Canoe Day Trip

[JohnRich 4]

I spent Sunday in the canoe. Here's the report and photos which I made for the canoe club, for anyone interested here. This is in the Houston, Texas, area.

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On Sunday, August 24th, nine Houston Canoe Club members gathered together to paddle Spring Creek.

We met at 8:00 am under the Highway 59 bridge over the San Jacinto River, just north of Bush Intercontinental Airport. Southwest Paddle Sports arrived for the shuttle with a passenger van and canoe trailer. We loaded our boats and gear, and headed out. The first stop was Jesse Jones nature park, where two paddlers hopped out to make a short paddle from there back to Hwy 59. The remaining seven paddlers continued further north to the Riley Fuzzle Bridge over Spring Creek. (I don't know who Riley Fuzzle was, but with a name like that, I'm sure you just had to like him.) The put-in site there was pristine sand, and there was some current flowing in the creek to push us along.

It was an easy and enjoyable paddle, with occasional logs and stumps in the creek that gave maneuvering practice. The bends in the creek just about all contain beautiful white-sand beaches, some quite wide, and the surrounding riverbanks are dense woods. I think we saw only one home along the 14-mile stretch, so it feels like wilderness. You don't hear any motor traffic, and the only sound that drowned out the gurgling water was the jets flying overhead on approach into the airport.

The water was often shallow in places, so you had to seek out the deeper channel. Or at least I did, to keep my battleship afloat. I was using my 15'8" canoe, while everyone else had sleek, fast, shiny kayaks. The creek widens as it nears the juncture with the San Jacinto River, the current disappears, and the last couple of miles are like flat water. The total trip time was about 6 hours, and we stopped for one rest break for about 30 minutes.

It's a pretty stretch of river, and easy to get to. I'm sure I'll be doing it again some day. Those beaches would also make for great overnight camping.

For a photo album of my pictures from the trip, go here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JohnRich3rd/SpringCreek

Click the "slideshow" button, and you might then want to increase the number of seconds for viewing each picture - the default of four seconds is inadequate in my opinion. There are 27 photos. Enjoy!

- John Rich

[micduran 0]

Great photos!
The last time I went on a canoe trip we carried more than paddled. The river was insanely low.
I can't wait to get back out there now that we've had some rain.

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

I bet there is water in the Flint River now

[Nutz 0]

You guys got a Flint River over there too? Ours is overflowing today.

"Don't! Get! Eliminated!"

[micduran 0]

It is just a few miles from Skydive Atlanta.
Very nice campground and river outfitter there.
We just needed water

Be patient with the faults of others; they have to be patient with yours.

[shropshire 0]

I always like reading theses type of threads and the pictures are great too.

Thanks.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[jdthomas 0]

John
you have some great float trips.. here in kansas we make do with what we can.
This weekend we are not going to go skydive, but spend time on the a river in Missouri and Arkansas.

Here a few from the Maris Des Cygne river outside of trading post kansas.
MY friend and fellow skydiver Bryan Gayley put this event on, the water level was low and slow but it was still fun.

www.greenboxphotography.com

[JohnRich 4]

Quote

Here a few from the Maris Des Cygne river outside of trading post kansas.

That kayak looks big enough to do some overnight camping out of it.

Yeah, you gotta take the water the way it is, and nature doesn't always provide the conditions you consider ideal. But take good people along, and you'll always have fun anyway.

[flyangel2 2]

Thanks for sharing.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[Remster 30]

What's a canoe?

And whats a trip?

Remster