05/20/2012 - ASRT Black Warrior Nature Paddle Event (Day 2 of 2) Dam!

Event: Alabama Scenic River Trail (ASRT) Black Warrior Nature Paddle.
Launch: Launch at Foscue Creek Park.
Destination: Paddle through the Demopolis Lock led by Anne Cross with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Take out at the Lower Pool.
Paddle Distance: About 3 miles.
Paddle time: Approx 1-3/4 hrs
Weather: Sunny, winds calm. Air temp wonderful. Currents minimal except near the spillway. Beautiful kayaking weather.
GPS Track: To view or download the GPS track of this trip, Click Here.

Header Image is a view of the complex multi-directional flow of water over the Demopolis Dam.

Anne Cross, center of the photo, with the US Army Corps of Engineers gave a pre-trip talk about the history of the Corps and Dams in Alabama. For more history on the Demopolis Dam and the Mobile District, Click Here. Jim Felder, Executive Director of Alabama Scenic River Trails, wearing the blue shirt on the right side of the photo, organized this event.

The small group paddles out of Foscue Creek Park toward the Tombigbee River with the USCOE support boat tagging along.

Paddle conditions were perfect.

Paddle conditions were perfect.

Our group paddles toward the Demopolis Lock.

Our group paddles toward into the Demopolis Lock.

Water level at the start was high.

Water level at the end was low. Those marks on the right side wall are 2 feet apart. The 40+ foot drop of water level took about 15 minutes. Apparently when water is raised, there can be significant whirlpools in this lock. I had no idea what was on the other side of the opening doors. Fast forward in the whirlpool video to about 8:00 in time and hear the guy say, "Holy Crap." I was about to see why he said "Holy Crap" in the video.

For me, going through this Lock was the highlight of this ASRT weekend paddle event. (Sorry Don). Photos don't do this justice. Look on the horizon toward the left on this photo. There are two fishing boats which help to give perspective of the immense size of the spillway.

Swimming was allowed as we took a break on a conveniently located island next to the dam. To see more photos of the Demopolis Dam - Click Here.

Some boaters were fishing for catfish about 50 yards from the spillway.

The roar of the spillway and its sheer size was mesmerizing. There did not appear to be the hazards associated with low-head dams at this Demopolis Dam, but wisely, none of us ventured close enough to find out, not even Billy.

A couple of locals were fishing near the waterfall.

Bob kayaks near the roaring waterfall. What an awesome display of water power.

Numerous great egrets were fishing at the top of the dam where you would think the speed of the water would knock them over.

More egrets.

Anne Cross, always smiling, was instrumental in initially organizing this kayak trip by soliciting the help of Alabama Scenic River Trail (ASRT). Fred Couch, president of ASRT is in the red kayak looking at the waterfall.

On the lower end of the spillway, the waterfall flattens out. A couple of us looked over the potential for doing a little white water kayaking but wisely decided against it as no one had helmets or a true white water kayak. This area looks like it would make a great place for white water play.

Foam trails make designs in the water as they flow downstream.

Not far from the Demopolis Dam, we took out the kayaks at the Lower Pool boat ramp. The USCOE transported the kayaks back to Foscue Creek Park where everyone said their goodbyes. Sure hope we can do it again next year!

Back at Foscue Creek Park, Don Self updated the list of birds documented during this two day event. Several more could be added to the list for me because I saw a Comorant, Great Blue, Osprey Eagle, and a Black Crowned Night Heron while on solo paddles. Demopolis is a great place to get in a kayak or go walking on a trail to do some serious bird watching. A big thumbs up on this event and many thanks go to everyone involved.

05/20/2012 - ASRT Black Warrior Nature Paddle Event (Day 2 of 2)

Header image is a photo of the morning sun lighting up a fog fire on the surface of the Tombigbee River.

I camped out in a tent at Foscue Creek Park for the ASRT Black Warrior Nature Paddle event and the loud cacophony of the singing birds at first light served as an alarm clock. What a wonderful way to wake up. I was quickly off on a solo paddle to experience sunrise on the Tombigbee River as ASRT activities started later in the morning. There was a slight fog on the water surface.

Sunrise with the White Bluffs of Demopolis Alabama in the background - near the Riverside Cemetery.

A kayaker's view of the White Bluffs along the Tombigbee River.

The mayflies were out in mass again this morning, seen in this photo as light colored specks. Blackbirds like this one were devouring the tasty insects and feeding their young. Also seen eating mayflies along the bluffs were cardinals, mockingbirds, and blue jays. If you look closely, you can see a fishing line with a worm lure left dangling from the branches in this tree.

A grackle with a brilliantly deep bluish head was forging for mayflies.

The only bird that was not eating mayflies was this deep brownish-red necked Green Heron who was fishing along the bank.

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.

05/10/2012 - Demopolis Vacation (1 of 3)

Vacation Paddle Trip - 3 days/2 nights in Demopolis, AL
Camp and Launch: Foscue Creek Park (US Army Corps of Engineers)
Destination Day 1: Foscue Creek and the lakes on the other side of Tombigbee River across from Foscue Creek Park.
Distance: 10.5 Miles
Weather: Sunny, no wind, 80s during the day, 50s at night. Perfect!
Caution Note: Currents are negligible. Wind can be a factor on the open waters of the Tombigbee River. The real concern is the Submerged Dam downstream and the 40+ foot drop. Avoid it!
GPS Trip Track: To see or download the track of this trip, Click Here.

I found out about Foscue Creek Park through Alabama Scenic River Trail which is using this park as base camp for their upcoming Demopolis-Black Warrior Nature Paddle on May 19-20. Perfect weather prompted me to explore the waters in the Demopolis area, which is about a 3 hour drive from Mobile. Why did I wait so long to kayak in this area?

Header Image is a field of beautiful wildflowers at Foscue Creek Park. The US Army Corps of Engineers deserve two thumbs up for this Park.

Foscue Creek Park is circled in Magenta. I had no idea there were so many backwater areas in the Demopolis area to kayak.

Foscue Creek Park is one beautiful US Army Corps of Engineers Park. I'll be going back! On many of the camp sites you can drag your kayak down a few feet to the water and launch. Nice!

I did not have one of those creek side campsites so I launched at the Foscue Creek Park boat ramp on the grassy shoreline. I understand that paddlers in the ASRT event will get to kayak through the Demopolis Lock and Dam which will lower the kayakers about 44 feet. If you haven't yet gone through a lock and dam in a kayak, sign up soon!

When turtles wave hello it is usually a good sign of friendly wildlife.

I saw more wildlife in this area in one day than I saw in the upper Mobile-Tensaw River Delta all last year. A nutria swims along the water while four great egrets forage for insects on the shoreline vegetation.

A baby nutria runs circles around Mom.

This reminded me a bit of Bayou Jessamine in Baldwin County, except on the banks of this waterway, wildlife foot prints are everywhere.

One cypress tree with an amazing root system.

Demopolis Lakes are teeming with wildlife.

The wildlife is noisy when bolts off across the water.

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies were all over the plentiful Water-willow flowers (Justicia americana) that lined many of the shorelines.

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies were all over the plentiful Water-willow flowers (Justicia americana) that lined many of the shorelines.

Water-willow close-up.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias perennis).

Take time to observe and you will see who is watching you as you paddle along the waterways. Deer have very flexible necks and this one keenly watches my every move even though its body is facing the other way.

A baby duck surfaced next to the kayak and then froze when it saw me. The funny placement of the large duckweed makes it look like a girl duck.

Big movement about a kayak length away on the bank of the narrow creek caught my eye. We surprised the hell out of each other. This large Bobcat was staring me down and crouched like it was ready to leap my way. It was a tense situation which I diffused by splashing water on the Bobcat with the paddle causing it to leap twice to get up the 15 foot high bank and disappear. Whew!