Bob Laney, Janet Smith and her Golden Retreiver Gracie go to Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington, NC, almost everyday, to walk or ride our bicycles. Here is a nice collection of views up the grassy paths, down the sandy lanes, up into the live oak trees and over at the flowers. The picture of a gravestone shows a birthdate in 1768, before the US Revolultionay War, the oldest date I have seen in Oakdale. I hope you enjoy these scenes.
On the bright and beautiful day of May 19 I joined the Twin Rivers Paddle Club kayak and canoe trip on Blount's Creek lead by Guy Blackwell and Buster Thompson. There were about 14 participants. We launched and returned to the NC Wildlife RC dock and ramp at Blount's Creek landing.
Part way up stream the group divided into two. One group explored Sheppards Run; and the others explored Herring Run. We experienced some wonderful camaraderie and many pleasant conversations.
Along the way we saw multiple bald eagles including a male, female and juvenile in a nest. Osprey nests were so common that at one place I could see four nests at the same time.
The trip went upstream to the two creeks narrowing into a cypress swamp; and back to the beginning; for about 6 miles. Water time was about 3.5 hours. Upon returning to the landing most paddlers headed to other places. Several of us ate our picnic lunch in the grass under some shade trees by the parking lot.
On May 17 I joined the New Bern Outdoor Adventure Club at the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden in Wilmington, NC. It is adjacent to the Piney Green Preserve and the First Baptist Church Activity Center on Independence Boulevard. We had a pleasant visit with much photography. Afterwards, we all retired to a nice pub nearby for beer or wine and lunch meal.
Smith Creek Park Wildlife
On May 16, I paddled my kayak at Smith Creek Park lake near Wilmington, NC, to practice for the upcoming Twin Rivers Paddle Club trip on Blount’s Creek. I proceeded more quietly than usual, and was rewarded with right many wildlife sightings.
There were multiple groups of a half-dozen or more turtles rafted together in the water; and many more groups on the shore. Maybe it was turtle mating season? I tried to get several more turtle pictures, but whenever I approached, they insisted in swimming around behind me.
A couple of 18 inch long fish swam under my boat. I had seen other fish being caught from the dock and pedal boats, but none over about 8 inches long. I spotted several male and female cardinals flitting in and out of the woods. Near me on the lake were a male and female mallard.
I did not get many photos because the animals were skittish and moved away too quickly.
North 34 17 00.30
West -77 51 06.75
Hammocks Beach State Park and Bear Island
I have paddled a canoe and kayak from Hammocks Beach State Park to Bear Island and camped there several times, but it has been a few years. And, the last couple times I went, the sea grass in the estuary had grown so tall that the paddle trail markers were almost obscured, making it hard to navigate. On May 8, Janet and I made a day trip there to paddle the trail for practice, to increase my familiarity, eat a picnic on the island and then return home. Our plan was for Janet to use her binoculars to spot the trail markers. At each one I would enter a waypoint on my GPS. Then on my next trip to paddle and camp, I could plot a route on the GPS more easily to follow.
Before the trip, I researched the circumstances, and the conditions seemed perfect. Predicted weather was mostly sunny, rain chance 10%, temperature 82degrees and wind 6 mph. We would start paddling at 11 a.m. when the tide would be falling; and return from the island at 2 p.m. when the tide would be rising, both times pushing us in the right direction.
Naturally, since things often don’t go as planned, when we arrived, we encountered wind blowing more than double what was predicted, about 15 mph. It was moving straight from the island to the mainland. As we set out, we were going directly against the wind. We could make some progress, but just barely. My lesson from this situation is to review the weather in advance, but don’t depend on the prediction. Upon arrival at the put-in, check the conditions, and if not as expected, then change the itinerary accordingly.
Next, our tidal calculations omitted one important factor. The Bear Island estuary has many shallow places. We were paddling just barely before and just after low tide. We soon encountered so many sand bars and mud flats that there was not enough water depth for our paddles to get good purchase. The wind was pushing us backwards equal to our paddling forward. Then, before too long, we ran into broader sand bars with no apparent way around. So, we turned back. We had been paddling about 45 minutes, and should have been about three-quarters of the way to the island. Instead, we were only about one-quarter of the way there. My lesson is to change our itinerary so that we are paddling closer to mid-tide or high-tide.
Coincidentally, just when we turned around, we lost the trail. We could not see the next marker anywhere. Then, when we got back to the mainland, I was downloading some data from my GPS, and I discovered that the device camp pre-loaded with many trails, both on land and the water. But I had to zoom in on the map to a very low level, which I had never done, for the trails to appear on the screen. Sure enough, the Bear Island paddle trail was there. Where we lost the trail, it turned sharply to the right, left the mail channel and went through a big sea grass island, which I did not anticipate. Next time, I will zoom in and follow the mapped trail.
So, when we got back to the mainland, we ate our picnic lunch on the dock. By good luck, there we encountered several more departing paddlers who told us about a barrier island north of Wilmington that we had not heard about. It is good for kayaking, camping and observing a lot of wildlife. The name is Lea Island and Lea State Wildlife Preserve. There is not a simple paddling route to there. You have to wind your way thorough many inlets and creeks in a large marsh, with no signs, so it will be challenge to access.
One of my goals from last winter was to increase my paddling stamina so I can go on 5 - 6 mile trips comfortably. Since then, I have been on three trips at that length with no problem, so I guess that goal is accomplished. The next step in my plan is to paddle 10 – 12 miles, so I can handle more committing trips, like from the Beaufort waterfront to Shackelford Banks. I am still working on this step
To get some mileage, one morning in early May, I went on a practice paddle to Smith Creek Lake near Wilmington. My intentions was to make 8 circuits of 1.25 miles each. Unfortunately, I only made it 2.5 miles before my old pinched nerve sciatica pain flared up and stopped me. Fortunately, I have an appointment with my surgeon on May 12 to schedule a second surgery to complete the repair.
While on the water this day, I took advantage of the situation to try a few paddling experiments. First, I used a wheeled kayak cart to move my boat from the parking lot to the lake. I had the repeated problem that the boat’s sharp V hull does not sit firmly on the cart. It tips over to one side, making it hard to tie on the cart. Then I remembered Bill Webb coaching Janet Smith when entering or exiting her boat, to avoid the same problem by not leaving the bow on the shore, but instead putting the entire boat in shallow water. Then the boat will float level and not fall to one side when she puts her weight on the seat. So, I floated my boat in the edge of the lake and more easily tied on the cart. Thanks, Bill!
Second, it was a warm but not hot day. I tried for the first time wearing my NRS Hydro-Skin shirt and pants, thinking they were thin and not very warm. Instead, in the steady sunshine, I got sweaty hot. What I learned is that Hydro-Skin is close to as warm as a 3 mm wetsuit, and should be saved for actual cold days.
Third, I did another test comparing my European paddle with my Greenland paddle. The European paddle has slightly more blade surface, and is curved in a concave shape on the power side. So, the European does grab the water more firmly, and can move the boat further and faster in a hurry. But I choose to keep the Greenland most of the time because: (1) since it is less grabby in the water, then when I start moving from a stop or want to move faster, I don’t jerk the boat as much and it keeps me from getting tippy. (2) the Greenland has a thick, solid wood handle. Most European paddles are in two pieces connected in the middle of the shaft by a fiberglass collar. I have broken one paddle doing a self-rescue with a paddle float on one end and putting all my 200 pounds of weight on the shaft. (3) I often stow my paddle under rollers on the front deck bungee cords, which fits the Greenland blade nicely, whereas the European blade does not go under the rollers well.
Fourth, right many years ago I owned a cheap plastic kayak which I did not know how to handle. I placed the foot pegs too close to the seat, which was difficult getting my feet onto when I entered the boat. It made me feel claustrophobic. Soon the pegs froze in place from salt water and rust, so I could not change them. Then when I got my current Eddyline Sitka XT, I went in the opposite direction and put the pegs too far from the seat. It stressed my leg muscles to keep reaching my toes too far to the pegs. Then, today for no particular reason, it occurred to me to move the pegs to an in between position. So, I moved them, and now they work fine.
Fifth, I used my Garmin Montana 750i and my iPhone app Paddle Ways to track the route. For the first time, they both worked correctly. They showed the waypoints, the route taken, speed, time and distance.
Sixth, for a while today I was in a fairly strong wind blowing directly onto my port beam [my left side]. I tried to use the skeg to keep the stern from drifting down wind, but that let the bow drift sideways and made the boat turn. I also tried paddling without the skeg, which kept the boat pointed straight ahead, but then the whole boat moved sideways. From among my readers, does anybody have advice which method is better?
In early May Janet Smith and Bob Laney drove to Oak Island, NC, for a day trip and e-bike tour. Before the trip we reviewed the Oak Island web site and found multiple references to about five bike paths around town, on the beach and at the nearby lighthouse. We saw that the references were text descriptions and maps. Unfortunately, none of the texts or maps had a street address nor any other information on how to actually drive to the trails. There was nothing describing specifically where the trails begin, traverse or end.
Upon arrival in Oak Island, we went to the Town Hall and ate our picnic lunch in a nice park next door under a beautiful, large live oak tree. For better biking information, a nearby town officer directed us to the Recreation Center building a couple miles away. There an employee gave us printed texts and paper maps; showed us more information on a computer screen and verbally described several trails. All of the biking information from every source was vague and unintelligible.
So, we started biking behind the Recreation Center where the employee said we could find a trail. For a few hundred yards, we followed a nice dirt path through a small patch of woods and on a wooden foot bridge over a creek and estuary. Then the trail ended. We were on a town street surrounded by beach cottages. There were no trail signs anywhere, in the whole town, on the beaches nor at the lighthouse.
We followed our nose down to the beach and had a fun time pedaling for several miles on the hard sand. Then we drove my Jeep to the lighthouse, but were not allowed to enter. There was no sign of an advertised trail. Eventually, we ate an early supper at the wonderful Koko Cabana restaurant situated overlooking the sand at the ocean front beach. They had a nice selection of wine and beer.
After arriving back home, I thoroughly hosed down the bikes to remove any salt deposits and sprayed the e-bike battery terminals with WD-40 silicone. We both liked Oak Island and will go back. But if you go, don’t expect to find bike trails.
Bob's and Janet's neighborhood. In old, historical Wilmington, NC. Near the downtown waterfront. Showing historical houses, flowering trees and shrubs, the Black Soldier's Cemetery, a quiet wooded and grassed park and well kept yards. Early April 2025.
Burnt Mill Creek Paddle
On the chilly and windy but sunny morning of March 27, Bob and Janet took our kayaks to Archie Blue Park, in a neighborhood just a few blocks from our house. We put in to Burnt Mill Creek.
One of the troublesome factors of paddling out of this park is that there is no dock or ramp; and the shore has no beach. There is a small, low place on the creek bank, adjacent to which a few inches under water is a sloping creek bottom that is only about two square feet. This spot is the same place where last Fall I was trying to exit my canoe, and the boat slid out from under me. I tore my hamstring muscle so badly that I could not walk for a couple days, and I had to hobble for about a month. Today, with some trepidation, we got in and out of our kayaks in a delicate maneuver that we managed to accomplish slowly and carefully.
The normal rule is to paddle up-stream first, but that way is blocked by some Wilmington Water Department structures. So, we paddled down-stream about a half mile to the junction with Smith Creek. If we kept going further down-stream, we would be on Smith Creek, which in a few miles joins the Northeast Cape Fear River. Instead, we turned right and paddled upstream on Smith Creek.
We were many miles from the ocean, but I can tell by looking at the creek when we drive by at different times of day that the water level goes up and down, so it is tidal influenced. Today the tide looked to be fairly high. We were slightly opposed by a mild current, which I could not tell if it was the down-stream creek current or an out-going tide.
We went about 0.75 miles up Smith Creek. It was early in the day, so we intended to keep going for several more miles. But my only map was the base map on the Montana GPS, which was not detailed enough. The creek winds around through beds of sea grass and mud, with many horse shoe bends and oxbow lakes of cut off prior creek channels. Eventually the way was not clear, and I could not tell which channel to follow.
So, we turned the trip around and went back to the put-in / take-out. We had gone total about 3 miles in 1.5 hours. I plan to come back next time with a paper USGS map in a clear plastic case. This area is in the Wilmington quadrangle.
Unfortunately, before, during and after this trip, I suffered from an abnormally large amounts of my multi-year sciatica pain and low back pain. In addition, I had recently developed an inflamed Achilles tendon in my right ankle, which was not healing. At the end of this trip, and particularly when pulling the boats up the creek bank and loading them onto my Jeep, I felt major sharp pain in all three places. The pain worked to make me feel tired and sluggish.
My concern was that I must get better control of my physical condition before I engage in moderately to strongly committing outdoor sporting trips. When I got home, I communicated with the trip leaders and cancelled my participation in the March 29 Twin Rivers Paddle Club kayak event on the Black River through the Three Sisters Swamp; and I cancelled my attendance in the April 5 – 6 New Bern Outdoor Adventure Club backpack on Shackleford Banks. Both of these trips have been on my bucket list for years. They were lined up to be the major highlights of my Spring season. I was angry.
The good news is that I have an appointment April 1 with a surgeon for a second opinion on what he can do to alleviate my post-surgery sciatica pain. And I have an appointment on April 2 to engage in physical therapy to get relief from my lower back pain. I am also getting medical treatment on my Achilles tendon.
Janet, along with me, is suffering from several physical ailments which limit her ability to engage in outdoor sports exercises. It looks like for the near future, we will be going to the YMCA a lot to swim and use the weight machines. I will keep my friends posted on what Janet and I can do next.
