Maybe the most remote section of the Suwannee River, from the GA-FL line to Roline and Turner Bridge: here are pictures of the second day of the WWALS March 5-6, 2022, riverbank camping outing.

Decamping, GA-FL line, Roline, Turner Bridge

As usual, expedition leader Shirley Kokidko was worried before we were even on the water. Many thanks for leading this one, Shirley.

Shirley looks worried already, 09:06:57, 30.6007145, -82.6837405

The Fargo Gauge read about 5.4′ (96.4′ NAVD88) at 11:15 AM, Sunday, March 6, 2023.

There’s no state line marker, but these boaters just changed states.

Welcome to Florida, 09:25:14, 30.5974268, -82.6895311

You know you’re in Florida when you see that first blue Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) sign on the right bank.

First SRWMD sign, 09:25:11, 30.5974268, -82.6895311

SRWMD owns the right bank almost all the way to Turner Bridge. That’s in Hamilton County. The left bank, in Columbia County, is privately owned, but there are not many obvious river access points, probably because there is so much flood plain.

Roline Tract, SRWMD

I think this on the right bank in Hamilton County, Florida, is the mouth of Toms Creek, which comes down across GA 94 out of Echols County, Georgia.

Toms Creek, 30.5961276, -82.6964400

USGS thinks there are various other creeks entering the Suwannee, but they were impossible to spot.

Everybody had a good time.

Boaters on a fine morning, 09:48:37, 30.5891306, -82.7012364

Lunch at Roline Boat Ramp.

Landing at Roline, 30.5643249, -82.7248098

It was kind of crowded, so some of us landed at the creek just below.

Creek below Roline, 30.5639650, -82.7249032

Where Gretchen found a tree.

Gretchen and a cypress tree, 10:53:26, 30.5638652, -82.7250035

It was not a speedy paddle.

Moseying along, 12:17:22, 30.5416270, -82.7185235

These lally columns (metal cylinders filled with concrete) were a pair of three pairs that held up the old Turner Bridge. See also Turner Bridge mysteries –Ken Sulak 2021-12-16.

Lally columns downriver, 13:00:27, 30.5249565, -82.7282285

Journey’s end.

Unloading at Turner Bridge, 13:01:22, 30.5249570, -82.7282290

This was all upstream from where the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail formally starts at White Springs, but the WWALS SRWT web pages and online map cover the entire Suwannee River, and the latlongs on the pictures link into the WWALS SRWT map.

There are more pictures on the WWALS website.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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https://wwals.net/donations/

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