It’s been over 20 years since I’ve paddled on the Upper Santa Fe River, the stretch above Oleno State Park, and a first-time paddle onto Olustee Creek. It was a beautiful spring day ( despite being February ) and I was definitely treated to an exciting new adventure! …James
We spent President’s Day on the Dora Canal down in Tavares. It was my first time on the canal and I found it to be a quite pretty place to paddle, though very busy with tour boats, fishing boats, and pleasure craft. I would highly recommend doing this on a day other than the weekend or on a holiday…James
With the Rodman Reservoir drawdown taking place every few years, it presents a wonderful opportunity to experience paddling on the original Ocklawaha channel, lined with the towering remnants of Bald Cypress, Tupelo, and Ash, killed when the reservoir was filled. These past couple of weeks I have shared paddles to the ‘Sentinel Cypress’, an early morning Sunrise through a cold mist, and today I share a unique paddle to observe the January ‘Wolf’ Moon rising over the Ocklawaha, Enjoy!…James
This morning I planned a short trip over to the Ocklawaha River near Orange Springs in order to capture photographs of the sunrise through the cold haze and dead tree trunks, exposed during the Rodman Dam drawdown. I was on the water by 7:00 am, it was in the low 40°’s but well worth it. Not a soul around, hundreds of Storks, Limpkins, and Herons just waking up. The haze, the silence, and the silhouettes of dead tree trunks made for an eerie, yet beautiful setting…totally cool!…James
2019 is over and it’s time to reflect on this past year’s paddles and offer my Top 10 choices for the year. Each year and …
This final paddle had a mission to find one of several Sentinel Cypress’ located throughout the swamp forests of the Ocklawaha Basin. With tips from previous guides, and without being given the exact location, we were able to locate one of these beauties and photograph it! It was the perfect way for Florida Paddle Notes to end 2019…James
Rodman Reservoir is currently in a drawdown, where the water level goes from an average of 18′ – 20′ down to approximately 11′. The drawdown exposes the original Ocklawaha River channel along with the remains of hundreds of Cypress tree stumps that once lined the banks of the river. Today, Florida Paddle Notes explores a portion of the ‘Lower Ocklawaha’ from Paynes Landing to Orange Springs. The route is quite scenic during the drawdown with plenty of wildlife to view…James
Rodman Reservoir is currently in a drawdown, where the water level goes from an average of 18′ – 20′ down to approximately 11′. The drawdown exposes the original Ocklawaha River channel along with the remains of hundreds of Cypress tree stumps that once lined the banks of the river. Several springs known as ‘hidden’ or ‘lost’ springs’ are also now revealed with the lower water level and today’s paddle takes Florida Paddle Notes to a few of these springs…James
We set out on a nice Fall day, sunny, breezy and high in the upper 70’s. Our goal for this 10 mile trip was to launch at French Avenue, head 2.5 miles north on the St. Johns River, paddle by Hontoon Island State Park and enter the Hontoon Dead River on the west side of Hontoon Island, head south and return to the St Johns River, paddling North with the current and completing the loop…James
The St. Mary’s River is a blackwater river that forms the border between southeastern Georgia and northeastern Florida. It originates in the Okefenokee Swamp, flowing for 130 miles on a winding path into the Atlantic Ocean near Cumberland Island, Ga…James
