10/01/2011 - Moore Creek and McCullough Creek

Launch: Home
Destination: Moore Creek and McCullough Creek
Distance: 7-3/4 miles (round trip).
Time Paddling: 2-3/4 hours
Weather: Sunny, temp in the 60s, winds out of the north at 0-5 mph with occasional gusts. Tide receding. Current negligible. Water surface calm. Water temp 82 degrees.

Header image is a photo of a Big Blue Heron.

Sunrise over Dog River.

Slight surface fog with a fog tornado.

Lower Moore Creek. The small craft advisory for strong winds was not an issue on this inland waterway where waters were calm.

In upper Moore Creek the waters were clear.

Wow, third morning in a row I've seen raccoon families.

In upper Moore Creek, the wildflowers were taking on a fall like appearance just like the temperatures. I love this time of year.

A green heron.

Female and male wood ducks.

Had to back up to take a second look at this pastiche of trash items that took on an appearance of a head with a hat when viewed from a distance.

In McCullough Creek, there were several large limb hooks with chicken used for bait. Alligator poaching is alive and well in Dog River Watershed. (October 3rd UPDATE: I stand corrected - the limb hooks were not put up by poachers. An Alabama Conservation Officer put those bait hooks up to "catch a large nuisance gator." Drat! I always look forward to seeing that alligator. Too bad that it "bothered" someone while living its life in its natural territory. Why don't Alabama Conservation Officers put out limb hooks with meat on them to catch vicious dogs that chase bicyclists instead of going after Alligators that don't chase people.)

09/29/2011 - Upper Dog River

Launch: Home
Destination: Upper Dog River
Distance: 8 miles (round trip).
Time Pedaling: 2 hours
Weather: Sunny, temperature 71 degrees, winds out of the north at 5 mph. Tide dropping. Current less than 0.5 mph. No waves. Water temp 83 degrees.

Header Image is a photo of the head of a great blue heron.

View of the sunrise this morning.

Another view of the sunrise.

Morning Glory flowers (Ipomoea) over at Dog River Park.

This is boat called "The Rats Ass" that someone anchored off Dog River Park and abandoned just before Tropical Storm Lee. When the winds come from the south the rear side of the boat bangs against the concrete wall. I reported it to the Coast Guard and they are trying to track down the owner. The last time it was registered was three years ago. This reminds me of the sunken Chris Craft boat that I reported leaking fuel in Alligator Bayou a few years ago. The Coast Guard said it wasn't the first time his boat had sunk. What better way to get rid of it than towing it, anchoring it and claiming it isn't yours anymore. No one can touch it, not even after it sinks. Some people really do not give a Rat's Ass. That is why there are a dozen or two sunken boats slowly shedding their toxic chemicals into the Dog River watershed that flows into Mobile Bay. Truly, our waters are becoming garbage dumps and that is unacceptable.

Meantime, at Dog River Park, trash from the Coastal Cleanup is being picked through by either dogs or aluminum can bandits. I suspect the latter. Notice the loose trash ready to float away into the water... Wouldn't it be nice if there was an incentive like a 5 cent refund for each plastic bottles the bandits pick up and recycle? We need a Deposit-Refund bottle bill passed for plastic bottles and styrofoam cups.

This area was cleaned during the Coastal Cleanup. All it took was one rain yesterday and this is what I have to look at for another 50 weeks until the next Coastal Cleanup. I'm embarrassed to lead paddles in upper Dog River Scenic Blueway.

Sunrise through the moss draped trees.

A great egret utilizes man made bridge bracing for its fishing platform.

A great blue heron backlit from the sun.

Someone had a morning swim before directing its attention to hunting breakfast.

09/28/2011 - Lower Dog River

Launch: Home
Destination: Lower Dog River
Distance: 10-1/2 miles (round trip).
Time Pedaling: 2-1/2 hours
Weather: Party Cloudy, temperature a humid 80 degrees, winds out of the west at 0-15 mph. Nearing low tide. Current to 1.2 mph. Waves less than 1 foot. Water temp 85 degrees.

Header Image. On the return trip, a storm building toward Baldwin County seem to draw wind because the winds picked up to a steady 10-15 mph on the way back causing a little chop in the wider areas of Dog River.

The weather radar showed rain south of the area and the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance - an ominous start to the trip, but I enjoy watching distant lightning from a kayak.

Luckily, the thunderstorm dissipated within thirty minutes of launching and the fading clouds provided good colors at sunrise.

Not much wind so the waters were calm.

The sun tries to emerge as I pass by Mobile Yacht Club.

Down at the mouth of Dog River, Gulls and Terns were in a feeding frenzy for shrimp.

This Tern was a winner as it flies away with a shrimp. It threw its head up a few times and gulped the shrimp down whole.

Three black-crowned night herons stand around watching the sunrise.

A man fishes off the dock at the Rivershack Restaurant while a nearby pelican waits around patiently for the man to throw it a fish.

Raccoons were looking for food in someone's yard near the shore. What a cute couple.

02/06/2011 - Mobile River

Launch: Shirley's (US Hwy 90 across from battleship USS Alabama)
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Mobile River Loop
Distance: About 18 miles (round trip)
Paddle time: 5 hours
Weather: Sunny, winds calm to 10 mph. Air temp 45-50 degrees. Tides neap. Rain runoff current in Mobile River causing a 1-2 mph current. Water temp 45-50 degrees.

Hobie note: 6 miles into the trip, the pedal drive unit pulley shaft came loose - set screw came loose and I didn't have any tools. Luckily I had a spare pedal drive unit. To make matters worse, the Hobie kayak developed a small crack in the hull and water was leaking into it. With no bulkheads in the kayak, a crack in the hull is something to worry, especially when water temps are below 50 degrees. Despite the setbacks, this was a nice paddle trip on my favorite loop.

Header Image

1) Conditions were about perfect on the water at the start of the paddle. 

2) Wow, it was slick.

3) Caught one!

4) Upon reaching Mobile River, birds were lining the banks for as far as the eye could see to the north.

5) White pelicans were slowly waking up after the freezing morning.

6) A white pelican taking off.

7) Peek-a-boo, I see you. Also saw an otter who slipped into the bushes before a photo could be snapped.

8) A really sharp looking ship called "Peacemaker" which is connected to Twelve Tribes, The Commonwealth of Israel was tied up at the Convention Center. Some real beautiful wood work on that ship.

9) The Helix Caesar Pipelaying ship. For a better view of this unusual looking ship, click here. There is always something new to see going down Mobile River.

10) Large bulk cargo ship called Navios Felicity dwarfs the little kayak. Big ships are a marvel of engineering technology.

01/15/2011 - Whiskey Ditch

Launch: Riverdocs on the Causeway (northeast of Ed's Seafood Shack)
Destination: Whiskey Ditch
Distance: 5.7 miles
Paddle time: A little over 2 hours
Weather: Mostly sunny, temp in the 60s. 5-10 mph winds. A beautiful day.

Header Image

1) Water levels were quite low at the launch site.

2) A couple of playful otters came swimming up to me in Whiskey Ditch.

3) Shore birds were taking advantage of the low tide.

4) Another shoreline bird.

5) It was suppose to be cloudy all day. Except for a brief line of clouds passing by, it was sunny all day.

6) The bandits were out.

7) A diving duck surfaced right next to the kayak and immediately took off running on the water.

8) A few minutes later the diving duck was on the mud bank playing dead as I paddled by.

9) It is hard to see big herons unless they move because they blend in so well with the dried vegetation.

10) Some hunters left a disgusting pig souvenir at the launch site. The only part it appears they took was the pigs head.