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Continue reading →: Blackwater River and Royal Palm Hammock Paddling Trail (12/28/2021)COVID disrupted all our lives this past year, mine included, but I could not let the year end without a paddle. I wanted to challenge myself and paddle someplace new. I focused on the Everglades area, as I have not paddled any of these waterways yet. I looked at several:…
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Continue reading →: Ocklawaha River: A Return (12/26/2019)I arrived at the Ocklawaha Canoe Outpost and Resort in time to check into my cabin and unpack before jumping on the shuttle to the drop at Gores Landing. This would be my second paddle on the Ocklawaha and my first stay in the cabins. My adventurous spirit moved me…
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Continue reading →: Whiskey Creek (07/19/2018)Another hot, sunny summer day in South Florida, and I had not been kayaking for over six months. Determined to paddle, I checked my list of rivers not yet paddled and found one within an hour’s drive—Whiskey Creek. Honestly, I hadn’t even known it existed. I love when I find…
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Continue reading →: Chassahowitzka River (12/28/2017)I put in mid-morning, three days after Christmas, under overcast skies in chilly (brrrrr…60 degrees!), breezy weather. Winter had arrived in Florida! My location, the Chassahowitzka River Campground—probably the best, if not the only put-in on the “Chaz.” It took me some time just to be able to pronounce the…
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Continue reading →: Shingle Creek (12/26/2017)Originally from New England, I find that Florida often surprises me with its knack of squeezing beautiful glimpses of nature in among the hub of civilization. Shingle Creek is one of these surprising glimpses. I took exit 242 off the turnpike and drove west through the Kissimmee sprawl on US…
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Continue reading →: Spring Creek (6/14/2017)Spillway/Dam to Magnolia Bridge Having spent the majority of a four-hour paddle in the rain the day before, I opted for a shorter paddle on Wednesday. Ricky drove me to the Spring Creek spillway on US 90, shoving me off (Woo-hoo!) about 10:00 a.m., just as the sun pushed through…
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Continue reading →: Chipola River (A return: 6/13/2017)Yancey Bridge to Magnolia Bridge We had not quite reached Yancey Bridge when the first raindrops hit the windshield. Ricky, my ride to the river and Bear Paw owner, glanced at me encouragingly, “Even a bad day on the river is better than …” He didn’t need to finish. “Of…
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Continue reading →: Peace River: Pioneer Park to Zolfo Springs (11/11/16)After this political season, the Peace River seemed an obvious escape from the constant debating, bickering, posting and tweeting of the last few months. I needed to leave Facebook and Twitter behind and return to a place of solitude and serenity. I had paddled the southern portion of the Peace…
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Continue reading →: Lower Ocklockonee River and Bear Creek (07/13/16)I call “do-over” on this one. I was never quite sure where I was! I had hoped to paddle the upper Ochlocknee, a more narrow and twisted river. Failing to find an outfitter who would drop me, I decided on the Ochlockonee River State Park located on the lower Ochlocknee for…
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Continue reading →: Deep Creek (07/08/16)Standing on the creek’s bank looking up the narrow twisting waterway, one word came to mind: “mystical.” The creek reminded me of a fairy tale…a beautiful twisting path leading to a mystical, magical place. Tall cypress embraced the waterway and added a welcomed shade on a hot day—in the 90s…
Footprints and Ripples 