THE TENSAS RIVER AND BOILING CREEK
May 5, 1997
Last weekend (May 3&4) was kind of up in the air. Martha had said she might be coming but didn’t know definitely so I didn’t make any plans. Then about the middle of the week I was invited to go on a canoe trip that really sounded interesting.
I finally heard from Martha that she wasn’t coming so I said “ OK I’ll go.”
I was to meet Mimi Clifton in Mandeville at 6:30 Saturday morning to head for Blakeley State Park near Spanish Fort, Alabama. I awakened about 4:00 AM on Saturday to lightening and thunder and a pouring rain. We were in the middle of a severe thunder storm. My canoe was already loaded, I loaded the rest of my gear and drove to Mandeville in the rain. We loaded two canoes on Mimi’s car, filled the trunk and half the back seat with gear. Her dog, Marley, took up the other half of the back seat, and we started out in a light rain.
We stopped at Mande’s and had a delicious breakfast of eggs Florentine, English muffin and home fries. The rain had stopped by the time we got back on the road.
A little before 10 we arrived at the park and started looking for the other people. About 10:45 we finally all got together. Russell Polk, trip leader, Mike Murphy, Linda and Bill Sussky and Adrian Fortier.
The plan was to shuttle vehicles to the Blue Gill Restaurant on Highway 98 and paddle down the Tensas River and the bay to there and feast on seafood upon arrival.
After setting up camp, eating lunch, running the shuttle, we finally got started paddling at 2:30. The river was wide and the wind was kicking up a few small waves. After about half a mile we went into a side cut which was narrow and protected from the wind. We saw an Osprey, a couple of Pelicans and lots of Least Terns. When we came out of the narrow channel we were on the bay and headed across for the west side.
On the west side we went in to explore a little channel which went off into the marsh. There were a lot of Spider Lilies blooming. Someone said look. I looked and there was a flock of Pelicans flying a couple hundred feet to our left. This little channel ended in a small lake and we had to backtrack to the bay. We were paddling along close to the marsh and I heard a lot of noise, looked over and saw about a ten foot alligator crash into the water.
By 5:30 we were taking out at the Blue Gill. After loading canoes and kayaks onto vehicles we went into the restaurant and put away about 5 pitchers of beer and tons of fried seafood.
Bob Andrews, a factory rep for Wilderness Systems Kayaks and a friend of Russells, met us and ate with us. Afterwards we made plans for the next day. We planned for Sunday. We were to meet Bob at a public boat launch where Highway 98 passes under I-10 at ten in the morning. We would do a circular paddle from there in the rivers, the bay and the marsh.
That night we walked about a mile in darkness to the waterfront where we walked along a boardwalk to an observation deck and got a good look at the Hale-Bopp Comet.
Sunday morning after breakfast we broke camp, loaded all gear and headed for the boat launch. The wind had picked up considerably from Saturday and we could see white caps out on the bay as we crossed the bridge. Everyone except Mimi and me was paddling a sea kayak. We decided we had no business in those waves in our little solo open canoes. Bob told us about a little spring fed creek on Eglin Air Force Base property that sounded interesting. We headed east to Florida.
Boiling Creek had crystal clear water with a white sand bottom. We would have to paddle upstream because we had only one vehicle and couldn’t do a shuttle. Bob told us that two miles from the bridge there would be some high ground where we could get out and eat lunch. The creek runs through a free flowing bog. There were thousands of pitcher plants. White with red veins. The flowers were red. I was amazed at their numbers and their beauty.
Additionally there were white and yellow water lilies blooming. There was another plant, golden club, that put out a long gold spike about 12 inches long. The bottom half was white and the top half golden. There was pond cypress and other trees but they were rather small because of lack of nutrition in the bog. Certain spots had green grass growing on the bottom. The five foot strands trailed back in the current like a mermaids hair.
There was almost a total lack of bird life. After about an hour I saw a Great Egret and that was about it.
We could see 12 inch bass scurrying on the bottom as we approached. There was a pretty good current and paddling upstream was quite arduous. After an hour and forty five minutes we reached the landing and it was good to get up off our knees and stretch out legs.
It was now 1:45 and my lunch of summer sausage, cheese and whole wheat bread seemed like a feast. After lunch we stretched out on the ground using our life jackets for pillows and took a nap. We paddled back to the bridge in forty five minutes.
I still don’t know how the kayakers made out in the wind and waves but the blue sky, clear water, white sand and abundance of natural beauty really made my day.
On the way back we stopped at a Subway somewhere in Mississippi and had a tuna sandwich. I got home a little after nine and left everything until the next morning. I slept like a log.
Hulin Robert
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