Last of Summer

I'll just bet this was my last paddle of the year in short sleeves. The water is cool and the air is warm today, but not for long... the fish know the cold weather is coming soon and they are finding their way up into the bayous for the winter. Crowding up into the bayous, I would say. Of course the mullet are always around, flying through the air like skipping stones. I caught one in mid-jump!



An egret fished along the edge of the grass. Mom wonders why they are white. What advantage could they possibly have, to be white in this environment...?



The sun seems really out of place as it drifts by day to the south. Prior to watching the sunsets regularly from Graveline, I would never have guessed that it travels so far between the summer and winter solstice.



And I've learned never to assume the sunset is over, just because the sun is out of view beyond the horizon.

+1YR, -12 MIN

Cool weekend - a nice recreational paddle on Saturday in Graveline with two visiting friends from Texas, and the PPP race on Sunday. Couldn't ask for better weather! It was beautiful both days, with sun, slight breezes, and about 80 degrees.

The race was a lot of fun and I'm happy with the results. I knew my running would be better (7 1/2 min faster for the 5 mile run) but I'm surprised with the much quicker paddling time (4 min faster for the 4 mile paddle). Made up a mere 30 seconds on the bike. The course was exactly the same as last year so I must just be faster.
I'm in the water in my blue kayak:

I got to see a lot of kayaks, and appreciate how challenging kayaking can be for those who aren't that familiar with it. Again the GCRC did a great job putting on the event.

I'm enjoying all three these days -- the kayak, running, and biking. How cool is that to do them all together in a challenge like that! So what's next... I want to go back to Longleaf Trace again soon. Can't belive it's almost the end of the year. How time flies. Well, at least these days I'm feeling pretty sure that there can be an active life continuing after the old age of 40, which is coming up quick, before Christmas this year.

Training Run

With 8 days left before the PPP event, I replicated the entire race today for a big training session.
PADDLE - 4 mi paddle (blue line) - 54 min. Last yr time 45 min.
PANT - 5.1 mile run (red line; one way) - 47 min. Last yr time 52 min.
PEDAL - 22.6 mile bike (yellow line; two ways) - 1 hr 21 min. Last yr time 1 hr 22 min.

My goal is to finish under 3 hours and the GPS said I finished in 3 hours exactly. I think I can make up time in 3 areas: transition time, the length of the run, and a better bike path. I was a little long on the run, and my bike path was on some less than ideal roads, so there's a little time. The transition time is key - if I have everything really ready to jump in and go, I can save several minutes. Anyway it went well; I feel pretty good, but like I need a nap. My lower back was tightening up at the end just like during last year's race. Nothing I can't get through. I'll push it more than last time since now I know for sure I can finish. My running time is definitely better. My paddle time was not as good. Possible I was in better paddling shape last year, but could be just that I had some wind today. I think the Wolf River course will be easier.

The weather was GREAT and it's a spectacular time of year to be outside end enjoying things. It's a rare day off and I intend to make the most of it.

Short Evening Paddles

I haven't had time to do long paddles lately, but I try to get out on the water at least once a week, even if for a short trip before dark. Mom gets credit for this picture; I edited it for paint effects. Another paddle a couple of days ago was a real lifesaver. I must have had stress built up, because I sprinted across the bay without stopping and never ran out of energy. It felt awesome and definitely restored my sanity.

There are a lot of fish in the bay, and the water has cooled considerably. There's a feeling of fall in the air and the water.

2 1/2 weeks until this year's PPP event. I haven't trained at all on the bike but have been going to spin class regularly. I'm confident I can run the 5 miles. Even without specific training I think I'll do better than last year, because I'm 20 pounds lighter. But I'll try to get in a few training runs this weekend and next, to make a good show and meet a good challenge.

Horn Island

Finally - the Horn Island trip!

I've been talking about paddling to Horn Island since my very first blog post and practically since I first got a kayak. The logistics, planning, weather, and free time just never seemed to come together, especially since Katrina. Things were looking pretty good this weekend. With today being Labor Day I wasn't sure how crowded the boat ramps and waterways would be, but there was plenty of room at the ramp and I didn't encounter much traffic.

The original plan was to paddle TO Horn Island from Belle Fountaine Beach. I plotted the route along the blue dotted line going to the dock out there on the north side of the island. However the weather was a little iffy so we decided to take the Blazer Bay plus kayak all the way out there, for me to paddle BACK. We put the kayak out as close as we could get in the boat. I went to the island first, took a few pictures, then headed straight north all the way to the beach in front of St Andrews golf course. The red line is my paddle trip - 6.75 miles straight from the middle of the island.





I could see Belle Fountaine beach the whole way. Dale says I wasn't too visible except the yellow PFD so that's definitely a recommended item. He fished a bit here and there, and visited me a couple of times along the way. He got this picture when a pod of dolphin were swimming nearby.



The water was very calm. "Smooth-to-a-light-chop" as they say on the weather radio station. It was great paddling conditions. I didn't see a lot of fish, but did run into three patches of these jellyfish, each about a foot and a half in diameter. Each time there were over a hundred of them around me in view. I knocked into a few of them with my paddle.



It's so quiet out there. It's a neat place; the water only 15 feet deep or so, far from shore but yet in protected waters on the north side of the islands. This is where the shrimp and so many other sea creatures live and breed. I saw a blue crab swimming up at the surface of the water. Just coming up for a look?



Pelican came by to check out the kayak.



At the end of the trip I approached the beach at the same funny round house I've seen on bike trips. And more pelicans... the pelicans just love Belle Fountaine beach.



It's so shallow in there I could only paddle in to about 100 yards from the beach. Turned around and met Dale in the boat and we loaded the kayak back on and went around to Graveline (blue line) to head on home.

The preparation was good, getting to know the route was good. I'm ready to do it again sometime soon. The sense of adventure will be more in heading the opposite direction, towards the island. I could go farther than just the 6.75 miles, but I don't know about all the way there and back. Maybe out there in the morning, back in the afternoon? There's always the weather to worry about. I don't want to paddle in rough seas. The kayak could handle it and the waves themselves don't scare me, but any more than 2 foot seas makes me seasick, even in a kayak. Anyway, today was two big accomplishments -- the Horn Island kayak trip, and getting the kayak to Horn Island, which holds big promise for exploring the lagoons and paddling around out around the island for fun.

Awesome Mississippi Kayaking!

Shell Landing - 10.8 miles

Took me a while to post this, but this trip a couple of weeks ago was a milage record - 10.8 miles up the bayou to the Shell Landing golf course. Here's a picture in the bayou on the edge of the golf course.



It was a hot August day, but not too hot on the water. I like going up this way because it seems so far from civilization, though it's not actually that remote. The long trip was enjoyable though Mom and I were pretty tired by the time we got back. Paddling is a lot like walking; it's a long way between tired and totally spent, so you can actually go much farther than you might think.

We noticed the breeze is strong in some parts of this bayou, as I noticed once before in "Against the Wind" post, so maybe the sea breeze is actually funnelled through this part of the land.

Beating the Heat

Man, is it summer or what! I thought it might be way too brutal out today to kayak, but I went out between 8-11am and caught a breeze now and then. Even as hot as it was, it was great. I haven't been out nearly enough this summer, from being busy with one thing or another. Happily I found that this 9 mile trip was not too difficult, so I seem to be staying in good paddling shape even without too much paddling.



I got a lot of bird photos today. I have a new camera but haven't got the nerve to take it out on the water. These pictures are all with the Canon S2IS, which fits in the front pocket of my "jerk-to-inflate" style PFD. I tried another neat trick today - I took the camelback water bag that I use for biking and put it behind the kayak seat (out of the sun). This made a great water supply.



It's been a while since I posted pictures, so I've got a lot of them today.







The fish were nuts out here today. Something huge swirled behind me as I headed towards the beach. A gar? Monster redfish? Who knows. They were all up in this area, where the houses used to start going west from the mouth of the bayou.

See all the old house remains; piers standing empty? Yes, a whole lot of the Mississippi Gulf Coast still looks like this, for people who think that Katrina is long overwith. It's still very much a fact of life.

Anyway, it was peaceful out here, and fun with the popeye mullet jumping everywhere.



Here's my trip log, basically to the gulf and back, but I did go out a ways and back down the beach. The gulf was quiet and calm, except for the fish!



This great blue heron was waiting for me when I returned to the dock.

Companion of Self

I went bike riding yesterday in the late afternoon, down towards Front Beach and around the usual route through the park. Usually I ride in the morning or middle of the day. The heat was not bad during this almost-evening time, and I had the interesting experience of a prominent shadow next to me most of the way. It was about my size, not stretched by a sun too low in the sky, but at just the angle to have a self on a bike pedaling next to me on the pavement. It's a neat feeling to see yourself pedaling strong, turning those wheels and going so fast on the road just on your own power. A new perspective.

Haven't been paddling a lot lately - partly because my spare time is too rare, but also because there have been other activities like stunt-kite flying, bike riding, etc. that bring just as much fun.

Someday I'll catch back up on the kayaking!

Ocean Kayak

These Ocean Kayaks are sit-on-tops that were fun in the surf and offshore in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Had a little fun editing the photos.

Biking St Andrews again

It's been a while since I biked down to Belle Fountaine beach area. I remember last year I counted 7 houses being built. Now there are 10. About half look like high-dollar houses, the other half modest houses that are very elevated. There are lots of "for sale" signs on the lots. I think if the insurance cost is not reduced somehow, the lots will remain empty.

Here's a great site about the storm surge in the area: http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/Katrinas_surge_part14.asp

My average speed seemed to be about 17mph and I didn't get much above 18mph even when up to speed. I'll try to work on that. This trip was 25 miles. Would have been a great day to paddle to Horn, but, didn't have all the logistics planned ahead of time. Maybe if I plan all that and all else works out one day, I'll go ahead and do it.

Against the Wind

Memorial Day is an ideal boating day, unless it's windy like it was today. I decided to kayak anyway and fought the wind the whole time. It was not unpleasant -- just challenging. I got out at Old Shell Landing and took some pictures. I had heard from a friend that back in the 1890s during the yellow fever epidemics that they had brought people here from New Orleans to be buried. I'm not sure about that, but there was definitely some yellow fever activity here. Mom sent me this link which discusses a camp in this location but not graves.
http://www.oceanspringsarchives.com/Hurricanes.htm




The property is beautiful and there are some spectacular live oaks. There is more history to the spot (such as the Oystering that gave it it's name) and I can image all kinds of things taking place here throughout the decades. Before that, I'm sure it was used by Native Americans.




From here you can see the bayou and look out towards the gulf.



Quite a few folks were out fishing today despite the wind, but only in the main bayou. I had the rest of the trip completely to myself. It's just astounding how close to city, and close to home you can be and still have so much open space in a natural state.

I can't make up my mind about the 3 hours paddling today (9.4 miles). Time well spent? Definitely. But does it improve your brainpower? Which of the mental bank accounts are you filling up when you spend such time? I'm confident that it is more of a natural activity than watching TV or working on the computer, but not sure what the far-reaching effects of such investments are. In any case... it's got to be good.

Biking Around OS

It's a great season for biking. We explored a new area next to Simmons Bayou. It looks similar to Davis Bayou and all the others around here, and there are some nice properties adjacent to it. Interesting occurrence of the day was several deputies searching the bayou for someone. They even brought in the helicopters. Wonder if they found what they were looking for... or did they find any gators out there?

Pelican Sunday

Posting this a week later. This particular Sunday the water was calm and I went out to the gulf and a little beyond. The Pelicans were sitting on the piers just outside the mouth of the bayou. I got a bunch of pictures of them, as they patiently waited for me to leave.



The GPS shows this as about 8 miles.



I keep seeing this baby heron (what kind?). Whenever I pass the spot, he croaks and flies up out of the bushes and into the tree.



The Great Blues are everywhere, as usual. They are the largest birds around, but the easiest to spook.



The Red-Winged Blackbirds make their happy declarations from their grass perches...



And here is the tiny beach I think of as Graveline Beach, just at the mouth of the bayou as it enters the gulf.

Skimmers at Sunset

The thunderstorms that went through today visited my house in the form of a lightning strike so close to us that it 1) blew the cable amplifier on all the houses on the street, and 2) shocked me as I was standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes. (Note to self: don't wash dishes in a thunderstorm. Luckily it wasn't a bad one.) Once I was sure they were out of the area I went paddling out on the remarkably plain looking water:



But had a few nice adventures, including a flounder jumping out of the water right next to the boat (I didn't know flounders would jump like that, but I guess I startled him), meeting the Pelican View crew (nice folks!), talking with another former resident of the area who was trolling in the bayou, watching a pretty good sized walk around boat meet the challenge of getting out of the water and up the ramp with unusual style, and finally, on the way back to the dock, seeing a surprise sunset and the first skimmers I've seen this season.

Water Everywhere

Here's an evening paddle picture:



We didn't see any gators, even though we went up the bayou with the most sightings. Heard a big splash around the last corner. I guess THEY saw US.

That Old Town Millenium is really a good boat. The only thing I don't like about it is that there are no leg braces. When I get a chance I'll try another sea kayak with leg suppport and see if that makes a difference. I'm sticking with the rudder, though. Horn Island... Maybe this weekend!

This past weekend made a visit to Destin, FL - no kayaking, but had to visit the beach and it's beautiful white sand, emerald water.

Pedal, Paddle, Sail

Put the sail on the Hobie today. I'm new to sailing but I've done a lot of stunt kite flying and this seems similar to me. You just find the wind and let it work its magic.



The wind was gentle today and just right for giving this a first try. The sail combines really well with the pedals. You can pedal to keep moving and help catch the wind, work the rudder with your left hand and the sail rope with your right hand. It felt quite steady - I don't know how much it would take to capsize the boat, but didn't have any close calls.

The most challenging part was getting underway, away from the dock - using the paddle first, pedal next, then the sail. Talk about multitasking...



Sunday was paddling but yesterday we went out in the boat, halfway to Round Island then up the Pascagoula river almost to I-10. A pod of dolphins was playing, jumping, and catching fish out here in 3 feet of water. The shipyard is visible in the background.

Hobie at Graveline

The Hobie is great to take out for an evening ... pedal. It paddles well, too!