01/09/2010 - Pumphouse Canal / Shell Bayou Loop

Launch: William Brooks Park (US Hwy 43 at Chickasaw Creek – Southwest Corner)

Header Image

1) Sunrise on the Pumphouse Canal. Temp was 23 degrees at launch time and only 32 degrees when I got back. You can see where paddle drips have turned to ice on the kayak hull.

2) There are no safe areas for deer in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. Hunters discard the remains of their kills where ever they want. It's the only deer I saw today and when you see them like this, it is not a pleasant experience.

3) The Pumphouse Canal is still log jammed at the railroad crossing so if you want to go through to Mobile River, it will require some effort to get by the logs.

4) Bear Creek had some ice in the shallow areas. Ice didn't present any problems today.

5) Winds were strong on parts of Greenwood Bayou and Shell Bayou - there was a small craft advisory today - hence the reason for staying off open waters. The flag on the back side of the shack was blowing straight out. Despite the cool temps and wind, this turned out to be a really nice paddle.

6) Something rarely seen in South Alabama are icicles.

7) Another thing rarely seen are nutria (big rats) and today I saw a bunch of them. 

8) These poor things have a bounty on their tails in Louisiana.

9) Killdeer were running along the shorelines.

10) A siege of herons. Wish I'd have brought binoculars because there were a lot of birds out today.

12/30/2008 – Pumphouse Canal

Launch: William Brooks Park (Hwy 43 in Chickasaw)
Launch Fee: *Free (Normally $4)
Kayak: Necky Looksha Sport
Route: East in the Pumphouse Canal, southwest down Bear Creek and Greenwood Bayou to Chickasaw Creek, then to Cochran Bridge and back via Chickasaw Creek.
Distance: 13.9 miles.
Average Speed: 2.5 mph.
Pace: Leisurely to still.
Weather: Sunny, 65 degrees dipping down to 55 degrees after sunset, waters mostly calm.

1) A 3 foot alligator warming up in the sun.

2) The Pumphouse Canal – a man made canal that is about as wide as you see here that connects the Chickasaw Creek to the Mobile River.

3) Please note: the Pumphouse Canal is subject to being blocked by a log jam at the railroad trestle near Mobile River. I had planned to kayak up to Black Creek today but this 100 yard long log jam caused a change in route.

4) Instead, I went down Bear Creek and Greenwood Bayou – an area that always seems dead of life. It is even worse at low tide when you can smell the exposed mud banks.

 5) About the only thing I see in this area are Osprey Eagles – who build their nests on top of the high voltage transmission lines that cross the Delta in this area. 

6) On the way back, I noticed a 22 degree halo around the sun – not something one sees very often.

7) The railroad bridge crossing Chickasaw Creek at the entrance to Mobile River looks like it is sustaining some rust damage. In this photo, there are 4 cross bar members completely destroyed by rust. The bridge operator who I talked to said the bridge was in good shape. Guess he doesn’t see it from a kayaker’s perspective.

8) The designer of the sky put on a long and awesome performance that lasted for 40 minutes. The photo merges are wide photos - you might have to scroll to see all of the photo. This sunset was watched in the area where Chickasaw Creek joins Black Bayou.

9) The bad part about wanting to take photos of a sunset on the slick evening waters is boats wanting to return at the same time that stir up the calm waters. But, sometimes boat wakes can create some interesting photos amid all the colors.

10) Sunset on Black Bayou

11) Wow! I’ve missed kayaking. It is the simple pleasures in life that can make you shout loudly in joy deep within. Thank you Steven Sasson! Steven developed the first digital camera in 1975.

12) Sunset on Black Bayou

06/21/2005 – Tuckers to Greenwood Bayou

Launch: Tuckers Launch (now Brooks Park) which is a little less than a mile south of 158 on US-43 just south of Saraland. Launch Fee: $1. Route: Southeast down Chickasaw Creek to Greenwood Bayou and back. Distance: 6.7 miles. Average Speed: 3.7 mph. Time: Approx 2 hrs. Pace: Moderate with sprints. Weather: Sunny, slight breeze out of the southeast with temps in the 90s. Not very humid though. This was to be a pleasant after work paddle. It was nice, except for about a mile where the air had the strong stench of raw sewage. The smell reminded me of the books,
"Floating Logs" by Lucy Poo Waters,
"Tipping the Outhouse" by John Turner,
"Making a Stink" by Seth Pool,
"Mystery in Prichard" by Hoo Flung Dung,
"Dishonorable Discharge" by Paul David.
(The City of Prichard is one of Alabama’s Dirty Dozen of which Paul David is Utility Chief.
http://www.aeconline.ws/Dirty%20Dozen%20Info.htm
Prichard let TENS of MILLIONS of gallons of raw sewage flow into Mobile Bay. Mobile Baywatch filed a lawsuit last year to try to force Prichard to fix their raw sewage leaks. Paul David was recently convicted of the sewage spill and fined a grand total of $3,000 out of a possible 3.9 million dollars.) http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1119086283211150.xml&coll=3
All I can say to the whole matter is, Pew, something stinks!

(1) Above left. There were a few things on this trip that stood out. First, some of the junk Tugboats that have been tied up on the side of Chickasaw Creek for a long time, are gone. Another item missing was the LST-325. In its place were two reely big spools of large pipe sitting on a barge. The photo doesn’t quite capture the size of those spools. (2) Above right. Further down Chickasaw Creek was the California sitting at a dock. The California is one of the most powerful hydraulic electric dredges in operation in the US. http://www.gldd.com/TempMain.asp?category=FLEET&title=California&subCat=Cutter

(3) Above left. At the entrance to Greenwood Bayou, the lower stems of some type of grass seemed to glow from the sunlight of the setting sun. (4) Above right. The crooked shadows of bare trees reflect in the water making this photo look like an oil painting.

(5) Above left. The odd looking photo that looks like the decaying thigh bone of some deer like animal is actually a tree stump. Hidden in the recesses of the tree stump are fiddler crabs. If you would like to see some fiddler crabs up close, visit http://www.fiddlercrab.info/uca_video.html. (6) Above right. The jagged cloud path from a jet trail made it look like the sun was setting erratically, sinking over the horizon like burning fireworks.

(7) Above left. The sun reflects over Black Bayou. (8) Above right. The sun, gobbled by Mississippi clouds, leaves a slight burning tint on Chickasaw Creek. I love watching the sunset from the water.