Florida: Placida: Don Pedro Island and the Woolverton Trail

Don Pedro Island State Park claims to be where "Peace and Solitude Meet the Gulf."  A nice slogan, and by the time we arrived there we were ready for some of both.  Our rental car, from Alamo, had neither a fob nor an electronic button which locked all the doors.  We'd picked up the car at midnight, and didn't notice the problem until we'd arrived at the hotel.  The next morning, certain we were missing something, we went back to the Alamo office, where the lot attendant verified we hadn't missed any buttons and the other person at the front desk explained that that was Alamo's standard practice: in small and mid-sized cars automatic doors or windows were not guaranteed.  Alamo really did mean for us to be reminded each time we stopped the car that we had selected the wrong car rental company.

   Our drive south had been crowded with traffic which eased only as we pulled onto Placida Road.  Don Pedro State Park has two pieces, a section by the road with parking and restrooms and a section on the gulf, accessible only by boat.  In keeping with that theme, the dock was accessible only by water, or by working your way carefully over a few scattered boards designed to test for winter weight gain.

Testing boards at Don Pedro

     It wasn't far to the launch, which had many mini crabs and lots of fish to view.  At Don Pedro we met a pleasant kayaker coming in from his morning on the water.   He had an early version of sit-on-top Kestrel by Current Designs.   Those weren't made any more, he told us, "too unstable."
   Sleek, slim and white, it seemed a good fit for the trim man.  He'd just finished a wonderful paddle.  He'd traveled between two tiny islands and landed on the outer section of Don Pedro Park.  He'd crossed the island to a beach on the Gulf.  Sightings of dolphin and rays were common, though he hadn't seen any this morning..  Now that he was back on the mainland, he could rinse his boat off by the parking lot.

    "Don Pedro," he stated with confidence "has the best launch facilities on the coast."  Then after a short pause he repeated, "and the beach is on the Gulf.  The Gulf."

   And because he was so positive about Don Pedro, I've included it here, though we did not paddle there. It was as if he spoke with enough emphasis, we'd pull out the origami kayaks we'd hidden in the trunk and launch them.  But, alas, we had no kayaks, only a few addresses for rentals.  One of which was just down the street.

    Grande Tours Inc offers kayaks and Paddle Boards.  Their location has an access to Coral Creek and is just a short trip to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Woolverton Trail.

Launch at Grande Tours

   From their launch it's about a mile to the start of the Woolverton Trail.    We were given several visual cues to guide us.  Will, who'd come in just to pick up a check and stayed to help us (since a shipment of boats was also arriving), even warned us that the main entrance canal to the Woolverton System had a bogus sign cautioning that it was private.
    In no time we were outfitted with a pair of Wilderness System Pungos (13 and 12) and an Aquabound aluminum paddle for me.  Mark used his own carbon Northern Light Aleut Paddle.

    Along the first mile the most impressive sight was of men casting nets to catch mullet.  They gathered the nets in their arms and somehow flung them out to form perfect 20 foot wide circles on the sea before pulling them in again and repeating the process.

   The entrance to the canal was indeed marked private.  It's about a quarter mile down to the entrance to the trails.   Starting from mosquito control ditches through the mangroves, Ed Woolverton carved out, and most importantly, carefully marked several miles of trails.  Now in his 90's, Ed Woolverton still lives in the area and an interesting carved paddle he made graces the showroom at Grande Tours.  The paddle is pictured above.

   The trails are indeed an accomplishment, but I found them a bit claustraphobic and abandoned them at the first turnoff, choosing instead to paddle across the shallow waters of the bay and into a few inlets.

Mark lazes in a cove

    Jumping mullet were out in force, as were boats filled with fishermen cursing about their inability to be where the fish were.  Other wildlife spotted were Osprey, bald eagles, green herons, white and brown pelicans, and vultures.   A small pod of dolphin made their way down the deeper boat canal, just in front of us.

      The Pungos were good little boats with sturdy foot pegs.  With a long straight keel line they were steady trackers, but not great turners.  The Aquabound paddle was pretty good.  It was a four mile paddle, a refreshing break in our drive south

Willets?? on an oyster bar with some Condos behind

LINKS
    Ed Woolverton receives an award for promoting tourism  http://www.charlotteharbortravel.com/cms/index.php?id=188
    Blueway Trail discussion of the Woolverton Trails  http://www.charlotteharbortravel.com/cms/index.php?id=394
     Grande Tours offers several tours and other services

Florida

 While others are dreaming of a white Christmas, Mark and I have been dreaming of a land of sunshine and warmth.  A place where you can walk without ice crawlers and paddle without a drysuit.  A place where tinsel flamingos look like they belong, and a big old Sanatee fits right in.

Florida is just three hours from Bangor by plane.  When we left Bangor it was 27 degrees, when we landed the digits had reversed, 72.  Amazing!  By contrast, three hours of driving will bring us to the Maine/New Hampshire border, where the temperature was 28 degrees. 

Florida is filled with tourist attractions and activities that are open, even in the winter!  Best of all, the regions low cost airline, Allegiant, has been sending Mark emails promising low cost flights, from just $70 (each way luggage not included.)  So we packed up our paddle gear and suncream, left our cats in the house-sitter's care, and took off for a week.

And we had an amazing time.  But how could we not?  A winter trip to Florida can never disappoint; since we aren't looking for great water, just water free of large ice sheets. 

Look; A November Post!

Forget April, November is the cruelest month.

In October everything is easy; the sun is never too bright, the temperature is never too hot.  It's easy to get up, get a quick paddle in and go about our days.  Every day I can feel myself getting a little faster, my lung capacity growing.  Want to squeeze a six mile paddle in? Head out of the house at 6:30, hike down the hill, launch, paddle, place the kayaks back on their racks and be back at the house by 8. Plenty of time for a full day of work.   Every day the leaves are a different shade, every cove has a different species of waterfowl migrating south.

But November, everything is tougher.  The deciduous trees are bare.  The variety of birds whittled away to a huge flock of geese and a few mallards.  The sky?  Fortunately that's still amazing.

      But it's cold; our outfits need to be warmer, just paddling clothes won't do, at first we shift to wetsuits then soon after drysuits. Those take care of the bodies, but the hands?  Mark has shifted to warmer gloves, then to carrying hot water to warm his hands midway, now he's given up his Greenland paddle for winter, compromising with a Euro paddle. 

      We still get out, but far less often.  And there's a definite endurance vibe, even on short paddles.  Can we keep warm enough to make a full circuit, or will be be forced back by frozen fingers and noses?  Just when we think we've adjusted, the temperatures drop again, and the wind picks up more. 

    It's just a good thing that there are so many off water distractions: so many chances to get together with friends and relatives.  I hope you've all enjoyed your November, both on and off the water!

Calm Before the Storm at Sears Island

   How still was the air on Saturday?  Still enough that it was easy to capture a seagull's reflection as it took flight.
 How warm was it on Saturday?  Warm enough that I didn't bother with waterproof boots, and waded through the water gladly. 
Warm enough that folks in costume for the Zombie Walk and trick-or-treating wore only their costumes.  When you live in Maine you get used to answering your door to find a princess skirt peaking out from beneath a warm winter coat and snow boots taking the place of glass slippers. 

   A very peaceful day to be on the water; at least here in Maine.  We launched from Stockton Springs.  The Harbor was busy- a lobsterboat bringing in traps and tossing them over the side.

A crew pulling the docks from the water. 

 The pending storm may have caused the work to be done on Saturday, but the season caused the dock to be pulled.

As we crossed to Sears Island remnants of morning fog were still visible.

But as a whole, what stands out was how quiet and still the ocean was, flat all the way to Isleboro.

Folks were out enjoying Sears Island, mostly walkers and their dogs.  At times it seems like Sears Island is Maine's largest dog park.  There were also hunters, dressed in bright orange.  Saturday was the first day of hunting season and a great day to be out. 

But on Sears Island, it seems like unwary dog walkers and hunters could be a bad mix.  I've never heard of accidental shootings there, but next time I drive by I might add a sign that it's hunting season and tie an orange vest or two to the fence.

Sears Island is joined to the mainland by a causeway, so our adventure included a portage; two boats at a time up a trail, one boat at a time down the stairs.

Sears Island is also a great place to scout out sea birds.  We saw scoters, laughing gulls, loons,herring gulls, mergansers, ring-bill gulls and cormorants. 

Back in Stockton Springs the lobster boat had delivered a second load of traps.  A dropping tide had left  the first set of  lobster traps above water, ready to be loaded on a trailer and moved off for winter storage.

 A calm quiet day, which seems especially calm in view of the  bigger, more exciting seas which are due.  Hopefully all affected by Frankenstorm will take care and stay safe....

Summary:  Launch Stockton Springs, lots of parking.  Sadly the flush toilet is closed for the season, but a portapottie remains.  8 miles around Sears island, a portage required across uneven ground.  High: 9:30AM.  Launch 10:50 AM, finish 1:45PM; one stop, one portage.

High Water

Recent rains have swelled our lakes and streams creating new pathways.  So who can resist leaving the stream bed to paddle amidst the trees?

Apparently not Mark and I.

Where am I?

Flying Shadow Paddlers

 Still water, a low sun and a flat vertical surface; perfect conditions for a double shadow, or shadow paddler.

Unlike a mere shadow,  shadow paddlers don't appear below you, but above.  They don't just have one head, but two, an upright head, and reflecting head below.  And there is no dark shade connecting you to a shadow paddler.

They are most easily spotted against a solid surface, a cliff or a wall, but can also be seen in the leaves of trees growing on the sides of rivers.

The top part of the double shadow comes from light reflecting up from the water which is blocked by your body.  The upside down shadow is light blocked by your body first, or, another way of describing it, your shadow's reflection.

This photo shows the light points creating shadows

Whatever the cause, it always seems magical to look up and see a shadow paddler beside me, paddling through the brush and over rocks.

Magical, and maddeningly difficult to capture on film.  By the time I notice conditions are right, the wake from my kayak is dissipating the  shadow paddler.  Wait for the water to still, and by then the sun has moved, or the wind picked up.

It's easier to see the double images in a video.  The video below was created from stills, so it is a bit choppy.

Have you had any luck capturing Double Kayak Shadows?

Halloween Tour: Dawn in Stephen King's "Derry"

A structure in the Barrens

Something is wrong in Derry, something is off.  A feeling of despair hangs over the city, much as a fog of industrial exhaust clouded the city's skies years ago.  Now, for the most part, the industry is gone, but the screams of the old machinery linger in dark corners, waiting to terrify all who happen upon them.

We've avoided Derry for years; too many deaths, too many disappearances, too many innocents lost.  But Halloween is upon us, and it was time to tackle the scariest waters of Maine; Derry's Kenduskeag River and the stream that runs through the Barrens.

We were lucky that the road to Derry was open. The previous night, as we listened to WKIT, the evening DJ reported on an experiment gone wrong at Derry's military facility.  But this morning, there was a new report assuring us everything was okay and we should just go about our normal lives.  The voice giving the report was a little mechanical, and didn’t sound like the normal crew, but WKIT soon launched into “Something in the Air” by Tom Petty followed up by Anthrax and Poison songs before playing the all-clear notice again. It's great to have a locally owned and operated Rock Station, they can play whatever they want.

We awoke early for this trip.  Just after sunrise is the best time to visit Derry, the night denizens have gone back into hiding and the daylight specters have yet to awaken.   Our goal was to launch at the Kenduskeag, paddle up to the stream, explore the Barrens and get out again quickly. 

Seven Reasons to visit the Porcupines

Two boats on The Hop

1. Gives us a chance to serve as goodwill ambassadors for Maine. Even though the Bar was much emptier than usual, while launching (and landing) from the Bar Harbor Bar we met people from Iowa, Vancouver, Calgary, Virginia, and Delaware. They come by to chat about paddling, to ask where we're headed and where we're from.  We tell them it's the best time of year to be in Bar Harbor, encourage them to ride the park loop and visit Mount Cadillac.  (We tell them its the best time of year to be in Bar Harbor no matter when they come.)

2.  If it's moderate water, it makes a wonderful paddle; if it's still water we'll explore the keyholes.  (If it's big water, we'll paddle elsewhere.)

3.    It's already Fall.  Mark has begun his annual petition to move south for the winter.  Our skirts and PFD's come inside to dry. Our water shoes linger on the porch, perpetually damp and cold.  Post dinner paddles?  Only if we're committed to paddling in the dark.   Days suitable for ocean adventures grow farther apart and our selections seem more important.  This might be the last day in 2012 where our availability and weather allow a trip to the Porcupine Islands.  Can driving a long distance to test a new harbor compete with a known quantity a little over an hour away?

4.  A wonderful bell buoy.

5.  A quiet beach to explore.  To the east side of Long Porcupine waves roll in from the south, to the west they are blocked and the water calm.  As a result of the active water/quiet water dichotomy;  the west sides of islands tend to have gentle slopes and beaches, the east side soaring cliffs and ragged edges.  We usually aim for the Hop and its wonderful beach.

Water patterns at the Hop

6.  An opportunity to see interesting boats.

7.   Check on the color. 

Nowhere near peak color.  In fact the day was mostly a palette of green and gray.

Do we need a reason to visit the Porcupines again? Not really.  I just had some great pictures and wanted to share them.
Now that the season is winding down, I hope you're able to get out to some of your favorite paddling places!

Prior visits:  Bar Harbor to the Hop
                   Porcupine Islands - Always Amazing
                   Porcupine Islands with Ironbound

Summary Information:  Launch Bar at the end of Bridge Street in Bar Harbor. No parking at launch: parking is available on West Street and side streets. No facilities: the information booth on Thompson Island is open through October; public toilets are also available at the town dock, seasonally.
High 2:45PM Launch 10:30AM Finish 1:30PM.