Snook Haven North On Myakka

John came by my house at 7:30 am with two computers for the computer club refurbishing along with other equipment. We loaded the kayaks in the truck and then went to Wings & Weenies for breakfast. After breakfast we went to Snook Haven for kayaking. We were in the water at 9:00 am and paddled 3.4 miles in two hours. We went up four tributaries of the Myakka River before heading back. Below is a picture of the spot we launched.
 
This is a picture of the first tributary that we entered and a scene in this narrow shady water.
 
While going through the narrow areas we came across three spider webs of this kind. Each with some baby spiders.The tributaries are a nice change from the wide river.
 
As we came back into the Myakka I took this panorama shot of where the river makes a horseshoe curve at the north end of Snook Haven.

Here we are entering another tributary and a scene back on the Myakka.
 
We heard some thunder in the distance and saw some dark clouds but they went the other way. There was some cloud cover and some nice breezes.
 
The dead trees along the Myakka really give it a great look. We saw very little wildlife. We saw this Night Herron about three times.
 
We did see one alligator in the water ahead of us but it was too far away to get a picture. Just as I realized that we had never seen another boat, four kayakers came around the bend.
 
They were followed by three more. These are the only boats we saw all morning. We got back to the launch about 11:00 am. John helped me unload the kayaks when we got back to my house and then left. It was a great kayaking day.

First Time On Deer Prairie Creek

John came to my house at 7:15 this morning. We loaded the kayaks and went to the Waffle House for breakfast. We then headed for Deer Prairie Creek. We traveled less than 2 miles up and back We launched at the north side of the dam. The water was high and was flowing over the dam.
 
The scenery along this creek is beautiful. This part was fairly wide but got narrow once in a while.

We encountered a good bit of vegetation in the creek.

We finally got to a spot where the vegetation was so thick that we had to turn back. John hadn’t kayaked in about 9 months due to a shoulder problem and I hadn’t in about 2½ months. We decided to call it a day and go home. No sense in pushing it the first time out. It was good to be out kayaking again. On the way home we went by the county Myakka River Park on Laurel road. It is not yet opened.

Checking Out Deer Prairie Creek

After breakfast I went to Deer Prairie Creek. The road is a dirt one lane road.  About 1.1 mile is the parking lot, dam and the north launch.

This shows this road as it is seen from route 41. About 1 mile in is the south launch site. The South launch appears to give access to the section of the creek opening into Myakka River.

The panorama is of the area of the south launch. There is a wide place in the road for launching but the vehicles must then be parked in the parking lot with a walk back to the launch.

 
The south side of the dam is not accessable as a launch. The north side is  shallow and provides a good place to launch.

This group of over a dozen kayakers were returning when I arrived. I watched them to see if there was anyone there I knew. There wasn’t. This path shows the road from the parking lot to the dam/launch and from the dam to the parking lot. The creek is very beautiful and I am anxious to try it.
 

Sailing On Little Sarasota Bay

Judy came over at 9 am and helped load the kayaks in the truck. We then went to the Vamo beach launch. We traveled about 1½ in 1½ hours. I had very little wind. Terry Brawley was at the launch renting kayaks and giving a tour to two other people.
 
The weather was great but there was very little wind. Judy rode alung in the other kayak and took pictures. It was fun but real slow.

We traveled north in the bay awhile and then returned. There were quite a few large boats in the bay today but they slowed nicely when getting close to us. The only wildlife we saw were a few fishing Anhingas and some jumping fish.

The trip back was real slow because we were pretty much going against the wind, what there was of it. When we returned Terry and his people were also coming in.

It was a fun time. Judy was not tempted to sail because of the low wind. Maybe she will next time.

Myakka River and Curry Creek

At 9:00 am Judy and I loaded the kayaks and headed for T. Mabry Launch on Border Road to meet up with Anne and Karen. This is the first kayak trip that I have made in over a month. It was good to be back. We were in the water at 9:35 am and traveled south .8 miles to Curry Creek and then 1.2 miles west and returned for a total paddle of 4 miles in 2 ½ hours.
 
Under the Border Road bridge and then the beautiful scenery.

This was the only wildlife I saw all morning, but the trip was still great. Here we are turning into Curry Creek.

The weather was beautiful and and got to use her sun shield again. This part of Curry Creek is known as Blackburn Canal and was dredged in the past to connect to The Myakka River to help with flooding. It connects the Myakka with Dona bay and could flow either west or east depending on the tide.

Here we passed under N. Jackson Rd. and continued on.

Some of had a little snack before turning around and heading back. And then back on the Myakka to head for the launch.

As we passed under the Border Rd. bridge we found this group not only fishing but with a fire to cook it as they caught it. Anne and Karen continued north up the Myakka while Judy and I quit for the day.

Judy helped me unload the kayaks before she went home.