island

Launch: Buzbee's
Destination: Somber trip to help search for the Missing Hunters

Header Image

1) This flower is called Bur-Marigold or Marsh Beggar Tick.

2) The seeds of Marsh Beggar Tick flower sticks to whatever brushes up against the them because the two needle like appendages have barbs on them.

3) The morning fog quickly lifted and the sun came out. Then a small cloud line passed which stirred up the winds.

4) The sun quickly came out after the cloud line passed and it remained sunny the rest of the afternoon with temperatures in the mid 70s.

5) A river shack just north of Gravine Island.

6) The bluff just south of Cloverleaf Landing has some distinct changes in the soil layers.

7) Coot, a white heron or egret, and an Osprey, all in the same photo.

8) The 225 bridge over Bay Minette Creek.

9) The seed pods of Water Hyacinth float high in the water.

10) The innards of a Water Hyacinth seed pod showing it is made up mostly of air sacs which is why it floats so well.