Here’s Hands Across the Sand on the Suwannee River, with boats, during the WWALS outing from Woods Ferry Tract to Suwannee Springs Saturday.
Picture by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS.
Here’s an out-take from the making of, as Gretchen attempted to Continue reading
Update 2023-04-13: Pictures.
Due to low water, we’re moving the May 20th outing downstream! With lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course. Bring bug spray and the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. If you don’t have a boat, there are many outfitters, or let us know and many of us have spare boats.
Two outfitters advise there should be enough water on this route to avoid much boat dragging. There is a slight 30% possibility of afternoon thunder showers. Same date, same time, same river: just a bit downstream.
When:
9AM Saturday May 20, 2017, meet to shuttle
10AM: Start paddling
12PM noon: Stop for Hands Across the Sand
“Say NO to dirty fuels and YES to clean energy”
2-3PM: Finish some time around then
Put In: Mile 158.0, Woods Ferry Tract Launch, in Suwannee County, Florida
GPS of Entrance: to Woods Ferry Tract 30.343508, -82.855187
Paddle Distance: 8.0 river miles
Paddle Duration: 4 hours
Directions to Put In: From Live Oak, travel north on Continue reading
Update 2017-05-17: OK, the water’s gotten too low at the original location, so we’re moving downstream to Woods Ferry Tract Launch to Suwannee Springs.
Hands Across the Sand on the Suwannee Saturday! The river is quite low (48.78 feet NAVD on the White Springs gage), but it looks doable from the put-in and take-out. A ranger at Stephen Foster State Park told me paddling from White Springs to Swift Creek would be doable, perhaps with a few dry spots. I’ll also call a local outfitter or two for their opinions.
Meanwhile, bring bug spray (gnats) and a rope (to pull your boat over sand bars), and we’re still on for 9AM Saturday 20 May 2017. See the outing announcement for more details.
Plus: that’s the day of Hands Across the Sand, “Say NO to dirty fuels and YES to clean energy”. WWALS has been saying that for years, so somewhere on the Suwannee we will stop and do Hands Across the Sand against the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline and for solar power.
Here are a few pictures (also on facebook) and videos (video playlist) from the
Fifth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race.
Later you’ll see pictures of each winner coming in and being awarded. Winners posted, plus news coverage.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Check in at Red Roberts Landing 31.1920876, -83.5208021
Scott James had already been talking to WWALS Outings Chair Phil Hubbard
about the
BIG Little River Paddle Race Saturday morning at Reed Bingham State Park,
so he knew some good questions to ask on his Talk 92.1 FM Radio show this morning.
Scott also had this morning’s Valdosta Daily Times, which
has a nice writeup on the paddle race on the top of page 5A.
Remember to register online or at the event Saturday morning. On-site registration is at Red Roberts Landing, from Exit 41 on I-75.
You do not have to actually race, you can just paddle. But the long-time winner has some real competition this year, with multiple people training seriously to win that $50 first place prize. You could win one of many other prizes, for young, old, male, female, or single, double, or triple kayak or canoe.
Come on down and paddle, eat the lunch grilled by Phil Hubbard, and bid in the silent auction!
And you can get tickets for the kayak raffle, either at the race or online.
Here’s the video: Continue reading
Last year paddling the Withlacoochee River Charlie Walker fell in before we got to Langdale Park, but he’s dried off now and ready for the BIG Little River Paddle Race.
As we discussed this morning on
KIX 99.5 FM,
come on down to Reed Bingham State Park between Adel and Moultrie
Saturday morning at 8AM,
and stay for the the grilled lunch and the silent auction.
You do not have to train by paddline upstream;
you can just paddle the excellent course three miles downstream
past cypress, pines, great blue herons, turtles, and fish.
Don’t pet the alligators and they won’t bother you.
Remember to register online or at the event Saturday morning. And you can get tickets for the kayak raffle, either at the race or online!
Here’s the video. Continue reading
You don’t have to race, but some paddlers are training big-time,
so come on down 8AM Saturday morning to Red Roberts Landing
for the
BIG Little River Paddle Race,
the grilled lunch, and the silent auction.
The Little River is so low that if you fall in, you can just stand up.
Remember to register online or at the event Saturday morning.
Here’s the video: Continue reading
Update 2017-04-26: video of me and Neighbor Steve Nichols on the radio.
After racing or just paddling, you can eat grilled lunch afterwards, while bidding in the silent auction at the Fifth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia, and you can year about it in your car 8:15 tomorrow morning with Steve Nichols on WVGA 105.9 FM.
When: 8:15AM Wednesday, April 26th, 2017
Where: 105.9 FM WVGA, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia
What: Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman on The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols about the paddle race, Wanee, fertilizer runoff, solar power, and yes, I’ll mention the pipeline.
Event: Join the facebook events for Continue reading
Update 2017-06-26: A fine day on the Withlacoochee River from Sullivan Landing to Madison Blue Spring 2017-06-24.
Paddle with WWALS to one of the most beautiful springs on the Withlacoochee River, from Sullivan Launch to Madison Blue Spring, about 6.5 hours including shuttle, with lunch, swim stops, and bon-bons, of course.
Bring the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Bring a canoe or kayak if you’ve got one, otherwise there are plenty of
outfitters,
or let us know and many of us have extra boats.
When: 9AM Saturday 24 May June 2017
Put In: Sullivan Launch, river mile 21.9
From Pinetta, travel east on CR 150; turn right at the bridge and follow road to
launch.
GPS: 30.595667, -83.26
Duration: 6.5 hours
Event: facebook
Free: This outing is Free! And we recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
Take Out: Continue reading
Because SRWMD tells us Blue Sink Launch is closed, our May Suwannee River outing will take out slightly downstream at Swift Creek Lunch, which should be easy to recognize from the river because American Canoe Adventures has put up these nice triangular flags:
Photo: Jesse Wilkes, November 23, 2016
The put in at White Springs Wayside Park and everything else is the same; see the updated outing announcement for all the details.
We’re bringing bon-bons. See you there in May!
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!