Tag Archives: Xanadu

Sulak’s Defeat at Jennings Defeat 2020-08-26

Explorer Dr. Ken Sulak has solved an Alapaha River rapids naming mystery. He recounts:


So in 1797, Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a poem inspired by a dream.

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
   Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

Insert three ‘A” and the dreamscape river becomes the Alapaha, and appropriately so. Yesterday, I embarked on the foolish idea of a solo kayak journey up 3 miles of the Alapaha from Sasser Landing (just below the confluence of the Alapaha and the Alapahoochee rivers) to the site of the 1800s Roebucks Ferry and later Roebucks Bridge.

[Jennings Defeat Rapids, Ogeechee Gum, GS&F RR trestle below CR 150]
Jennings Defeat Rapids, Ogeechee Gum, GS&F RR trestle below CR 150

That crossing brought settlers and other travelers from Jacksonville and Fernandina along the GA/FL border across the Alapaha to Miccotown, the old Seminole Indian town in the triangle of land protected by the two flanking rivers. The road/trail (gone now on both sides) continued west across the Alapahoochee at the site of the early 1900s Beatty Bridge (undoubtedly preceded in the mid-1800s by an undocumented ferry), and on to Hickstown in Madison County and westward. Miccotown became the first county seat of Hamilton County as the settlers suppressed the Seminoles and the old Indian town faded into obscurity in 1839. Continue reading

Sasser Landing to Jennings Bluff & Dead River Sink 2015-06-14

See three sinks, a waterfall, and a distributary in these videos from the WWALS Outing to Turket Creek Waterfall, the Alapahoochee River, the Alapaha River Sink, and the Dead River Sink, June 14, 2015. A WWALS video playlist follows the links to each video below. Continue reading

Exploring the Alapaha River

Julie Bowland explored ahead the Alapaha River where we’ll be boating this Sunday June 14th, from Sasser Landing to Jennings Bluff.

300x300 Near Jennings, FL, in Exploring the Alapaha River, by Julie Bowland, 10 June 2015 This afternoon I explored the Alapaha River just a bit. It is only about 30 miles away, but kind of remote, mysterious and beautiful. Sunday I plan to kayak-the first image is the put in, the others about 3-4 miles downstream at Jennings Bluff. There seems to be plenty of water in it, but it is a twisty dark water river with steep banks, so I’m taking the kayak not canoe.

More pictures by Julie Bowland: Continue reading

Sasser landing to Jennings Bluff, WWALS Outing 2015-06-14

Update 2015-06-10: Expedition leader Chris Mericle writes:

I am pleased to report that the Alapaha River water level has increased since my last report (May 31). The Statenville gauge reports an increase of .9′ The Jennings gauage reports an increase of .8′. There should be plenty of water in the river for this weekend’s outing.

Float down the Alapaha River for a couple of hours, then walk to the Dead River Sink, where it disappears into the Floridan Aquifer. facebook event.

This is a pretty easy outing, but as always Continue reading