8.5 with another storm brewing

The shortcut is easy to find going the other way, but now I know exactly where it is, have a tree for a landmark, and will find it coming into the bay as well as leaving it. Took the north route up towards the houses. It looks to me like this is natural bayou area, but then some of the paths must be cut channels. It was nice to see another new area and I found some other places to explore up there. Today was a race challenge and I'm worn out. Two bends away from the boat ramp it was 11:15 and I had to be somewhere at 12:00, so I was breaking speed records getting back. Good conditioning for my next race!

Creatures included one jellyfish in the bayou and another in the gulf, lots of egrets and herons, an average number of fish, no gators, no mammals. Caught this heron taking flight with the Pentax. It's a bright sunny day with few small clouds, but hurricane Katrina is spinning up to bring devastation somewhere near here by Monday. It was high tide while I was out today... wonder how high the water will get...

A little philosophy for today. I was thinking how kayaking is like life, you get choices along the way and decide which way to go. Sometimes you can turn back easily if you change your mind, other times you have to stay with your choice and follow it through. There are clues as you travel which help you make smarter choices if you're paying attention. This ability to review the trip with the GPS track gives valuable feedback. There are things like that in life where feedback is available to show you what you did right and wrong, and it can really help you develop your skills for the next time.

9.5

Expert GPS says by my tracklog I went 9.5 miles today!! I got lost in the swampgrass, is why I went so damn far. I set out to do a distance trip, to the gulf and back. Took two small side trips into interesting areas, and went farther out than I have before from the mouth of the bayou. Coming back I thought, I'll take the short cut down past the boat ramp and through to the south side of the bay. It was high tide, and I had been through once before from the other direction. Well, it is not so easy to find, going back. The picture of my track shows where I went, and where I missed it, and where I then gave up and went ALL the way back around through the main bayou.


First trip with my new Maui Jim sunglasses, and they were great. I see now how the polarized lenses work - mainly to cut through the sun's reflection on the water. They work extremely well in some light. Other times there's not much difference from other sunglasses, but they are very confortable and give great protection for your eyes. I saw more under the water, though still there is so much going on that I can't see... those big fish cruising around... and I didn't see a single gator today, which is highly unusual. What I did notice is a lot more mud trails of things scooting away as I go by. Flounder? Crabs? Skates or stingrays?

Saw one new creature when I stopped on the sandspit at the gulf, a horseshoe crab wandered up right to the water's edge and then back down to deeper water. The birds were out today in force and I started wondering about their seasonal habits. What will they be doing when the weather gets colder? They seem so at home in this area, as all the other living things. How many creatures live there. How long have they lived there. How long has this bay and this area been as it is today. It is well-taken-care-of right now, which means no one is messing with it too much. I think it will stay that way, because there's not much to change in the surrounding area. Glad to see it as it is intended.

Florida

Until last week, I had only kayaked in Mississippi. While in Ft Walton Beach I rented a sit-on-top kayak in 2 places, Choctawhatchee Bay and the Santa Rosa Sound. Both were really nice, the clear water, the Florida sand. In the bay we say a pod of dolphins catching baitfish and ended up in the middle of them. Nice scenery along the edge of the water. The sound was a half mile across but the storms to the north threatned to overtake our position so we stayed close to the marina after a short venture to the other side. Florida is nice but it's not home. I feel like an imprinted bird who woke to the surroundings of one place and will always consider that natural habitat. Went out tonight in the bay back here at home, and saw an unexpected sunset, extremely orange through the clouds, shining pretty on the water. No gators, lots of fish. Funny I was in the middle of the bay coming back across, and the tide was so low I was hitting the bottom at two feet. It's like a huge puddle, teeming with life. The crabs are so thick on the bottom it looks like you could scoop them up straight into a pot. My paddling technique was good tonight. I've got it right and can go the distance now. When can I make the run to Horn?

Gators rule

GPS: Garmin etrex Legend
Software: Expert GPS
Trusty camera: Pentax Optio S


Tonight's post warrants both a picture and a GPS track. The law of the land was in full force this evening! Big fish chasing smaller fish. Gators ruling the water. I love the little gators. Their little eyes peeking up above the water, nose sticking out just enough to see that they're small and not a threat. But the big ones, man! I saw a 10 footer tonight. Right where the GPS track stops, which is also the left side of this picture. I sat there a while debating whether to pass where he had splashed into the water over to the other side, but decided against it, as no one knew where I was exactly and it might not be wise. They are INCREDIBLY fast. I've read that the big males are territorial sometimes. What would they do, exactly? Cause if they came after me I sure couldn't get away, as quickly as they move. I don't think they're likely to come after me though, and I don't worry too much. Mostly they stay in the water and stay away. But you do have to wonder what might set off that little pea brain to go towards you instead of away from you.

The little fish were like fireworks in the water. Something cruising up after them, and they go shooting out in all directions trying to not be the last one in line. I call them waterfall fish, because sometimes they make sort of a rainbow-waterfall as they jump over each other out of the water, and they're shiny in the sun.

Sunset

How to make sunset last an hour: Take the kayak out on the bay when the sun is about 15 degrees above the horizon. Head away from the sun at a sprint. Get a rhythm going and enjoy the speed and the sound of the water. As you approach the other side.... glide.... listen to the quiet ripples of water, the birds, the fish jumping. Slowly move toward the shore in the otter home, and sit for 15 minutes watching the amazing array of fish, birds, shrimp, unidentified water cruisers making ripples in the water. The sun slowly goes down and gives it's last firey blaze. Then the clouds above come to life as the angle of the sun shines up on them. This is the time to head back, watching every second change the scene and the light as the water glides by around you. Last step: on the west side of the bay, drift close to the marsh grass until the last brightness of the sky stands out behind the grass in dark contrast. One last look towards the east and the full moon rises above the water, leaving it's reflection dancing. A summer night in coastal Mississippi... beautiful!

Exploring

I love it when I can make computers do what I want. Downloaded the pictures from the camera. Downloaded the route from the GPS. Selected the route and changed the display. Used screen capture to select it and - voila! The route tells the story. I was wandering tonight, not too energetic at first, but the adventure of new places pulled me forward. I went to the gulf via a shortcut. Not too pretty I must say - the canal is man-made and has none of the natural beauty of the meandering bayous. But it was interesting, and I met a lady at the end who was curious about how I got there, as the canal comes up behind the houses and seems to not connect to anything. I stepped out of the kayak, and as I suspected, the gulf was only about 30 feet away on the other side of the dirt road that came in from the other side.


Found a nook in the trees with all kinds of birds. There were so many herons in there, I saw feathers flying around in the air as I got to the end and they flew off, stating objections to my presence. I like the bayou areas near trees, the trees are pretty, but the stubborn scrubby trees more out in the open interest me the most. They look like they endure so much and stand their ground. Kind of like the pitcher plants that grow in "nutrient poor soil." At first thought it may seem like plants like that are not so grand, if all they live in is the poor soil -- but no, it is just the opposite. They are the strongest and most resourceful; the only ones that can live in those challenging conditions. Like explorers on Mt. Everest. These scrubby trees remind me of that.

Favorite Route

Although I didn't go out tonight in the kayak, I experimented with Expert GPS and captured my favorite route from previously saved tracklogs. The track is hard to see in black and white image, but goes across the bay and through the bayou, which looks like a river. I've done this journey three times and I believe it's about 7 or 8 miles total. This was from Sunday, July 3rd, actually it was the one I wrote about in First Blog. The oysters are halfway down the bayou and almost in the gulf. The entrance to the gulf is a little hazardous, as the waves are coming in while the tide current is moving through the channel. The beach out front is nice but nothing to get excited about, as the Mississippi coast waters are brown with sea life and mud. People catch a lot of speckled trout in the bayou. I like it in through here because there's not much boat traffic. Every time I've been out I've seen more wildlife than people... and that's the idea.